I will be living, studying, and traveling in Nepal from February 2nd to June 12th (Happy Birthday Mom)! You can send me snail mail at:
Miriam Stiefel
G.P.O. Box 1846
Kathmandu
NEPAL
So far on my adventure I have taken 14 planes, and by the time I return home I will have literally traveled around the world on 20 planes. Throughout my life, I have traveled on planes, trains, boats, bikes, and automobiles, as well as horses, camels, donkeys, and lamas. I cannot wait to experience what comes next. Maybe an elephant ride?
I am leaving on a jet plane and I don’t know when I will write again… But I promise that I will keep you apprised of my whereabouts and happenings as best I can.
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Land of Milk and Honey (Israel)
Over the past two weeks I have spent time with my wonderful parents and meeting 10 relatives. We traveled the entire Northern perimeter of Israel, from the Dead Sea to the Golan Heights. While we mostly enjoyed sunny skies, we also had the pleasure of experiencing rain and wind storms in Tel Aviv. After walking the Rampart of the Old City of Jerusalem, I ate certified kosher sushi. I watched the IDF investigate and destroy someone’s misplaced briefcase, while 20 meters away a boy and his family celebrated his bar mitzvah in the streets. Through a tour of the Carmel Mountain with my cousin Michael Weinberger, I witnessed the devastation left behind by biggest fire in Israel’s recent history. The photos below tell a few of my Israel travel tales…
Who knew ordering two salads and two kababs could mean so much food!
You don’t have to be “Dead” to enjoy this Sea…
Mom and I also learned two new natural history facts:
This hyrax is a relative of the elephant, and the sweat of hippopotami is red.
Who knew ordering two salads and two kababs could mean so much food!
You don’t have to be “Dead” to enjoy this Sea…
Mom and I also learned two new natural history facts:
This hyrax is a relative of the elephant, and the sweat of hippopotami is red.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Shalom from Israel!
I arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday, January 17th and have since traveled to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Masada, Rosh Pinah, and Tzfat. While I am enjoying my time in Israel, this blog post is about last week.
Last week, I traveled to Prague and Vienna with my friend Quentin. It was wonderful! I spent two nights in Vienna, three in Prague, and then two more in Vienna. A few of the highlights from Vienna include going to the Schönbrunn Palace, where people like Maria Theresa, the Habsburgs, and Marie Antoinette lived (see the first photo), Museum Hundertwasser, and the Naschmarkt. In addition, we saw an English-speaking comedy performance by a group named “The English Lovers.” In general, I had an amazing time walking around the city and spending time with my friend.
In Prague, I was very lucky to visit the grave of my Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother. This is not a joke! Hendel Bassevi is my great grandmother ten generations back, lived in the early 1600s, and is now buried in the famous Old Jewish Cemetery (see the second photo). She was known as the “Queen of the Jews” in Prague because of her philanthropic work. Her grave was among the biggest and most decorative in the cemetery, so she must have been very appreciated. Hendel was married to a Jacob Bassevi von Treuenberg, who was a member of the Bohemian Court, and was actually knighted for helping Emperor Ferdinand II finance the Thirty Years War.
I also explored Prague’s past from its medieval to modern history by visiting the Astronomical Clock (see the third photo), Charles Bridge, the Communist Museum, Jewish Quarter and Museums, etc... Architecturally, Prague is a very beautiful city!
Overall, I had an awesome time getting to know both Vienna and Prague. I definitely recommend visiting them both. However, I had a small luggage issue flying to Israel from Vienna on Air Baltic… Let’s just say one piece of luggage is still in Vienna and will be heading home to Seattle soon with some of my belongings because of exorbitant fees. Due to the fact that my contact lenses are on their way back to Seattle, I will be wearing my glasses for the next five months! It’s probably healthier that way anyway…
I have a week left in Israel to spend with my parents and get ready for Nepal! I am so excited, but nervous to leave the comfort of my computer and warm shower.
B’Shalom (In Peace)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
New Blog New Year:
In late October my grandfather, Ernest Stiefel passed away. After his death I was at a loss of words. How could I tell you, the readers of my blog, how I felt? When I returned from my trip home for the funnel, I could not bring myself to put my feelings into a written expression. I have always considered my grandfather, whom I called Opa, to be an inspiration and hero. He was a Holocaust survivor, a community organizer, a businessman, a family man, and as cliché as it sounds, the smartest man I have ever known. While the traditional Jewish grieving period has passed, the feeling of loss continues to linger.
