Slowly, this school year has trickled to an end. Finals here, while stressful for the students, is fairly easy for the teaching staff as we wait to grade our final exam. Then comes some meetings and many farewell events. Working at an international school, the turnover rate is quite high meaning there are always plenty of good-bye dinner and teas. Finally, graduation Monday brought this first year officially to the end.
During this time, I have found a couple opportunities to sneak away and do some traveling. I went with a friend to Amsterdam for a weekend get-away. After living in Turkey for now ten months, it's funny how home Western Europe feels. Although this is only my second time to Amsterdam, it felt so familiar. There were restaurants with cuisine other than Turkish. Everyone seemed to speak and understand English. I was not labelled immediately as a foreigner. There was no call to prayer five times a day. I am not meaning to imply that prostitutes and the constant aroma of weed equates to home for me, but the atmosphere of the place felt much more familiar to me and made for a relaxing get-away.
A few weekends later, I traveled to Southern Turkey for a beach vacation along the Mediterranean. I went with the group of foreigners I started with, celebrating a successful first year. The trip was beautiful. Sandy beaches along the beautiful aqua sea. The picturesque Alanya castle overlooked that beach. We ripped ourselves away from the beach long enough to check out the terrific ruins in the area, including ancient Side (pronounced See-day) just down the road from Alanya known for its Roman theater which is still in use.
I am realizing what a global world I am living in. When I see chips on the menu, I need to ask if I would be ordering French fries or potato chips. Depending on context, if someone says shorts, I would interpret what the person just said as either shorts as we say in America or men's underwear. I see both English and American ways of spelling things so often that I had to contemplate how I spell gray/grey the other day. If an American says football, I have to either ask or listen closely to see which sport they are talking about. Most Americans here, including me, use football for soccer and then always specify American football just as everyone else here does. I'm also getting used to the life of contrasts here. A fully covered lady will go for a dip as a topless European sunbathes a few meters away (and I'm getting used to using the metric system).
Soon, my summer will get very busy. My parents, Aunt Judy (mom's sister) and Uncle Ted, Aunt Judy (dad's sister), and family friends Bob and Linda, are flying out July 8. We will travel through Turkey for two weeks, checking out more ancient sights, natural wonders, and Mediterranean beaches (so that big blog will be coming soon!). I will then go back to the States with them, spending one week in Chicago, one in Seattle, and one in Portland for Professional Development. I will then return, meet close friends Verti and Evan in Barcelona, and then meet my Uncle John, Aunt Susan, and Jenna in Istanbul and show them around my fascinating city. Then it's time to start school year #2.
During this time, I have found a couple opportunities to sneak away and do some traveling. I went with a friend to Amsterdam for a weekend get-away. After living in Turkey for now ten months, it's funny how home Western Europe feels. Although this is only my second time to Amsterdam, it felt so familiar. There were restaurants with cuisine other than Turkish. Everyone seemed to speak and understand English. I was not labelled immediately as a foreigner. There was no call to prayer five times a day. I am not meaning to imply that prostitutes and the constant aroma of weed equates to home for me, but the atmosphere of the place felt much more familiar to me and made for a relaxing get-away.
A few weekends later, I traveled to Southern Turkey for a beach vacation along the Mediterranean. I went with the group of foreigners I started with, celebrating a successful first year. The trip was beautiful. Sandy beaches along the beautiful aqua sea. The picturesque Alanya castle overlooked that beach. We ripped ourselves away from the beach long enough to check out the terrific ruins in the area, including ancient Side (pronounced See-day) just down the road from Alanya known for its Roman theater which is still in use.
I am realizing what a global world I am living in. When I see chips on the menu, I need to ask if I would be ordering French fries or potato chips. Depending on context, if someone says shorts, I would interpret what the person just said as either shorts as we say in America or men's underwear. I see both English and American ways of spelling things so often that I had to contemplate how I spell gray/grey the other day. If an American says football, I have to either ask or listen closely to see which sport they are talking about. Most Americans here, including me, use football for soccer and then always specify American football just as everyone else here does. I'm also getting used to the life of contrasts here. A fully covered lady will go for a dip as a topless European sunbathes a few meters away (and I'm getting used to using the metric system).
Soon, my summer will get very busy. My parents, Aunt Judy (mom's sister) and Uncle Ted, Aunt Judy (dad's sister), and family friends Bob and Linda, are flying out July 8. We will travel through Turkey for two weeks, checking out more ancient sights, natural wonders, and Mediterranean beaches (so that big blog will be coming soon!). I will then go back to the States with them, spending one week in Chicago, one in Seattle, and one in Portland for Professional Development. I will then return, meet close friends Verti and Evan in Barcelona, and then meet my Uncle John, Aunt Susan, and Jenna in Istanbul and show them around my fascinating city. Then it's time to start school year #2.
