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8/1/1998 - Rowing Through the Byzantium and Further Initiatory Misadventures Among Young Turks by Whitney Mason

Rowing Through Byzantium Further Initiatory Misadventures AmongYoung Turks ISTANBUL Turkey August1998 ByWhitneyMason DearPeter The raced across Golden Horn Bosphorus toward Turkishlanguagecoursebeginningatnine clockatTurkey smostprestigious academic institution Bogazici University I arrived Paris morningand talkingwith friend pension Blue Mosqueuntil after first prayersometime around fourthirty themorning Iwas stillabitgiddywithsleeplessnessasthetaxitookaleftup steep lined driveway university Having nearly million deposited months worth luggage office Turkish For Foreigners program followed student directions Sports Committee office thebasement stone building across central quadrangle Thegreen grasslawnsandtheivystubbornlyclingingtothebuild attested aworld class sprinklersystemandYankee Bogazicibegan Robert College creation ofNewEnglandProtestantsandthe firstAmerican college overseas The fortress structures offered refuge Mediterranean IfoundtheSportsCommitteeinthebasementofabuildingthatreminded meofTimberline skilodgeinOregon Apale handsomeyoungman hishair slickedbackwith sittingbehind desktalkinganimatedly phone Merhaba Isaidwhenhe dhungup I mlookingfortherowingteam Mynameis Ibo captain ofthe rowingteam flourish Rotarian I Ibo I dbeenrowingforover 15years school collegeandclubs aroundtheworldandthat Ihopedtorowwiththeuniversityclubwhile study ingTurkishduringthesummer You llbeverywelcome heansweredwitha suave smile Wewillbegin practicing nextTuesday afternoon Meet steps front ofthe artsandsciencesbuilding clockinthe evening After supposed every evening board minibus tookus practice AliBeyKoyBaraj reservoir halfanhour school There single though wheneveryoneshowedup Ordinarily afterwaitingforhalfanhourorso wewouldtakeourtime droppingbyonedorm topickuprowerswhohadn tdeignedtowalktothe meeting place Thenwe dstop seconddorm thattwoboyswhorefused ABOUTTHEAUTHOR Turkey United States important allies potentially constructive source liberal inspiration throughout Middle East entire Islamic world Whitney Mason inhisapplicationforan Institutefellowship Today however Turkey commitmentstoEuropeandtosecularism aswellas itsown politi harmonyand economicdevelopment being undermined avariety mounting demographic social political pressures fascinated Turkey these reasons especially foroneother TheTurkishRepublicwasconceived inbloodshed dedicated proposition citizen giance Allah secular state Today Turkey gagedonmanyfronts inconflictstestingwhetherthatnationorany nation conceived dedicated endure In world increasingly menaced religious fundamentalism xenophobic nationalism outcome implications beyond Turkey itself Butfirst youhavetolearnTurkish Todoso Whitenrolled intensive fellowshipsummercourseatBogaziciUniversity merly Roberts College Istanbul As initial immersion Turk Turkish turned unbeatable In first newsletter providesan informalaccountofsome ofhisexperi ences Bosphorus As plans begin lowship married Australian management consult AmandaWilson NewYear carry theirworkout clothes withthem could change Therewere further stops snacks drink water water generallypushingeight clock O I start temper asking people whethertheydidn trecognizethatwastingpeople stime wasaprofound expression disrespect Ofcoursewe feelthat saysFerit astudentoftourismmanagement Weacceptpeoplebeinglatebecausewe remadeto thatindividualhumanbeings worthless That pretty heavy explanation I Do meanit Yes I Ferit I peoplewho getin trafficaccidents diejustbecausethe ambulance doesn themedicsoftendon tevenusea stretcherto trans person carry flour And I hospitals where people really forced hours before being Ferhat aTurkishurologistwhohasjustgonetoNew York month residenc echoes pression Doctors government hospitals allowed patients private basis where nearly their money Ferat monthly salary WM about amonth while abusyprivate practice could tentimes Many Turks individual initiative theirexpectationsofgroupactivitiesare fulfillingly saysanAmericanfriendofminewhohaslivedin Ankara years marrying Turkish Amongtherowers forinstance personalbondsare robustbuttheyare allbilateralandsubjecttothevolatil youthful egoism their phrase Mediterranean passion Theesprit corps oftheteam whole meanwhile miserable In there corps Ferhat echoesDavid Everyone important after finished would think maybe rowing The consequence Turks disdain compromise iscapturedinanaphorism Neredechokluk orada bokluk Where there areman3there Thetruth inmanyaspects