Turkey

So I've been in Turkey for over two weeks now. It's been interesting.

Istanbul was really good, but I came during ramadan, so every time we went out to drive somewhere I thought I was going to die like every few minutes. It was also hard to go somewhere because my friend and his mom were fasting for ramadan, and so they were too tired to go out much. It was really good though. We had really nice meals and had a lovely time. In the mornings I would have Turkish breakfast, which consisted of many fruits, vegetables, cheese, bread, some meat, and of course...tea! It was really nice to have home cooked food.

I went on a tour of the Bosporus with my friend, but it kept being postponed because the ferry wasn't full enough, so after spending half the day in Kadaokoi we didn't have enough time to see all the things I wanted to see. We did manage to see Haga Sophia though. That was really nice, and the area around it had really interesting little shops and architecture. After getting my tickets for Haga Sophia this old man asked me in Turkish if I wanted to go on a tour, and when I didn't reply, he asked me the same question in Russian. Do I really look that Russian?! I went to really cool outlets with my friend's mom--Turkey has amazing leather products. I tried Mado ice cream at that shopping center--it was so delicious! I love dondurmas!

The bus ride to Ankara was long, but the Ulusoy bus was quite comfortable. The waiter hostess type guy kept staring at me, and it was a little odd. Finally he brought me this book that was translated from Japanese to English to read. I forget the title, but it was quite interesting from what I read of it. I get stared at a lot. I guess no matter where I go I stick out. I think it's how I dress.

Coming to Ankara was kind of strange. There were so many dry hills and mountains, which I am not the biggest fan of. I felt like I was on a hunting or camping trip with my dad in California when I looked out the window though. Strange. When I arrived in Ankara, I thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?!" It was dry and seemed isolated, but I realized I was on the edge of the city. When I arrived at Bilkent by taxi my impression was only getting worse. No one spoke English, and the dorm staff was really quite rude. I had four luggages counting my carry on and personal item, and they just ignored me, while new people came to check in. The dorms were 70 lira a night, the price of a decent hotel, yet they had no air conditioning or internet. Quite upsetting. The dorms and campus seemed isolated and depressing. I had to get out of there. The process of looking for an apartment was quite stressful, especially when none of the realtors seemed to speak english, and no one seemed to want to help us. I went around with a fellow economics major from Santa Barbara looking for houses. Finally we got an apartment! Only 1200 lira for 3 rooms too, and there are 4 girls. Cheap! :) Yet, just when we thought everything was over and fine, the world got turned upside down. :/

I feel much better about Ankara after moving out though. We had a few minor problems at first, such as shorting our apartment with high voltage appliances so our fridge died, we couldn't do laundry, and we had cold showers, but other than that it hasn't been too bad.

I am really glad with the decision I have made to live off campus, regardless of recent problems I have had. I feel like I am actually enjoying the city and living a more real and authentic life of a Turkish person. Also, I had to get away from the awful group tours of the Erasmus program! Just not my thing.

I have weak internet right now, but more later!