The Hamam

Good Morning everyone!! I don't have class this morning, so I have more time write a bit on the blog. It's nice to have a day off, though I have to confess something....I actually really enjoy Turkish class. This is as big a shock to me as anyone else. I'm even thinking of continuing and taking Level 2. Last night, we went to a restaurant and I spoke Turkish with the waiter. I actually understood things (not perfectly and I missed a good bit too). Before I knew it, Turkish was coming out of me. What the heck? 3 weeks ago we went to that same restaurant and I couldn't even say hello or "my name is." I have to say I was very encouraged:) When I took French, it took me 3 weeks to say, "Where's the library?" I think we covered that phrase in the 1st 3 minutes of Turkish class:)

Ok, on to the hamam. The hamam is a Turkish bath. These places have existed for hundreds of years and are part of the Turkish culture. I'd heard about these places from Tim, who loves them. He kept saying I needed to try it. The opportunity presented itself when the German girl in my class wanted to go before she returned to Germany. Since I had a partner, I asked if Tim could drive us to this particular hamam (recommended to us) a bit outside the city. The hamam was in a town called Kecorin on the outskirts of Ankara and it looked like it was built by Disney. They had huge rock walls (man-made) with waterfalls coming down, amusement parks (looked like put-put and carnival rides) and it had cable cars that went back and forth above the city. At night they are lit up with neon colors. What a crazy place.

We made it to the hamam and Tim veered to the left (for the men) and we veered right (for the women). We were greeted by some very young, modern looking women who started spouting off Turkish to us and showing us charts and price lists. So much for our Turkish classes, we couldn't understand a daggone thing! We finally established that we needed to pay the entrance fee to the hamam, pay for a "massage", pay for a thin, dish-cloth type towel, and a kes, kind of like a loofah. They ushered us back to a changing room to put on our bathing suits. Then, we were taken to the first sauna. I actually hate saunas because I hate being hot and I have a fear of being locked inside. So for me, it wasn't very relaxing in the sauna, more like torture. After a few minutes, we were taken to another sauna, even worse than the first. This one was very small, hotter than the first one, and had some kind of minty-menthol smell, which I didn't like to breathe in. I almost bolted before they came back to get us.

After the torture of the saunas, they took us into the main area. It looked like something out of a novel. You walk through the door and see a huge white marble block in the middle of the room. There were a few women laying on those. Walking around with buckets of water and those loofah-type things, and all wearing modest black two-pieces (that really none of them should have been wearing) were the workers at the hamam. One of the women ushered my friend and I back to an alcove in the back where there were faucets with large marble basins underneath (a very, very old-fashioned type of sink). We were supposed to rinse ourselves off. Because we didn't understand the Turkish at first, she just grabbed a plastice bowl, filled it with water (which was cold) and dumped it over our heads. So, far the hamam was not the relaxing place I imagined it to be. After rinsing, this woman, took my friend with her to be scrubbed. They get the loofah really soapy and scrub you until you're almost raw. It's supposed to remove all the dead skin and get you really clean. As my friend left to go lay on the white marble block, I thought that I would just wait my turn and then that same woman would scrub me. Unfortunately, that would not be the case. I happened to look to the right of where my friend was only to see another lady motioning for me to come to her station. I immediately thought, "oh no." This lady was quite short and very stout, very, very stout (again, the 2 piece wasn't really helping her out). She was older with some snaggle teeth and a uni-brow. I'm not making any of this up!! In short, she was SCARY!!! When she motioned to me, it was like the witch in Snow White. I didn't want to go, but what could I do??! So, I took my loofah, towel and my scared self and headed to her a station. I layed down like the other women had and awaited what was to come. She started kind of hitting me to get my attention. She wanted me to change my position, but I couldn't figure out what she wanted me to do. So, I'm basically spinning like a hockey puck on this wet marble slab, doing 360's trying to figure out which direction she wants me to go. I thought I was gonna slip right off that thing.

After, I got the correct angle, she starts scrubbing with the loofah. This woman was strong! Good grief! I probably will be clean for weeks (actually, many Turks go to the hamam once a week-that's their bath for the week!). The scrubbing actually wasn't too bad, though I probably have a permanent crease in my foreheard from being a little tense during the whole process. After the scrubbing, you go rinse off agin (which makes you even more slippery on that marble slab) and they start to soap you up. Tim told me to make sure I closed my eyes tight and to be careful not to get water up my nose. Easier said than done. Suds were going everywhere. They were all in my eyes. So, I'm drowning in suds, blind as a bat, and can't breathe deeply. Then the soaping stopped. And then.... a huge bucket of water was dumped over my head. It seemed to go on forever. Just how big was that bucket?? I thought maybe this was a way of making me talk. Ok, lady, what do you want to know?? I was like a drowned rat and the buckets just kept coming. I still couldn't open my eyes because the suds were still in them. You know how when they wash your hair at the hairdress they tip your head backwards, so that shampoo doesn't get in your eyes? Apparently, this is not how they do it here. Seems like it would be the logical way to do it, but who am I to question hundreds of years of tradition?

Finally, the water torture was over and I was taken back to the basin area, where I could rinse any remaining soap off. After that, they took us to the jacuzzi. Ahhh, now this was going to be more like it. I put a foot in and yanked it back. It was freezing cold. If I got in I think I could have become an official member of the Polar Bear Club. Forget it, I thought, I've gone along with this long enough. I'm not doing this one. It's funny too, because the Turks are the ones who believe that drinking a cold drink can make you sick. Well, how about a huge pool of ice water, folks??
We finally went back to get our clothes and leave the hamam. As we were leaving, so were the employees-it was closing time. All the women had traded their two-pieces for long skirts, long sleeves, and head coverings. That was probably the most fascinating thing to me. There is such mystery associated with a woman in a head covering. What's under there? Whos' this woman of mystery? Inside the hamam, the mystery was revealed. The scarves were off and the bikinis were on. There was no modesty or inhibition (unfortunately:) in this place, which just further proved that Turkey is a paradox and very intriguing place.
I stepped out into the cold winter air and got in our car. Tim said, "How was it?" I pointed to my sopping wet, tangled hair and incredibly bloodshot eyes and said, "I got to see what they looked like without their headcoverings. It was fascinating." I have no great urge to go back anytime soon, but I'm so glad I was able to experience such an important part of Turkey's culture and history.