daily themostimportantthing IhavelearnedaboutTurkeyinmyfirsttwomonthshere Turkish friends agreed under standingthecountry Clearlithasmuchtodowiththe unevensuccess ofTurkishdemocracy Certainly raising illustration Turks groupdynamicsisthelife deathstrugglethat driving As someone slips behind wheel everysecondsuddenlybecomespreciouswhilecontempt Ferit talked about asserts itself geance Noriskistoo great ifitpromisesto getaTurkish driver destination moment earlier At miles anhourinthe taxiwillridethebumperofabusin ordertobepreparedtoracearound atthe firstbreak inopposingtraffic This driving takes aheavytoll There smallnumberofvehiclesontheroads butlastyearthere wereover3 traffic fatalities One I comment Doruk insanity Istanbul drivers It courage responds matter factly It stupidity I shoot Courage different Courageiswhenyou calculated riskand decided thatwhat stake isworthit Hmm I Turkish courage thinkingaboutsomethingbeforeyou The government tried combat drivers lethal mindsetwithbillboards urgingpeople Kill Traf Monster Trafik Canovar Traffic Monster Inside You Unfortunately message seems fired Friends tellmethe TrafikCanovar campaignhas reinforcedTurks traditionalfatalismregardingsafety concomitant refusal accept responsibility accidents This fatalism evident Turks nearly versal contempt seatbelts Before rocketing melee manytaxi drivershave actuallygone oftheir waytotellmeNOTtobotherwearingmyseatbelt I respond Yashamayiseviyorum Iloveliving Despitesuchperverseattitudestowardoneanother timeand safety other aspects Turks oftenseem toembodythe mutual respect ideal ofIslamic societies Inaddressingoneanother forinstance times addition person first Turks nearly alwaysuseaworddesignatingtheirrelation Onthe before Bosphorus instance Refik arrogant economics professor business manager ordered hojam Refik economicsprofessorwhospentnearly20yearsworking fortheWorldBankand IsuspecthereturnedtoTurkey largely because West authoritarian enough forhisliking Ifwegooutfordrinkssometime later callmebymyfirstnameagain butat least until raceyouhave toshoWmerespect asthe coach After telling Refik I dbehappyto callyou hojam Hojam I Mert gregarious graduate Bogazici smarketingdepartment whatthewordmeans Heexplains thatalthoughinArabicandinoldOttoman usagehojamhadmeant teacher nowadaysitindicates amuchbroaderrespect Maybe noticed kebap placenearcampuscallthe students hojam saidMert Ifrown apparent fawning respect forbooklearn Mert tells students waiters hojam Itbasicallymeansthatyourespectthepersonand recognize there things could learn explains Onanother Zorlu muscular moody econom studentwhohappens tobethe onlyguyIknowwho often actually stands Michelangelo David tellsmeitwasimportanttohim toshowMertrespectbycallinghim Abi meaning brother At26 Mertmetalreadythe airofabig hearted paterfarnigliaandbesides dtaughtZorluhowtorow Turks attach great importance their actual families IncommonwithotherMediterraneancultures childrengenerallycon tinuelivingwiththeirparentsuntil specific reason place their which normally means marriage At least privi legedkidsatBogazici fewotherreasonsseemsufficiently compelling One mature rowers Tolga studyingeconomicsandwould getanMBA States Butashewasgivingmea ridehomeonenight Alfa Romeo given Tolga explained couldn seehowhe could leave hisparents housebeforehemarri muchlessthecoun They wouldn understand Tolga They think muchastheywantmeto As perhaps always hierarchical societ iesrootedinsuchtraditionalfamilystructures Turkstend avoid confrontation One consequence surprised always talking another Though close friends spending their evenings together kissing other hello I heard every therowersputtingdownmost ofthe others Another apparent consequence avoidance conflict despite inevitable conflicts ofwills situationalattitudetowardhonesty Muchtomydismay anddiscomfort Ibecamethesubject andIsupposeI havetoadmit reluctantaccomplice liebetween twoofthecoaches AcoupleofdaysbeforetheBosphorus Refik I place getting meter rowing machine oretgometer Ihadbeenpracticinge veryday three weeks first I heard about having something other place Because ergometer rewards brute strength Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs ratherthantechniqueandIhadnotbeenonan several years testhadmeworried The rowers Refik liked objectivity ergometer results because nothing about rowing assess people performance water One rower might looking excuse could instead student would available Au important against Oxford Cambridge ThenextdayI dutifullywenttothefieldhousewhere another coach Mehmet Hojam waiting I littleofMehmetexceptthathehadrowedonthe Turkish National