Traveling in Turkey with scholars
In this second episode of a two-part Imagine A World series, Pierce Garver and Jocelyn Ricard, both from the 2023 KHS cohort, dive into Turkey’s rich history, culture, and contemporary challenges. They explore some of the pressing topics the group encountered in meetings with local organizations, ranging from refugee assistance to non-bias news reporting and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Resources
- More about Atatürk on the Australian War Memorial website
- How Imagine A World began
Guests
Pierce Garver (2023 cohort, left), from Gilbert, Arizona, is pursuing a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor's degree in space science. At West Point, Pierce was the cadet leadership development training commander, leading 1,000 of his peers through their capstone summer military training. He also earned All-American honors on the West Point pistol team where he honed his marksmanship.
In the future, Pierce hopes to advance hypersonic and space travel while also influencing government policy for the sustainable use of space. At Stanford, he plans to combine his photonics experience, gained through past research and an internship at Lockheed Martin, with aerospace by using lasers to assess rotating detonation engines and scramjets.
Jocelyn A. Ricard (2023 cohort, right), from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine. Jocelyn graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. She studied overseas in Thailand, India, Croatia, Ghana, Iceland, and South Africa during her undergraduate program. Jocelyn has conducted research across various institutions, including at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand; the University of Minnesota; the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Berlin; Cornell University; and, most recently, Yale University.
With a focus on substance use disorders, Jocelyn aims to understand how inequity and disadvantage impact brain functioning and to disrupt systemic racism in science. Her work has been published in numerous journals including Nature Neuroscience and The Lancet Psychiatry. Jocelyn is a 2023 recipient of the Ford Foundation Fellowship, awarded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Hosts
Imagine A World is hosted by Sydney Hunt, left, and Willie Thompson, right.
Sydney Hunt (2023 cohort), from Cornwall, New York, is pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering with a focus on brain-computer interfaces (BCI) at Stanford School of Engineering. She graduated from Duke University with bachelor’s degrees in electrical/computer engineering and computer science (concentration in artificial intelligence and machine learning), and a minor in gender, sexuality, and feminist studies.
Willie Thompson (2022 cohort), from Griffin, Georgia, is pursuing a master's degree in business administration at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a master's degree in policy, organization, and leadership studies at Stanford Graduate School of Education. He graduated summa cum laude from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in Chinese Studies. Willie intends to create and contribute to organizations using the arts as a conduit for community building and intercultural education.
Imagine A World's theme music was composed and recorded by Taylor Goss. The podcast was originally conceived and led by Briana Mullen (2020 cohort), Taylor Goss (2021 cohort), and Willie Thompson, along with Daniel Gajardo (2020 cohort) and Jordan Conger (2020 cohort).
Special thanks to Rachel Desch (2023 cohort), Tanajia Moye-Green (2024 cohort), Philip Onffroy (2023 cohort), Ryan Wang (2024 cohort), and Elle Rae Tumpalan, KHS marketing and events assistant.
Knight-Hennessy scholars represent a vast array of cultures, perspectives, and experiences. While we as an organization are committed to elevating their voices, the views expressed are those of the scholars, and not necessarily those of KHS.
Full transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated by machine and lightly edited by humans. They may contain errors.
Sydney Hunt:
Welcome to the Imagine A World podcast from Knight-Hennessy Scholars. We are here to give you a glimpse into the Knight-Hennessy Scholar community of graduate students. Spanning all seven Stanford schools, including business, education, engineering, humanities, law, medicine, and sustainability. In each episode, we talk with scholars about the world they imagine and what they are doing to bring it to life.
Willie Thompson:
Today you'll be hearing from Pierce Garver and Jocelyn Ricard, two members of the 2023 cohort. During our conversation, you'll hear about the scholar perspective on the Knight-Hennessy Global Study Trip to Turkey and so much more.
Hey, what's up, you all? Welcome to another episode of the Imagine A World podcast. I am your host for the day, Willie Thompson, and we've got a special treat for you all today. Because I have not just one Knight-Hennessy Scholar, I have two. And we're continuing this series of having folks from the Global Study Trip comment and share their experiences being in Turkey. So I've got two of my great trip mates here. And actually, I won't even go into me introducing you all. I'll just have you all introduce yourself, so let the folks hear from you. I'll start with Pierce.
