Evime Dönüyorum

I never claimed to be very good at keeping up with things- my diaries are almost always left half blank, forgotten on a shelf somewhere; my stories end without barely beginning; my videos remain as choppy clips; and my blog, well, my blog doesn't get updated too frequently.

And now... it's done... And now... I'm going home?

Well, that certainly sounds strange. I'm going home, I'm going home, I'm going home. Evime dönüyorum? How terrifically odd! I feel like I already am home, it feels like normal, it's what I'm always doing. I sit on my bed and writewritewrite about... well about nothing in particular. This isn't much change from the usual. Except that tomorrow I'll be stepping aboard a plane... to home?

How can I think of 'home' as home? For the past year Turkey has been my home. I've sat up late laughing with my family and watching movies and reading books and it all feels like normal. Except it's been another language, another culture, another country. I am so impressed that life becomes lifelike no matter where I am. A very wise woman told me that the surroundings and the people aren't what make your life your life, it's you that makes it yours. And I'll stick with that wholeheartedly.

I want to thank all the people without whom this year couldn't be possible- my Rotarians in both America and Türkiye, my amazing host families (all four of them!), my amazing exchange student friends (my Rotary family, my lovely YFUers, and the new found AFSers, as well as the summer exchange students I just met), the people from school who took me in and befriended me, my parents who helped me to get started, and my wonderful American friends who supported me when times got tough.

Türkiye'yi çok seviyorum! Herkese çok teşekkürler! Sizi çok özleyeceğim ama gene döneceğim ve buluşacağız! <3

En Büyük Galatasaray!!!

I am from New England, a place where we take baseball seriously. Where we cheer for the Boston Red Sox... or whoever beats the New York Yankees. Where we sing "Sweet Caroline" -BA BA BA!- and we'll "Take [You] Out to the Ballgame." I am a Sox fan, and proud of it.

I think this might be why I can easily understand the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe - the two biggest football (soccer) teams in Turkey.

I support Galatasaray, one of the teams from İstanbul. Their colors are red and gold, and their mascot is a lion. (How could I not support them, it's Gryffindor!) My first host grandmother and my second family are  huge supporters, and their enthusiasm transfered on to me. I've found that no matter where I go, no matter what I do, people will ask what team I support. It helps to find something in common, to find something to talk about, something like football.

Watching Galatasaray supporters march down the street in Kızılay

Yesterday, it was the final match of the season, down to the last two teams - Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. After spending a delightful day in Kızılay with some friends and buying lots of Galatasaray merchandise, I went to the Golf Club with Fernanda and my second host family. We sat in our chairs and ate tavuk şiş, on the edge of our seats, waiting to see who would win the championship. My host sister, Naz, kept coming over and screaming "EN BÜYÜK GALATASARAY!" (Galatasaray is the best!) We couldn't help but to agree with her. Balls were kicked, red cards were given, but no goals were scored. With a tie of zero, the game went into overtime. Because Galatasaray had won the previous game, they were declared the winners! ŞAMPIYON!!!

Going to this game definitely helped me to see a bit into Turkish culture - they LOVE their football! Being able to experience this with my Turkish friends and family really helped me to see how important football is here, how it brings Turks together to support teams and creates an interesting dynamic in society. I can remember how when I was living with my first host mother, the little boys on the servis (schoolbus) would ask me "Hangi takım tutuyorsun?" and I would respond with Galatasaray. While some of the boys would give me high-fives and cheer for "Cim bom bom" others would cluck their tongues and shake their heads. (Girl picked the wrong team, tsktsk).

Overall, I really enjoyed this experience - following the games throughout the season, waiting to see what it all boiled down to - who would win, who would lose. Being a part of it and seeing the final match really helped me to understand how sports are really important and how they can bring people together, no matter where they are from.

LUNA PARK

Aa, bugün çok iyiydi! Gelecek Cuma günü, arkadaşım Mathe'nin doğum günü olacak (o da bir öğrenci değişım, Brezilya'dan), ama biz bu hafta sonu kutladık. Arkadaşlarımla ben Luna Park'a gittim. Çok eğlendik!

