Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I know I said I was going to post everyday but I’ve been swamped by the vastness of this city. On that note, Istanbul is HUGE, spanning two continents and the whole length of the Bosphorous river, there is no hand. BUT, in a good way, it means that everyday I have a new place to go to, a new neighborhood, a new restaurant, etc.
Hmm, so what exactly have I done over the past days. Well we went to Taksim Square where the Gezi protests were held. It’s crazy imagining the area full of thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of people. I’ve attached a picture of the area below:
I’ll be honest, this picture doesn’t even do the area justice, its at least 1.5 miles long of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. Definitely a must go-to area for any tourist.
The next day I went to IAU, which is a foundation, top-tier university of Istanbul. A beautiful school that is rapidly growing. But I learned a lot about the education system in Turkey and was able to connect the social aspects of the environment with the literature I’ve been reading. I came back to the University for Iftar which is the end of the Muslim fast. That too was a great learning experience, plus the food was delicious.
Today, I went to the headquarters of the Gulen Movement on the Asian Side of Istanbul. Although it was a great learning experience having these high ranking diplomats share there perspective and goals with us, you could clearly see their bias. But, I think that’s something that you have to get used to. I’ve definitely left my comfort zone on this dialogue as far as academia. I specialize in the sciences and this being a more sociology based excursion, I’ve had to approach things differently which is nice. On another note, I’VE OFFICIALLY BEEN TO ASIA.
Featured Image was something I took at the Grand Bazaar.
Today’s song is a video of a kid jamming out at Taksim Square on the Drum. Pretty cool, I decided to stop and record.
Mildly Muddling 