Pierce Garver:
My name is Pierce Garver and I'm studying for my master's in aeronautics and astronautics.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Hi, my name is Jocelyn Ricard and I am doing a PhD in neuroscience.
Willie Thompson:
We've got aerospace. We've got neuroscience. So these are some very brainy people. So they're very smart. So we've been in Turkey. We just got back from Çanakkale for our bus ride. How are you all feeling?
Pierce Garver:
I am honestly really excited for our last full day in Turkey. I don't think we've gotten to see a ton of markets yet. And so, that's a new aspect of Turkey that I'm really excited for. Although, I have loved every bit of the trip thus far.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Honestly, I am feeling pretty great right now. I am happy to be off a bus. But honestly, yeah, I'm feeling really grateful to be here in Istanbul and Turkey, generally. So yeah. Yeah. I'm excited to be doing this podcast with you all.
Willie Thompson:
Awesome. I'm glad too. So before we get into some of the content here, because we've already heard from Ayça who's our faculty lead for this trip, this entire trip. I have to ask just questions on my mind right now as we talked about this bus ride. So we stopped at two gas stations, both going to Çanakkale and coming back to Istanbul. What were your thoughts on going to a gas station and convenience store in Turkey and did you have a favorite snack or something that you found?
Pierce Garver:
Well, both gas station stops had very different vibes for me.
Willie Thompson:
Very true.
Pierce Garver:
Though the way there, I was in gritty mode and I needed Red Bull. So I got some Red Bulls on the way there. But coming back I was well-rested, feeling pretty calm, so I opted for just a much easier latte on the way back.
Willie Thompson:
Oh, nice. And what's gritty mode by the way?
Pierce Garver:
Gritty mode? Gritty mode is when you're tired, but it's time to lock in. You know you got work to do. I need to be awake and alive for the battle site at Gallipoli and those Red Bulls carry me through.
Willie Thompson:
Awesome. All right. Joce, what were you perusing and picking out of the convenience store as you saw?
Jocelyn Ricard:
I always find myself right at the coffee. In the morning, it was hot coffee. In the afternoon, it's cold coffee. So I just was deciding between the two. But honestly, on the way back, I did end up with a peach iced tea which has been a staple of our time in Turkey.
Willie Thompson:
Absolutely. My staple so far has been Seftali suyu which is something Ayça taught me. It's just peach juice, like peach concentrate. I've been on it, rather, for a really long time. So you mentioned the peach iced tea, any other staples you feel like have become your Turkish go-tos?
Pierce Garver:
The meatballs have been phenomenal, especially with trying to keep up with the fitness regimen while traveling can be difficult. And come lunchtime, when they have meatballs on that plate, I'm all over it.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. Meatballs have been good. Yeah.
Jocelyn Ricard:
You all are funny. Oh, what's mine?
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. You mentioned coffee, but I don't know if you had anything else.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yeah. The peach iced tea. But I will say food-wise, the yogurt sauce that's on almost every meal. That, delicious, outstanding, stunning.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. I've been pleasantly surprised. Even the paprika thing. Sometimes you have this paprika dip or we've had eggplant stuff before. We went to a winery today on the way back and had a lot of red meatballs and some really good finger foods, so that was a good time. Well, thank you for indulging my question.
Honestly, I have a couple of questions I want to talk to you all about. And we've been here for almost ten days and I want to get a sense of when you first got here. I'll just be honest. When I first got here, the first thing I noticed was the Popeyes in the airport which I was not expecting to see. And I can't wait to see if those lemon herbs and spices in Turkey are the same lemon herbs and spices in the mainland.
So the second thing I noticed was my transportation which I felt like I was in prom. But it was crazy. It was crazy transportation. But then, you notice other things in the trip. But I'm wondering, for both of you, what were some of the first things you noticed when you landed in Istanbul?
Pierce Garver:
I think two things stood out to me most. The first has to do with KHS and it's just the extreme generosity of a trip with Knight-Hennessy Scholars. I don't think I've ever traveled quite like this before. So the first thought was immense gratitude and the second was as we were driving through the city. And I knew that Istanbul is known for some of its mosques and religious sites, but the sheer density of it surprised me. It seemed like no matter where you look, there's these towering beautiful minarets everywhere and they just only look better when the sun's going down or rising. And that really struck me and I think it just inspired me to see the beauty of this massive and historical city.
