first days

After a full year of knowing that this is where I wanted to study abroad, I'm here. I have been here for five full days now, and I am in love with Turkey! The language is so different, and so beautiful, and the challenge of learning a new language is always a fun one. The food is fantastic, the people are friendly, my campus is gorgeous (it includes a view of the surrounding forest as well as the Black Sea) and most of all, there's a lot to learn and experience.

As far as Istanbul goes, this city is unlike any other I've visited. Upon landing, the only thing I could notice was the massive expanse of houses rising in hills toward the horizon. White and tan buildings, burnt orange roofs, no green, and the occasional minaret poking the bright blue sky. It is by far the largest city I have ever been in. As I took the ferry from the European to the Asian side, I looked back to gather my bearings and instead of one cluster of skyscrapers like you usually see in the large American cities, I saw two...three...four, maybe more clusters of skyscrapers, scattered throughout the different districts! And that was just the European side. 

Not only is it huge, it has a very distinctive atmosphere. Parts of it feel European, other parts less so; some neighborhoods feel like the stereotypical Mediterranean coastal towns, streets packed with beautiful outdoor restaurants (all specializing in seafood) staying crowded til at least 10:00pm, and then you step into a different neighborhood with wide avenues and lots of modern shopping malls interspersed with döner places and hookah bars, and next thing you know you're in a neighborhood with winding cobblestone streets, arabic script on the walls and vendors selling spices, nuts, and dried fruit.

At the moment, I'm a bit overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and fun experiences, so I'll definitely need a few more days to organize my thoughts into a coherent blog post, but until then I'll post a few pictures--complete with exciting captions! Enjoy. (ps-the captions aren't actually exciting.)

A building at Taksim square that has arabic script, a remnant

 of life from before the formation of the Turkish Republic.

The Galata Tower in the Galata Saray neighborhood of Istanbul.

A fountain near the Galata Tower

View of a mosque (I believe the Sulemaniye mosque) from the 

Galata bridge, crossing the Golden Horn of the Bosphorus

Turkish flag

Unidentified (but gorgeous!) mosque

A man selling simit in Taksim square

An example of the way new and old mix in Istanbul--not even the most 

striking example, but it does show an old, traditional mosque next to a 

string of modern food vendors looking to snag tourists and locals alike just 

outside of Taksim square.

A random minaret in the Galata neighborhood. You can see the megaphone 

speakers that sound the call to prayer five times each day.