Cappadoccia sunset

Love everyines comments and im reading them all and smiling! Im trying to get more pics up but it keeps failing to publish them. Here however was todays sunset at cappadoccia in the town of göreme.

What chu thinkin' lincoln?

BWhat do you think about doing something right the first time? How possible is it and what does it mean to even do something right?

I have been in cappadoccia now for 4 days without a plan. I have had 3 1/2 great days. The 1/2 bc I got a bug and was sick for half the day. But this place is so unique in the world and I have realized more and more how Turkey is as well. An example of almost being paralyzed by options. Rent a bike, car, scooter, hot air balloon, what valley to hike, what museum to go to, etc etc etc. Along the way I have asked many locals opinions and i have received great advice. I am also travelling with a guy I met who has input also,  so long as we can communicate bc his English is how people here would say "50 50". But now that I am leaving tomorrow to go to antalya I realize what I would do if I was here again. Where to stay, what to do, what to rent. I have had an amazing time in cappadoccia and would say its on a "must do list". I got a taste of culture and youth life with memet in urgub, a taste of unbelievable geology, human innovation, and churches in goreme. Overall human beings are amazing and have been for a long time.

Next stop antalya, as my friend says the best spot on the Mediterranean.  I beleive him as far as popularity goes because everyone I've talked to seems to share a similar opinion. However I almost made a last second decision to go to Ankara, the capital, for only one reason. To go to the Anatolian first civilization museum. Gordian (sp) is the first civilization in the world. At this museum they have artifacts from the first civilization and it is supposed to be amazing. But I would end up spending too much money and time to go to one museum. I chose to spend more time exploring the coast and Istanbul. But my nezt visit to Turkey ill be there.

Some thoughts on the future: Ive been thinking a bit about the future here and also some cool opportunities have popped up. Keep in mind these are just thoughts.

There are some more great Israel trips that some rich Jews are crazy and awesome for dishing out this kind of cash. At the end of our trip we got presented with 4 different options for living and working in tel aviv. A variety of different options: environmental, english, business and digital media classes. They range from 1, 000-4, 000 for 4-8months with apt, stipend and in some cases flights paid for. So I could do that for 4-6 months then go down to Eilat (sp) and work on a kibbutz and kite board and scuba dive. Maybe even be instructors (if I get good enough).

Another throught was to do a masters program abroad abd I wsd thinking Istanbul at an English speaking universiry. I met one of yussufs ciusins and he was studying there and loved it. Yussuf told me about how great of a university it is for all kinds of reasons. Now if I couldbonly remember the name.

But I think that I will want to go back to school for a little,  but not until I work (not a desk job) for a little. I really enjoy school and learning more than ever and I love the student life and environment. Also doing it in another country would be sickkkkk

Pictures!

Today was a brilliant day in capoadoccia! Im going to sleep now but will write more another time, no time to rest from havibg fun its hard to get a break. Here is me and the "3 beauties". Man are they ever! Cappadoccia is like walking on the moon and finding alien remnants of life. Bazar is the only word that comes to mind. Today I met a 44 year old Turkish dude and we chilled all day miscomnunicating, communicating through thinfs other than words, food, castles, backgammon, beer and laughs.

Here is another picture of me in a cave house in ürgüp, where I currently am. I am with some local Turks who I met through my hostel owner named memet. They speak very very little English but we have now hung out 2 nights in a row. Very fun crazy people.  Especially when you cant understand them

Gobble gobble

I got to Turkey just 2 days ago. I had to go to the airport with my birthright group at 1030 pm on august 7. After saying goodbyes to family after 10 days and potentially strangers for the rest of my life, I hope not. Wellll speaking for mostly everyone in my group haha. It was one of those moments that reminded me that opportunities only happen once (for the most part) and that you need to take advantage of them when you have them because that opportunity or moment will pass no matter if you want it to or not so you might as well give as much of yourself as you can. I feel like I did that for the most part, only sleeping 4hrs almost every night after a 10 hr time difference and waking up every morning and hiking asking questions and paying attention to speakers. However if it werent for the bus rides sleep I might not have made it.

Anyways after goodbye I had to wait for my flight at 4:30am. 6 hrs to pass, super tired, and in the middle of sleeping hrs. It was a bad decision to blow up my nillow (neck pillow) bc I soon woke up to an empty terminal. I wuickly grabbed my bag and ran on the flight right before take off. I then had a 10 hour delay in Istanbul but I met a kurdish guy who I might stay with when im in Istanbul. One of his first questions was "is it true that when you turb 18 you live separately from your family? " I soon found out how family oriented Turkish culture is.

