The end of May 4th:

The most incredible waffle ever for late lunch snack!

Eli working two laptops at once

 Sara and Grace

Our first casualty - Chaperone Doug broke his ankle in the soccer game. He was pretty frustrated this happened, though upbeat about having twice as many socks now, and no need to do a sock wash until returning to Seattle. It also gave Doug a good opportunity to make up a story about being injured attempting a bicycle kick.We were all thankful this happened here and not while hiking in beautiful Cappadocia. 

May 5th:
We had some near disasters, which just reminded me of all we are thankful for, and of the connections we have made.

Morning meditation - All one heartbeat

I focus on my breath

The air that enters my lungs is the same air all over the world

Everywhere humans breathing the same breath

The whole planet – one big heartbeat

Together

We were in the newspaper again!

We started the day with what we thought was going to be a short trip to the nearby Armenian village of Vakifli. Our plan today, as it has been the last day of every city where we have had an extended stay, was to have a lot of free time for the students to catch up on their journal writing, photo uploads, packing, and just plain "down time."

Some of the students chose to stay back in the hotel to catch up on work and rest, while 20 students went to the Armenian village. In the center of the photo is Cem Chapar, the spokesperson for the village. With Tansula translating, Cem told us about his village and then spent time answering questions. He told us that there are 40,000 to 60,000 Armenians in Turkey, though most have assimilated. This is the only active Armenian village in Turkey. There are 35 families, 135 people living here. They continue their traditions - they speak their mother tongue and have an active church. Though there may be some disadvantages of living in an extended family, the advantage is the transfer of traditions from grandparents and parents to children. Cem focused on the "cultural mosaic of Hatay," where many different cultures and tradition live in harmony without discrimination. "We are a very important piece of the diversity of Hatay."  Cem described the added value of the acceptance of diversity, the blending of cultures in their cuisine, music, language and beliefs. "For instance, I speak three languages - Turkish, Arabic and Armenian. I take pride in saying I have three mother tongues. I did not learn any of these languages in school. I did study English in school, but am not able to speak it." When asked about how the Turkish government has affected village life, Cem told us that during these last 10 years, as democracy has grown in Turkey, it has also grown in his village. "The rights that we lost we are gaining back. Ten years ago it would have been a dream to hear that a government official was visiting our village. But now it occurs every few months. it is much easier to make an appointment with government officials. and our issues are taken seriously." When asked about the "Armenian genocide of 1915" and its impact on EU membership, Cem replied extensively from his heart. "We as humans should be against genocide. Even one death is painful. One unjust death might not affect seven billion people, but it affects the one person. As an Armenian living in Turkey, I can not just remember the Armenian genocide, but also remember the pain of all genocides. It is important to remember that those genocides happened in the past and learn from the lessons of the past. Memorial days are important. April 24th, Armenian Genocide Day, is important to remember, but not for revenge, but to learn from it. Everyone wants to look at their past with pride and honor, and not with pain and suffering. These issues have happened throughout history. We would like to believe that our grandparents were correct. But none wants to blame others for what happened in the past. it is like your brother taking the punishment for your actions. To know your mistakes and own it, that is the lesson to take away from this."

Lara, Alicia, Lilia and Grace at the Moses Tree

Supposedly, Moses' staff  was planted in the ground here, and this tree grew out of it.

                  Laundry at the village near the Moses Tree

Laundry and carpets this time

More laundry

Same laundry as above, just a different view, but I liked the house so much I needed to include this photo.

Roof tiles

This was a great village for laundry

Back in Antalya

This is the main pedestrian street - totally packed this Saturday.

Antakya was under French control from 1918 to 1938. It was independent for one year, then voted to join with Turkey in 1939. Some of the architecture seems very French. 

This seems to be a mix of French and Arabic influenced. there is a tea house on the bottom floor.

The Jewish Synagogue

For the first time this trip, I had a free hour or so just to wander. I made my way through the back streets, be guided by laundry, and hoping to get lost. The path took me up into the hills. 

Eventually I started walking sown hill.

Laundry

More laundry

Great laundry day!

Eventually I wandered into this large covered bazaar.

And then to the river. 

I knew once I got to the river I could find why way back to the hotel. I was wrong. I was heading the exact wrong way. Luckily I came across some Evergreen students, who pointed me in the right direction.

Swedish journalist and camera man

Eli and Alicia met these two men in the hotel lounge. As they shared their story, it was obvious we had to recruit them for our evening meeting. There is very little news coming out of Syria. The Syrian government is strictly controlling what reporters see. So these two made contact with a representative from the opposition, who snuck them into the country illegally in the dark of night. They lived for three days with families, transferring from home to home each day. Of course, they were very fearful of being caught by the government militia or ending up in cross-fire, but they said their biggest danger was a traffic accident - the Syrians drive crazy. They told us of the indiscriminant killings of civilians and targeting assassinations of anyone suspected of sympathizing with the opposition. After three days they had to sneak back into Turkey. Their stories should hit the wire tonight. 4 of our students were researching Turkish-Syrian relationships, so this was an incredible opportunity for them, as well as for all of us.

This is our last full day in Antakya. tomorrow we will fly to Istanbul, our last stop on our journey through Turkey. It has been such an amazing experience, and time is moving too quickly.