Today was such a fantastic day! Next Friday is my friend Mathe's birthday (he's another exchange student, from Brazil), but we celebrated it today. With my friends, we went to Luna Park. We had so much fun!

Luna Park 

Fernanda waiting for her doom 

Mathe ve ben

This was a really fantastic experience, because I had never been to a Turkish amusement park. It was great! Although there were no intense rollercoasters, we still had a blast on the spinny, make-your-stomach-drop rides! We even made new friends waiting in line- some Turkish soldiers who wanted to hear all about America and Brazil, and of course how much we love Turkey!

Evleri Değistirdim - Changing Families

I'm still bad at keeping up... WHAT HAPPENED? In the beginning I would post once or twice a week, and now I don't even have time to post once every two months. Okay. Let's go.

I'd like to talk about switching families, which is one of the Rotary program ideals. Most people have at least three families so that they can see different aspects of life in another culture. A few weekends ago I switched from my second family to my third, but I never really talked about what it's like moving from my first to my second. So here it goes:

Moving families is stressful. My thought process: Poop! I have to put all the things in the suitcases and somehow get the suitcases from one end of the city to the other, and meanwhile my things have quadrupled in number and nothing fits and- Ohno! I'll have to truck all this stuff back to the States and its like a 22 kilo weight thingy and- Gack! NOTHING FITS.

Fact: I fit in my suitcases, my things do not.

Moving from my first family to my second was a big life change. I had gotten used to (in 3,5 months) to living in a two bedroom apartment very close to the city center, a lot of freedom and responsibility, and living with just anne, my mother.

1st house, in summer

Then, in a flash of light and a swirl of packing, I found me and my luggage in the bedroom of my new home - something equivalent to a Beverly Hills mansion. I had two parents, a dog, and a little sister. And we lived in the "country," which is to say that I have to walk a ways through the streets in order to get from bus to house.

2nd house, in winter

And now, I live with my third family, again in the city. I'm learning to ride the metro with ease and use a combination of transportation to get to my destination (rhyming...). I live in a three bedroom apartment with Anne (my fantastic chef of a host mother), Elif (my amazing host sister who loves all the same things as me), and sometimes Anneanne, my tiny, funny grandmother.

3rd house, in spring

This is one aspect of the Rotary program that I really like- being able to experience different things. I am certainly learning more about Turkey and Turkish families by having different experiences with all three.

Let's Play Catch Up

Oh good god... I've really neglected this haven't I? Two months, my goodness. I've so much to say, and I've started to say it in other blog posts... but I never got around to finishing them... So Instead I will grace you with the loveliness that is this really huge, covers everything, magnificent and crazy blog post. Hadi ya! Let's go!

Kapadokyan Christmas
So for Christmas (I haven't posted since Christmas? Oha...) we went to Kapadokya (Cappadocia). It was beautiful and historical and wonderful and awesome! It was great being able to spend a special time with my exchange family. We took a bus down from Ankara and went to see a pottery-maker, as well as fairy chimneys, 2nd and 3rd century chapels, as well as each other. We had a great time laughing and seeing the sights - it was definitely one of the best Christmasses.

New Years

New Years in Turkey was definitely a different experience from what I'm used to. At home I'll usually go to a friend's house and we'll drink sparkling cider (that's what it's called, right?) and stay up until midnight and later and watch the ball drop and play video games and do silly things. Here it is a family gathering. We had my baba's side of the family over, down to the last little cousin. We put up a 'New Years tree' and had a fantastic dinner. Then, we played bingo until we held hands and watched the countdown 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, and then lots of cheek kissing and Turkish coffee.

My host sister, Naz :)

Haircuts
Never have I ever gotten my hair cut by a man. Never have I ever gotten my hair cut in Türkiye. Never have I ever felt more like a post-pubescent Shirley Temple.
Note on this: My hair is now just a little bit (quite a lot a bit) purple.