Throughout the past five months I have traveled to Greece, Italy, Hungary, and Austria. I have traveled within Turkey to Pamukkale, Ephesus, Selcuk, Istanbul, Trabzon, Hattusa, Antalya, etc… This morning I had to pack up all my memories and lessons learned and fit them into a mere duffle bag. The tangible and intangible cannot even begin to fit. Everything I have learned about the Turkish culture, my own culture, and myself I will now bring with me to Nepal.
As this experience comes to a close and I embark on the next, I must share what I am thankful for: I have met so many wonderful people from around the globe, who have taught me invaluable lessons. I have had amazing teachers and interesting classes, and finally finals are done! I have tried new foods and often felt the consequences… I have experienced Ankara in the summer heat, fall breeze, and winter snow. In Turkey, I have learned that the word hospitality means so much more then I ever thought it would.
Yesterday it snowed again in Ankara and whiped my slate clean. From here I go to Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, Jordan, and then Nepal. My New Years resolution will be to write on this blog more often. However, the extent of my Internet access in Nepal is a bit unknown. While I head into more unknowns, I must recognize how much I have learned and grown here in Turkey. I know that I am well prepared to tackle any challenge that comes my way.
Güle güle Türkiye... seninle çok iyi zaman geçirdik... belki bir gün tekrar bir araya geliriz...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I’m Back! School and Dorm addition:
This is my third week of school. As I explained in my last post, the process for registering for classes at METU is very complicated. All my classes except Turkish are once a week, for three hours each. Turkish is twice a week for three hours in Kizilay. I am also taking an online class for Pitzer. I now officially have my finalized schedule:
Monday:
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Modernity and the Idea of Freedom (Political Philosophy)
6 – 9 PM Turkish Two
Tuesday:
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Sociology of Science and Technology
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM Contemporary Turkey: State and Society (International Relations)
Wednesday:
6 – 9 PM Turkish Two
Thursday:
12:40 – 3:30 PM The Secularization Debate (Sociology)
So far the classes have a lot of readings, and they each have drawn from philosophers like Marx and Weber. With the exception of my Turkish class, the classes are taught in English. Sometimes my professors will go back and forth between Turkish and English to make sure that everyone understands. The teachers have been very welcoming and make an effort to include us (the exchange students). There is at least one other exchange student in each of my classes. I am hoping to branch out though and meet the Turkish students in my classes. The few that I have met are really interesting. A few common questions I get when I tell them I am from Seattle are, “do you know about the riots in 1999?,” in regard to the WTO riots, or, “Do you really have a great underground music scene?”
My dorm:
The dorms at METU are fairly strict compared to Pitzer. I live in an all female dorm, and men are not allowed in. There are no co-ed dorms on campus. Boys are allowed in the café in my dorm. However, once a boy came to visit a girl in the study room (which is next to the café) and he got yelled at. It is a bit ironic because sometimes I see cats walking around the dorm, which would be against the rules at Pitzer.
There is a little glass gate to get into the room portion of the dorm, and you must swipe your ID card to get in. This is fairly typical of dorms in America. However, I did not have an ID card for the first two weeks. Sometimes I just had to stand and wait for twenty minutes for someone to open it or attempt to jump over the gate (I looked pretty silly). Usually there was someone at the front desk to open it.
The front desk is where you sign up for a time to do laundry or to request maintenance. If you are planning to travel on the weekend and not be in the dorm you must sign out at this desk. Every morning a woman comes into the dorms to check if you are in your bed. I suppose she is also checking to see if someone else is in your bed (joke). I have been told that because this school has the top 1% of Turkish students they are ensuring the precious students safely. However, if you come back past midnight (any night of the week) you must sign in at the front desk. I have heard many rumors of what happens if you come back past this curfew more than three or ten times. The dorm “mudur” or manager may call home, they may kick you out of housing, or they may have a talk with you. I really do not know what’s true. What I do know is that this curfew means the library closes early! So I often sit upstairs in the kitchen or study-room for late night work.
Dorm meals:
Almost every night I have been cooking dinner with some of the Pitzer girls. There is a large kitchen in my dorm with six stovetops. There are no ovens so we have been getting pretty creative. So far we have made stir-fries, home fries, lentil soup, crepes, pasta, pasta sauce from scratch, fried rice, steamed vegetables, etc. There is also a panini maker so I make a lot of warm sandwiches with vegetables, usually for lunch. There is a small grocery store on campus, but if I want anything “exotic” like soy sauce I must take a bus or walk a while to a large grocery store in a mall. There is also a huge open market off campus that is open twice a week. I go there to get fresh vegetables. Right now tomatoes, broccoli, and eggplant are a staple in my diet. This week I was able to find fresh spinach! Everything is organic and very reasonably priced. I bought two kilograms of onions for 1.5 lira – that is about 25 onions! Needless to say, I will be eating onions for a long time!
