I've never seen an environment like that of Central Turkey. It is strange... there is SO much land, yet most of it is just red earth with very dramatic rocks and curves... different shades of pinks and yellows... not like mountains covered with trees and greenery... it is very unique!

Yesterday our boss took us to the Sivas Cumhüriyet University for breakfast and to give us a tour of the big beautiful campus, and he took us for a drive up into the mountains to get a view of Sivas. It was a big cloudy that day -- and also because the whole town is warming itself by burning coal -- a big smoggy, but this is a view of my new home town.



Not a very good picture... I know... but they can't all be winners.

We then did something SUPER FUN -- we went to a KANGAL FARM! Now what is a Kangal, you may be asking? Well this is what www.turkishdogs.com had to say:

The Kangal Dog possesses the classic livestock guardian dog temperament; a temperament characterized by a calm, alert, and independent demeanor. Possessing a natural protective instinct, he is loyal, bold, and courageous without showing undue aggression. Moreover, the Kangal Dog is sensitive and his responses to individual situations clearly demonstrate his intelligence and sensitivity.

The Kangal Dog is alert to everything around him. He will sound an alarm at unusual sounds and sights, following up with an investigation. The deep sound of his bark, which is reinforced by his powerful build and massive size, is usually enough to deter any type of predator. For example, the Kangal Dog is bred, trained and employed as guard dogs by the Turkish military. This breed can be seen patrolling the grounds of the President's Palace with military officers in Ankara, Turkey.



Above, the supreme animal lover Dr Dre gets up close and personal with a friendly and curious Kangal!



And here a Kangal mommy takes care of three sweet chubby little Kangal puppies who were SO SQUISHY like little piglets!!!

Later that day, we had another encounter with Kangals, but this time they were stray Kangals on the roam in the streets. We were walking down the street and saw three dogs run after a stray cat, and me being a cat lover ran after the dogs. The poor cat tried to squeeze its skinny stray cat body through a gate and got its hindlegs stuck. I ran towards the Kangal Street Posse and stood up in front of the cat and tried to scare off the dog, who looked at me quizzically, as if to say, 'What? What's the probelm?'. In truth maybe it is a bit insane to run menacingly towards a dog that is (a) as tall as my waist and (b) bred for power, but I felt it my duty to protect the kitty. The kitty, as it struggled to squeeze itself through, looked up at me, looked me RIGHT in the eye, gave me this look, as though it was saying, 'holy shit dude, you fuckin saved my life!' It eventually got through and scrambled up a nearby tree for dear life.

See, this is what happens when you live in a city where you are one of the only 3 English-speaking foreigners in town.... you start having imaginary conversations with stray animals.