O Christmas Tree

Here she is! Our 2009 Christmas tree. We bought it this weekend at a store where there were about 4 choices. This one looked the least puny and like she needed a home. BC had the seasonal joy of carrying it across town, and then I decorated it. I think she is well worth our efforts. 'Tis the season!

Kurban Bayram

Thursday started the four day Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayram (Feast of Sacrifice) here in Turkey, called Eid al-Adha in Arabic speaking countries.  Muslims worldwide celebrate Bayram as a remembrance of Abraham's obedience to God in his willingness to sacrifice his son; instead God provided a sacrificial ram as substitute.  Each year, Bayram takes place 2 months and 10 days after Ramadan, the 40 days of fasting.  Bayram also starts the following day after people have completed their pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.

During the celebration of Bayram an emphasis is placed on spending time with family and friends.  Families will go to Mosques to pray together and attend special services.  If the family has the means, they will typically sacrifice an animal.  Families can choose how to distribute the meat, but traditionally, a third of the meat is kept by the family, a third is given to friends, and a third is distributed to the poor.

In Turkey they have designated certain places around the city where families can bring their animal to be sacrificed.  If families choose not to slaughter an animal, there are non-profits that they can donate money to instead.  The non-profit then purchases animals, slaughters them, packages the meat and then distributes it to impoverished people around the world.  (Today's Zaman article about non profits)

Bozaaaaa!

For about the past month, every night (almost without exception) around 10:30 we hear someone yelling from our street something that sounds like, "Booohhhzzzlllaaayyy." He then rings a bell followed by, "AaahhhBooohhhhzzzlllaaayy." This cycle repeats...over and over again. This salesman walks the streets of our neighborhood three times every night. Until this week I have not been able to figure out what it is he is selling...

You can hear what he sounds like on the video below. The sound is a little faint, but hopefully you get the picture.

BC's family is in town with us now so last night the "seller" came down our street as predicted. We all watched him out the window, but they couldn't tell what it was either. The second time he came by two of us went outside to ask him what it was he was selling. I said to him, " Bu ne?" (What is this?), and he responded in Turkish and I didn't understand so I said, "Süt?" (Milk?) and he replied somewhat gruffly, " Süt? YOK! Boza!" (Milk? No! It's Boza!). I shrug and ask how much because I still have no idea at this point what in the world "Boza" is so I figured I might as well try it. He gets out a plastic cup and pours a thick whiteish liquid into it and sprinkles the top with cinnamon. We try it and it tastes sort of like a thicker than normal egg nog (not as sweet or eggy though...it's a tough drink to describe).

Now that I knew the name, I looked it up. Boza is popular malt drink in Turkey made from fermented wheat. It has a thick consistency and a low alcohol content (usually around 1%), and has a slightly acidic sweet flavor. It is served with cinnamon and served in mostly the winter months. Boza is an infamous beverage known since Ottoman times. In the 17th century there were over 300 shops in Istanbul that sold it.

I'm glad I know what Boza is, and I'm glad that we tried it, but I still am not sure that I understand why it needs to be yelled from the rooftops as I'm trying to fall asleep. :-)

My lunch friend

Today for lunch, we ate tavuk şiş (pronounced: tahvuk sheesh) which is chicken grilled on a skewer. It is our favorite Turkish meal so far. You can find it at almost any local restaurant. It's cheap (about $4!) and delicious! I think the reason the chicken is so tasty is that it is marinated for a long time before it's grilled. The seasonings are olive oil, pepper paste, cumin powder, dried mint, and paprika. The dish is also served with fluffy pita bread, rice, and vegetables. Try this at home...you won't be disappointed.

During most meals here, if you eat outside, your every move is watched by surrounding neighborhood cats who wait hoping you will drop a piece of food on the ground. Cats are everywhere, and today was no exception. At one point during the meal, I reached under the table cloth to get my napkin and felt what I thought was a paw touch me. I pulled my hand back and looked under the table and didn't see anything. I asked BC to look as well, but neither of us saw anything under the table. A few minutes later, I decided to reach under the table cloth again and when I did I was again "pawed." I stood up and lifted up the table cloth and there sat a cat on the chair beside me staring at me. I started laughing and the restaurant owner came over and BC pointed at the cat and said "Arkadaş," (pronounced Ark-a-dah-sh) which means friend in Turkish. The owner shooed him away but not before I snapped this picture of him.

The refugee process in Turkey

This post about the process of refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey is long overdue, mostly because I’ve been intimidated by it. There are many laws and regulations, so this is the 10,000 foot view of how the process generally works.

There are 2 groups of people that this process applies to:
1.  Asylum seekers. An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own country and applies to the government of another country for protection as a refugee.
2. Refugees. (United Nations definition) A refugee is a person who is outside their own country and cannot return due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

When people who have fled their home country first arrive in Turkey they are asylum seekers. When they arrive, the people are supposed to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). When they register, basic information is taken from them and they are given identification papers that allow some level of protection for them to be in Turkey legally.

Asylum seekers will then go through an interview process with the UNHCR, in order to determine whether or not they are a refugee. The asylum seeker tells about the flight from their home country and why they cannot return, and are encouraged to show proof.

As the asylum seeker is going through this process, which can take anywhere from months to years, they are assigned to a satellite city in Turkey. There are 30 satellite cities in Turkey, mainly in the interior and eastern parts of the country. At the satellite city, asylum seekers are required to sign in with the local police either daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the city. Asylum seekers aren’t legally allowed to work, and the government does not usually provide housing, but we do know that at least one satellite city has provided two buildings for people who are refugees to live in, but that is rare.

As the person is living in the satellite city, the UNHCR is making a decision on their case to either grant or deny them refugee status. If the UNHCR denies them refugee status, the person can appeal twice and present more evidence. If the appeal is denied both times, then the person is no longer legally allowed to stay in Turkey.

If the person is granted refugee status by the UNHCR then the long wait begins for resettlement into another country. From what I’ve seen, the resettlement process can take an extremely long time. I know a man who was given refugee status in the early 2000s and still has not been resettled. Most people get resettled more quickly than this, but long waits for resettlement exist.

People are very excited when they get refugee status because it means that they will get resettled to a different country. However, the wait can be very frustrating and very long. Even while they wait for resettlement they still have to be in their satellite cities.

From what I’ve seen, it is tough to get refugee status from UNHCR. UNHCR seems to do their due diligence to make sure the asylum seeker is truthful about the persecution in their home country. If someone is granted refugee status, then you can be sure that they have suffered a great deal due to persecution.

There are many things that are important that I’ve left out of this post that affect the daily lives of people who are refugees and asylum seekers. I’ll come back and fill in the holes every so often.

This past weekend, we went to a concert of an Istanbul Korean Choir at the St. Irene located within the courtyard of the Topkapi Palace. It is a museum and not always open, so this was a great opportunity to go. The choir did not disappoint, nor did the saxophonist who played “Amazing Grace.”

St.Irene is one of the largest and oldest churches from the Byzantine era still standing in Istanbul. It was built in the year 330. The church takes its name from a saint who was at that time working for the spread of Christianity. The church was first built from wood, and burned during a revolt in 532. Although the Emperor Justinian had the St. Irene restored, it later suffered significant damage in fires and earthquakes. Fortunately, the church was restored each time that it was damaged, and, after the conquering of Istanbul in 1453, remained within the walls of the Topkapi palace courtyard. For a long period, the St. Irene was used as a weapons depot, and finally in 1869 it was converted into a museum. Today, the museum serves mainly as a concert hall due to its extraordinary acoustics.