Jocelyn Ricard:
In terms of what I first noticed when we got here... Well, oftentimes, I travel alone. And so, just to be traveling with a large group of us that was coming off the plane, I think it's amazing. I mean, everyone's so energized to be here. So that was really exciting, including myself. But I think when it comes to Turkey, I realized just the sheer number of Turkish flags that are in every part of the life here. You're just walking down the street and it's almost everywhere. And absolutely, you can find definitely spaces like that back home. But I really do think that the density of the flags around have been really visible to me.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. Those are really good observations. I also definitely noticed... I mean, especially living where we do in Palo Alto, you don't really see mosques, for example. And to see so many mosques and to see the architecture and to have a great tour guide like Ali give us all the context and the history just off the top of his head is really cool. And yeah, we see some really big flags, Joce, to your point. I think the one flag we saw was, I think Ali said it was half a ton or something like that. One and a half ton, something crazy. This huge Turkish flag. So yeah, it's really cool to see those red banners flying in the sky.
Given what you noticed first, almost at the end of our trip and I'm wondering... And I asked Ayça this question, what have you been reflecting on and thinking about during our trip so far? We've seen, I think, six to seven organizations and we've also had a chance to go to different regions and places in Turkey. And so, I'm wondering just... Well, we have one more work tomorrow and a boat cruise. But I mean, I think we're over 80% of the way there. So what are some of the things that are percolating for you when it comes to this trip and what you're going to be carrying with you as we all go back to Palo Alto?
Pierce Garver:
I think, for me, what struck me most throughout the whole trip was a memorial at Gallipoli to all the ANZACs who fought and died there. And the reason it struck me so much was it was, essentially, an olive branch extended by Ataturk. And it described how the ANZACs came and fought and died, but this is now their home and that they're at peace here. And I thought that was such a humble and profound thing to do for a government. Especially after Turkey won that battle, but they're on the losing side of World War I. So to not be the victor and still have the humility to do that.
And the other thing that struck me about it was the memorial was written in English. That really proved to me that this wasn't a victory memorial, but this was truly a memorial to soldiers who had fought and died there. And I think that that's something that world leaders could potentially look to in how to move forward from conflict. Especially now, Turkey seems to enjoy a pretty strong relationship with the ANZACs. And I think Ali was mentioning how there's still memorials that come and it's a show of friendship and mutual respect nowadays.
Willie Thompson:
I do remember that. And actually, I actually took a picture of that plaque because it was stirring, the language they used. It says, "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There's no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us, where they lie side by side, here in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well." Crazy.
Pierce Garver:
And the fact that the Turkish translation is just a small plaque off to the side, really struck me that this is truly for them rather than war memorial gloating about a victory. It's extraordinarily humble.
Willie Thompson:
Absolutely. And based on experience, what do you think is a little different about you having been in that space and seeing that monument, the memorial?
Pierce Garver:
Yeah. I think it was a good reminder for me that those who fight in an armed conflict, oftentimes, are potentially compelled to do so or they're not necessarily bad people. In the philosophy of armed conflict, there's an idea that you're just as culpable as your enemy and there ought to be a mutual respect there.
I thought that was really present at that memorial. I think it was an idea that was seen multiple times during World War I. But maybe, an idea less so seen today, because it's easy to demonize your enemies. It makes it easier to want to fight them and that's probably not something that should be done. So I think that's something that I'm going to carry with me going on into the future.
Willie Thompson:
Awesome to hear that. And just for folks who are listening, Pierce is a West Point grad so-
Pierce Garver:
Yeah. So it's in the career path,
Willie Thompson:
Right. For sure. Joce, what about you?
Jocelyn Ricard:
I think since being in Turkey, I've been thinking a lot about how we show up as a collective group. We're a very multicultural group moving through Turkey. And also, how each of us individually are showing up in being perceived in different ways and how that also shapes the narrative and our experiences here in Istanbul and Turkey, more generally.
And so, I think that I've been reflecting a lot on what it means to be here as a guest and how we can both really engage in the culture and also respectfully show up as guests. And how that can change for different people and what that looks like. And how people might be experiencing things here and the parallels between here and home, I think, has been really on the top of my mind. Especially as we're entering the last phase of the trip.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. It makes a lot of sense. And one thing that I think I've been thinking about too is even the fact that Turkey's name is technically different now. For example, with the UN, they go by Turkiye now, which we've learned about the history there too as well. And we've learned a lot about the changes that have been happening here in this country.
