Happy 2012 from “The Ongoing Adventures” Blog!
I obviously took a hiatus over the last months. However, the adventures have not ended. A new posting in Ankara has thrust us into the cradle of civilization stepping into the past while living daily in a modern country with a growing economy and influence in the world.
Most know that we left Luanda in June and spent the next five weeks in the U.S. on “home leave” along with consultations with Med in Wash DC. It was good to see family and friends, catching up on doctors’ appointments, taking care of personal business. We traveled to LA to see brother Michael and Brenda and then Portland to see sister Monica & Tom. We completed the trip by stopping off in Calgary to see our good friends Kathy and Greg. As we had been warned, there was more to do during home leave than expected with time swiftly passing.
Here are some photos from our trip. To see a larger view of the pictures, click on the photo and it will open the album in a new screen.
Although beginning a new tour in Ankara seemed familiar, the new post was not. After stepping off the plane, we realized again the reality of living in another country not knowing anyone in a strange city with another foreign language we don’t understand. The American Embassy in Ankara is a relatively large post in a strategic position in the world. As a result, there are not only State Department personnel but many other agencies like Agriculture, Justice, DEA, FBI and a decent size military presence. Additionally, there are consulates in Istanbul, Adana and Izmir also supported by the Embassy. Because of this, there are many official visitors that come through here including the VP, Sec. of State and many congressional delegations.
Here are some photos when we met VP Joe Biden. Additionally, I had a chance to meet and hear Sandra Day O'Connor speak about her experiences in life.
We were warned that the larger embassies lack the intimacy of the smaller embassies like Luanda. Although we had been ready to leave the “fishbowl” life in Luanda, we have missed elements of it here. We are beginning to have more friendships with other members, but it is definitely not the same. The housing is scattered about the city although not too far from the Embassy. While some apartment complexes have more mission members than others, we live in a building that only has a few families. So, at times, we miss that ability to just go down the hall or downstairs to connect with others as we did in Luanda. However, we are enjoying this post with the access to historical and cultural sites and the freedom to visit them. Everyday life seems more “normal” or familiar here.
Ankara is a city of almost 5 million people although it does not seem that large or densely populated. The city is located in the middle of the Anatolian Plain at an altitude of 3100 feet. Ankara had been a relatively insignificant city until Ataturk (the leader of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923) decided to make it the capital of the new Republic. His goal was to establish a capital consistent with the new identity of Turkey with a break from the past Ottoman Empire. The city has grown over the years with its many government and military buildings. As the population grew, the high rise buildings replaced the small single family homes scattered about the city. The air quality has improved immensely as the move to natural gas for heating has replaced coal. Even now, in certain areas, coal is still used for fuel which creates the haze that hangs above the city in the winter. While Ankara cannot compete with Istanbul in terms of night life or a general cosmopolitan feel, it is more of a livable city. In many ways, it seems the difference between living in a city like Cincinnati versus New York City. Large shopping malls have replaced many of the older commercial areas and provide one of the major entertainment venues for the local folks. Families flock to the malls on the weekend to stroll about, eat at one of the restaurants, see a movie, music performance or find the Turkish version of Barney to entertain the children. In the summer, families stay at their summer home or gather on Sunday at one of the parks in or outside the city for the day.
The Anatolian Plain has a semi-arid climate with four seasons. The dry summer heat was bearable and now the dry winter air, even with snow, does not seem as bone chilling as in the Midwest. As the Turks feel it is best to be warm at all times, we enjoy a constant 75 degree temperature in our apartment without even turning on the radiators.
These photos of Ankara give you an idea of the old city combined with the new. During the holidays, the Turks love to bring out their flags and photos of the revered founder and first president of the Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
We live in a newer high rise building complex (13 floors) on the eighth floor in a 4 bedroom apartment. It is a pleasant place with adequate space, ceiling to floor windows or balcony with a stunning view of the city and vistas of the surrounding hills into the plain. It is located in an area among the smaller embassies of the world and the personnel that staff them. Shops are nearby and we can walk daily to do food shopping if needed. Public transportation is also nearby and affordable. As cars are expensive to own and operate, taxis are ever present and also affordable. For us, when we first arrived, we walked as much as possible and then took a bus or taxi. (I have used more taxis in the months here than in my entire life). As we live a few miles from our Embassy, I walk daily to and from work. Ankara is situated in a bowl with the center city in the base and the residential areas located on the surrounding hills. The walk down the hill to work in the morning is easy but the one home provides a good cardio workout. (Think walking from downtown Cincinnati at the river to the top of Mt. Adams) When we first arrived in the summer, it was quite an adjustment not only with the heat but also with the altitude adjustment. Now that is winter and I have acclimated, it seems an easy trek home.
We enjoy the ever changing views from our apartment. We also have bought carpets and kilims to decorate our home.
