Reasons to spend time on a Turkish farm (in no particular order)

1. Learn more language
2. Learn more culture
3. Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine
4. Enjoy the beautiful scenery
5. Encourage both known and unknown muscle groups to grow
6. Play in the dirt/plant stuff
7. Learn what an artichoke is and how it should be dealt with in life
8. Eat very healthy food and be kept away from things that rot your teeth and so forth
9. Have your skin turn different shades of color from what it was when you arrived, whether that be tan or red
10. Have fun
11. Relax, in all the time when you aren't working really hard

The farming experience

Well, I promised an update with pictures, so here it is.

I spent 8 days at a farm about 3 hours away from Istanbul. It was a time during which I did a lot of good hard farm work, but on the other hand there was lots of time in the evenings for reading and relaxing.
The area is pretty enough, but the sunsets were particularly nice. I didn't take any "people pictures" so all the pictures are just scenery.
We worked on artichoke, onions, leeks, garlic, peas, and quince. I read a novel, philosophy homework, and am working my way through more of H. Taylor's biography, which is excellent.

Tomorrow I should be headed back to school. :) But Wednesday is a public holiday, and next week is spring break, so even that is on somewhat of a pause right now. But there will be things to do, hopefully I can tell you about those whenever they happen... since I don't necessarily know what they are yet.

For more pictures, you can visit here.

going away for a bit

[This is] Just a note to let those who check this to not worry about it for about a week. I am supposed to leave tomorrow for a trip out to a farm where I am to work as a volunteer. Hopefully, this will be a profitable and enjoyable opportunity. However, though I should be able to check email, I am not planning to blog while I'm out there. But, you never know... the need to blog may come rushing over me and cause me to do something abnormal. But, I wouldn't bet on it.


(remarks in red are grammatical rules that I broke in some form or other, but I like it the way I wrote it and thus will plan to leave it that way.) :)

about that reading

So, Miriam asked me what I've been reading, so I figured I'd tell the whole world. :)

- for Intro to Modern Philosophy: required text (selections from Montaigne, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau)

- for Philosophy of Science: required text (selections from Popper, Kuhn, Irzık, and others)

- for personal study: Acts and 1 Cor.; Thoreau (Civil Disobedience); world news and Turkish politics

- other: biography of H. Taylor, a book of short stories, O. Chambers, and E. M. Bounds

Clearly I don't read from all of those categories every day (much less each book), but I tend to do some of several of the categories each day, even if it's not much. Some prosper the mind; some prosper the spirit; and others are provide information and relaxation.

random news

Most recent self-portrait, while waiting for the event described below

- Yesterday, the Olympic torch passed through Istanbul on its way to somewhere. Since I didn't have anything particular planned for the afternoon, I went down and watched it... not very impressive. But it was worth the bit of time that I put into it.

The rest of the week has just been spent in school work, time with friends, homework, reading, studying, sleeping, eating, emailing, and other even more minor details of life. It's been a good week though. I'll try to say more when something more exciting happens. :)

Readings of the day

Two fine works of literature that I have read today which deserve commendation:

- Joseph Mitchell's "The Downfall of Fascism in Black Ankle County" - I am slowly reading through a book of American short stories, and this one had me laughing pretty hard. If I hadn't been in a restaurant eating supper when I read it, I would have laughed even harder... as it is I tried to restrain myself. It'd make good family reading if you like... the description of the explosions and their results are classic. But I shall leave you with that.

- Mehmet Ali Birand's article "The fight over the fine-turning of democracy" in todays edition of Turkish Daily News was very insightful on the current problems facing Turkey political structure and people. For a bit of background to the article, you can read here.

news of me

Well, the news of the last week is not particularly exciting. I had a wisdom tooth taken out on Thursday. Other than that, I spent a fair amount of time at the University and with my various friends.
Since people seemed to like pictures even more than news of me, I have decided that I will include those with the brief update. Above is a picture of BJK İnönü Stadium; that is the home of my adopted soccer team here Beşiktaş. (Unfortunately last night, we watched them lose.) :(

An old song that was brought to mind from my reading in Philippians this morning. I've adjusted a few of the words so it's closer to the way I remember it.

Running In The Steps

A lot of people think that they've attained to the height of Christian grace
They thinking that being a Christian is easy and no big thrill
But the Christian life in Jesus is something like running a race
And you're not living for the Lord if You're standing still

Forgetting those things that are behind
And reaching for the things before
Pressing toward the mark of the prize of God
I'm running like I've never run before
Counting everything I won but loss
Conforming to His will
I'm running in the steps, Running in the steps
I'm running in the steps of the Lord.

Philosophical Certainties

Some thoughts that have become more meaningful to me as I've begun studying philosophy:

- Jesus said to him, I am... the Truth!

- I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.


Jn. 14:6; Ps. 119:99-100

Pictures from recent weekends

Me with old cars at the Museum

This weekend, Derşan, Duygu and I went to the Rahmi M. Koç Museum here in Istanbul. It was a lot of fun. It is focused on things like transportation and communication; and since there is a lot of money backing it, it has some really nice things. From the pictures below you may notice that my favorite thing was the submarine. :)

The (former) USS Thornback, a diesel sub that saw action in World War II in the Pacific theatre

The other side of the Thornback

Me inside Thornback

Cockpit in an old Douglas military plane (at the museum)... scary thing is they still fly these same ones commercially, now I know why they scare me (before I thought it was just the fact that it was a prop plane.) :)

British bus at the museum

Breakfast with friends one Saturday

Visiting in the countryside