And one place we've heard a lot of that from not just from Ali, not just from Ayça, not just from our pre-orientation trips, but we've also learned that from organizations we visited throughout this trip. So Joce, for you, I'm wondering what org stands out in your mind as you think about our time? I know we have one more to visit which is going to be really cool tomorrow. But I'm just wondering, what org stuck out to you or is resonating with you a lot?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Well, all of them were, I feel, really grateful to have been able to meet with them and chat about their experiences. But I think the first one, the Migrant Solidarity Association. They do a lot of incredible work around assisting refugees in Turkey. And one of the things that they had said and that had really stuck out to me was just the founding principle of assisting refugees with... Assisting the refugee crisis, what is current and always top of mind for them, they had mentioned was almost like an old problem for the world. It's like the world had moved on, while they were still working through and fighting these everyday battles.
And I think that that is something that just... And I was talking with Mung as well, another fellow scholar on the trip about this, and just how much that really has sat with us and the community. They're really struggling with funding. And so, it's like trying to get funding for what the world has considered an old problem. When it very much is not an old problem and it's very much still deeply in the fabrics of this society. So yeah, it was really impactful.
Willie Thompson:
Awesome. What are you feeling that's a little bit different about you now having been either on this trip or even meeting with the MSA or just any other part of the trip? What do you feel might be a little bit different about you as you go back home to Palo Alto?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Knight-Hennessy Scholars representing KH and, I mean, we're walking in DC spaces on a fully funded trip. And just the dichotomy of speaking with organizations that are really struggling with their main struggle being that of funding. So I think that thinking about that and assessing what that means and how we show up in a space has been something that I'm thinking about constantly. And perhaps, especially so after being on this Turkey trip.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Pierce, anything from you on the org angle that's resonating with you, you feel is changing you in a way?
Pierce Garver:
I was pretty touched by the Medyascope visit and it really opened my eyes to the work that's done in news reporting. And the efforts that some organizations like Medyascope have to go through to one, tow the line of reporting the truth. But then, remaining a legal organization, it seems like there may have been some difficulties there. And the other part that really struck me was maintaining the recognition of their neutrality.
They talked a lot about how they have to receive funding from sources. And then, sometimes there's claims that, "Well, you're not truly biased. You're indebted to these funding organizations, a lot of which come from Europe. So the France, Germany, UK area." And it seemed like an impossible battle to win. I don't know how you'd make an argument that completely could convince everybody.
I think I'm going to take that back with me to the States when I consume media. And think about, "Okay. Just because someone's receiving funding from a organization doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to skew the news in support of that organization." Because it seemed like Medyascope clearly wasn't, you just have to put bread on the table at the end of the day.
Willie Thompson:
Right. And just for folks' context Medyascope and we also met with Center for Spatial Justice, so we got a chance to see a lot of around how media and how understanding the role of media plays a role in people's experience here. And we visited Lambda as well, which is an LGBTQIA+ organization that's been serving that community here in the country. And there've been so many things they've shared with us that have been just very eye-opening.
I remember in the Spatial Center, I think Ayça brought up this paper where they were like, "They could predict your..." I'm going to be butchering a little bit, but they could predict your income or something based on how many times you saw the Bosphorus a week or something like that. And that was just crazy to me because we see the Bosphorus all the time. We're on the bus going to, I guess, Sophia, the Blue Mosque, all this other stuff. And to imagine that some people don't see the Bosphorus once a week in the city is crazy to me.
Pierce Garver:
Yeah. All the roads here or a lot of the roads here along the waterways and there aren't many roads going from further inland to the waterways. And so, it becomes incredibly difficult for folks living further inland. Which typically, are lower income in the city to see the Bosphorus. And they also mentioned that there's groups and organizations which, as a philanthropic effort, pick up children from schools and stuff and do field trips. Bringing them to see the Bosphorus, which is a huge part of where they come from.