Izzy's Book Suggestions:
The Dervish Gate by Ahmet Ümit and The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. These books work together in an amazing tandem, bringing forth new ideas about whirling dervishes, Rumi (Mevlana) and the spiritual love that transcends a physical one.

NOTE: I will have another blogpost coming quite soon about the gloriousness that was our giant Turkey tour :D

Afiyet Olsun, İzzy Style

Contrary to what the title may suggest, this post is not about food. I promise I will write about Turkish cuisine very soon. It is amazing, it is delicious, it is fantastic, but no, this post isn't that post. This post is about books.

If you know me, you probably have known for a long time my love of words. And if you don't know me, you should figure that out fast. I love words. Expression is everything and communication is important. I love books more than I love a lot of things in life. I could survive on books alone for nourishment (maybe supplemented with chocolate and coffee?). I could definitely be the young lawyer in 'The Bet', one of my favorite short stories by Chekhov.

I almost always have a book on me, and if I'm of the inclination (it seems to me that I am always of the inclination) I might pull it out and turn a few pages. It might be philosophical and deep like 'Sophie's World' or 'War and Peace.' It might be lighthearted like the 'Harry Potter' series. It might be one of my dog-eared, war-torn favorites like 'The Book Thief' or 'Life of Pi.' Truth is, when it comes to reading, I get around the library.

Now, why am I talking about this? Books... not really seemingly related to my adventures in Turkey, are they? Ha! Wrong! Books are my everything. Of course they're important. Of course I'm going to talk about them.

Books in Turkey are an interesting thing for me. The art of reading seems to be not as cherished as the use of modern technology. And don't get me wrong, I love technology, but nothing compares to the musty pages of a second hand book or the crisp scent of one right off the press. I would never trade in my paperbacks for a Nook or a Kindle, no matter how much lighter-weight they are and how much more efficient. I like the heft of a book, the feel of the paper between my fingers. I'll always travel with my backback of books, ready to sit down and pull one out anywhere, at any time. And if I'm starving, well, I've got words to eat and if truly necessary, I've got a good source of fiber.

Eating in Turkey is important - you go to someone's house and they'll feed you, whether you're hungry or not. Eating is just as important to me, but I think that words are sufficient snacks, and if you're reading something good, I think you should enjoy.

When I see someone reading, I want to say 'afiyet olsun,' bon appetit, enjoy! Books are amazing, books are wonderful, books are delicious! Books are a good source of sustenance for the imagination. Eat up!

Turkey in Türkiye

Thanksgiving is for sure one of my favorite holidays - I mean really, who doesn't love a holiday based on bloatation? Also that I get to spend time with family and friends is a biggie. But the main purpose of the holiday is to express your thankfulness for what you've got.

I really have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm so happy to be having this experience - it really is more than I could have hoped for.

I have amazing friends both here and at home, who give me all the support I could ever want. They are just amazing. I'm thankful for my friends.

I have a fantastic host mom - she's absolutely wonderful. And she's a fantastic cook and laughs when I do stupid things. I am so thankful for her.

I have an amazing Rotary club both here and at home who are supporting me no matter what. I am so thankful to them for sending me and receiving me and keeping me happy and safe. I am so thankful for my clubs.

And my actual parents... I couldn't be more thankful for them. They are the ones who helped me to become an exchange student, filling out all the paperwork in BLUE INK. They talked me through my college application process and now the scholarship process. They keep me sane and help me to correct my English grammar. They help me make sense of all of the languages in my head. They are amazing. I am SO thankful for them.

Thanksgiving today was absolutely wonderful. We went to the Turkish American Association for Thanksgiving dinner (we being me and my other awesome Ankara exchangers - Samuel, Fernanda, Abby, Gaia, Rio and Paulina). We spent the evening laughing and eating, granted, not to the amount normally served at a Thanksgiving feast, but, you win some, you lose some.

