Arrival in Turkey

I made it safe and sound to Istanbul. The trip was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I couldn't sleep much on my first flight which was unfortunate because it was 8 hours long. My flight from Zurich was much quicker and I was able to get in some shut eye. The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane was the stench in the airport. There was a whole lot of BO going on there. I originally thought I was the culprit producing the foul odor. However, a kind American informed me that a lot of Turkish people don't wear deodorant so I should get used to it. She said it was especially bad on public transportation. Getting out of the airport was fairly easy. There isn't a customs place like what I am used to in Istanbul. Instead there are two different areas. One where you pay $20 to get a Visa and another where they stamp your visa. They don't ask you any questions at either of these areas so it goes rather quickly. Before arriving in Turkey I was told someone with an Eduyork sign would be waiting for me when I got off the plane. As I exited the airport I saw a ton of people holding up signs, but of course there wasn't anyone there with one that said Eduyork. Luckily I had the numbers of the people who were supposed to pick me up. The guy I called said someone would be there within 20 minutes. Forty five minutes later a man named Ilhan arrived. Ilhan was very pleasant and spoke English so we were able to communicate well. He drove me from the airport to the apartment where we would both live. Being in a car in Turkey is probably one of the most frightening experiences. Everyone here is a terrible driver and it seems like there aren't any rules to the road. People get in between buses and drive on the side of the road. There is a lot of honking, but there aren't many accidents. I guess it works because everyone is equally bad at driving so they are always on the defensive. I hope I don't have to get in another car anytime soon.

 

Finally we got to the apartment, but parking was difficult. The roads here are fairly narrow and there isn't a lot of room to park a car. Ilhan was able to get someone who was parked in front of our apartment to move his van. The apartment is small with two bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, and a kitchen. It also has a small balcony off of one of the bedrooms. Ilhan lives in one room, a Canadian girl who is here teaching English lives in the other, and my room is the living room. Another American is supposed to come and we will share the room. The place is simple. There isn't really anything on the walls but it is colorful. My bed is I guess what we would call a futon. It is actually pretty comfortable. My apartment is in Taksim Sqaure which is pretty much in the middle of everything. Shops, restaurants, tourist attractions are just a few minutes away.

 



My room



 

My bed 

 

After dropping off my luggage at the apartment Ilhan took me to the office. It is actually just a two minute walk from my apartment. He introduced me to the office staff. I don't know if I will ever actually learn all of their names. Everyone seemed really nice and welcoming. After introductions they told me to make myself at home. I didn't know what that meant with regards to the office so I sat down in a chair. Ilhan and a few women began speaking in what I am going to assume was Turkish. It pretty much just sounded like gibberish to me. After twenty minutes of faking interest in a conversation where I had no idea what was going on, I was told I could leave and go home. This was a relief. The room felt like it was shaking and I desperately needed a nap and a shower. I went home and collected myself.

My office

When I woke up I realized my roommate, Ali, was home. I think I might have frightened her because I quickly introduced myself and began asking her a million questions. She was very nice and patient with me. She is an English teacher for a private institute here that teaches English to adults. She has been in Istanbul since May so she was a wealth of information. When I came home from the office I used the rest of the toilet paper and had no idea where to get more. Ali laughed at how unprepared the apartment was and took me to go get some more. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't come home. To be honest after the office I was freaking out a lot, a mean a lot. After speaking with her for a few minutes I began to feel better. Istanbul is an interesting place. You, can tell just by looking at the architecture it is filled with so much history. I think I am going to like spending the next three months here. Right now I am feeling a mixture of emotions: excited, happy, and overall uncomfortable. Hopefully I will start getting the hang of things and this uncomfortable feeling will go away quickly.