My position as the Health Practitioner in the Health Unit is also different. Having over 550 Americans with access to the Health Unit, I perform more clinical care than in Luanda and find a nice balance of clinical and administrative work. Additionally, I alternately visit the consulates in Istanbul and Adana to provide care to the American staff there. I work with a physician (the Regional Medical Officer or RMO), Behzad, who is a Turkish/Iranian origin and spent many formative years in Istanbul. He went to university and medical school in Texas and remained to work there. He is now an American citizen and joined the Foreign Service only a year before me spending his first tour in Sudan. He is a very nice single guy and we get along very well. Having a colleague who speaks Turkish and understands the culture has been invaluable. As the medical facilities and care are of high quality in the large cities, I am able to easily refer patients to local specialists for care. Certainly, here, I am not “the only game in town”. When I first arrived, the local staff in the Health Unit consisted of two nurses, one British and the other Turkish as well as an administrative assistant. I knew before I even bid on the post that there had been long standing personnel issues. The British nurse did not treat her colleagues with respect and more recently all three staff members argued regularly among each other. The British nurse did not treat Behzad with respect causing even more tension and dysfunction in the HU. When I met with the Med people in Washington, however, I was assured that things would be fine and I should arrive with an open mind.
I did arrive with an open mind, but it did not take long to see just how bad things were. I did not know how I was going to manage in this situation for the next 2 years. Because Behzad and I were united in improving the functioning of the HU, we worked with Human Resources to attack the problem head on with a performance improvement plan. The three ladies did improve in their treatment of each other, but, the British nurse’s treatment and disrespect for Behzad and then, me, only worsened. Despite counseling with her, she just could not see that there was a problem with her behavior and the problem lie with us. After many hours of worry and GI distress, we made the decision that either she left or we did. With the support from the front office, she was finally terminated. But, of course, this was not the end. She presented a 27 page appeal filled with such vicious attacks and inaccuracies, that I almost became physically ill reading it. She solicited support from previous Med personnel with whom she did respect for the appeal. The appeal was denied but it also caused a ripple in Med and a review from our regional manager. After his review, he was satisfied that the dismissal was warranted and that it should have taken place long before we arrived. However, the entire experience felt akin to a whistle blower who experiences repercussion from doing the right thing. And the experience underlies a weakness with DOS and movement of personnel every 2-3 years. It is easy to ignore personnel issues when you know your time in that situation is limited. But, for us, we couldn’t ignore it. Since the dismissal, the atmosphere in the HU has improved immensely. The tension is gone and we have taken back control of the HU. Duties have been redistributed among the remaining two employees. We are finally going through equipment and dealing with issues that have been neglected for a long time. Hopefully, this atmosphere and efficiency will remain.
The adjustment to this new post has been more difficult for Jim. The connection to the Embassy for him has been limited from the beginning. And there have been adjustment issues to life in Ankara with the crazy drivers and getting around without the language skills. There are many very well educated spouses (mostly women) and limited employment opportunities which lead to many dissatisfied people. The Turkish government only allows diplomatic family members to be employed in education, and unless you speak Turkish, you are limited to the English speaking schools. There are a few international type schools and a few universities, but the opportunities are limited. The universities have not even responded to his inquiries. While the elementary/high school schools are interested in his services as needed, there are only so many students. He has done some substitute teaching and has a few American clients he sees via the Health Unit. He was accepted for a contract position with the military to be a consultant at any American base in the world for 3-6 month stints. However, that also has gone nowhere for the time being. So, for now, he enjoys the freedom to set his own schedule. He works out a lot at the health club we joined, is taking Turkish lessons at the Embassy, cooking wonderful meals and exploring future employment options. He made a trip home for 3 weeks in October to attend the Ohio Psychological Association and spend time with his family. It is difficult to say how this will all play out during this tour and may affect future plans for life in the Foreign Service.
Living in Ankara is a big step up from Luanda. Daily life seems more normal in general in that goods and services are readily available and affordable. The Turks are generally friendly and gracious and, despite the language barrier, will try to help. Many people in the larger cities have some basic English but it doesn’t help much at the supermarket or giving directions. Bureaucracy abounds and, at times, it seems an organized version of Angola (it took us 2 months and paying a contractor to get our car registered). The infrastructure is also good for the most part with decent roads, internet speed (we can now stream TV and movies!) and consistent power sources. The price of gasoline is one of the highest in the world at $9-10 a gallon. Since we don’t have to pay the tax, the price for us is about half that. The food is plentiful and good. There are restaurants everywhere although most serve typical Turkish fare. There are a few American fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King (who deliver), Domino’s Pizza and KFC. Produce is plentiful and we enjoyed amazingly fresh, tasty fruits and vegetables well into the fall. Since there is a large military presence left in Ankara, we have access to the US military commissary and BX. We are then able to buy American products or better priced meat from Europe. We feel spoiled at times after Luanda.
