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For at least the past week, I have had an uninvited guest. He did not notify me he was coming beforehand, nor did he knock on the door. Having said that, he has been very quiet and virtually maintanance-free, although I have had to be more careful when hanging out the washing. Almost lifeless, I have sometimes worried about his future and what is he to do with it. Some are very fortunate, not him. Then, life could be worse – he could be on the street or crushed alive long ago by a vehicle. I am not sure what I should do – leave him be, report him to the authorities or put him out of any worries he may have. I have chosen the first option of the three.

The Grasshopper

The week before last I saw this 5-6 cm grey (or gray, for the illiterate), camouflage-like grasshopper clinging to the top of a hand towel drying on my balcony’ washing line. For days he stayed there, hardly moving. I picked in the rest of the laundry, however I left his home, the hand towel, still hanging. After another washing load was dry I decided to finally pick in the towel and banish the grasshopper from the line. I thought I had seen the end…then later I notice him wearing my clothes on the bed – out again he was compulsorally placed. I did not want to harm him but I also did not want him checking out my wardrobe.

After a day or two of nonexistance I again believed he had vanished and was banished. Lo and behold, 2 days ago he turns up again. This time he is clinging onto a peg. Today, when hanging further load of washing, I deliberately did not modify his peg for, as long he likes, the grasshopper can stay.

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…for giving me a plug on his An Irish Experience blog. Tom, originally from Adelaide, is now on the Irish AIESEC national committee and having a ball from the look of it. His blog is a touch more controversial than so go there for cause-bashing but not warm and fuzzy stories like mine.

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The lack of recent postings is a reflection of my recent busyness – if that is a word.

The main tasks at work keeping me busy have been:

-Finalising the workshop details and appointment schedule for IES’s Director of Education, Sevil. She arrived in Berlin today for the ICEF Berlin Workshop. On Monday and Tuesday she will meet with many education providers from around the world in the hope of forming partnerships with providers that meet the needs of Turkish students. This is the 4th consecutive ICEF Berlin Workshop IES has attended.

-Filling the Santa Monica College application forms for two studentts, a brother and sister, who are currently already in Los Angeles. Documents were couriered back and forth across the world, academic transcripts were translated, financial statements taken and a whole lot more.

-Searching out sesame seed suppliers from Burkina Faso and other parts of the world. International trade is a risky business and obtaining a good offer is only a fraction of the work. The supplier not having the product, the product differing from the offer and an unreliable supplier are some of the countless risks.

-Completing and uploading the ‘Intervega Marine & Trade’ website: marineandtrade.com. The website is very basic at the moment and is sure to be updated soon.

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Every now and then I will post a favourite photo of mine and accompany it with a description.

This photo is from the Northern Cyprus side of the only remaining divided capital in the world: Lefkosa/Nicosia. Berlin was the other previously divided capital.

I took the photo in July 2002 when I visited Northern Cyprus with friends Umut and Beysun and cousin Cara. The political history and current situation on Cyprus is very complex involving Britain, the UN, the US, Greece and Turkey as well as the Cypriots from both sides! When I visited we could not cross the border to the south. One day I would like to visit the south and hear their side of the story. Looking across the border from the north, the south looks far more developed and richer.

As well as the politics, there are many cultural, historical and geographical highlights of the island. Cyprus is an extremely fascinating place and well worth the visit. Hopefully, soon the political leaders will stop playing politics and become mature enough to get on with life and let Cyprus become the place it deserves to be. Signs like the one illustrated in the photo will then become a relic of the past.

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Last night at 9pm I received a call from Kadriye from AIESEC Adana to help help her at lunchtime today. AIESEC members Kadriye, Murat and Deniz were visiting Mersin University’s Ciflikkoy campus to recruit new trainees for their outgoing exchange program. For a presentation they required a trainee to speak. As all of the 6 current trainees in Adana were either unavailable or sick (3 had stomach problems!) I was called in to rescue the situation. I enjoyed having the opportunity once again to speak about my experiences and to inspire (I hope) new leaders.

No Drumming Heard this Morning!!!! 🙂

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Early this morning was another wonderful exhibition of drum banging. Several times the drummers went past. I say drummers because I heard 2 in cahoots at least once during my partial conciousness. I will buy earplugs very soon! Enough complaining.

Saturday

After finishing the Adana work office on Saturday afternoon I visited Ebru, a friend who had previously served on AIESEC Turkey’s national committee. Her house was in the middle of renovations. Then, it was on to Toygun’s place for dinner and to fall asleep in front of the NBA basketball on TV.

