the plan

the week of Dec. 8th is Kurban Bayram (Sacrifice Holiday). it follows the story of Abraham, which is about exactly the same in the Qur'an and the Bible. (if you don't know, it happened like this). so for the Bayram they make or find those spiritual meats, and they eat them and give them.

my Bayram means time, travel, and a plan:

• Erzurum to Istanbul by train Dec. 6th and 7th (33hrs and 647 miles- i was asked "what made you decide not to walk?" next time, my friend)
• read Samuel Butler's Erewhon, Buket Uzuner's Istanbullu, Richard Rorty's Philosophy and Social Hope
• take pictures, study Turkish, find someone to play chess with
• find a way to a bed, a floor, a couch
  
• meet C. and see his Istanbul
• find used books, used clothes, and Indian food
  
• film cats in the street and old houses
  
• bus ride to Ankara and then Konya Dec. 11 (8-9hrs 365miles)
• read the Qur'an, study Turkish, listen to DemNow
  
• find my way to a bed, couch, floor, bar, pide
  
• watch the dervishes whirl
• eat dinner with another C's parents
• play chess with M
  
• Sunday morning bus ride to Ankara (2-3hrs 138 miles)
  
• read the Masnavi
• Ankara to Erzurum by train (23hrs 447 miles)
• listen to Bob Dylan
  
• read Howard Zinn's People's History, Jane Mayer's The Dark Side, Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red
• stretch
  
• teach my Monday night class
• tell you what happened