Turkey - Riddled with Ancient Ruins

I have been back from my travel study in Turkey for a few days now, and am better able to organize my thoughts regarding my experience. 20 days to consume folks! Here is an excerpt from something I wrote the last time I was there, about 3 years ago:

"During my visit to Bulgaria, my friend and I ventured south into Turkey. We visited Istanbul, a city thousands of years old. Istanbul is such a diverse city that it's almost Impossible to split it up into definable districts. The only real distinctions that can be made between districts is that between the European and Asian sides, which are separated by the Bosphorus and the peninsula lying between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara.

Turkey has exoticism to spare, with its covered bazaars, whirling dervishes, sultans' treasures and Byzantine mosaics. Turkey lies at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. The incredible mix of culture there is amazing.

I have never been so culturally shocked. When I arrived there I quickly realized that the atmosphere in a Muslim country is incredibly intimidating-specially being a woman. Walking down the streets you could hear the chants of Islam emitted by the dozens of mosques in the area. Turkey is an incredible country, rich in culture and history. It was truly a fascinating trip."

(From my old web site: http://liliavilla.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page8.html )

This time around, I wasn't so culturally shocked or intimidated. I think I secretly wanted to go back to confront my first experience here. I don't know if I have just gotten a little wiser since last I visited this country, but I had an interesting confidence while there this time around. Though I had fun the first time, I felt like I was reluctant and uncomfortable during that visit.

This trip was a lot more involved as well. Longer - duh, but also more complete seeing as we traveled down the Aegean Coast. Growing up I was such a Greek mythology freak, so it was pretty awesome to visit some of these ruins. Troy, Pergamon, Izmir (the birthplace of Homer so they say), Ephesus (last home of the Virgin Mary, and where St. John wrote his Gospel/where his tomb is located), Aphrodisias, and Asclepion (Home to the famous physician Galen). Antioch, Halicarnassus, the works! I also was excited to hear the Amazons originated in the North Eastern part of the country...Niiiiice! Shop em boobs off sisters!

We visited NGO's as well...but that's a whole nother story! Everyone seemed in such denial about the Armenian and Kurdish genocides, their high illiteracy rates, the status of women, their Arab heritage, their homosexual population, and the general status of the country. Needless to say they were seriously lacking in all of these departments, though seemingly on a road to improvement. We visited the Purple Roof Foundation, which is the countries only shelter for battered women. The people in general seemed VERY nationalistic; with a die-hard love of Ataturk...I have some opinions about this that perhaps I will shed light upon another time...think happy thoughts Lilia...

Hey if you are bored here are some DID YOU KNOWS about Turkey that I found interesting:

Did You Know This?

Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Homer (the poet), King Midas, Herodotus (the father of history), and St. Paul the Apostle.

The Famous Trojan Wars took place in Western Turkey, around the site where the Trojan horse rests today.

St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born in Derme/Antalya, on Turkey's Mediterranean Coast.

Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkey.

Ephesus and Halicarnassus (the place for two of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world) are in Turkey.

Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, "Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)" in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.

Three of the 10 remaining icons of the world and according to the belief of Orthodox, Jesus Christ's cross on which he was crucified are in Hagia Yorghi Church.

The philosopher Aristotle lived in Assos for three years.

Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tablets in the ruins of Assyrian Karum (Merchant Colony) date back to 1950 BC.

Turks introduced coffee to Europe.

Lydia which is one of the greatest civilizations lived in Anatolia and it's the first civilization which coined money.

The first University in history is in Harran, Turkey.

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I bet you didn't know!:)

**anyway... here is the full list: http://www.adiyamanli.org/did_know_these.htm

My political posting is to come shortly :)

Where do Nightmares Come From and Why?

I had a pretty disturbing dream last night that sparked the following rant:

Nightmares - Why?

Almost everyone has experienced a dream that provoked anxiety or fear in them. Some people even have the same nightmare repeatedly. Others have nightmares in which the content changes but have the same underlying message. Its common for people to have dreams in which they fall, are being chased, attacked, late to an exam, unable to move or scream, are naked in public...How and Why do these happen? Is there a specific purpose to them?

There are many who think these kinds of dreams reflect on the dreamer's inability to recognize and solve conflicts in real life, and others who believe that dreams are just our brains interpretation of random neural activity during REM sleep, with little relevance.

While there are many theories about the purpose of dreams, one of the most scientifically fascinating is the Activation Synthesis Theory. This theory basically states that our dreams are products of random neural activity during REM sleep that is converted into plausible stories usually based on the day's events. Throughout our existence, our brains are constantly reconstructing and interpreting external stimuli to create the "complete" effect we are familiar with and this function can clearly be seen in dreams. Dreams could be seen as the epitome of our brain's "creative license" while trying to interpret external stimuli during our sleep. Remember, our brain works around the clock, even when we are sleeping.

What is interesting about the Activation Synthesis Theory is that entire situations are created by the brain with very little preliminary data. Other forms of reconstruction rely heavily on simultaneously-perceived stimuli to "fill in the gaps," whereas dreams would be only loosely based on recent events with the remainder of the in-dream "plot" being "made up" by the brain on the spot. It would seem like our creative, imaginative inner writer comes out to visit during REM sleep! Mary Shelley did write Frankenstein after a vivid nightmare!

Though this theory is fascinating as to HOW dreams happen, it is hard to believe that dreams are nothing more than random physiological happenings with little relevance to our psyche, our brain's "relaxing down time." I am of course, a hard-core Jungian! I'd argue that dreams are the expression of the unconscious mind. It isn't a mystery that throughout the history of man, there have been many who have benefited greatly from the interpretation of their dreams on a deeply personal level.

It is important to note that almost all recurrent dreams, as analyzed philosophically, seemingly try to give the dreamer an important message. In this sense, nightmares can be seen as ways to identify and treat personal problems. Sometimes they point out patters in our current behavior or psychological imbalances that we need to resolve. According to some experts, if we are successful in acknowledging their message and solve our issues in real life, we will cease to have that particular dream, or we will have the same dream with a different ending - the ideal conclusion - that represents the ultimate proof that we have solved the problem.

Dreams are about the most fascinating, controversial subjects out there. The mind, and all of its complex functions, still has us banging our heads against the wall (so to speak) in confusion! The prospect that complex and "realistic" sensations (such as in lucid dreams), could be fabrications of our brains, is both amazing and alarming. If our dreams can be completely artificial, what else in our daily existence is simply our brain's interpretation of random activity?

let me know what your thoughts are on this matter.

-Lilia Villa