I Can See Turkey from My House

Anonymous East and West. Just those words conjure up so many images in my head. When we think of Eastern Civilization versus Western Civilization, we think of vastly different things. Very rarely do we think of the two intersecting and intertwining, even though they do so every day. Two very different cultures, and yet not so different after all.

Today, after much anticipation, we landed on the island of Rhodes. You can imagine the surprise of our classmates when Dr. Finitsis announced the giant land mass off in the distance is actually Turkey. I mean, I knew Rhodes was close to Turkey, but I didn't think it was that close. Actually seeing Turkey with my own eyes gave me a bit of a shock. I finally understood just how much Greece straddles two of the must influential cultures in the world.

You can see the mix of East and West as you walk the streets of Rhodes. Today we visited the Old Town, which was absolutely incredible. The entire area is completely walled in by a medieval fortification. You actually walk through a legitimate castle wall to get inside the town. Walking through it I felt like Heath Ledger should appear on a horse, just like in A Knight's Tale. As the sun set over the Mediterranean, we got to hear the prayer calls from a mosque in the town - just one more reminder that Greece sits at a crossroads between East and West.

Tomorrow the official exploration of Rhodes begins. Let's hope the rain keeps itself to a minimum - but even if it doesn't, I know we are about to embark on a fantastic week and a journey through time and cultures.