Team great technique wealthy family taught physical educa university The afternoonwas andwe rolled machines across basketball court toward doors order catch ofbreeze Mehmet conveyed tomethat thought foolish Refik force experienced rower prove selfin thiscrudeway Itookthismessage generic encouragementand satdownin tending finish meter piece I possibly could After short I Mehmet I ready We ergometer computer showmystroke totalmeters elapsed meter splits Tofinishinundersevenminutes whichIregarded minimal split stroke should under Feelingunnervedbythe prospect oflosingmyplace intheboatthroughadisappointingperformance Itook blistering The split first twenty strokeswasunder Then insteadofslowingdown after strong start myagitation carriedmeon couple minutes If I could sustain IcouldqualifyfortheU S OlympicTeam Well surprise surprise I I fellowship begin training Sydney Ataround800meters IrealizedI dgoneouttoo IquitrowingandtoldMehmetthat Iwasfinebut thatI dmadeamistakeandneededto startoven Yarin yapacagim replied Mehmet We tomorrow WhenI protested I today repeated tomorrow I should Whenhesawmy dismay Mehmet repeated thatwith technique I nothing worry about He explained usingTurkish gesturesandnotes I shouldplan torowat relaxed finishingthe WM meters around Hewouldthen Refik I doneit I shocked Much Marxist historian CLR James writes about feelings classiconWest In diancricket BeyondABoundary whenhefirstheardabout fixinginAmericanbaseball Inmyyearsofdoing sportsintheU S andabroad Idon trememberacoach being dishonest Though theblood doping scandals plaguingthisyear sTourdeFranceillustr suchthings happen cradle enlightenment At I relieved place assured I rationalized acquiescence thethoughtthat IhadcometoobserveTurkishso cietnot foistmyvaluesonit andthatmyfirst prior ityhadtobe getting theboat andthereby getting story The I rowed relaxed meters withMehmettellingmeIwasdoingbeautifully NOT myself When I realized I plenty energy I increased finished I immediately regretted going along Mehmet intentioned though Not least reason thatwithoutthiscorruptfall I could easily ished In event Mert waswatchingandMehmetasked false Refik The uncomfortable momentcamelaterthatafternoonwhenwemetforprac ticeandIsawMertpassingthisfalsehoodalongnotonly toRefik ofcourse butto allmyteammates I omforted myselfwith thought dishonestywasnormalinTurkey thatnoonewouldex anything different In called In Woman Voice Irecalled apsychologistnamedCarolGilliganhad lookedatwhywomenfaremuchworseontestsofmoral development Shefoundthatwomen sdownfallwasat taching importance Americanmento abstract principles maintaining relationships Per thoughtinthismomentofself servinggeneros ittheTurks attitudetowardhonestyshouldbethought ofnot cravenbut feminine Thissuggestionmaysurprisereaderswhohaveheard ofTurks reputation formachismo ThoughTurkishma chismo certainly exists itassumesoddforms Mertcalls I soothe sunburn cosmetic while Ifindmselfviscerallydisdainfulofthecommon practice among rowers using gloves Band Aids protect their hands blistering There other surprises One I noticed exfoliating cream picture hairless chestedman My roommates Yelhan Serder productstosupplementtheshavingofboththeirunder their pubic They nearly Turkey shave these areas occasionally particu larlyinthesummer ManyTurkishmenare openly Americans would bathrooms weight instance openly staring themselvesin mirror ThesenseinwhichTurkeyistrulymachoisthat apart fromsex mostTurkishmenseemtohave littleinterestin women It snotthatwomenareteasedorputdownasthey might American chauvinists They ignored Turkishboysremindmeofdogs whointhe presence acrowdofhumansandjustone otherdoghave onebut their fellow canine Twoor three girlswould oftencometo practiceinsmallboats andwhiletheboys decent minibus conspicuously ignored The horse tendedtowardthe vulgar Anytimewepassed ayoung womanallthe ladswouldyellout Pompa whichhas something pumping The refrainwas allyinitiatedbyDoruk alanky21 oldwhose ginitywasa frequent topic ofconversation Another pastfime getting crude phrases The favorite Only I allymasteredwasthe following Gul nerede Where would And waving tired world gesture I would answer Taa ebesinin umunda As midwife private parts After20minutesonthe freeway wetake right Executing specialty HardLaunches village All Bey Koy The turns winds downhill through ranks Soviet style cinderblockapartmentblocks allofthemapparentlyoc cupiedbutnoneofthemfinished Raggedychildrenplay along while women headscarves skirtstrudgeupanddownthe hillcarryingbundlesand waterjugs Onedayonthewaytopractice Iaskloudlywhether AliBeyKoywasconsidereda varosh orslum