Flat Jacob visits Istanbul

A big goal I had in traveling to Istanbul was to learn about the city. I am not very smart when it comes to history, so words such as "Constantinople" and the "Ottoman Empire" were only terms I had heard somewhere along in my middle school and possibly high school classes. So, when I thought about learning about the culture and history here, I thought it would be fun (and helpful) for me to teach what I learn to others. That is partly why I decided to write a blog. Writing about what I have seen and learned helps me retain the information for a longer period than if I were to just learn about something and move on.

Anyway, my first request for learning about the area came from a 2nd grader in Arizona. His class was collecting postcards from around the world (well, they were focusing more on places around the country) to help them learn about places other than Arizona. I was able to contribute to his project by sending a postcard from my layover in Chicago, where I only knew what I had learned in flying over the city...it's next to Lake Michigan, which looks like a calm ocean from the air with it's endless water. When I arrived in Istanbul and had learned a little about the city, I was able to send him another postcard with some details about Old Istanbul and the amazing scene, as it is located along the Bosphorus Strait and spans two continents. The project seemed simple enough and I loved being able to contribute a little, yet a lot. Just being able to put in their little minds that there are amazingly historic and beautiful places outside of the US reminds me that the world is so big and there is so much to learn and see.

Well, my simple contribution of postcards from Istanbul was followed by a more consuming task. In California, the 2nd grade at my former elementary school, Roynon Elem., was also learning about places outside of the US. They took a different approach to their project and focused on a popular children's book, Flat Stanley. The entire 2nd grade created flats of themselves and were to send them to places around the country and have their receivers take pictures out and about in the area. My friend's son asked if I would help him out. Given the time restrictions (and the poor postal service here) I wasn't sure if I would be able to help, but decided to give it a chance.


After just a week in the mail, Flat Jacob arrived. I was surprised at how quickly he got here!




Here we are in front of the Blue Mosque.

Here we are in front of the Haghia Sophia. Not the greatest picture, but we were both a little too shy to ask the photographer to take another one for us.

To get to Old Istanbul we had to take a Dolmuş to Üsküdar, then take a ferry from Üsküdar to Eminonu. Flat Jacob enjoyed it...well, I think he did. He always had a smile on his face.

After my girls saw what Flat Jacob was all about, they decided they wanted to create their own to send back to America for an adventure of their own. We are working out the details, but the girls may visit California and New Jersey!!