Day 4: Identity Crisis at the Mosques

Michael and I don't spend too much time sightseeing during our travels (we prefer spending our days eating and drinking :) but we do try to make a small effort to at least see the main sights (usually towards the end of our trip), even if its from a distance! So on the 4th day, we headed to an area called Sultanahmet, which was the heart of the Ottoman Empire and as such, was where the emperors and sultans lived and built these grand places of worship (called mosques) and thus, became a major hot spot for tourists.

As we flew into Istanbul the first day, we noticed many mosques (large and small)... but the most impressive of them all, is the Blue Mosque (pictured above and below), which was built by Sultan Ahmet I between 1603-1617 that would surpass its rival Aya Sofya (above right).

Aya Sofya (below)

Out of all the monuments, we actually went into this one here - the Basilica Cistern (right & below). Built in 532 AD, it's the largest surviving cistern and at one point, held 80,000 cubic meters of water, delivered via 20km of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea!


Hey, lookie what I had to pee in at the mosques!... just like Vietnam!!! AND I had to pay!

In a previous entry, I mentioned that most Turks figured we were Japanese. I discovered on this trip that I had an identity crisis. When I lived in New York and people asked where I was from, I could easily say I was from Portland. When I traveled out of the country from New York, I just said I was from New York (to avoid having to explain, "... Portland... Oregon?... you know, on the West Coast of the U.S?... above California?... no? How about below Washington?!"). Although I did feel guilty at times for not giving props to Portland. Then when I moved to London, the answer (to colleagues mainly) was, "Yea, I just recently moved from New York, but I'm really from Oregon." More blank stares, but ehh.

But now that I travel from London and people ask "Where you from?" I almost want to be like, "What do you mean where am I from? Where am I from most recently? Or where am I originally from? Could you please be more specific? Or better yet, be more politically correct?!!" Initially, I would answer simply, "I'm from the states," but they're never happy with that answer and would insist, "Really? No, I mean, where are you frooooom?" Experience tells me now that most people mean, "What's your background?" If they had asked it like that, I'd be happy to answer, "Vietnamese!" but they don't! Nonetheless, to avoid useless banter, Michael and I have recently resorted to just responding to the question of, "Where are you from?" with a simple, "Vietnam." It's just easier!

Man, if we tell enough people during our travels that were actually from Vietnam, they'd probably think everyone from Vietnam spoke American! So here's a funny story (this actually also happened to me, Tram, & Lydia while were in Rome last year, but we never really figured out why :)

So while Michael was taking pictures of the mosques, I sat down on a step to rest. Before my butt even hit the marble, 15 or 20 early-teenage school kids gathered around and asked to have their picture taken with me! They asked me to take off my sunglasses, then one by one, they took turns having their picture taken with me. They wanted Michael in it too, but he was shy and ducked away. Unsure of what was going on, I felt flattered at first (like a movie star!... or Mickey Mouse :) but then I realized they must have thought I was Japanese! So I said to a girl, "Where are you guys from?" I figured they were on a field-trip from some really far away country with little tourism and thus, little chance of seeing tourists. Do you know what she replied? "My name is Elif... And I'm from Turkey!"

TURKEY???!!!

Then she said, "You can speak English???!!" OMG. I felt like an imposter! So I got up, thanked them and walked off. But they managed to find Michael and started swarming around him, asking him to take his sunglasses off too (to see his almond-shaped eyes, I bet :) and once more, they all took turns taking pictures with him as well!

Ok, so I just went on a tangent... but what's a blog for if I can't even go off on one of my tangents? :)