Doruk toldmeyes AliBeyKoyisdefinitelyavaroshbutthat I shouldn saythisloudlybecauseaformerr ector atBogazid Universityhadbuiltemployeehousingintheareaandmany workers includingour driver nowlived Such sensitivity unfortunately There widespread among Bogazici dents apparently people actually become through squatting having govern grant which built apartmentblocks Indeed manyBogazicistudentsseem convinced small minority Istanbulites those country people actually become cling lowstandard oflivingtowhichthey accustomed ReturningtoTurkeyaftersixyearsinNewYork Selin Tunc thedaughterofoneofTurkey smostfamouscom posers isamazedbythe isolationofTurkey elite Baris Peker point Aftera career about 15yearsagoBaristurnedto whichonedayhecame theuniversityto discuss Iaskhimtocommentonthe problem ofTurkish artists whoare usually secular divide irtimebetween Istanbulandtheposhre Bodrum being isolated their societ3whichremainsruraluneducatedandtraditional Institute CurrentWorld Affairs ifnot outright religious Baris tellsmewithundisguised irritationthatthereisnosuchproblem andiftherewere would fault government intentionally divisive policies Says Selin They isolated toknowhowisolatedthey Ihate thiscountry saysDoruk abrightand absorbedonlychildfromIzmirwho sstudyingmechani engineering His dreams later getting anMBAin U S scuttled parents costly divorce The first I handedly tioned Bosphoruswould lionsofTurkish WhenIlookeddismayed explained That stheopportunitycosttothegovernment Closing Strait foracouple ofhours costs small fortune Peoplehavenogutsorimagination Everyonethinks likesome littlegovernmentworker Forinstance ifyou guard permission drive through somegovernmentparkinglot llautomaticallytellyou But never expendtheenergytodoanything aboutit Ilove capitalism Doruk continues It smorehonestthan anyothersystem ifyoupayyou playandthat That stheway actuallyworkseverywhere mostpeoplepretend otherwise Anotherrower Zorlu tellsme children generally Bogazici because motivated enough Only takers subject acceptedeachyear B U studentscomefromthemiddle class upper middle lower middle thoughZorlu saysthelinebetweentheseclasseshasbeen blurring recently former symbols being cellphoneandacar havebecomecommonplace Zorlu tellsmethat simple people those hishometown Samsun understanding politics whichever party promises handouts Nevermindthat ofthe richest families inTurkeymany their wealth thanks corrupt contracts thegovernment ofTurgut Ozal On final practice before Dorukwasamusedtoseethat Iwaswearingatanktop You llbeanamele guffawed I An amele worker finger ingthe besunburnlines ofthetanktopovermy shoulders UnlessmostlaborersinTurkeylooklikethe subjects ofradiation experiments Dorukwasoffthe After hours under fierce midday myarms shouldersandthighswasjustahairawayfrom blistering Aftertwo fewburnt patches allysuppurate Theboysurgedme toapplyyogurt I As I entered apartment Yelhan smomput abowlofyogurtinthe freezerand I covered myself blessedly stuffbeforegoingtobed Atthebottom ofthe hillbelowAliBeyKoyweenter developed Here potholesarebigenoughtowreckacarandwepassflocks sheep tended solitary Recep Marlboromanwhoisnominallyourhead tellsmethat AliBeyKoyis dangerousbecausemembersofDev Genc Revolutionary Youth prowl The final daily odyssey takes steep gatehouseguardedbyemployees oftheGovernmentWater Service whotherowers always drunk Fromthe gatewewindourwaythroughpine trees emerginghigh enoughontheridgetohaveapan oramicviewofthe reminis centoftheCaliforniaapproachto LakeTahoe Finallywerolldown ahandful shells thewater sedge container where other After everyone leisurely changes rowing clothesand carriesoarsdowntothedock shell Something about carrying seemstoremindpeople ofdriving assoonas sonour shoulders gettheboat downthe whichiscoveredwithgravel andisslip andontothedock which ismadeup oftwo angles joined their corners longest which launched accommodate halfan eight When coach usually fitness namedFatih Conqueror whomtheboys callbythe affectionateterm bigbother FatAbiis fullof enthusiasm appreciated around being Unfortunately seems understand little ofrowing WhenFatih isrunningthepracticeheeither hasuswarmupforthe entire kilometerlengthofthe whichwears ourarms while teachingus oralternatively weskipwarmingup altogether Mehmetunderstands rowing lazyand keeps practicesveryshortandsayslittlewhilehe sthere Then there Recep regarded master technician butnevercameto practiceexcept topicktheboat forthe Bosphorus The reason Recep spurns anxious charges toldme acouple oftimes isthatthey WM tknowhowtorow Andofcoursethey tknow howtorowbecausenoonehas evertakenthe trouble teachthem Doruk