On days that I do not feel like cooking or I do not have time there are many cafes on campus. Apparently the café in my dorm is the best. I was just there and bought freshly squeezed orange juice and baklava! Each café has a buffet with a selection of hot and cold options. Occasionally I treat myself and have dinner in the city with friends. Though I was concerned about my diet before I left, I now know that I will never go hungry in Turkey!
Görüsürüz (See ya!)
P.S. if you have any vegetarian/vegan stovetop recipes please email them to me!
Monday:
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Modernity and the Idea of Freedom (Political Philosophy)
6 – 9 PM Turkish Two
Tuesday:
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Sociology of Science and Technology
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM Contemporary Turkey: State and Society (International Relations)
Wednesday:
6 – 9 PM Turkish Two
Thursday:
12:40 – 3:30 PM The Secularization Debate (Sociology)
So far the classes have a lot of readings, and they each have drawn from philosophers like Marx and Weber. With the exception of my Turkish class, the classes are taught in English. Sometimes my professors will go back and forth between Turkish and English to make sure that everyone understands. The teachers have been very welcoming and make an effort to include us (the exchange students). There is at least one other exchange student in each of my classes. I am hoping to branch out though and meet the Turkish students in my classes. The few that I have met are really interesting. A few common questions I get when I tell them I am from Seattle are, “do you know about the riots in 1999?,” in regard to the WTO riots, or, “Do you really have a great underground music scene?”
My dorm:
The dorms at METU are fairly strict compared to Pitzer. I live in an all female dorm, and men are not allowed in. There are no co-ed dorms on campus. Boys are allowed in the café in my dorm. However, once a boy came to visit a girl in the study room (which is next to the café) and he got yelled at. It is a bit ironic because sometimes I see cats walking around the dorm, which would be against the rules at Pitzer.
There is a little glass gate to get into the room portion of the dorm, and you must swipe your ID card to get in. This is fairly typical of dorms in America. However, I did not have an ID card for the first two weeks. Sometimes I just had to stand and wait for twenty minutes for someone to open it or attempt to jump over the gate (I looked pretty silly). Usually there was someone at the front desk to open it.
The front desk is where you sign up for a time to do laundry or to request maintenance. If you are planning to travel on the weekend and not be in the dorm you must sign out at this desk. Every morning a woman comes into the dorms to check if you are in your bed. I suppose she is also checking to see if someone else is in your bed (joke). I have been told that because this school has the top 1% of Turkish students they are ensuring the precious students safely. However, if you come back past midnight (any night of the week) you must sign in at the front desk. I have heard many rumors of what happens if you come back past this curfew more than three or ten times. The dorm “mudur” or manager may call home, they may kick you out of housing, or they may have a talk with you. I really do not know what’s true. What I do know is that this curfew means the library closes early! So I often sit upstairs in the kitchen or study-room for late night work.
Dorm meals:
Almost every night I have been cooking dinner with some of the Pitzer girls. There is a large kitchen in my dorm with six stovetops. There are no ovens so we have been getting pretty creative. So far we have made stir-fries, home fries, lentil soup, crepes, pasta, pasta sauce from scratch, fried rice, steamed vegetables, etc. There is also a panini maker so I make a lot of warm sandwiches with vegetables, usually for lunch. There is a small grocery store on campus, but if I want anything “exotic” like soy sauce I must take a bus or walk a while to a large grocery store in a mall. There is also a huge open market off campus that is open twice a week. I go there to get fresh vegetables. Right now tomatoes, broccoli, and eggplant are a staple in my diet. This week I was able to find fresh spinach! Everything is organic and very reasonably priced. I bought two kilograms of onions for 1.5 lira – that is about 25 onions! Needless to say, I will be eating onions for a long time!
On days that I do not feel like cooking or I do not have time there are many cafes on campus. Apparently the café in my dorm is the best. I was just there and bought freshly squeezed orange juice and baklava! Each café has a buffet with a selection of hot and cold options. Occasionally I treat myself and have dinner in the city with friends. Though I was concerned about my diet before I left, I now know that I will never go hungry in Turkey!
Görüsürüz (See ya!)
P.S. if you have any vegetarian/vegan stovetop recipes please email them to me!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Kerkenes and Hattusa
On Wednesday September 15th I moved from my host family to temporary dorms at the Middle East Technical University (METU). This was bittersweet. I was sad to leave my host family who had been so welcoming. And yet I was excited to start my one-week orientation at METU and meet all the international students. There are around150 international and Erasmus students (European exchange students) from all over the world; including, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, etc... I moved into my permanent dorm on Monday September 20th. I share a small room with a bunk bed, two desks, mini fridge, closet, and bathroom with a shower. My roommate is a Turkish girl from Istanbul, who studying food engineering. So far everything is working out great.