Thank you for such a fantastic evening!

Speaking Turkish & Other Disasters

The other day I asked my host mom what 'mut' meant. Because mutlu means happy and mutsuz means sad. And the endings for with and without are '-lu' and '-suz'... Well apparently mut means absolutely nothing. And my host mom laughed at me for about twenty minutes straight.
Not: Kut, works the same way. Tat does not. Tat means taste (tatlı is sweet, tatsız is tasteless)
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Sometimes, when cooking a soup, it is always good to use a large saucepan. Tencere is a pot. Pencere is a window. Cooking in a sheet of glass might be a little bit more difficult than anticipated. And your stew might not have the right flavor, consistency, or edibleness.
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Earlier today at anneanne's house, I was learning about containers when setting the table - you know how the thing that holds the stuff has a name, usually something to do with the thing that it holds. Like a salt-shaker is a tuzluk and a pepper-shaker is a biberlik and a bread-basket is a ekmeklik. Compound nouns, luv. Good to know that the thing that holds water is not a suluk. That's a leech. A water pitcher is su sürahi, meaning, specifically, a carafe for water.
Not (to Jim): I'm glad we make the same mistakes, except yours was with ovaries, not leeches. <3

Thank you Turkish for again making me look silly. <3

I want to talk to you about learning a language. Not like learning Spanish in school for a few years, repeating the present, past, future, conditional over and over until your tongue bleeds, no, I want to talk to you about what it is like to learn a language. So that that language is evident in every word you say. Until you don't think about what you want to say, but the ideas just flow together. There's no translation: it's just natural.

Granted, I haven't exactly gotten there myself yet. I want to. I dream of it. Everyone who knows me knows that all I want is to make sense. To put words together in beautiful sentences and have a genuine comprehension, understanding, of what I'm saying. I want people around me to be able to talk to me. I want to be able to talk about whatever I want, not what I'm limited to. The point of coming here is for experience of a new thing, but it's hard to experience when you can't communicate. Charades only goes so far. How do I talk about philosophy with a few hand gestures? Talking about where I see my future headed is not like asking for a glass of water. Miming isn't a final solution.

My goal is complete fluency. Speaking seamlessly, chattering on about meaningless things or meaningful things - what's the difference? All I want to do is to be able to talk again. To make sense again. To really learn it.

And that is why we do it. We exchange students go to another country for many reasons. But the goal is to evolve yourself and become something new. And language helps. It helps you understand the culture, how people think and act and live their lives. Without the language, you can't begin to understand the culture. The language is evidence that the culture is different from the others.

Learning Turkish is hard. It's not Spanish or French or even Latin. The way you form a sentence is different. The way you pronounce letters is different. The way you think is different. Unlike Romantic or Germanic languages, Turkish is set up like stringing together beads for a necklace. I start with my verb. If I want to include more people I might pluralize it; and then, if it's the opposite, I'll add in a negative; maybe I want to change tense and I'll add a different ending. Maybe my mouth will fall out with the effort I expend in trying to simply say things right. Like the longest Turkish word is 'muvaffakiyetsizleştiricileştiriveremeyebileceklerimizdenmişsinizcesine' Good luck saying that. It means 'As though you are from those we may not be able to easily make a maker of unsuccessful ones.' Any takers for pronouncing that?

My goal is to know Turkish. I don't want to be the person who elongates a conversation, giving five minute pauses between the question and response to think about the language. I want to have a conversation that simply bounces back and forth, not sporadically but rhythmically.
I told a friend once that listening to people speaking Turkish was like going to the opera. I could hear the movement in the music they made with their mouths. The singing tremolo of each word as it entered the ear. The way I listen to Turkish is how I enjoy music - I love the crescendo rise and swell of an argument, the cadenza of an afterthought, the pianissimo of a whisper.

All I want to do is to be able to sing along.