isphysicallyby farthebiggestguyon intense shares Recep frustra tionswithhispeers ineptitude Unfortunately hethinks rowing different class theirs which Disdaining practice teammates Doruk trains every single Amazingly victionofhisownsuperiority tshakenwheninhis first scullingracehe flipsoverandfails finish Myfavorite ofevery practice isrowingunder beautiful aqueduct built Century Sinan ChiefArchitect ofSuleyman Magnificent Ironically 500yearsagothisbeautifulstructure carriedfreshdrink water capital Toda3 Istanbul water including water Ali Bey Koy Baraj table Oneafternoontheguysareunusuallysubdued Did hearabout explosion Spi4e Bazaar Seven people killed hundred jured lotofthemkids Thoughthepolice calltheex plosionan accident theboys allsure scausedbya PKKbomb Whatkindofpeople arethese theysay disgustedly Mertsaysheloves thebooksofTurkey smostfamous novelist YesharKemal stand politics The problem Mertsays isthatKemal likemostTurkishin tellectuals sympathetic Kurdish nationalism There differencebetweenTurksandKurds always together Mert I plenty All aboard KurdishfriendsandtheyhaveeveryopportunityIhave The reason problem Southeast there areafewpeoplewhowant towreckthecountry being supported Turkey enemies GreeceandSyria Zofluaddsthattortureinprisonsisappropriate The peoplewhoaretortureddeserve itbecausetheyaretry destroyourRepublic Zorlu likevirtuallyalltheeducatedandsecularTurks Imetthissummer isagreatadmirerofKemalAtaturk One minibus I midst soliloquy about therebeing linebetween Ataturk asaninspirationandasanexcuse forcomplacencZorlu interruptedme Ataturk thebest fuckthe Everyone joins signing Ataturk praises Some onerecallst hatbeforethebattleofGallipoli wheresome millionmendied Iamnotaskingyouto comeandfight I askingyoutocomeand If Iwere aTurkstill lookingforwardto military I surethiswouldbemyfavoriteAtaturkline Thenagain alloftheseguyswillfindwaystoevadethe monthconscriptionfacedbytheirless privilegedcom patriots Happily there inspiring choices In Ataturk heard there British Australians New Zealanders visiting battle which million Those heroes theirbloodandlost their lives hewrote visitors arenowlyingin soilofa friendly country Therefor restinpeace ThereisnodifferencebetweentheJohnnies andtheMehmetsto where sideby country You motherswho their Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs sonsfromfarawaycountries wipeawayyourtears Your arenowlyingin ourbosomand peace After having their lives become oursons TherowersareindignantthatAtaturkdidn Time magazine century hundred greatest people What isextraordinarytomeaboutAtaturk slegacy isthatevenwell educatedyoungpeopleidentify allthat isprogressiveinTurkishsocietywiththisoneindividual Sittingin Bungu daughter famous actor gazesatapictureofAtaturkonthewalland proposof nothing IloveAtaturk WhenSelinandIexpress amazement spontaneous pronouncement Bungu explains loves because imagine wearing veiland observing other Islamic practicesthatprevailedbeforetherepublicanrevolution anddostilltodayintraditionalcommunities Icouldn those people Bungu wrinkling So I Iowemywholelife Ataturk Oneofmyroommates Serder tellsmeone evening Turks think He elaborates given anumber ofchoices theyjustchooseoneandidentifywithitcom pletelyanduncritically Acorollaryofthis isthatTurks clich6s refuge empty headed surely patriotism lastrefuge ofscoundrels I askmy friend Ferhat about Ataturk cirrhosis ofthe liver thinking urologist might criticize Ataturk forbringing conditionon himself through excessive drinking Ferhat replies Ataturk doctor aFrenchman warnedhimthathiscon ditionwasverydangerousandthat ifhedidn tstayin hewould But thiswasjustwhen Turkeywas concluding treaty Syria cured Mediterranean Province Hatay though might Ataturkwent conference andworked untilhe wasexhaustedand So Ilovehimevenmorefor beingwillingto dothat country Nearly everyone pictures Kemal Ataturk which includes everyone Turkey agrees quite handsome Yet forsome reason eludesme whatever ministry charge disseminating likeness often seems choose unflattering pictures Yelhan photo ofhim place ofhonoron sideboard dining table shows Ataturk looking tough military uniform Russian commissar style ofblackkarakullamb swool This isone ofthe theatrical attractive portraits around Perhaps common shows Ataturk evening dress glowering camera eyesbeneathpreternaturallyarchedbrowsablaze withadisturbinglymessianicintensity exactlytheway I picture dapper devilinBulgakhov TheMasterand Margarita Thenightbeforethe Ibeginto feelabitdaunted bythe distance going That eveningIwalk fromtheuniversitytomyapartmentinOrtakoy little length course takes Consulting guidebookI