Sunday, July 3, 2011 - Anakara, Turkey

Today is our last day in the home-feeling city of Ankara.  This morning we visited a Women's Center that was developed in 1994 by a former Ministry of Culture's wife.  The center that we visited was organized in 1997.  The main purpose is a way to reach out to the women in the community who have no education and have been basically forced to stay at home.  The branch we visited started with 30 women in 1997 and now over 2000 women are invovled.  They have the opportunity to take classes on sewing, skin care, human rights, jewelry making, singing, acting, instrument playing, and many other things.  It is a way for the women to get out of their homes, education themselves, and even bring in some money for the family and for themselves.

This is the new building that holds the Women's Center in this part of Ankara.

This is Suti on the left.  She started attending  classes at the Women's Center in 1997 and now is the President of this center and on the board of directors as well.  Secial, the American Education Director of Turkish Fulbright, was acting as her interpreter.  Suti was an amazing inspiration of what someone can accomplish in their life when they put their mind to it.  She's a confident, glowing, smart woman who I am in awe of and hope I can influence and give hope to others as she does some day.

Although I can never understand the words, I always understand the spirit of the song deep in my soul.  It was touching.

They arranged a time of traditional music and singing which, as it always does when music is played in Turkey, lead to dancing.  Here is Amy dancing with a woman who was kicked out of her home in 1997 that the Women Center has helped.  She is heavily invovled with training new woman who attend classes at the center.  Another inspiration.

 

Me with two women who make money for their families by making small crochet items and jewelry.

Ataturk is everywhere in this town.  Here is a statue of him at the center, along with a picture above the statue.  (There were also at least three more in the center.)  I kind of have a 'thing' for this man that every Turk I have met has such an admiration and love for. 

After our visit and lunch (made by some of the women at the center), some of us were dropped off byour bus driver back at the Old Town section of town where we had been yesterday.  We didn't get to get up to the Citadel do to our being behind schedule and we wanted to check out the view and do some window shopping in the antique district.

View looking down from the top of the Citadel in the Old Town section of Ankara.

Self-portrait

Katie and Beth H. looking like they are floating over top of Ankara.

My Citadel hiking partners - Carol (Wisconsin), Katie (Boston), Beth H. (Seattle), Melissa (Houston), and LeeAnn (Portland)

This is where I am going to write about shopping in Old Town and the cat statues.

One of the shops in the bazaar leading up to the Citadel

The Old Town shopping district

The Ankara Cats that are all over the town and I guess are dressed up for various events that take place in the city.  They are kind of a joke among the locals.

Tomorrow we head out of Ankara for our road trip that will end in Istanbul.  Love you, Ankara. I hope I am back some day.