The country is secularized but predominantly Muslim with a current conservative government. Mosques are everywhere and you hear the call to prayer five times a day. There is a mix of more secular and religious people in the city while the more religious conservative citizens dominate the rural areas. There is also a varied mix of dress for women ranging from western garb to the Hijab of the conservative group. While these women do not wear the traditional burqa, they do wear head scarves and long coats (even in the summer!!!) to cover up. Even then, there is a range of fashions from just head scarves and jeans to long skirts and coat. During the long month of Ramadan, there was a wide variation of adherence among the sections of the city and the rural areas. This year, Ramadan was in the month of August which means one had to rise at 4 am to eat before sunrise and could not eat or drink before sundown which was between 9-10 pm. People were really wilting at the end of the work day!
The two greatest annoyances for us are the Turkish drivers and the lack of Turkish language skills. The Turks are scary drivers and just don’t seem to have a sense of their car, the road and other drivers. There is little respect for other drivers such as driving randomly the wrong way down one way streets, stopping or pulling out without much regard for others or randomly double parking. There is minimal enforcement of rules by the police. While we felt we were driving in the Wild West in Angola, here Jim has characterized driving as Mr. Toad’s wild ride from Disneyland. Jim has a major problem with the drivers (many American men seem to feel this way) which causes him much distress at times. We left the Land Rover behind in Angola and bought a small Ford Focus from another diplomat which has been fine to navigate through the streets. However, it is an undertaking at times between the drivers and not really knowing where we are going once outside our known area.
The Turkish language is difficult to learn. While the script is Roman, the words and grammar have no connection to any European language with which we are familiar. Words can be long with numerous suffixes added to verb roots. Luckily, the words are pronounced phonetically once you understand how the specific letters are pronounced. Jim and I have been taking classes although there has been a hiatus due to the uncertain budget situation. We really do not have the opportunity and need to speak regularly which also makes it difficult. So, our goal is just to be able to buy groceries, travel from one place to another and give familiar greetings to people.
Since arriving, we have traveled a great deal in Turkey and have seen some amazing historical and cultural places. One of our earliest trips was to the Black Sea city of Amasra.
On the return home to Ankara, we stopped at a quaint old city, Safranbolu.
We also found a weekly hiking group organized by a local Turkish guy who takes people (mostly Turkish) 1-2 hours from Ankara in the rural areas for adventurous long day hikes. One was a water hike with many challenges, but fun. While we did this frequently before the winter started, we have only gone once this winter.
Although we are not the tour type, we have gone on a few group tours with a small American tour company here in Ankara. These have been a great way to see the country without worrying about the details.
Our first organized trip was to Eastern Turkey in early September traveling to the borders of Armenia and Iran. We visited the ancient remains of Ani looking into Armenia. As we traveled south, we saw Mt Arat in the distance. This is where remnants of Noah's Ark was supoosedly found. Continuing south we completed our 3 day trip in Van, the epicenter of the most recent earthquake.
Another trip was with many embassy families to Cappadocia. Amazing scenery with "fairy chimneys" and ancient underground cities.
Friends from Cincinnati came to Istanbul in October and we spent time with them exploring the city. We spent one afternoon cruising the Bosphorous on the Consulate boat.
While Jim traveled to the US, I spent the Turkish-Muslim holidays in the south of Turkey on the Mediterranean with some new friends. Although it was November, the temperatures were pleasnt and the views spectacular. These areas on the coast are filled with remnants of Roman cities. Having a digital camera allows me to take more pictures than I should--but I love it!
Why should we spend Thanksgiving eating turkey in Turkey when we can go with the tour group to Northern Cyprus? We spent the weekend enjoying the sea, more Roman and early AD ruins.
We braved the cold Anatolian Plain weather a few weeks ago to visit two Hittiite (2000 BC) remains, Hattusa and Alacahoyuk. (only a couple hours away) It is amazing to consider the history of man just under our feet. I am always humbled!
We made a last minute decision to spend Christmas at home in Cincinnati when vacation plans for Behzad changed. We knew the boys would be there and I just had a feeling that I needed to be with my parents. The flight prices were reasonable and readily available. In the end, the timing was fortuitous as my dad was hospitalized for a GI bleed. While he recovered from this, his strength and willingness to walk has declined. We were able to help my mom bring him home and help return to a more normal routine. It has been difficult to watch his physical and mental decline. My mom keeps on pushing him but, at 88, she is also wearing out. She is determined she will not allow him to be cared for anywhere else than home.
Over the next couple of months, we have more trips planned. I will travel to Tajikistan to be a mentor to a new FSHP and stop in Istanbul on the way back to work at the Consulate. I will attend our yearly Med conference in Bangkok in March and Jim will accompany me this time. We will spend extra time in Thailand to visit our “Thai son”, Ton who lived with us in the early ‘90s when he was an exchange student. We haven’t seen him in many years and are looking forward to this trip. So, look for another update after this trip.
