This past week, we had a 4 ½ day Turkish holiday. Coupled with Columbus Day, we’ve had the whole week off. The holiday is Kurban Bayrami – a religious festival which includes sacrificing an animal in a special ritual. It is also visiting relatives and helping the poor. From what I understand, it’s like combining a bit of Thanksgiving with a bit of Christmas.

I worked in Turkey several years ago and one of the first things I noticed is the Turks are service oriented people. They make the best hosts at any dinner. The restaurants in Turkey (and elsewhere throughout Europe) are places where people come to eat, and usually stay for hours. Once you sit at a table, that table is yours until you decide to leave. None of this “Get the people out so we can put someone else there. More people = more tips.”

The first Turkish restaurant I sat at (above), the waiters brought several plates of salads, sauces, cheeses and breads, honey, yogurt (Turks eat a great deal of yogurt) and some stuff I didn’t recognize, before the menu was presented. After ordering, you enjoy the dishes and your drink while waiting for your food. When it does arrive, the waiters will take away your plates and utensils and return with clean sets. As you eat, if there is a pause in your dining, they will do it again. During the 2-3 hours you may sit eating, drinking and visiting with friends, you will have a three or four sets of clean dinnerware.

Now, with that in mind, I went to a barber shop the other day to get a quick trim. Using a fellow customer who could speak English, I told the barber just a trim all over and keep it above the ears. Afterwards, the barber asked through the interpreter if I wanted a shampoo.   I replied, No, thank you.

Shave?

No, thank you.

Perhaps some gel?

No, thank you.

Trim the eyebrows?

No, thank you.

Wax the hair in your ears?

No, thank you.

Neck massage?

No, thank you.

I notice your hair is quite thin on top. Would you like some hair growth product?

No, thank you.

It’s as if I was expected to sit in the barber chair for a few hours. In the States, a favorite hairstylist would cut my hair and be done in 10 minutes. Evidently not here. And after getting up and paying my tab and giving the barber a tip, I was asked if I would like some chai. (tea)   No, thank you.

Then as I was leaving, the barber sits at a small table outside and lights up a cigarette and has himself some chai. The next customer didn’t seem to be upset at having to wait, but just continued reading his newspaper. This is going to be an interesting three years.

D.

(and I’m not talking Turkey, Texas)

Oktoberfest is an annual Bavarian celebration starting back in 1810.  In Germany  (the land of my Forefathers), the celebration will last 16 days and has carnival rides and vendors.  I tried to determine the actual reason for the joyous merriment, but could only find a reference to drinking beer, eating great quantities of German food, and drinking more beer; all done while bands play.  My research shows the festival was often combined with other celebrations but the first was simply a agricultural show in Munich.  There were several years in the past when the celebration did not take place usually caused by a war, or a Cholera epidemic or the economy.

The German Embassy hosted Oktoberfest this last Thursday and Friday nights.  We hailed a taxi and arrived about 7pm.  The German Embassy has a large tent set up, probably used for various gatherings.  It would be hard to determine how many people were there, but I understand the tickets get sold out within a few days.

I was expecting this would be like one of the balls we had attended in the past, where many large round tables were set up for about 10 to 12 people.  Here, the seating is picnic tables set up end to end, filling the huge tent.  Each table had scatterings of pretzels and cheese.

Each of the four corners of the huge tent had a beer tap.  It was turned on and left running.  One man would take a tankard, (or mug) and fill it with another waiting under it.  As soon as one was filled, it was picked up by a waiter or passerby.  There was wine for the choosiest of the people and plenty of cartons of juices for the non drinkers.  Elsewhere on the tables were rows of bottle water.

I have never seen so many people, consume such great quantities of beer in the hours we were there.  Every now and then, I would see 4 or 5 waiters carrying kegs of beer to the taps.  About 8 o’clock, waiters started placing plates of potato salad on the tables.  Many plates.  The eating was family style.  You just found a place to sit and started grabbing the food.  About 15 minutes later, they brought out trays of sausages followed by chicken legs.  Everything was perfectly seasoned.  I ate a lot of sausages and chicken.  During the actual festivals in Germany, many other types of German food are added to the menu, most notably sauerkraut.

No one really sat at their assigned tables, so we gathered with others from the American Embassy.  At our table, there was an old couple who had been to many of these festivals, evidenced by the fact they knew all the songs and knew when to raise their tankards.  They did not speak English, but they smiled and toasted with everyone like we were family.

The atmosphere was eating, drinking and singing.  As the beer was consumed, the dancing began.