The expedition to Anazarbus (Anavarza)

On Sunday morning Toygun and I ate a good Turkish breakfast, filled his family’s Skoda with LPG and headed east to Yilankale (Snake Castle) and Anarvarza (Anazarbus). The day was warmer than expected. I was sweated in my Port Adelaide Football Club polo top. We didn’t actually get to Yilankale, a castle visible from the highways to Antakya (Antioch) and Gaziantep. Yilankale will have to wait until next time.

After skirting the town of Ceyhan we headed north, following the directions of the Lonely Planet guidebook. After 90 minutes of driving we successfully made it to our destination. Anazarbus (Anavarza in Turkish) is a historical place, most famous during Roman times. It has a castle on top of a hill as well as a ruined aqueduct, arches, tombs and other ruins. In my post-trip research I find that Anazarbus is also famous for saints a, b, c, d, e, and coins.

We drove the ancient town’s entrance gate with the castle on the hill standing guard in the distance. Turning left we headed to the aqueduct. Some of the aqueduct’s arches were still complete, amazing for something so old. We turned into a field and followed a road towards the hill on which the castle is situated. In the corner of my eye I saw a rock face with what looked like a cave. Upon stopping the car and walking to the sight, the cave had pictures and words inscripted above it. We were looking at this tomb.

All around, farmers were busy pulverising or burning their dead corn fields oblivious to the history of the area.

Toygun then drove the car back past the entrance gate, through the nearby village and narrow pass and around to the back of the hill. From this side, the caste looked closer. I wasn’t planning to climb to the top and I told Toygun I would go a little way up the rocky hillside. Well, the castle kept coming nearer but still remained intangibly far away. I made it through the spiny plants up to the castle. My shoelaces and cargo pants not appreciate the journey greatly, particularly the spines!

The Top

At the top, Toygun and the vehicle were mere specs. In the middle of Turkey, next to the walls of an ancient fort, overlooking the forever-tended fields, what did I do? I called Toygun via mobile phone!

All around the hill there were many lizards. I also saw two turtles and, in the castle, a tiny 30cm snake. My first ever snake sighting in Turkey!

Several of the castle walls were intact with the stairs built into the side still climbable. The castle stretched all along the top of the hill and I did not have time to see all of it. There was a ruined church with frescos barely visible inside. Above the entrance to the church writing in a language unknown to myself was etched. The views on both sides were stunning. To the west were the village and the outline of ancient city walls with various columns and ruins. The northern view contained a water channel and many fields, several of which had smoke rising from them. In the distance, minarets marked the location of tiny villages.

The descent

On my way down I passed two Turkish men and an American woman. I mischievously told them, I had seen a snake. I don’t know why people have such fears about snakes or other supposedly dangerous animals. Further down the side, many rock-cut tombs laid around, a few with still visible patterns on their sides. There were even staircases cut into the side of the hill.

At the base, Toygun had been chatting to some of the local men. One of them came over and showed me some ancient coins found around the area. They were good, however, I was not interested in their purchase. Back in the nearby village we marvelled at an archway, the most intricate ruin but one in the area. At the small open-air museum locals had uncovered an ancient pool with a near-perfect mosaic of the goddess Thetis, reminiscent of the mosaics in Antioch.

On the road home

Back on the main road to Adana, we stopped at Misis for some of the town’s renowned ayran (yoghurt drink) and sikma (a type of savoury pancake). The drink was very refreshing after a hard day. In Adana Toygun dropped me off at the train station before he went home for the iftar (fast-breaking) meal. At the train station I met Didar, a first year medical student from Adana studying in Mersin. On the train back to Mersin we chatted about many issues. I enjoyed listening to a person with a different perspective.

After arriving in Mersin, walking home, cooking and eating an omelette and having a bath, it was time for bed.

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Today is a beautiful, sunny day, although still relatively cold. At 12:45 pm I caught the train (1.9 million TL) 70 km east to Adana, Turkey’s 4th biggest city.

I came here to visit IES’s Adana office to see how it works. Buket and Sebiha work at the office which was established 1 year ago.

Tonight I will stay at Toygun’s place and tomorrow we plan to visit Yilankale (Snake Castle) east of Adana. I have seen this castle from the highway many times when on the way to either Gaziantep, Antakya or Sanliurfa.

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I wake up this morning and it is raining and has been raining for a while. For the next 6 months Mersin will be puddles and mud.

At least the tap water quality should improve. For the past 3 weeks 3 basil cuttings have been shooting new leaves and growing roots at a merry rate – all in a glass of Mersin tap water! The mineral content of the water is very high – I guess. The tea pot and tap also show evidence of mineral solidification from the local water!