descriptive notes stretch theBosphorus covering world third longest second longest suspension bridge takesup sixpages Onamap ofthe Straitona bigenough extend BlackSea north andtheSeaofMarmarainthe south thecourse isbig Napping before Recep secondfrom right Refik third WM N Metres EUROPE Bogazici Kuruge FINISH finger widths shape shore clearly discernible Theboatwe regoingtouse fortherace isabeautiful newItalian shellbought withmoneythat sontheMinistryofYouthandSportsgave thecrew It stored poorly designed field house fitting skylights through which nonregulation direct sunlight dapples basketball court Refik tells methatwhenyouseesuchflagrantirregularitiesincon structionyoucanbesurethattheexplanationisapayoff somewhereinthe contractingprocess Weload shellonto trucknormallyusedto university garbage instead taking ASIA Bridge RACECOURSE EUROPE TU EY Kanlica Bogazici Ali Bey Koi ASIA place during shore where store overnight The guynext Erkan isone ofthe always posing admiring physique abouttomovetoNorthernCyprustobewithhis fianc6e As trundling shadow RumeliHisaru fortMehmettheConquerorbuiltto Constantinople offfrom resupplyby before City Erkan tells other holding quiet Then turns Salaam Eleyikum We passing graveyard plains andneed topayourrespects Theonlyotherhintof religion waswhenthecoach toldustodoa strokeracingstart thendotenstrokes Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs allthepowerGodhasgivenus Inevitably inthe midst sprint couple yelled AllahuAkbar Onthemorningofthe racewemeetattheuniversity andafterplenty ofyellingbyRefikandacrobatics wemanagetolowerthe shelloffthebankofthe Bosphorus below The water wonderfully Naval College start Asian All around watermelon rinds cigarette packets empty bottles flotsam andjetsam emphatically larSaturday night Therace itselfproves tobemoreofa struggle afloatthan speed contest Awindiswhippingthe andpleasureboatsouttowatchstiruptreacherous cross currents After mediocre start splash around otically couple dozen strokes first tasteoftryingtorowatfull tiltthroughwhitecaps Just beginning rhythm Sarajevo Senat catches thatbends rigger andforcesusto forprobably30 seconds If ithadn tbeenforthatmishap weprobablywould havecomeinthirdoutofseven As itwaswefinished fourth onlybecause anotherboat foundered altogether Preventedbythewavesfromapplyinganypowertothe helped swift current hardly sweating crossed finish meters closer theSea ofMarmara Afterhauling shells ofthe water weambled crowded rowers spectators swimmerswhohadjust finished across Strait fortheawardceremony Thewinnerofour racewasthe WM Fenerbahce smiling award ceremony Fenerbahce which second place Galata Saray owned football clubs Turkey Fenerbahce Asian neighborhood Sea Marmara whose literally means Lighthouse Garden Galata Saray Turkey oldest prestigious school which Tur keyisknownasa college Fenerbahcelooklikegreat rowers muscularandexudingself confidence While I second tallest Bogazici thereareonlytworowersfromtheFenerbahceeight small I They should impressive recruited clubs country I actuallypaid smallmonthlystipend This Oc tober Boston compete theHeadofthe Charles Race Aftertakingtheboat ofthewater disassembling loading itontothegarbagetruckandrolling itdown theshorebacktocampus alldivedintothepoolin ourblueandwhite piece racing suits For while after passed fairly quietly Acoupleofuswouldshowupatourmeet ingplaceoncampus otherswouldsaunterin within someboatoutonAliBeyKoy Meanwhile Refiktoldme thatRecephadtoldhimthatmytechniquewas almost perfect wanted Amanda Wilson myfianc6e stranded inNewYork City duringmystay B U andmefrom Londonto Istanbuland hotelon Bosphorus against Ox fordandCambridge One evening I writing mails computer roomreserved forthe SportsCommitteewithDoruksit tingacrossfromme Isawthathe dsentmeane I opened It began report small regatta rowed previous weekend gratulatedmeon being invited droppeda littlebomb Ithinkmaybeyouliedaboutyour ergometer score The foulhadcomehometo roost IwroteDorukaresponse offeringthesamerationale acquiescing I offered above walkedovertohimtotalkabout Hedidn tletmeoff thehookeasily YouknowinTurkeywe lieand cheat abouteverything Idoitmyself Icheatonmygirl friend I betraying Zorlu supporting paigntobecaptain Doruksaid But Iwantedrowing tobeonepartoflifethatwasdifferent thatwashonest I I agreed completely assured himthatIneverwouldhavethoughtoflyingmyselfand promisedthat I dcomecleanwithRefikthe Refikwasless surprised andmore gracious I expected He Recep Mehmetlied never tookany scores reported seriously In Recep already decided wanted gardless ofmyerg score Refik offeredtwohi storical