Hello from Istanbul!!!

Merhaba!!! I am back with wifi and my laptop now, so I can finally give you an official update on my adventure :) I arrived on Wednesday afternoon at Attaturk airport in Istanbul to be greeted by my amazing friends :D They are doing such a great job of taking care of me; I don't know what I would do without them. I went to drop off my luggage at my apartment near Bogaziçi University and then went to spend a wonderful weekend in Antalya, which is a 12 hour bus ride from Istanbul but worth every second because the Mediterranean Sea is to die for! I could have floated on it for forever and eternity. We spent a few wonderful days there, and I just arrived back at my apartment this morning. I am over my jet lag and my culture shock is getting much better. So, in the tradition of The Faithful Nomad, I must give you a list! Here are 7 amazing things I have learned about Turkey since I have arrived.

The Taurus Mountains that start in Antalya are gorgeous!

#1 - You know how there are squirrels everywhere in Georgia? Georgia Tech students know exactly what I am talking about (If you are a Techie, give me a shout-out in the comments below with how many squirrels you think you have seen today alone!). Well, here in Turkey, there are not squirrels. There are CATS! They are absolutely everywhere, and my friend Pelin even had one jump on her in class (yes, they are even in the classrooms). People love them and feed them their leftovers, and these cats look healthy and happy. Hopefully, though, since I live on a higher floor in my apartment, I won't have any unexpected pets :)

#2 -  Long-distance buses (the equivalent to the US's Megabus and Greyhound) are amazing in Turkey. We road KamilKoç to Antalya and back, and there were TVs in front of every seat, it was comfortable and air conditioned, and the bus drivers switch out every few hours so you don't have your life in the hands of an exhausted person. Also, there are BUS ATTENDANTS who are like flight attendants, and they bring you snacks, water, and tea whenever you need it. You even have little button you can push, and they come right away. Why can't Megabus have attendants like that?! I think we should start a petition, people of the US!

#3 - Everyone in Turkey speaks Turkish. This may seem like a no-brainer, but for some reason it did not really sink in for me until I got here. I went through a bit of language shock the first 2 days, but now I am getting better. I totally understand, though, how people in the US feel when they are not good at English. It is very nerve-racking. I find myself not making eye contact and I can feel that I seem rude at times, but it is just because I am still self-conscious about my pronunciation and grammar. I have learned something else, though, related to this. You know when people are around you, and they are speaking a different language and you have the suspicion that they are talking about you? But you push it out of your mind because you feel that you are being paranoid? Well, most likely, they have made at least one comment about you :) Me and my friends have fallen into the trap of speaking in English around everyone and assuming that no one understands us. The other day, it sort of back-fired, though. My friend made a comment about this boy's curly hair and how much she liked it. A little later, I heard him speaking in English to another girl. Well, I guess he deserved to hear the compliment :)

#4 - Cars do not stop or even slow down at cross-walks in Turkey. Period. You must wait for forever or run for your life.

#5 - There is such a thing as a Sea Bus. And yes, it is a boat on the sea that takes you places like a bus. Pretty cool, right?!

#6 - People in Turkey are so very friendly! You can ask anyone for directions, and they will always help you or even walk you there themselves.

#7 - Turkish people love çay (tea) and breakfast a lot. For çay, they drink it like we drink coffee in the US...strong and often. Breakfast is a full affair with bread, cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet stuff including Nutella, and more. Makes Americans who run out the door with little to no breakfast look pretty sad indeed.

Well, there you go! If you are my friend on Facebook, I will be uploading pictures momentarily. Love you all, and please "follow" and comment below!!!