Women's Center

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Today was the last full day in Ankara, Turkey. We’ve had several days of lectures learning everything about the Turkish economy, history, art, and language. We’ve had several free evenings to explore our little section of Ankara, and we’ve also had a couple formal dinners with the U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs and with the Director of the Turkish Fulbright Commission.

Today was really special though. We visited a local Women’s Center, whose mission is to help women, especially housewives, build a stronger self-identity. We met the Director of the Center, Sati, and she told us her story along with the stories of several other women whom we met. Then, they had a gentleman come in with his baglama, a six-stringed instrument, and he played several songs with one of the women singing along. This is the moment when things got emotional. There were tears and dancing and then more tears and laughter. We were looking courage in the face. We smiled and courage smiled back at us. We cried and courage hugged us. These women are living a life a great percentage of us in the United States can’t fathom. These women are true heroes, and I am very thankful for this experience.

After the singing, they served us a great home cooked meal. We were able to purchase some of their jewelry and clothing. We said our good-byes and we had the afternoon free. Several of us went to the Old City of Ankara to check out Ankara Castle and to do a little shopping. Check out the pictures.

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Photos

Secil holding up a poster
"No Violence In This House"

Tadim Pizza
I will miss this restaurant. The pizza was good, and the spaghetti was great.