Many Things of Much Importance

First off, today is 29 Ekim - Cumhuriyet Bayramı - the Turkish independence day. On this day in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, father of the Turkish Republic brought modern Türkiye into being. Turkish flags hang all around Ankara, as well as posters of Mustafa Kemal, the first president of the Turkish Republic.

It is really wonderful to see how independence day is celebrated in a different country - July 4th is a day of fireworks and barbecue and parades, and in Turkey it is the same (minus the barbecue... I hope there are fireworks!) We had Cuma as a half day and after a history quiz in the first two classes, we all went to the gymnasium for presentations. My friends Hilal and Emre emcee'd the event, introducing the different grades as they sang and read poems, teachers gave out awards and it was a merry (and confusing) morning. Afterwards we went to my friend's house for a celebration of both Turkish independence and the good fun of Hallowe'en! It is just wonderful for me to really hear this important aspect of Turkey's history and enjoy spending time with my friends at such an important time.

They fly these giant flags between the different apartment buildings :)

Second of all, the deprem, the earthquake, occurred about 918 km away from Ankara, or roughly 570 mi. It is horrible what this earthquake has done to the Eastern part of Turkey, resulting in many deaths and many more injuries. To donate to earthquake relief, the Helping Hands Relief Foundation is helping to rebuild Van and the surrounding areas affected in the earthquake.

The Strength of a Nation

I want to talk about how universal some things are. Like bonding together after something important - for bad or good - happens. After 9-11, Americans everywhere bonded together to fight terrorism - the same in Norway earlier this year. While acts of terrorism happen everyday, everywhere, you see the strength of a nation in their response.

Early this morning, 24 soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack and the response of the Turkish people was evident and immediate. All over the country, people have put up flags to commemorate the honorable deaths of these brave people. On Facebook alone, there are at least 5 groups that are anti-terrorism in Turkey and in the next few days there will be events held all over the country to recognize what has happened.

What has happened is terrible, and it takes the strength of a nation to recover.

School Daze...

Well, school is officially one of the funnest things ever. I love friends, learning Turkish and whatnot, so here's the answer to some of your questions... Got more? Email me! :D

Also, this is just a note that my blog posts will probably stop making a lot of sense from here on out... My English is quite atrocious... :P

PS, I love my parents so much - I just got my care package today!!!

I Miss It...

Well, I've yet to be homesick. Sure, I do miss a few things, but mostly I'm just a happy camper. :D

I promise to do some more posting with pictures and video from school and places and things soon!!!
<3 İzzy (İzabel...)

Other things that I miss:

• Being punny
• Having weird accents
• Being sarcastic
• Other things that I miss subconsciously...

On Being a Turk

I don't care how many people like being complimented on their appearance. Appearance compliments are all well and good, but I'm sure that all other exchangers would agree that the moment that someone thinks that your accent sounds legit, you immediately have a happy dance spazz attack there in the street. Or on the couch. Or wherever. At least I do.

My host mom is fantastic and insists that people take me out all the time and have a 'program' for the day. I don't mind it. It's better than being at home. So I go out with random people and do random things - mostly having kahve, çay, or wandering around. Either way, it's always fantastic fun. This morning, my host mom handed me the phone and said 'Su.' (That means water, so I was hella confused.) I asked into the phone 'Merhaba?' and the voice on the other end stuttered and said hi. (Su is a girl who took me out this afternoon to Tunalı and Panora) What she didn't tell me until later was that she was initially confused as to whether I was an American. She knew I was an American, but she thought I was Turkish in how I said hello. AND I WAS HAPPY. (Funny thing is that her accent is very American and half of that phone call I was confused as well!)

Anyways, that was my happy dance for the day. School tomorrow! Hurrah, for I missed it muchly! (I don't think I've ever liked school this much in the States. And I have to think so much more here just to understand what's going on! I come home exhausted but ecstatic every single day!)

Hope everyone is having a fantasmagorical day!

Those crazy kids in the park...

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

Yesterday morning... this... was... me...