explanations thelow standard honesty Anatolia In Ottoman times collectorswereallowedtokeepwhatevertheycould lectaboveacertainminimum sotheysqueezedthepeas Ali Bey Koy Ali Bey Koy Baraj reservoir Ataturk Kemal Bogazici University Bosphorus conscription D depiliation DevGenc RevolutionaryYouth driving education university ethics Fenerbahce Galata Saray Hatay Province Head Charles Race Kurds antsmercilessly Underthispressurethepeasantsbecame adeptandhidingandprevaricating Aparallelinfluence universal conscription Ottomans Because mortalityratewas families extraordinary lengths their evade military service Deep seated Refik argues tradition venality changing Turkish industry becoming competitive practices conforming European standards U nfortunately Refik eliterepresentedbyBogazicistudentsislaggingbe hindthistrend ratherthanleadingit AsforMehmet I vecometoacceptthat forhimto change Henot often rowers attended practice I appreciate I expect people rowed national TheircoachwasaBulgarianwhohad alltherowersus illegalblood doping So culture comes With close frustrating andmessychapterandopenwhatIhopewillbe stain lessnew culminating respectable performance against Oxford Cambridge GoldenHorn August29 Whatactuallyhappened Iwillreportinmy installment L styles M machismo Mehmet R Robert College rowing S social conditions trends T Turkish For Foreigners W water pollution Institute Current World Affairs Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs THECRANE ROGERSFOUNDATION FourWestWheelock Street Hanover NewHampshire 03755 ADDRESSCORRECTION REQUESTED INSTITUTEFELLOWSANDTHEIRACTIVITIES AdamSmithAlbion Aformerresearchassociateatthe Institute forEastWestStudiesatPrague intheCzechRepublic Adam studying writing about republics Central Asia their importance actors within without former Soviet blocAHarvardgraduate History Adamhascompleted first M Litt Degree Russian East European history languages Oxford University EUROPE RUSSIA Shelly Renae Browning A surgeon specializing hearing Dr Browning studying approaches traditional healers among Aborigines Australia indigenous peoplesofVanuatu tohearinglossandearproblems Shewon B S Chemistry University South studied physician patient relationships China Australia Thomas J Watson Fellowship M D Emory UniversityinAtlanta Befor eherICWAfellowship shewas Fellow Skull Base Surgery Montreal McGill University Departmentof Otola SOUTH ASIA ChenoaEgawa AnenrolledmemberoftheLummi Indian Nation Chenoa spending years living among mesoAmerican Indians studying successful successful cooperative organizations designed Indians market their manufactures agricultural productsandcraftswithout relyingon middlemen Aformer trade specialist American Indian Trade Development Council Pacific Northwest Chenoa B A International Business Spanish UniversityofWashingtoninSeattle THEAMERICAS PaigeEvans Aplaywrightandformer LiteraryManagerofthe Manhattan Theatre Club New York City Paige looking Cuba through performing With History Literature B A Harvard served counselor Buckhorn Children Center Buckhorn Kentucky Arts Editor International Courier Rome Italy adjunct professor teaching course ContemporaryAmerican Playwrights atNewYork University She joinedtheManhattanTheatreClub in1990 THEAMERICAS WhitneyMason Afreelance pdntandtelevision journalist Whit began career founding newspaper called The Siberian Review Novosibirsk worked aneditorofthe V adivostokNewsandwroteforAsiaweek magazine Hong Kong In switched radio video journalism working Bosnia Korea CBSo As ICWA Fellow studying writing about Turkey nexus between East West between traditional secular Islam EUROPE RUSSIA MarcMichaelson AprogrammanagerforSavetheChildren The Gambia Marc moved across Africa Horn there toassess nation building Eritreaand Ethiopia conditions permitting availing unavailing humanitarian efforts northern Somalia southern Sudan With B A political science Tufts degree study London Sch Economics Master International Peace Studies Notre Dame describes postgraduate years seven years experience international development programming peace research SAHARA Jean Benoit Nadeau A French Canadian journalist playwright Jean BenoTt studied drama National Theater School Montreal received B A McGill University Political Science History The holder several Canadian magazine investigative journalism awards spending ICWA fellowship years France studying resistance French tothetrendofeconomicand cultural globalization EUROPE RUSSIA Susan Sterner AstaffphotographerfortheAssociated Press Los Angeles Susan received B A International Studies CulturalAnthropologyatEmoryUniversityanda Master