Gazipasa Turkiye is similar and different to my hometown in New York. A shock to me was the presence of a Burger King nextdoor to a Mosque; an image I never expected to view here. Fine dining and a variety of stores scatter the city landscape. However, the small buildings and apartment complexes juxtapose the large hills that surround the valley here. It is beautiful and beyond anything back in New York. The food was unsurprisingly amazing, whether going out for lunch or dinner or even having the meals at the dig site. Everything is fresh and feels especially soothing after a long day’s work.

One thing I noticed is that the people who live here are not so different from anyone I’ve met back home. While culture, politics, geography, and other things can affect how people act, there is still much in common between everyone. It was fun listening to Turkish music on the bus ride to the dig site (nicknamed the party bus). Many Turkish people are kind and try their best to talk to the American students or just say hi, something that I don’t see at St. Olaf when the roles are reversed. Another observation I had is the difference in the weather. Back in New York it is a rare sight to see the temperature climb above 90 °F. In Turkiye, it’s rare for it to slope below. Everyday is consistently hot, humid, and sunny. Due to this hazardous weather, often people stay inside during the day which allows for a more festive and fun night once the sun crawls back behind the hills. In New York people eat much earlier and my town is often quiet past 8pm. It is fun to observe these slight differences and similarities and I cannot wait to see more and learn more as the trip moves along. Hopefully I won’t visit Burger King too much!