Willie Thompson:
Absolutely. So yeah, the org visits have been really great and very eye-opening. I wonder, as a next question, let's talk about expectations and reality. Because I feel like we've all been on trips of varying degrees and types and there's always an expectation, right? Like when I went on my honeymoon with my wife, there's an expectation like, "Oh yeah, we're going to have fun." And then, reality was we did have fun. And there are other expectations with different types of trips, whether that be with friends or through school, for work. And so, I'm wondering what were some of your hopes when you landed? And then, how does that compare to what you got from the experience of being here for the past week and a half?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Okay. This is one of my improbable facts, is that I studied abroad in undergrad six times. So I've done these group-
Willie Thompson:
You a vet.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yeah. I've done these group study travels a number of times. And all's that to say is just that you have a lot of different people and personalities. And of course, what comes with travel is a lot of stress. People are tired. People are jet-lagged. But I have to say, this group has been so wonderful to travel with. Honestly, I would rank it as probably my best and easiest group to travel with. It's been honestly a blast. And I think we're all experiencing Istanbul together and I think that that has been a really wonderful bonding experience. But I will say, I was expecting it to maybe be a little bit more stressful. But it's actually been, for even those moments that don't go the way you think they're going to go, I think that the group's been wonderfully adaptable. So that's been actually a really wonderful reality of the trip.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. For sure.
Pierce Garver:
Yeah. I'd agree with that. And I expected it to be socially exhausting. In the same sense that I don't know about you all, but I felt like immersion weekend was.
Willie Thompson:
Oh, interesting.
Pierce Garver:
I remember at the end of immersion weekend being like, "I have no capacity to talk to people anymore," and it took a couple days to recover. And I imagined this trip would be the same. That at this point, we're almost done with the trip, that I'd just be like, "Brain, turn it off." But that hasn't been the case and I still have energy. If anything, the trip's been more physically exhausting than it has been socially. I mean, we're on our feet. We're walking around out in the sun. It was hot those first few days.
Willie Thompson:
Super hot. Yeah.
Pierce Garver:
And physical exhaustion, I think, I can recover from much better. You just need a good night's sleep.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. Absolutely. We had talked about this at the top of the pod. But one thing that has been wild about being in Istanbul is these hills. When I tell you all, we have climbed mountains, literally. Literally. Tired, hot. Yesterday, when we were in Çanakkale... Or was that Assos? We went to a temple of Athena that's at the top of this hill. And man, I started getting flashbacks to switchbacks on hikes given how deep the incline was. But the top of the mountain was very beautiful. It's very beautiful. But man, we've been climbing, to say the least. Joce over here is laughing so much. It's okay to laugh.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Thank you. Yeah. I think you all are just so funny. For real.
Willie Thompson:
Do you have a favorite hill? Do you have a favorite hill from the trip? Favorite hill.
Pierce Garver:
It's not the Athena temple hill that you just referenced. I think my favorite hill might be the one that this hotel sits on coming up from the Bosphorus.
Willie Thompson:
Oh, yeah.
Pierce Garver:
And it was our first morning here and another scholar, Chris, and I, we went for a run. And man, running down that hill was great. Chris and I went different routes. And then, on my way back, I saw Chris running up the hill. And I saw him, he took a stop, looked at the hill, and then started going again. And I was running with him. And then, there were dogs that came out and we didn't know the dogs were so friendly here. So then, we had to react to that. We were like, "These dogs are going to attack us." It was a fun start to the trip running up this hill/not running up the hill.
Willie Thompson:
For sure.
Jocelyn Ricard:
It all blends together for me right now, so I don't really... All the hills stick out and none of the hills stick out. They all felt the same.
Willie Thompson:
They all felt the same to you? For sure. Yeah. Okay. All right. That's fair. Honestly, it was a missed opportunity on this trip to play more Kate Bush. We could have played more Kate Bush running up these hills. We really could have. It's a missed opportunity,
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yeah. It's a missed opportunity, for sure.
Willie Thompson:
We still got a day left. I'm highly confident we'll have a hill tomorrow at some point. Oh, cool. I mean, yeah. In terms of the trip, so we talked about some of the programming formally, seeing all the orgs, seeing all the places. Talk to me about some of the social group things that have been really fun for you. I mean, for some reason, we've been really into polling in the WhatsApp chat. That's been fun. Can you just share a little bit about the relational aspects of what the trip has done for you with the folks in the group?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Well, for me... There are people in the group that I would see at Denning but haven't really had an opportunity to chat with. And I feel so much closer to the entire group. I mean, it's really been such a fun time. I will say, there's been so many conversations over dinner where you were just talking and laughing about, for example, these polls in the chat. For example, do you believe in soulmates? People are divided. It turns out.