School was absolutely amazing and wonderful and awesome and fantastic and great and HURRAH! :D
It was absolutely, without a doubt, the best first day experience ever. And I've had a lot of first day experiences.

I made lots of friends pretty much from the get-go. They all crowd around me and ask questions. And then they point at each other "What's my name?" "What's his name?" (Benim adin ne?; O adin ne?) Everyone's so freaking cute here! Granted, many people don't really speak fantastic English (notice that mine is going downhill?*) For me, it seems like absolutely everyone is friends and they all get along smashingly. Granted, what do I know? They could all hate each other's guts. But I choose to believe that everyone is a huge family.

Here's the English translation of my classes... if the Turkish was a bit much to take! ;D 

Türkiye Cumhuriyete İnkılap Tarihi Ve Atatürk - Turkish Republic Revolution & History of Atatürk

Matematik 4 - Calculus

Almanca - German

Türk Edebiyatı 1 - Turkish Literature

Coğrafya - Geography

Geometri 2 - Trigonometry

İngilizce - English

Müzik - Music

Din Kültürü Ve Ahlak Bilgisi - Culture of Religion & Ethics

Dil Ve Anlatım - Language & Writing Skills

Beden Eğitimi - Gymnasium

I really like the classes that I've had so far. The teachers are really interesting to compare to American teachers. They rule the class with an iron fist, and yet they socialize and are friendly with the students. They refer to students as arkadaşlar or çocuklar, calling us friends or children. Teachers really want us exchangers to know what is going on, even though their English isn't the best either. They keep asking questions and asking anlıyor musunuz? Türkçe bilior musunuz? And I always shake my head, embarrassedly hayır. And then everyone yells out that I'm from Boston and an American and NO I don't know Turkish. And then I have to try to tell the teacher over the shouting Anliyorum ama konuşmıyorum. (I understand, but don't speak.)

*I'm finding that my English is getting worse because I try to cut big words and confusing grammar in favor of making people understand me. The sentences that I use are less intricate and fluffy, but are easier for people around me to understand. Which, when it comes down to it, I'd rather they knew what I was saying than that I sounded like I was a Nobel Prize winner or something. (My current level of English is not at the Nobel Prize degree, and with the way it looks, it's not going to be there for a while.) I took an English pre-exam today... If I did badly, there will be a lot of self disappointment. The teacher will certainly notice how I went through and explained for each question why multiple answers were correct...

Özel Bilim Koleji (My school)

İstanbul (Not Constantinople)

Hi, so I recently (as in last weekend) went to İstanbul, the biggest metropolis in Türkiye (and 4th largest by population in the world). Thirteen million people live in İstanbul. That does not count tourists, of which there are many. It is super kalabalık, like, to the max'n back. It is the only city in the world that spans 2 continents (Europe and Asia).

Here's a video of my antics in İstanbul! Enjoy!

History is All Around Us

So I was sitting in a restaurant in Panora with Berfu a few days ago, and we had a fascinating discussion about how history is around us and how people don't really appreciate how far we've come since... the dawn of time?

We talked about how people never imagined the future as it is. You read futuristic science fiction novels, and they say that by the year 2000, people would be able to fly around in cars and teleport... I don't think that's happened yet. A thousand years ago, no one would think that there would be shopping malls and skyscrapers and planes. A thousand years ago, no one would guess that we could talk to people across the world, on a different continent. It's the same world, but it's a different world.

The point that I'm trying to make in this video is not to take the world for granted, and to really think about how we got to where we are. How far we've really come so that you can have your Segway and your iPod. Think about how it was way back when and what could have happened right where you are sitting (or standing, or whatever). History is around us, and it is what gets you to where you are. 

Think about that.

I love history because while we can't predict the future and while we live in the moment, we can appreciate how much effort it took our ancestors to get us to where we are today.

Some Like It Cheeky

Didn't you want to hear about life in Turkey?

May a rant about cheek kissing bring you joy.

