The lectures are interesting. I'm the only one in the English version of the class, so while it begins with the professor discussing the nuances of the IMF's policies and how they affect the neo-liberal economics of Turkey, it usually ends up with her telling me I'm paying too much for tomatoes when I go to the grocery store.
So if I don't take anything else from the class, I've learned that 2.5 lira a kilo is far too expensive. ($1.7 in Canuckian dollars)
Fortunately, I've taken a lot from the class. Unlike the other exchange students here, I've been able to travel to remote Turkish villages. In the most recent one, an 84-year-old man was chopping wood (definitely putting me to shame), while a 96-year-old was collecting leaves in her yard. There's no concept of retirement here- everyone works until they physically can't. The area was the site of a proposed hydroelectric dam, but when the plan fell through, all that was left was a concrete corpse and unemployment.
As in every village, there's the local hangout where all the old men sit and drink tea and play backgammon. I realize I just said that everyone works, but I've learned here that loitering seems to be a full time job.
Most of the employment in the villages is agriculture, and to a lesser extent, subsistence farming. When you step into one of the villages, it's like being tossed back decades. But not the 60's. Or 70's. I'll take that back when I see Turkish villagers in polyester disco suits. Kids ride down the dirt roads on donkeys, and scythes are tossed casually by the houses.
For those that are interested, I was able to snap a few photos.
They can be found at: flickr.com/photos/lcecco
I switched from Facebook to Flickr because the quality is much better on the latter.
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