Willie Thompson:
I'm going to pull up a couple of these polls in a second. We're just going to run through them.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yes, please do. The community is divided. It turns out. But I think another one of the really memorable experiences here was when Ayça, our faculty leader, and also a number of us went to go get piercings. And so, some of us got nose piercing, some of us got belly piercings. And yeah, it was so spontaneous. It was so fun. And it was so nice to have Ayça who, I believe, called her sister and she gave her a few places. And one just happened to be serendipitously right on the road on the way home or back to this hotel. So a few of us got pierced and a few more are also getting more piercings today.
Willie Thompson:
Yeah. I heard about that. Some folks are getting ear piercings. Yeah. So from the same place?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yeah. And some are getting tattoos.
Willie Thompson:
Oh, wow. Wow. You're actually leaving Turkiye very different. Awesome. What about you, Pierce?
Pierce Garver:
From the social perspective, similar to what Jocelyn mentioned at the beginning, when she was talking, there were folks that I already knew pretty well on this trip. I mean, Jocelyn, Chris, Doug-
Willie Thompson:
And you all are in the same cohort. Yeah.
Pierce Garver:
Yeah. So we know each other well. And then, there were some folks who I had met like Shreya, I had met at the winter retreat. That was the first time I got to meet her, but hadn't had a ton of opportunities to interact since. So it was a great follow-up. And then, completely new folks that I've met or didn't know much about. Maybe I saw them around Pranav, Carson, Michelle. I've really enjoyed that experience of getting to know the community more, especially some of the older cohorts.
As far as individual standout experiences, I think one that was really fun was when we were having dinner and all the different music groups kept coming in one after one. And they were playing, it was fun. And then, they wanted a tip. So then, they came around and they'd be playing right next to you until you tip them and they'd be making people dance. I thought that was a fun experience and everyone was dancing. They were making Ayça try and sing along in Turkish. I think I'm going to remember that moment for a little bit. That was fun.
Willie Thompson:
Absolutely. We might have to do something on the post that... Actually, I recorded that while they were playing. We might have to have the episode outro to that, because it was so funny. Just to be clear to the folks who are listening, there was one guy who came up. Because we were eating dinner at this place near our hotel and there's one guy who came up with an accordion. And I'm not going to lie, I thought he worked there. He just walked up to the table with his accordion. I'm like, "Oh, shoot. It's dinner with a little concert."
Then, he started playing. And then, I saw Meredith, who's been working with our trip also from Stanford Travel, she gave him a tip. I'm like, "Oh, he doesn't work here." And then, the guys came with the tambourine, the violin. It's almost like he probably left and said, "Hey, man. They're tipping over here. If you really want a tip, come over here." And so, that was really funny. Yeah. That was definitely a memorable moment.
All right. Well, look, I mean, we're coming up towards the end of the time here. These are some shorter episodes. Because as we've just said, this has been a very busy trip. My last question and this is a little bit... Actually, before I get to my last question, let's go through some of these polls real quick. Because even this is interesting from a memory perspective. So the first poll was posted by Tukwanda and it was about a cake that Jocelyn and Tukwanda looked at. So Jocelyn, do you want to give context as to this poll where we were being asked to grade a cake on the scale of minimalist, maximalist, simple maximalist, and moderate minimalist, whatever that means.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yes. I'm so glad you brought that up. Yes. Okay. So for context, basically, we had come across this cake shop and there was a bunch of cakes in the window. And we were like, "Oh, if you had to pick which cake, which one do you think best resembles who you are?" And I picked this cake that I describe as simple maximalist. I think that's how I would describe my aesthetic and what I wear and the jewelry I wear. And so, I just felt that this cake really was a simple maximalist cake. But Tukwanda was saying that, she's like, "No, this is maximalist." And we're like, "Well, why don't we just poll the community, the khommunity"
Willie Thompson:
With a KH.
Jocelyn Ricard:
With a KH. And turns out, majority of the community agrees that it is simple maximalist. But you know what? I will say, I will do a shoutout that enough people think it is also maximalist.
Willie Thompson:
True.
Jocelyn Ricard:
And I think from then on, moving forward, we became a community that polls each other because people are divided on these topics.
Willie Thompson:
For sure. I'm going to be looking at some of these. Some of these are pretty unanimous like, "Would you rather go to the moon or go to the Mariana Trench?" I think there's a running theme that people in our group are afraid of drowning. So anything related to being stranded near water has been a topic of discussion. And then, even the one today we're talking about, "How often do you clean your water bottle?", which I was shocked to see that some people clean the water bottle once a year. It's so funny.