I had the option for the weekend to go with all of the exchange students to a beach town on the Mediterranean for 200 lira or to go visit an ongoing excavation site near Yozgat (a city five hours East of Ankara). There is an ongoing joke here among the Pitzer students that I like ancient ruins. Of course, I chose to go visit the excavation and ended up spending only 20 lira!
On Thursday afternoon I arrived at Kerkenes (the site). It is an ancient Iron Age city that had been burned around the 600 BCE. The city is very peculiar because of its location geographically and chronologically. There is not much known about the 600s in Anatolia so the findings in Kerkenes may unlock some mysteries. The Anatolia region is considered the western peninsula of Asia, which is most of Turkey. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I stayed with METU professors Geoffrey and Françoise Summers. I stayed in their “dig” house on their eco center. While I was there I was able to visit the archaeological site atop a mountain engulfed in clouds twice. I also was taught to cook on a solar stove and oven. All in all, it was a great learning experience and I met a lot of really interesting people who had excavated and traveled all over the world.
On Sunday morning Professor Geoffrey gave a tour of the Yozgat museum (where many of the Kerkenes findings are held). I joined the tour and met a group of 10 Americans professors who were heading to Hattusa and then back to Ankara in the evening. They invited me to come with them, so I did. Hattusa is an ancient Bronze Age city and the capitol of the Hittite Empire. It was very well excavated and beautiful! The group got back to Ankara around 8:30 pm. A very nice women gave me a ride back to METU – where I ate a vegan pizza, skyped, and went to bed!
Today, Monday September 27th is my first day of classes. It has been a tedious and long process of getting approved to take classes. I had to email and meet with many professors. Today I will get a form signed by the president of the department, the secretary, and professors. Then I will take it to the international cooperation’s office who will send it to the registrar's office. By the end of the week my schedule will be finalized and I will post my classes so you can see what I am studying!
I have been posting photos of my various adventures on my facebook. There are currently three albums that you can take a look at.
I hope you are all doing well!
Photo 1: An entrance gate and road to the city of Kerkenes.
Photo 2: Solar oven and stove.
Photo 3: A row of gods etched into a temple wall in Hattusa.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Athens and Aegina
I am going to try something a little different for this blog. Instead of typing a massive paragraph I am going to tell my story through the photos that I took. But first I must explain that last week I had a five-day break. Spur of the moment, my friend Cydney and I decided that we would travel to Greece during that time. So we booked a ticket and left the next day. To do this we took a bus to Istanbul and an hour flight to Athens. The rest of our friends traveled to Eastern Turkey during the break. They survived, but the areas they traveled to were not the safest and their plans were not very clear. In Greece we explored Athens and the small island of Aegina. Here is my trip through photos:
We arrived in Athens at 9 AM on Wednesday morning. We found the Athens Backpackers hostel and had lunch. Getting off the metro for our hostel we could see the Acropolis!
Cydney and I bought passes to see seven of the ancient ruins in Athens. We then proceeded to climb up to the Acropolis and walk to all seven sites.
From the top of the acropolis we could see two mountains. The next day we climbed those mountains and went to a flee market, where I bought Greek sandals. The first mountain we saw was Filopappos Hill (which had these ruins), and the second was Lykavittos Hill (which had the Church of St. George). From both mountains you could see the Acropolis and the entire city!
On Thursday night we had dinner and stayed with our friend Melanie. Melanie is a Junior at Pomona and studying abroad in Greece. On Friday we went with Melanie and some of the people she is on the Greek program with to Aegina. It is a smaller Greek island about a 45 minute ferry ride from Athens. We spent two days and one night exploring the island. The first day we went swimming and hung out on the beach. The second day (Saturday) we went to the Temple of Aphaea (Zeus’s daughter's temple) and a huge Greek Orthodox church and monastery. Then it started to rain heavily and we went back to Athens.
Saturday night we had dinner and walked around Athens. Sunday was Cydney’s birthday so we slept in and walked around through the flea market again. We also went to a fancy ice-cream shop, where everything is handmade.
Sunday night we had dinner with Melanie and friends to celebrate. Then Cydney and I went back to the hostel for the night. We had to go to sleep early on Sunday so that we could catch a 4:30 AM bus to the airport on Monday morning.
To conclude, Greece was amazing! The people were very kind and laid back. The atmosphere of Athens was so nice -- life there goes at a great pace: not too fast and not too slow. It was a great break from Turkey, and the food was delicious. If you go, I would definitely recommend eating zucchini balls and spanakopita. In general I recommend Greece as a place to visit to anyone with strong knees and looking for a great historical place to relax!
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