First weekend in Istanbul.

Xander mentioned that several of the students are fasting during Ramadan. We originally started with two students fasting and now about half of them have chosen to fast. Some of the Muslims I’ve talked with have been confused by this, asking immediately if the students are Muslims and then why, if they are not Muslims, they would be fasting. I have told them that fasting is also a tradition in Christianity as a way to help us concentrate on God, and that although some of the details are different the intent is very similar to the intent of fasting for Muslims. Many of our students know that fasting is a tradition within Christianity but they have never tried it themselves, and they see this as a way to practice a Christian spiritual discipline as well as to understand their Muslim neighbors better. I want to assure anyone who is concerned though, that all of the students are drinking water and additional electrolytes as needed, and they they, like their Muslim neighbors here, break the fast at sundown every day and just refrain from eating during the daylight hours. Also, all of us are keeping an eye on each other to ensure that no one becomes ill.

We have been invited to break the fast with our Muslim neighbors and acquaintances on two separate occasions. The first will be tonight, when we will all go to the gallery of a friend for a simple iftar (meal to break the fast).

Yesterday after a Sabbath morning service, most of us took a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul and went to an Anatolian restaurant there for lunch. The ferry ride was pleasant and gave everyone a chance to get their bearings in the city to a greater extent. Sitting on an outside bench on the ferry while crossing the Bosphorus has always been one of my favorite things to do in Istanbul, and I’m glad so many of the students had the opportunity to experience that.

Friday in the early afternoon I sent the students out to observe people. They were to choose two groups that differed on one demographic variable (e.g. women with and without covered heads, people in different social classes, etc) and observe them to learn as much as possible about the differences and similarities in their behavior. One group decided that because they had already spent a fair amount of time in the city center they would take the tramway to the end of the line in an Istanbul suburb. They had a number of observations of how the people in this particular suburb (Bagcilar) different from people in the city center, including that almost no one spoke English, a much larger proportion of the women had their heads covered, people stared but were much less likely to engage them in conversation, and that people were lined up praying in the street (something I haven’t seen in Turkey before). Another group contrasted the behaviors and attitudes of secularists with the behaviors and attitudes of some of the more religious people they have met.

Overall I have been very pleased by how quickly they have found ways to connect with people here and have meaningful conversations. Several of the students have learned a fair amount of Turkish and are able to engage in rudimentary conversations (“survival Turkish”). Almost all have demonstrated an interest in learning and have made attempts to practice and learn what they can.