Yeah. I mean, I think you all have articulated really clearly one of the big purposes of this trip, it feels, is to bond and to build better community with scholars across cohorts. And we've been able to do that in a multitude of ways. And as we end this out, I want to take a little bit of a pivot here and just say... Give me a little rapid fire situation.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Okay.
Willie Thompson:
We're going to do maybe three. We'll do three rapid fires. And then, after that, we'll leave for closing thoughts. And then, we'll wrap up, because we're all going to dinner tonight. So the first one is best meal.
Pierce Garver:
Today for lunch at the winery. That was fantastic.
Willie Thompson:
Okay. The winery. Okay. They have meatballs, that was good. Yeah.
Pierce Garver:
They had the meatballs. It had fantastic bruschetta. Wine pairings were phenomenal. And then, there was good bread. I don't know what I could have asked for that was more.
Willie Thompson:
For sure.
Jocelyn Ricard:
I would definitely second the winery. Or also, our first meal in the hotel. It was nine courses-
Willie Thompson:
Oh, man.
Jocelyn Ricard:
The lemon sorbet was unmatched. Everything that came out unmatched. And it was funny because these are multiple course meals. And a lot of us, like the entire first course or the first plate, so by the time course nine came, we're all just stuffed. And it was great and that was incredible. That was an incredible introduction.
Willie Thompson:
That was an incredible introduction. And just for context for folks, because this is actually funny. It's probably one of the first moments we had a lot of group laughter, was because we ate the food. We were like, "Oh, that's cool. That's good." I forgot what we had after that. It was the second plate and we ate that and then they brought out a sorbet. And so, we're all like, "Oh, that's it. Okay. Cool." And then, we're done. And then, they brought out steak or a lamb. They brought lamb and then they brought out something-
Jocelyn Ricard:
A burger?
Willie Thompson:
No. So it was a vegetarian burger. I'm not going to lie, I was like, "Okay. Some hors d'oeuvre," as Gloria would say. And then, a little bit of a dish and a sorbet. "I guess I'll be going to McDonald's tonight, "I was already planning like, "Okay. How am I going to get food?" And then, they brought burgers. I'm like, "Oh, man. They got burgers. Oh, man. That's great."
And then, Prahna was sitting next to me and he's been eating vegetarian on the trip. And then, I looked at him, I was like, "Is that a vegetarian burger?" And he was like, "Yeah," and I was like, "Oh, lord." And then, we ended up getting the lamb. And then, we had something else. I think we had a salad somewhere in there. And then, we had that baklava. The baklava to end all baklavas. I haven't had a baklava that good since. And I might need to ask the hotel for a box of it before I leave, but you just unlocked a whole other memory for me.
Anyway, this isn't being rapid fire. All right. We'll go back to rapid fire. I'm going off tangents. It was crazy though. I totally forgot about that meal. I'm glad you remembered it. All right. Next one, Pierce. Biggest laugh of the trip for you. Pierce immediately gave the microphone to Jocelyn. Or funniest moment, it can be moment that you laughed the most or funniest moment. There've been a lot so I can understand why it's hard to pick one.
Jocelyn Ricard:
No, and I totally... Okay. Hold on. Let me just assess. Do you have any top of mind that you can maybe-
Willie Thompson:
Me, top of mind?
Jocelyn Ricard:
Like funniest moments?
Willie Thompson:
Honestly, this.
Jocelyn Ricard:
I mean, I think every day is hilarious. This group is funny. You can see funny moments in photos-
Willie Thompson:
It's crazy. I'm also struggling to [inaudible 00:33:20].
Jocelyn Ricard:
Maybe it's because we're always laughing, that it's really hard to pinpoint an exact moment, is because I think I can't stop laughing. Honestly, I'm having incredible time.
Willie Thompson:
That's true. We are laughing a lot. Some might say too much sometimes, when we try-
Jocelyn Ricard:
Sometimes-
Willie Thompson:
It's like when Ali's trying to get the group to focus on something, we're all laughing.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Oh, okay. Actually, one funny moment.
Willie Thompson:
Go for it. Okay.
Okay. Go for it.
Jocelyn Ricard:
When you and Kelsey were singing at Athena's temple about-
Willie Thompson:
I was a literally about to say, that was probably one of the funny moments of the trip. So you want to tell the context?