Sevgiler,

Izzy

Post Scrit: Here is a semi-transcript of what goes down in the video if you can't or don't want to watch it...
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Everyone says that your first kiss is awkward.

My first cheek kiss was from a Chilean who, after greeting my exchange student sister, proceeded to greet me with a kiss me on the cheek (only one, as per South American etiquette). I was shocked - no one my age does that. Ever. He grinned at my confusion and declared, ‘Un beso por bienvenidos.’ A welcome kiss.

           I wanted to tell him, American teens don’t kiss each other on the cheek. We hug. We high five. We slap each other’s backs. We do not kiss. We reserve cheek-kissing for our relatives, elders, and cute little babies.

Now, as an American in a cheek-kissing country, Turkey, I have the chance to figure out cheek-kissing technique and etiquette. It's odd when someone angles their face towards yours, making a smacking sound right in your ear, but I’ve been figuring it out. Although my first response is to grimace and pull away, I’m learning to greet my friends and enemies with a kiss on both cheeks – directly for those I like, air kisses for people who are less than satisfactory, and add a huge hug for those who are my nearest and dearest.

I am worried what my American friends will think to have a cheek-kissing me back by their side. But, it’s only natural that their first cheek-kisses will be awkward too!

PANCAKELAR VAR!

Kahvaltı var. Pancake var. Reçel var. Şurup var. ÇOK GÜZEL!* Esin and I made pancakes for breakfast. And they were delicious! I put in too much süt, so they were more crepe-y. But they still tasted fantastic with şurup ve reçel. Esin was way better at making them than I was, and even flipped them in the pan - something I have never really mastered except with tortillas.

A traditional Turkish breakfast has domates, which is not a staple of my breakfasts in America. We then had Turkish coffee, which is delicious, but Berfu yelled at me in Turkish to drink it until only the dregs were left. Then, fulfilling Turkish traditions, I turned the cup three times around and placed it bottoms up on the saucer.

We then went out to Tunalı and walked around. Then to öğleyemeği at a lokanta. Overall, I'm impressed with how much of the language I understand. Granted the part I know is less than one percent, but I'm getting there.

Benim ailem (Esin, me, Ilgaz, ve Berfu)

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*There is breakfast. There are pancakes. There is jam. There is syrup. VERY GOOD!

Survival Texting

Whenever I arrive in a new place I always text my mom, just so she knows where I am. Having arrived in Turkiye, I reached down to my pocket for my phone - no phone. Even if I had one... probably overseas texting is frowned upon. This is my check-in text so she knows where I am. I am arrived. I am safe. I AM HERE!!! :D

So I spent a fantastic afternoon with Ilgaz, my host brother, and his girlfriend, Berfu. They are so fun and nice. Even though I don't understand half of what's said, I was still able to get a gist and understand. I met a few of their friends and we bussed around. I can't wait to keep exploring! :D

Sitting in the Boston-Logan Airport...

Thank god for free internet wi-fi. I passed security without a hitch (actually, it went thrillingly speedily.) I've yet to spot any other exchangers, but a girl can hope, can't she? I hope against hope, wish against wish that some exchanger somewhere will pop up in a blazer and trade pins with me. Maybe in Munich. I'm keeping my eyes peeled either way. Maybe Massachusetts doesn't have a huge RYE thing? Oh well...

I'm so excited. That's a fact. But it still hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sitting in the airport at my gate, listening to the whirlwind of accents around me. Tomorrow I will wake up in a different country, learning to speak a different language. But today I'm just a girl sitting in a blazer covered in pins on her suitcase against a wall so that her laptop can charge. What can I say? I'm pumped. Tomorrow I get to meet my host brother and host mum - today I just said goodbye to my own parents. Tomorrow I will explore Ankara - today I spent time with my friends. Tomorrow and today are very different. And I am excited beyond belief.

I'll post another report soon... but now I must revel in the fact that I'm finally leaving and am on my way to my new home.

~Izzy <3

The wall is shiny! (I had to sit here to charge my computer and avoid awkward stares...)