Author: billkralovec

It was cool to be in Türkiye on November 10, the anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye. There were ceremonies all over the nation including in a plaza a few blocks from our hotel in Izmir. Atatürk was born in Salonika, the sister city of Izmir, and is a stronghold in the country for his legacy of secularism, independence, and freedom. At 9:05 AM on this day, sirens and horns sound for two minutes to commemorate his legacy. I do not know much about him, but he really set Türkiye up for success in the future. He was way ahead of his time with his ideas of equal rights for women, social justice, and a government that focused on economic growth and cultural modernization. You can still feel this spirit in Izmir. It was rare to see a woman with a head scarf during my week in the city.

Attürk is famous for the slogan “Peace at Home, Peace in the World and “Unless a country’s future is in danger, war is murder.” He became known for leading the Turks to victory in World War I in the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. ANZAC Day in Australia commemorates that day and it is interesting for me to see it from the victorious side this time. The Ottoman Empire ended after World War I and Atatürk stopped the winning Allies side from carving up Turkey. He defeated them and formed the Turkish state with the capital in Ankara, abolishing the Sultanate of the Ottomans and forming a secular state.

He was amazing with the huge number of reforms he brought to the new nation. Women were allowed to vote, minorities could speak their languages at home, free and compulsory school for all, changing Turkish to the Latin alphabet, etc. He died young, at my current age of 57. What a life he lived and he certainly is not forgotten in Turkiye, especially Izmir. Banners, posters, and memorials to him are everywhere. I would like to read a bit more about him. I wonder how he would have dealt with the current president Erdogan and his conservative, religious movement in Türkiye.

.

In between working at school and report writing at night, we have a couple of hours to unwind. Our hotel is in the historical district of Konak, the original part of the city before it expanded into the metropolis it is today. “Konak” means governor’s house and refers to the residence of the governors of the province. Living in one of the only two double landlocked countries in the world, I immediately head to the promenade along the Aegean Sea to soak in the smells and sights of the sea. There are lots of people enjoying the sunset but it is not crowded. One day I ran east to the port, which was quite busy. There are over 60,000 businesses registered in Konak exporting billions of dollars of products and materials. There are always lots of container ships in the bay.

Izmir is known for its laid-back atmosphere and like many cities on the Mediterranean, it is easy to relax after work with the beautiful views of the water. As a Turkish colleague at the school said, when I get home from work, I look out at the sea and forget the work day. Yesterday I walked west along the shore and the trail goes on for a long time. I passed the Konak Pier, a building that used to be the customs house and was designed by Gustav Eifel, the same guy who built the famous tower in Paris. Today it is full of restaurants and shops and is popular with the locals. The bike and walking trails kept going and I wonder how far one can go along the bay.

The school is south and inland from the bay. The bus takes about 40 minutes from the hotel to the school’s gates. There is a lot of traffic and stoplights, but it is not too crazy. I liked the idea of the strip of lights on the intersection poles (below). It makes for better visibility, and I think more cities should consider doing it.

We have a bit more time today so I hope to do a little bit of shopping and sightseeing before I leave on Friday.

It is always thrilling to arrive in a place I have never been. I spent Saturday recovering from an evening of flights and a late arrival in Izmir. In the morning, I went for a walk along the famous boardwalk to Konak Square, home of the famous clock tower. The smell of the Aegean Sea was so good! It has been a while since I’ve been to a body of salt water. It was a gorgeous day with lots of people fishing, shopping, eating, and hanging out in the various public spaces throughout the city. Izmir reminds me of its sister city Salonika (Thessaloniki) in Greece which we visited back in 2012, and they are not far apart. Reading my old blog post about Salonika, Izmir is much more pleasant. In the afternoon we met with school officials and the team to plan for the week ahead. In the late afternoon we wound our way through a huge, old market. We finished the day with an evening meal at the rooftop restaurant, Teras 1885.

The fish we ate last night was delicious. I need to try some lemon/garlic mussels that are on sale all along the boardwalk and markets. Turkish mosque architecture is my favorite Islamic architecture and I’ll be snapping a lot of photos of the domes and towers. It is more elegant and authentic looking than mosques in the Gulf Region and Central Asia.