Jocelyn Ricard:
You can give it.
Willie Thompson:
No. You're the guest. I want to see if what I experienced was what you experienced too.
Jocelyn Ricard:
What was the song that you all were singing because-
Willie Thompson:
Go The Distance from Hercules.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Go The Distance and it was, I mean, a stunning... It was really a show. And after you all were done, everyone started clapping, including people that weren't in our group. It was like you had given a show for that entire space. So that was just so funny. That was a really funny moment.
Willie Thompson:
That was a good time. Pierce got one. Okay. Pierce, you got one.
Pierce Garver:
I don't know if this is the funniest moment for me, but it's a good funny. So if you're going to one of the mosque and aren't dressed appropriately-
Willie Thompson:
I know where this happened.
Pierce Garver:
They give you some clothing to cover up with and it's just like-
Willie Thompson:
This is the Blue Mosque.
Pierce Garver:
It's a skirt. Men are supposed to wear full-length pants. And so, I went and I was wearing shorts and they gave me this skirt and I put it on. And at first, I was thinking it didn't look that great. And then, Chris and Doug were rousing me a little bit. But then, someone came up and was like, "Actually, you might be able to rock this." And I looked in the mirror and I was like, "Man, I got to go to Scotland," because I think I could rock a kilt now after visiting the mosque.
Willie Thompson:
For sure. It was quite fashionable. I'm not going to lie. At a certain point... By the way, Pierce is very fit. I mean, he's one of the two people who've got a gym membership just for this week to keep the iron pumping. But only thing I will [inaudible 00:35:29] is peach juice. But yeah, I thought you could have done a catwalk. You know what I'm saying? It would've worked. It totally would've worked. You would have the aviators on and everything. Okay. Okay. Last one before we head out. Most beautiful thing you've seen on this trip.
Pierce Garver:
For me, it was on one of my runs coming back in the morning and the sun was coming up. And from where I was, I could see the bridges crossing the Bosphorus. I could see the mosques. I could see the telecommunications tower, which is I think a cool looking tower.
Willie Thompson:
Really cool. Yeah.
Pierce Garver:
And that the sky here was on fire, from the way the light was bouncing off the clouds. And that was one of the moments where the minarets all really struck me. And I just stopped the run for a little bit. I was tired, maybe not that tired. But I just took it all in and it was an awesome experience.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Yes. I guess similar to me was there was a moment when we were at the BIZ Istanbul and it's like an outside. So you sit between inside and outside and just you're on the top of the building and the view of the city is unbelievable. But on top of it, it was nighttime and it was raining. So it was really like, I thought, jaw-dropping honestly. I found it to be so peaceful. And then, I'm with all of these people in the group and it was such a moment where I was like, "I am having so much fun. I am so happy to be here in this moment." And yeah, that was a great scenery.
Willie Thompson:
Awesome. Love that. I think mine was probably the Hagia Sophia that was pretty good. It was that and the palace we went to. Because I remember, we went to that huge... The architecture on this trip has been mind-blowing, to say the least. We went to this huge room and this palace that's on the water. And literally, I was just stuck looking up because there's so many intricacies in the design and everything. So man, we've had a really great trip.
Jocelyn Ricard:
Incredible.
Willie Thompson:
Look, Jocelyn, Pierce, thanks so much for joining me on this special edition of the Imagine A World podcast in Turkey. I'm so glad I got a chance to hear your reflections and your stories and I really appreciated being able to travel with you both. I definitely feel this is probably the last ever trip I'm going to do in this way for a while, considering my life right now. So I'm glad to have spent it with you all and the rest of our group, so I appreciate it.
Jocelyn Ricard:
I couldn't have said that better myself. Thank you for having us. This has been a blast. Honestly, I feel so much closer to the entire group. So thank you.
Pierce Garver:
Absolutely. And I've heard a lot about being on the podcast. And now, I'm glad I finally made it to the big leagues. So thank you. Thank you for having us.
Willie Thompson:
Of course. We'll have to get both of you in your own episodes at some point. So I've already warmed you both up to it. Well, cool. All right. That's it. Thanks, you all, for listening to the Imagine A World podcast. I'm actually going to end this with the music we heard in the restaurant. So the next sound you hear after my voice is the sound of that. But until then, take care, you all.