In truth, beer is something you never buy, it is simply rented.  So as is expected with the consumption of beer, you will also see a strong need for a urinal.  With the number of people renting the beer, the need for many urinals was great.  Someone in the Urine Industry has invented a nifty way for three men to use a pyramid shaped urinal at one time.  No need to use the porta-potties seen at construction sites.

Now, evidently it takes women longer to rid themselves of beer, so fidgety women are always standing in line waited to use their facilities.  As a result, many simply went into the men’s side and stole use of the porta-potties.  …  I saw no man complain.

To help put the celebration into proper prospective, several vendors set up booths selling clothing and souvenirs of the Festival.  So my lovely wife went and purchased a dirndl dress to help celebrate.

This was the first Oktoberfest we have attended, and as I research it, I find it is one of thousands across the Globe.  It was small by comparison to those in Munich where it originated, but we enjoyed it and will be going to the next one, and the next, and the next …

Man, that was some great food!

This is the country with Mount Ararat where Noah’s Ark was said to have landed.  It has the area called Cappadocia, the community of some of the earliest Christians; and Ephesus, where the Virgin Mary lived out her life.

Some will tell you Turkey is part of the European Union, and there are others who will spit on the ground if you suggest such.

We finally flew into Ankara and was picked up by my boss at the airport.  By the time we arrived to our new apartment, it was about 1 AM.  We were dead to reality and just had to de-compress.  It took four flights to go from Texas to the capital city of Turkey.  The flights included a nine hour layover in Frankfurt.

Our apartment is on the 7^th floor of a 15 story complex.  We face the morning sunrise in the East, watching the fog and clouds which blanket the mountains.  Even with the prominent apartment buildings all around, we can still see the sun as it awakens and rises up and over the city.  It is a site we will enjoy for the next three years.

A boss I had years ago who served three years in Turkey, will tell you this country is a second world country that is trying to become a Third World.  I never knew for sure what he meant by that until I arrived.  It is a country that refuses to rid itself of the aspects of a Third World country, but wants to be modern.

Even though there are traffic lights that work, as opposed to Addis Ababa, and several places in the city you can find Starbucks or Burger King, you will still see young kids sorting through the garbage looking for trash with value.  It is accepted and normal.  It’s as if the Country does not want to move ahead.

We have been here since the 17^th of September.  Our household effects will not be here for another month and if our vehicle gets here before the New Year, I will be surprised.  As with most countries overseas, they enjoy being able to “lord” over the United States.  They will take their time on dealing with the Customs on any item coming from the US, because they can.  Years ago, when we were in Moscow, I learned we just have to play the games.

So, to get to and from work, I have to hitch a ride with someone else, or use the public transportation, which is actually safe and efficient.  I just need to learn how to use the fare cards.  Several times we had to rely on the local taxis.  Since Turkey requires all taxis to be metered, it is more difficult to cheat the passenger; unlike Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and New York City.  But to say the taxi rides are uneventful would be incorrect.

I worked in Turkey for several weeks, a few years ago and was shaken up a time or two with the taxi drivers.  Since then, Ankara has installed video cameras at many intersections to catch speeders and those who run red lights.  They just send you a fine in the mail.  But the taxi drivers will still inject their cab into points of traffic where there should be no cars.  Today, I saw a taxi pull from the far right hand lane, across all the lanes of traffic, during red light to do a U-turn.  All we could do was laugh.

Our apartment is nice and modern.  The kitchen has about three times the counter space and four times the cabinets than our kitchen in Addis.  The kitchen itself looks like it came out of the IKEA catalog.  The Swedes are experts on finding ways to save space.  We like this place and will enjoy.  Throughout the rest of the apartment, are ample closets and storage places.  Down in the underground garage, we have two parking spots and a small storage closet.

The compound has 24 hr guards patrolling the area.  Every vehicle that is questionable, will be stopped.

We have very good Internet, especially after being in Addis and plenty of cable TV.  Only thing is, even though English is used in many countries, Turkey is one where you will find only rare signs and instructions in our language.  I fear I will have to learn some of the language.  My wife will disagree, but to me, it has similarities to Russian.

Work has been busy and I will be doing a lot of travel in the next month.  Terese will pick a time to go back to Addis and get the damn cat.  To prove to her I miss the animal, I named the wifi connection after it. (damn cat wifi)

This Friday we will be attending Oktoberfest at the German Embassy which is right next to the American Embassy.  It promises to be fun.  Then we will have a week long holiday and I hope to get more thoughts down.  In the meantime, kick butt.   D.