I sense the secular culture and vibe of the city. I didn’t see many headscarves on women or skull caps on men. The city is a stronghold for the center-left political party CHP (Republican People’s Party) which is carrying on the secular traditions of Mustafa Kemel Atäturk. They are the main opposition to the ruling AK (Justice and Development) Party of President Erdoğon which is right-wing and socially conservative. I am enjoying getting to know the city.

Last month I had my annual medical check for being a school employee. The Uzbek Ministry of Health requires school employees who work with children to annually undergo a pretty extensive medical examination. I have been tracking my blood results since 2005, mostly because of concerns about high cholesterol. My cholesterol levels were always over 200 mg/dL but for the past two years, it has dropped to healthy levels thanks to the 10mg statin pill I take daily. A remarkable drug that has greatly improved my entire cholesterol panel. The results report was in metric units and I uploaded it to my thinking partner Claude to have it converted to American units and give me an analysis of the results.

Overall observations:

1. Your cholesterol profile is excellent
2. Your blood sugar control is very good
3. Your liver function tests are normal
4. Your complete blood count is generally normal
5. The only notable finding is the slightly low iron level
   
   Recommendations:
6. Discuss the low iron level with your doctor. They might recommend:
   • Iron-rich foods (red meat, spinach, legumes)
   • Iron supplements
   • Further testing to determine the cause
7. Otherwise, continue your current healthy lifestyle as your other results are quite good

It came up with the same recommendations as my doctor did and it made me think about how AI could help patients and doctors with maintaining health. I asked AI to explain to me what the purpose of some of the tests I was not familiar with. So much better than a Google Search. When I asked about the HbA1C, this was the answer Claude supplied:

HbA1C (Hemoglobin A1C) is a very important test that shows your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It’s often called the “A1C test” for short. Your HbA1C is 4.3%, which is excellent. Here’s what different HbA1C levels mean:

• Below 5.7%: Normal (your result: 4.3%)
• 5.7% to 6.4%: Prediabetes
• 6.5% or higher: Diabetes

The test works by measuring how much glucose is attached to your hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells). Since red blood cells live about 3 months, this gives a good picture of your average blood sugar over that time period, unlike a regular glucose test which just shows your blood sugar at one moment in time. Your result of 4.3% suggests that:

1. Your body is handling blood sugar very well
2. You likely have good dietary habits
3. You’re at very low risk for developing diabetes

For comparison, your regular glucose test was 84 mg/dL (4.66 mmol/L), which is also normal. Having both normal HbA1C and normal glucose indicates excellent blood sugar control.

Everyday I find consulting AI as a thought partner more and more compelling. I do notice mistakes from time-to-time and I still would prefer a competent human doctor to look at my results than just AI, but I am impressed with what it can do.

I am visiting Izmir, Turkey this week for an accreditation visit of a school. This is my third visit to Turkey, or Turkiye as the government wants you to pronounce it. I see why because of the English word turkey. I’ll call it Turkiye while I am here. This is my first time outside of Istanbul, which I visited in February 2014 and September 2019. Istanbul is stunningly picturesque but increasingly crowded as Syrian refugees and people from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Russia have moved in.

Izmir is the third largest city in Turkiye with a metro population between 3 and 4 million people. It is an ancient city with a recorded urban history of over 3000 years. It was the Greek city of Smyrna in antiquity. After the Greeks lost the Turkish-Greek War, 1.2 million Greeks left Smyrna and 400,000 Muslims living in Greece moved into Smyrna. This was done peacefully through the League of Nations and looking back, more violence was probably avoided. Some scholars criticize it as “legalized mutual ethnic cleansing” but when I think about what happened in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, perhaps this would have avoided a lot of deaths. On the flip side, it would have made Turkey richer to have a large Greek population in the city and it would probably have driven even more tourism and business. In America, large ethnic enclaves are everywhere in big cities and they bring diversity and cosmopolitanism to urban areas. The friction of different cultures and ways of thinking living close together can lead to entrepreneurship and higher living standards for all.

