Another time in another time zone

Village of Ibrahimpasa

So, here I am in Turkey, in a very small traditional village called Ibrahimpasa.  This town seems to be relatively untouched by the modern world, even though it is located right inside the region of Cappadocia, which has become a big tourist destination in recent years.  Ibrahimpasa does not have the more famous underground cities, fairy chimneys or cave monasteries that have made Cappadocia a destination for bus loads of tourists, but the landscape here is still stunning and since tourists don't stop here there is the added bonus of being able to experience rural Turkish life and traditions relatively intact as though no time has passed.  

Cappadocia in Central Antolia is often referred
to as the cradle of human civilization

My reason for coming to Ibrahimpasa was to attend an artist residency called the Babayan Culture House and to make a new project while I am here.  (Interestingly, the residence looks as beautiful in person as it does in the pictures - something that has never happened to me before in my life- and that is my cave room on the first page- it's really nice!). I first visited Cappadocia in 2005 and the organic, surreal formation of the landscape reminded me so much of my sculptures and drawings, that I felt it important to come back and spend more time here.  I have never had the experience of feeling so personally connected to a landscape and for this reason I sought out a residency in this location.  I will be here for a month, so for now I am just taking it slow and acquainting myself with my immediate surroundings, getting some much needed sleep and making plans of how I want to proceed.

Honeycomb Pigeon Houses- seen through out Cappadocia.

It’s been interesting walking around this little village and learning a bit about the customs here. I had read a little about the relationship between men and women in the rural villages in this area, so I was somewhat prepared. The men and women seem to live very separate lives, with the women doing a good amount of the physical work.  I’m not completely sure what the men do.  So far I have only seen them gathered in the tiny town square drinking tea.  Apparently, the women are very friendly and open to speaking to foreign women and a number of other artists who have attended this residency were able to incorporate the women into their projects.  So, this is a little treasure I was not expecting and am looking forward to exploring. I can't take any photographs of the villagers just yet because it would be impolite, but hopefully I will soon gain their trust.  

A next door neighbor.  Very friendly guy.

For now, I am just trying to learn a few words of Turkish so I can communicate a little and trying to acclimate myself to the feeling of being so obviously an outsider.  This isn’t something I have to deal with when I am home and although it isn’t something I particularly enjoy, it's good for creating perspective and understanding a bit of what some of my friends who are minorities deal with at home.