Academic Journal Turkey Turkey was a place that, admittedly, I was not ready for. I stepped out of the port authority building, greeted by a security guard casually resting his arm on a semi-automatic gun as if it were as normal as the vendors on the street. I couldn't help but to think "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." Istanbul was filled with fish having their guts removed, men coughing and then touching the corn they sold, and street vendors thro...

Istanbul, Turkey July 18th through 22nd "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay at home." -- James Michener On this journey through the Mediterranean, Turkey has definitely been a turning point in the way I view societies and peoples. I quickly realized when I first set foot in Istanbul, that I was far from a lifestyle I was warm to. For the first time in my life, I had to be a ...