I have not had a chance to explore the city yet. I am excited to see my beloved Mediterranean Sea again! This is one of my favorite regions in the world as you can read from past posts in this blog. I spent two lovely summers on the island of Mallorca in the 1990s which got me started as a big fan of the cuisine, weather, beautiful views, and laidback lifestyle. My last visit to the Mediterranean was in June of 2023 when my family and I spent a week exploring the western side of Sicily. I will try to blog more about Izmir and Turkiye while I am here, although accreditation visits are always busy.

The flights were smooth yesterday. I flew Turkish Airlines from Tashkent to Istanbul and then connected to Izmir. It was my first time in the domestic part of Istanbul Airport and it is as beautifully designed as the international sections. I wish American airports were as nice as many airports internationally. It was a 5+hour flight to Istanbul and after a two-hour layover, a short 1-hour flight to Izmir. I got in around 11:00 PM. Interestingly, the airport splits baggage into domestic and international claims. I wrongly went to the domestic claim area, thinking that I was coming from Istanbul, on a domestic flight. However, luggage is categorized by origin, not by connecting flights. A polite young man explained my error, and I and 4 other people who made the same mistake, walked over the international baggage claim area that was a long way away. Turks like large airports I guess!

It was a typical engaging week at school as I returned from my visit to Turkey. So nice to be back with Ocean, Obi, and Nadia at home.

Last Sunday Nadia and I visited the new GalMart, a supermarket chain from Kazakhstan that recently opened in the Tashkent City Mall. It is a step up from the Uzbek chains in regards to level of finishing, interior design, and spacing. I’ve noticed several international chains such as Big Chef (Turkish burger joint – think TGIF) that are renting space in the mall. The rapid development of the city continues.

A highlight was attending the National Day of Oman reception at the Hyatt hosted by the ambassador. I met many ambassadors from the Gulf Region and Arab world . There were few European and Asian missions attending. I like Middle Eastern food and the delicious sweetened milk drink. It was strange to see people dressed in the robes of the Gulf Region in Tashkent. The Oman government was an early investor in Uzbekistan. The ambassador announced Omani Air will be opening direct flights between Tashkent and Oman in 2025. I’ve always been interested in traveling there so hopefully Nadia and I can find the time to visit.

Friday afternoon I went straight from the school to the airport to catch my 8:00 PM flight from Izmir, Turkey. I connected through Istanbul to Tashkent and had a 4-hour layover there. Tashkent always has arriving and departing flights in the middle of the night. They do not have any zoning laws here from the neighborhood, and being so far away from other major hubs, I speculate that it allows more airlines to use Tashkent as a destination. I still enjoy flying because it gives me quiet time to read, write, and think. After a beautiful sunny day in Izmir, there was a cold, pouring rain as we went from the plane to the bus to the terminal I had a nice burger at the Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae’s restaurant. He was an internet meme in 2017 for his flare in flavoring meat on the grill. The internet creates these global “celebrities” for such simple actions. We live in strange times… I arrived the next morning in Tashkent and the flights were generally smooth and comfortable. I was annoyed at how Uzbeks don’t know how to respect rules when it comes to waiting in lines to board the flight and crowding the baggage claim conveyor belt so everyone struggles to retrieve their luggage. It is kind of endearing, this unruly but friendly mob that frustrates Turkish Airlines personnel.

My dog Obi really missed me and I took him out for a long walk along the canal while waiting for Nadia to finish swimming. There are still leaves on the trees and in the sunshine, it was a refreshing time. Obi was off leash and he is such a well-behaved little guy. I took a long afternoon nap to shake off the flights and prepare to go out.

Nadia and I went to the Marine Ball at the InterContinental Hotel. The marine contingent that protects the US Embassy here in Tashkent celebrated 249 years since the founding of the Corps. Nadia looked gorgeous and it was nice to support the US military, especially with our son Oliver taking military science this year at his university.

We had a really nice last weekend with Uncle Jack in Tashkent. On Saturday we spent the day at the Amirsoy Ski Resort, taking the gondola up to the top to take in the stunning views. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants lower on the mountain near the intermediate ski runs. I had a delicious Uzbek mastava, which is basically a beef stew. The food was gourmet level which was surprising for a ski resort restaurant. We were so enchanted by the resort that we booked a chalet for two nights over Christmas break when the boys are visiting. We are hoping for lots of snow to enjoy a traditional white Christmas on the mountain!

