Getting My Feet Wet

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Merhaba followers! So after my last blog I figured I needed to re-invigorate this blog with a new entry. So first things first, what is Istanbul really like (once you get past the 'We're not in Kansas anymore' feeling)? Well it has an extremely high rate of stray dogs, cats, and smokers. As in people start smoking at age 14. FOURTEEN. I swear everywhere we go I hear my lungs crying. But besides that the views really are spectacular. Being in a Mediterranean area, the rolling hills, cliff-side housing, and water front views really are breathtaking (when you can breathe). In fact, today I finally visited Bebek which is located right off the Bosporus Strait which is basically in our backyard! The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Bebek is home to multiple shops, cafes, and wonderful ice cream.

The south campus of Bogazici University (pronounced boa-zi-chi oo-niversity) was actually created the same year as K-State, 1863, and was the first "American" school outside of the United States. The only problem with the campus is that it is located at the bottom of a huge hill, and even after that the campus then dips and climbs around every corner, hugging the land it was built on. And that stray cat and dog problem I talked about? It does not end at the campus gates. Cats will literally fight you for your food if you sit down long enough with it. Animals also roam inside the buildings when they get the chance and nobody cares. Pretty awful for someone who is allergic.

So the people, what are the people like here? The fellow foreign students (which is funny for me because I'm a foreigner now) are all really nice and open. I've made friends with quite a few UTI people, yes Nicole I'm friends with Longhorns, but what is really interesting is listening to groups of students who speak yet another language entirely from Turkish and English. There's a Moroccan group and an Arabic group who speak so fast and loud that I can't believe they even understand each other! Now for the Turks. I have come to find that Turkish people are not afraid to openly stare at anyone for an uncomfortable amount of time. Not only men but women as well. And they are not afraid to comment on people and their appearances. Literally when I first left my plain and I was visa checked by security, the guard took my visa looked at me, stamped my passport and said "Enjoy your stay Miss Tinkler" with a wink. Creepy? Yes. Normal? Apparently so.

I will say thought that the longer I'm here, the more friends I'm making, and the more excited I'm becoming. Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll be visiting the Grand Bazaar, a beach that the school owns down on the Black Sea, and multiple other spots throughout Istanbul. To those who are keeping up I appreciate you greatly. The love and support I've been receiving is more than I ever could have imagined. I hope that these posts keep you entertained with my observations and shenanigans (although I'm keeping them to a minimum). I love you all!

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Comments

[Grandma]

Hope I can make this work
So good to hear you are getting settled in. Sounds like a beautiful place. Hope your allergies do not get to bad. Thinking of you and praying for you.

[Nicole]

:)
You would look great in burnt orange! :) Glad to hear things are going great, and your surrounding yourself with good people! :) Love ya!