Turkey: 1 month anniversary

Well, today marks my 1 month anniversary of arriving to Turkey. I honestly cannot believe it. How have I been here a month already? I have been fortunate to see so many amazing places already, in addition to taking my college courses. I have grown so much in the past month and I think I am finally becoming an independent human being. I'm cooking for myself! And I'm enjoying it!

I have made a few more observations about Turkey that I would like to share with you:

1) In the Turkish language, there is no "th" sound and no "w." So when Turkish people speak English, their "th" sound is more of a "d" sound while their "w" is a "v." It is still easy to understand what they say, but there are always a few things that a non-native language speaker has trouble with. It definitely goes both ways. I'm quite positive that I say Turkish words wrong the majority of the time, but people just smile and help me adjust my awkward accent to sound more Turkish.

2) Just about every day, I hear helicopters flying over Ankara. I'm not sure if they are newscasters, traffic updates, or police, but as I walk to the music building or while I'm sitting in class, I can hear the hum and thump-thump of helicopters overhead.

3) When traveling outside of Bilkent's campus, you can hear the Muslim call to prayer 5 times a day. If you pause and listen to the city below Bilkent, as it is on a hill, you can hear the chanter inviting people to come to the mosque. It is a completely different atmosphere where religion is forefront and constant every day as opposed to concealed and hushed up as it is in America. Turkey has displayed to me that Church (or Mosque) and State really can both function without stepping on each others' toes. I actually enjoy hearing the call to prayer, as it reminds me what is most important in my life. I just happen to worship someone other than Allah.

4) Turkey is larger than I thought. It is a bit larger than the state of Texas. While I am planning weekend trips to different destinations, I am surprised that so many trips take a minimum of 3 hours. It just looks so small on the map! However, the fact that the entire country of Turkey is the same size of one of the states in America reminds me how large America really is. To many people, a 12 hour drive is unheard of, but to me, that is the trip to my grandmother's house. I am not afraid of a road trip!

I am constantly reminded to take every day as a blessing as I only have a short time here. One month down, three to go!