Orientation Week

Merhaba (hello) everyone! I have officially been in Turkey for a week and a day. I only have 17 weeks left! I have a feeling that this adventure will go by way too fast. I do not think that I have processed that I am in Turkey and will be here for an entire semester. It may not hit me until after it is over and I am back in America.

This  week was orientation week for the international students. Monday we had a traditional Turkish breakfast, consisting of bread with your choice of jam, butter, or honey, also cheese, sausage, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, juice, usually apricot or orange, tea, and coffee. In Turkey, they brew their tea and boil their coffee. Their tea is half of the brewed substance with half hot water. The coffee is supposedly stronger than espresso. I have not tried it yet, seeing as I do not even like regular coffee. They do not normally add cream or sugar to their tea but drink it black. Actually the color is not black but a brown-red color and quite see-through. The picture shows a traditional cup for Turkish tea that is used every time you have tea.

After the breakfast, we had Turkish class, which was a combination of survival Turkish and beginning to learn basic Turkish. In the Turkish language, the verb is always at the end of the sentence, like Korean. There are 8 vowels and 21 consonants. It is a phonetic language, meaning that each letter makes one sound. So I can read anything in Turkish! I just cannot understand anything yet. We had Turkish class on Tuesday-Thursday for 3 1/2 hours in the morning each day. They definitely wanted us to be immersed as soon as possible. In the afternoons on these days, we registered for classes, had a workshop on Turkish archaeology and Turkish cultural do's and don'ts, and a visit to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's Mausoleum.

Ataturk was the first President of Turkey from 1923 until his death in 1938. He was the leader of the Turkish War for Independence from 1919-1922. He is seen in Turkey as both a wonderful military leader and an honest and just political figure. Many things are named in his honor, including the international airport in Istanbul. At his Mausoleum, they have a museum displaying possessions that belonged to him or were given to him by other international figures. There is also a section in the museum outlining the Turkish War for Independence and a section describing Ataturk's policies while founding the Republic of Turkey.

On Friday we went to apply for our residence permits, which will allow us to be here for the semester and allow us to travel outside of Turkey and be allowed back into the country. Thankfully, our coordinator was there to help with the process. Hopefully I will receive it soon!

This week I also met my two roommates, who are both from Turkey. Well, I guess technically I have 3 roommates. Meet Helva the hamster! His name comes from a Turkish dessert made of flour and a few other ingredients that my roommates say is the best dessert in Turkey. I have not been fortunate enough to try it yet, but I will soon. Right now I am focusing on bonding with Helva the hamster. Look how cute he is!

I have been able to talk to many family members and friends from back home, which has helped immensely in this transition time. I would not be able to do this without Skype. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. Classes start tomorrow! Here we go!