There was a light dusting of snow above the mid-station so we are hoping the slopes open soon. On Saturday we went to Pro Khinkali Restaurant to give Jack the experience of Georgian food. Nadia was beautiful and I learned Georgian dumplings are the eponymous dish of the restaurant. We followed the dinner with a rooftop drink at the Hyatt.

On Sunday Jack and I went for a walk in the Milly Bog (National Park) in Tashkent. It was an absolutely beautiful day and so refreshing to be walking with Obi. It is so nice to have family come and visit and Jack is my connection to my DNA. He is like a father/grandfather to me and our children. Hopefully he will come and visit again in the spring.

Note: I wrote the first part of this blog post before the election and the second part after the election.

I am not looking forward to Tuesday’s 2024 presidential election. As the director of an international school, I am careful not to express political opinions or address controversial topics in public. I do want to leave for posterity, however, my views on the state of American democracy in general.

I think the 2010 US Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United versus the Federal Election Commission has greatly harmed democracy in the USA. By deciding 5-4 in favor of the conservative non-profit, Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court allowed unlimited money to be poured into election campaigns at all levels of the federal government. Literally, billions of dollars now are used by candidates to win elections. As the Brennon Center article states, many Americans have turned away from politics because power has been increased in a select group of wealthy donors, leaving people like me to feel that most politicians in Washington are controlled by monied interests.

I read the October 28 New Yorker Magazine article, “How Republican Billionaires Learned to Love Trump Again with disappointment to hear about the donations that go to both Republican and Democratic candidates. When a donor gives you millions of dollars, there must be expectations of the donor besides just agreeing with the politicians’ views. The author of the article, Susan Glasser, writes that donors used to think that donations gave them access to candidates, but in this election, Republican donors are treating it like investments, and expecting returns in the form of favorable legislation or executive actions. I don’t think this is the end of American democracy (ie Roman Republic), but it looks to be heading toward a plutocracy with wealthy individuals and corporations being able to control politicians at the expense of the vast majority of citizens. Income inequality has skyrocketed in my lifetime and I don’t see the trend slowing down. Allowing unlimited money to be “donated” to politicians does not support American democracy.

Nadia and I hosted a Presidential Election Watch Party. While watching the early election returns from Tashkent (11 hours ahead of Chicago) with Nadia before school on Wednesday morning, I found myself grappling with the results. Though I had anticipated a Trump victory, the margin exceeded my expectations. As a politically independent voter who leans center-left, I’m deeply concerned about the prospect of having someone like Trump represent our nation. His persistent denial of the 2020 election results, documented history of questionable business practices, and apparent lack of empathy run counter to the values I believe should define presidential leadership. What also troubles me is his continued strong support within the Republican Party, despite these characteristics. I know many people justify voting for him because they agree with what he will do in while in office. We’ll see what happens in his second term which is starting with Senate and House of Representatives and Supreme Court controlled by the Republicans. The American people have voted and it is nice we will have a peaceful transfer of power this time and our democracy works. I’ve lived in several countries where the outcome of the elections are known before they start.

Ocean’s high school varsity soccer team is hosting the Central Asian Soccer Classic, the culminating tournament of the Central Asia Federation of Athletics and Activities (CAFAA). This group of international schools in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, competes in cross country, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track & field. My school, Tashkent International School is hosting the championship. My daughter Ocean is an excellent athlete and starts for the team. I got to watch her first game yesterday against the QSI Astana International School and they tied 2-2. Ocean played excellent defense and I thought the Owls were lucky to get the victory. They played better in the second half after falling behind 0-2 in the first half. They improved by kicking the ball harder and from further out at the goal.

In Ocean’s second game, they defeated the Bishkek International School 2-0. Ocean scored a goal!!!! They finished out the round-robin soccer today drawing with QSI Almaty International School 0-0 in a hard-fought game. Their quarterfinal game starts at 4:00 PM, but I will miss the next three games because I am on my way to Turkey. 😦