Day 4

Today was a fantastic day in Ankara. I had the pleasure to attend a Turkish wedding ceremony of my friend and collaborator, Zübeyde Uğurlu. Zübeyde conducted research at the University of Arizona in the Beilstein lab, in addition to providing field expertise for us during previous collection trips in Turkey. I wish her and her husband best wishes going forward with their new marriage. 

In attendance were students and researchers from Hacettepe University and my foreign mentor, Ali Dönmez, as well as Richard Primack of Boston University. 

This traditional Turkish line dance was fun to watch but truly an extraordinary experience to participate in. 

I learned many traditional dances during the wedding. My favorite involves raising your arms and rhythmically snapping your fingers while swaying across the dance floor.

Evidently, Turkish weddings work up quite the appetite. We stopped for some late night barbecued corn at a nearby street vendor.

Tonight was an unforgettable experience; tomorrow I will board the train to Eskişehir to attend the biology congress.