LatinAmericanStudiesatVanderbilt APgaveher ranging assignments Haiti Mexico along U S Mexican border nominee Pulitzer Prize series child labor Her fellowship topic lives andstatusofBrazilianwomen THEAMERICAS TyroneTurner Aphotojournalist Black Star whoseworkhas appeared U S newspapers magazines Tyrone holds Master degree Government Latin American politics Georgetown University produced international photo essayson topics asRwandan genodde andmininginIndonesia thelatternominatedforaPulitzer AsanICWA FellowheiswdtingandphotographingBrazilianyouthand their lives inruralandurbansettings THEAMERICAS Daniel B Wright A sinologist Master Degree International Relations Nitze School Advanced International Studies Johns Hopkins University Dan fellowshipimmerseshim insouthwestChina sGuizhouProvince where hisjournalist wifeShouGuowei theirtwochildren Margaretand Jon basethemselves fortwo years Duyun Previously specialist Asian Chinese affairs fortheWashington consu lting ofAndreae Vick Associates Danalso studiedChineseliterature Beijing Universityandholds aMasterofDivinitydegreefrom FullerTheologicalSeminaryof Pasadena California EASTASIA Chosen basis ofcharacter previouex perience promise Institute Fellows young professionals funded spend years carrying designed programsofstudyandwriting outsidetheUnited States The Fellows required report their findings experiences field month They write subject mally informally The result unique reporting analysis periodic assessmentofinternational eventsand issues ICWA Letters ISSN published Institute Current World Affairs Inc exemptoperating foundation incorpo rated inNewYork State offices located WestWheelockStreet Hanover NH03755 The letters provided charge members ofICWAandare available librariesand sional researchers subscription Phone Fax E Mail ICWA valley Web Site wwwicwa Executive Director Peter Bird Martin Program Administrator Gary L Hansen Publications Manager Ellen Kozak C Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rogers Foundation Information tained inthispublicationmaynotbereproduced without writer permission Author Mason Whitney Title ICWALetters Europe Russia ISSN Imprint InstituteofCurrentWorld Affairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions Sub SaharanAfrica EastAsia South Asia Mideast North Africa TheAmericas Races With Wolves ISTANBUL Turkey October1998 ByWhitneyMason AftertheabortiverowingraceontheBosphorus seeWM theheatwave thatguaranteedmyshirtwouldbesaturatedwithsweatbythetime Isatdown inTurkishclass atnineeachmorningcameinto force Bythetimewemetfor practice atfive inthe afternoon theatmos phereonBogaziciUniversity hilltop campushadtheheavy soporific feelofaplantationinAmerica sDeep South Aftersummerclassesended chatterofstudentswasreplacedbythedrowsy buzzing ofbees Butwhile theheatand quiet lulledus aMediterranean torpor thecrewwassupposed tobemovingintohigh inthebuildup annual against Oxford Cambridge Golden Horn inlet slices Istanbul August But sluggish surly andrelationsbetweentherowersandthe coachesmovedtowardopenhostility Refik irascibleeconomicsprofessorandteamautocrat toldmethathe andRecep aloofheadcoach despaired ofthe talentontheteam Recepwas disgustedby rowers technique would deign coach Hiscontempt obviously wasself fulfilling myrepeatedattemptsto gethimtosee thiswere Iwasbemused unavailing Yet somehow cavernousoffice theyhadtofindaway learnthatourlittleteam tocoaxarespectableperformancefro mthecrew seemed following intheraceagainsttheBritish Mostoftheteam budgetcamenotfromtheuniversitybutfrom inthetraditionofcrass Ministry Youth Sports Refik sycophancythathad plained andtheMinisterhimselfwouldbe theGoldenHorntowatchtheraceagainstthe contributedsomuchto Britishcrews IfBogazicididwell theMinister ruination wouldgive theteamenoughmoneyto pashasforthenextyear ifnot hewouldturn theOttomanempire would bankrupt So inspiration naive abstraction determination honor school wheedle money official I bemused learn little seemed following tradition crass sycophancy contrib somuchto ruination oftheOttomanempire Since Ihadalready toldRefik atthe oftheOxford CambridgeRace I dbewithmyfianceeAmandaWilsoninFrance forsometime itwasn tclear whether I allowed continue rowing Thenonedayin earlyAugustRefik calledmeintohis office serious heart heart Recep hadtoldhim thatmytechniquewas nearlyperfect andtheyneededmeintheboat Ifhe provided round plane tickets Istanbul London trainfromParis toLondon andputAmandaandmeupinahotelonthe Bosphorus wouldIcomebackforjustthreedaysandrowintherace Aftere mailsandphonetalk withAmanda Isaidwewould Refik itseemed washonoringanotherlateOttoman