After getting odd the plane I thought everyone spoke English.  Some signs were in English, thsy had announxements on th e flight in English, and the first few short convos I had were in English.  But I soon realized that ppl did not know much besides hello how are you and how to say numbers. This was suprising to me but had continued to be thid way everywhere ive been.

Meeting yussuf in the airport was surreal. Being the only white guy on the plane it wasnt hard for him to spot me. Flying in was beautiful to see as a mountain range separates him and the Mediterranean. Throughout the valley that he lives in I saw scattered villages filling in space between lots of agriculture. Flying in I was thinking how I only knew yussuf in Eugene.  I considered 27 and emerald as his home and the turf fields bars and other spots as our hangout areas. But now I was going to be able to actually see what shaped yussuf. Now he wasnt just from Turkey but I wss going to get to be with yussuf in Turkey.

Here is  is the dessert that is famous in Hatay, kunefi ( sp) it is a perfect blend of soft and crispy. Wow was it amazing, youll have to come try it for yourself!

Airport lovin'

Wow wow wiii. Sitting here at my new home for the next 4 hours with shoes full of sand, bags under my eyes, all my belongings for 4 more months and a whole new set of memories and friends. And also important to note I am alone for the first time in 200 hours, without taglit group 599. I already used up my right by birth to go to Israel for essentially free for 10 days. What a lucky guy I am to have this chance, so s big thanks to my Jewish heritage and to the program for taking jews as religious as I am, whats the torah again?

But seriously anyone who has this opportunity would be a fool not to take it. Travelling around a large part of the country,  seeing so much world and rekigious history, trying amazing meals mainly of hummus, kebob and falafel, and seeing a whole new spectrum of lifestyles. Did I mention it was free? Maybe thats my jewish side coming out.

My thoughts on Israel before I went have drastically changed as I think everyone on my trips did. Coming into israel I imagined it being a very dangerous country always in a state of conflict.  I imagined all those big nose, pushy, religious stereotypes that I imagine a lot of ppl do. But reality has proved me wrong, at least the one im living in. I felt extremely safe in israel walking aroud with my camera and phone out in public without feelings of threat as ive felt in other places. Internally israel is safe, within their own communities. However these people do live and have lived in a country with the threat of war. At times on a daily basis and other times not in many years. Many of the ppl we met have lost friends or family or acquaintances not to old age but to what are labeled as terrorist attacks or in battle. But as a tourist this is hard to imagine as you are walking around the cities as everything feels perfect and you have to remind yourself sometimes where you are and the status of Israel to many other countries. Also I realize that I only got to really see/hear one side of the story. Im sure if I was in Palestine my outlook would probably be completely different.
Either way most israelies were not religious and very similar to us Americans and fit right in. They were jusy normal people who wanted to have fun and be happy.

Here are 2 pictures from our sunrise hike at masadiah. Such an amazing place and unbelievable work by humanity to be able to live up there for many years. The sunrises over the mountains of jordan and over the dead sea (lowest point on earth. Here I am with 2 isrseli soliders about to finish their service, Ran and Idan.

Treats on treats

Emma- I think you would die at the market. Fresh fruits veggies and dates everywhere at the market. Not just Emma mom dad and Caitlin also but I mainly say Emma bc or her some might say a diet as weird as tofurkey, thats a white as honkey.

Anyway back to the market.  A well known night life writer in tel-aviv wrote that the obly good reason to go to Jerusalem was for this market. Every sense was in overload mode. With each strand full of buckets of their fresh colorful displays teasing you one afyer the next it would be impossible to go their without money and for some ppl its prbly hard not to spend al of it. The vegas for food and market lovers. Each stand had their own incredible odor filling the air and mixing with the next stand until the next stand took over and mix in the with following stand. Orthodox jews pushing their baby carriages like drunk drivers and people pushing hot hollah through the walkway moving at highspeed. Tourists lost in disbelief of the ambience and locals with their shopping lists bargaining for their weekly grociers. Yea, ive never been to a market in the same category as this caos, I heard that when im in Istanbul ill be in for a treat

City of David caves

Here are the caves that we walked through in the city of david. These tunnels were built in order to get fresh spring water in times of battle so they did not have to leave their city in order to retrieve water. Brilliant people and amazing tunnels considering they did this without any heavy  machinery and in only 2 years. It was a great way to cool off and get away from the hot sun, unless you can't find your way out!