2nd day in Turkey

It was snowing today! I went out and walked around for a bit. I definitely bundled up so it wasn't too bad- I think it was around 35 degrees F. Only my face was a little chilly. I haven't worn so many layers in a long time- tank top, long sleeved shirt, hooded sweatshirt, big puffy warm jacket with a hood, jeans, socks, boots, and gloves.

There were still plenty of people out and about. There were stands ın the street with what looked like warm pretzles. I saw some candy stores, shoe stores, small cafes, small grocery stores, and lots of banks. My host dad told me the number one thing to watch out for is traffic, so I was sure to cross at the cross walk with a light and other people! Sounds like Taipei again haha.

I got up earlier than yesterday so I think I'm pretty much caught up on my rest. I actually heard the call to prayer 3 times yesterday so maybe I missed the other 2. The family isn't very religious. They are actually worried Turkey is going to turn into another Iran in 10-20 years because of the way the government is heading- I guess the current people in office are more hard core religiously. They have a president which is elected by parliment but the main person is the Prime Minister. They can vote for the party and then the PM and parliment is filled that way.

The mom's name is Özlem, the dad Emre, and the son Mert which means brave in Turkish. They are really nice and welcoming. The son doesn't know as much English as I thought but I hope to help him improve it or at least make him more comfortable trying to speak it. The dad has worked at Citi Bank for 15 years and currently he is the head of customer service for the corporate side (so not dealing with every day customers like you and I). The mom has her own business supplying decor and houseware to bıg hotels (they said the 4 or 5 star ones) so she is especially busy right now with people coming into town for the new year. Speaking of new year, happy new year everyone! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009! We decorated the living room yesterday with streamers, lights, and some balloons.

Dinner last night was good- potatoes, salad, lentil soup, meat patties, bread, and of course yogurt. The pizza I had for lunch yesterday was interesting but good- I think it had corn, bacon, and some other weird but good things. Definitely not stuff we get on pizza back home. Their apartment is really nice and modern and spacious. They are on the 8th floor kind of on a hill so the views are really nice. There is a public primary school nearby so I can see and hear the kids when they are outside at recess. Mert goes to a private primary school further away.

I hope I will get used to this keyboard. Where the normal ´i´ is there is ´ı´ so I apologize in advance.

Arrived in Turkey

The flight from LAX to Heathrow was really good- quick and smooth. I was at the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. It was really quick getting through security and I had hours to kill which I mainly spent people watching.

There were so many cute shops and they were all tax-free and with sales. I restrained myself from even looking at the cute shoes and clothes and purses...until my flight back to LAX.

The flight to Istanbul however was late taking off and then we circled above the city for about 40 minutes waiting in queue to land. But getting my visa, getting through the passport check, and grabbing my luggage was all pretty quick. My host dad Emre was waiting among the huge crowd outside the arrivals area. It suprisingly wasn't as cold as I was expecting but I think it was 5 degress Celsius. The airport is over on the European side of Turkey and we had to cross over to the Asian side to get to the apartment. He was saying most of the businesses are on the European side but people mainly live on the Asian side so the bridge connecting the 2 sides gets really busy during commuting hours.

I've heard the call to prayer over the loudspeakers only twice today, but I believe people pray 5 times a day- maybe only at dawn and dusk they announce it over the speakers. I don't know what they are saying but it sounds like singing to me.

Here's the view from my room and the apartment which is really nice, spacious, and warm. The family's really nice too but I haven't spent too much time with them as we got back home after midnight.

The main street you can see is Bagdat Street (Bagdat Caddesi in Turkish) which is a popular and prestigious street in Istanbul with a lot of cafes, restaurants, shops and famous brand name stores.

Where we are kind of reminds me of Taipei- busy, crowded, lots of cars and buildings, but I guess that is just the formula for big cities! You can see some water- it's the Sea of Marmara . And the stadium is for one of the 3 futbol teams- Fenerbahçe.

Back home

After a few carloads of stuff and the help of my parents, I've officially moved out of SB and back home for a week. I spent my last few days in SB with the house to myself amidst boxes and bags (no roomies unfortunately), but got to meet up with some friends for food and drinks! It was a fun way to say good bye to SB.

I've finally unpacked everything- so glad to be done! I've always liked packing more than unpacking and this was no exception. I was living out of boxes and sleeping on a fold out mattress back in SB so it's nice to be somewhat settled, even if it is at home. It's weird being in my old room and home in general though after living on my own since college- I tried redecorating but it doesn't feel like home like my place in SB did. And I get the feeling of permanence storing my things in the medicine cabinet or in my closet. But it's only less than a week and I'll be off- I better start packing soon! It's pretty dang cold here in Yorba Linda and in my house- Turkey won't be so bad :)

Almost there

Yesterday my roomie Erin headed home for the holidays. Today I dropped off a very full carload of things today at home and tomorrow my other roomie Marissa is taking off. I'll be lonely with the house all to myself especially knowing I won't be back. I still have a bit of packing and hanging out with people before I make my final trip home at the end of the week- I hope everything fits. This is what my cute house looks like by the way for all you folks that didn't get a chance to visit.

Getting ready to leave

Welcome to my blog! I hope to keep on top of this so I can keep in touch with everyone and let them know how I am doing. Last day of work tomorrow- that rolled around fast! Next week will be spent finishing packing up my life in SB and storing it at my parent's house. It's kinda sad but I think I'm ready!

I bought my tickets earlier this week December 27- March 27. I'll be heading back to my parent's house to swap out winter clothes for spring/summery ones for my friend Molly's wedding in the Caribbean (Guadeloupe). Still have to get tickets for that; it's up in the air because ideally I would like to go back to Europe for another au pair job but I don't have any plans yet. Stay tuned to find out more!