From Istanbul to Konya to Ankara and back to Istanbul

Flashback.

I touched down in Istanbul from KL on Saturday morning.Rabia picked me from the airport to her apt where I had breakfast before going out to meet Dr Fatimah and Prof Malik Badri now at Zaim Uni.Kat sini biasa rumah takda lift walaupun 4 tingkat. Pastu toilet masih toilet cangkung.

Nasib Rabia's apt modern but malam tu she took me to her other home by the sea. Lagi besar and I had my own toilet (toilet biasa yang ada seat). Besoknya her sister's family came and we had lunch in the garden.Best sangat. Then she sent me to the airport for my flight to Konya.

No one waited in Konya. Nasib taxi drivers kat Turkey ni baik2. So mlm buta tu I travelled to my hostel on campus. Nama pulak takda. Hadoi. Then ada. Bilik tu macam I sorang satu floor.Seram juga.

Then I had my first class the day after. Over 100 students. Good questions. Bdk2 Turki ni cerdik2 dan suka bertanya.

By Wedn, Yusuf put me on fast train to Ankara and waited for me at the station. Fed me perde then sent me off to my hotel. Besoknya terus bawak pi jumpa orang 4-5 meetings back to back. I appreciate the kind gesture tapi mrk lupa kederat I kederat semut. Tak larat walk miles, climb staircases, etc. Lunyai rasa badan.

I love going to the women's cafe. They also treated me well. Beri I mcm2..dari woolen shawl to keep me warm to cardigan to socks..hee..if takda dia org ni I dah beku. Ankara was so cold. Angin pun kuat. Malam2 tu le juga mereka bawak I pi jumpa makam orang alim mereka. Dlm angin sejuk tu.But the feeling of sisterhood was so strong.

Bsknya I naik flight ke Istanbul dgn Yusuf. They put me at Radisson Blu. Soon besoknya a few of my IIUM colleagues pun tiba from KL. So pagi2 we would breakfast together although on 2 days I got locked in in my room. Entah mengapa.

Then I was invited to dinner by the Marmara by Dr Totonji and his wife. Baik dia nak layan saya. Makan ikan dan Turkish cuisine yang lain. Then he gave me IIIT books. Very precious books.Alhamdulillah.

Besoknya 2-3 meetings lagi but different towkay. By now Yusuf dah terlalu busy nak layan me (dia jadi translator at the conference). Nasib I ada networks lain. Haha. So angkat phone suruh dtg ambik je. Dua2 tempat tu jauh...dekat topkapi. Syrian academic centre. Bagus juga prog mrk ni. Maybe IIUM boleh tompang kursus bahasa arab dia tu.Mantap gitu.

Then I went to Fateh Mehmet. Sedar was nice. I mohon rehat in their beautiful waiting room while waiting for deputy rector dia habis meeting.By the time dep Rector dia dah habis meeting, I punya next meeting time pun dah hampir so we had some time to update each other je.

Mlm tu Hattice came to invite me to dinner so we went out to somewhere close to my hotel. Nice place. Can see part of Istanbul from the 14th floor.

Lepas tu I dah tak sabar nak balik Konya. Yusuf ajak pi Sparta dgn the rest of the group but I have classes to teach. So saya pun terbang balik. Rasa mcm balik ke rumah.

Hari Senin public holiday. Geng mula2 ckp nak pi beach but the day was so cold so they just took me arounf Konya areas...the many hills, the gardens and parks. Butterfly park dia gorgeous.Orang Msia frm Penang yang buat.Mmg cantik betul.

Then Umar took us home to have dinner at his place. Met his wife and parents in law.Sedap home cooked meals ni.
Pastu i pi shopping sebab tak byk bawa baju (bags penuh bwk brochures UIA/books).

Tak besar mana pun malls dia org ni but byk baju sesuai utk org Islam.
Hari ni dpt lagi jemputan pi Sparta but i tak larat. Lagipun Nik tak kasi jalan sorang2. I biasa dgn Yusuf je. If dia takda, rasa susah pulak nanti sbb dia je fluent English.

Mevlana Prog in Konya

I'm in my 2nd week on Mevlana Exchange prog at Selcuk Uni in Konya. Selcuk Uni is the largest uni in Turkey in terms of student population (around 80K) and the campus is also sprawling. Konya was the capital city of the Seljuk Empire and Rumi lived and died here.

I went to visit his tomb (which was closed under renovation) so tak nampak sgt le but the rest were open. The sufi settlement/quarters were nicely reconstructed and we had an insight of what it was like living in the sufi commune - dok berzikir for 1001 days. Yang rajin bawak I jalan2 were a group of Msian-Sporean-Turkish students/staff. Rata mrk bawak - Selli, hills and gardens around Konya. The butterfly park was something I enjoyed most. It was constructed by Msian architects and engineers.

By Wedns (I arrived Konya on Sunday), Yusuf bawak I ke Ankara to meet a few Rectors, Deputy Rectors and people from the Education Ministry. SubhanaAllah, God made my job easy via Yusuf's network. I naik fast train from Konya to Ankara..about 1.5 hour.Sampai sana dah ada org ambik.Tidur hotel Taj Mahal. Bagus network mrk ni.After a hectic day in Ankara, we flew to Istanbul for the conference on Islam and Science. I spoke twice. First as a welcoming note rep IIUM/Msia, then as one of the keynotes.

Byk lagi.Sambung later.

A trust, an amanah

I was voted in by ASA voters for one of the 3 Deputy Rector posts. I was shortlisted and the names were submitted to Board of Governors and 2 from the 9 were chosen: me and Prof Hafiz from our medical school.

It is an amanah. I hope I will not betray my voters. Mcm pilihanraya la pulak ya.
I thank Allah for the opportunity to serve a great uni.May this be my amal ibadah yang diterima Allah.

https://kampusuols.com/article/422800/U-In-News/SEL-KL/Dr-Maszlee-umum-pelantikan-tiga-Timbalan-Rektor-UIAM-yang-baharu