Makarna, Türkçe, Kayseri oh my!!!

Merhaba arkadaşlarım! (Hello my friends)

     I have officially been in Türkiye for one week (bir hafta), but (ama) I only got to Kayseri yesterday (dün). It has been a crazy time getting here and there was no better feeling than walking out of the airport (havalimanı), and finally meeting my family (ailem).  I love them (onları seviyorum) already, and my host siblings, Selin and Ahmet, could not be sweeter (tatlı). The plane ride had been short, but nerve racking. All four of us were scared, and when we got off the plane we had a group hug before heading into our adventure. Today was a chill day spent at home with my mom (annem). I start school (okul) tomorrow (yarın). I want (istiyorum) to explore Kayseri soon, but I don't know (bilmiyorum) when I will. Maybe Zoë and I can figure out the bus system together one day (bir gün). 

     The past week has been crazy, but relaxing and incredibly fun. Due to MORE delays, it took about thirty-two hours to actually get from New York to Isanbul with absolutely no sleep on my part. However, we had an eight hour layover in Amsterdam, and our chaperone took us into the city for a couple hours. So now we have Dutch stamps in our passports (pasaportlar)!!! And some good pictures to go with it :) We landed in Istanbul at 12:30 A.M., and then waited for two German girls until 2:15. We dropped the tuition AFS kids off at their hotel in Istanbul and then took a very fast, bumpy bus ride to our hotel in Polonezköy, Istanbul. By the time we got settled into our rooms and in bed it was 5:30 A.M., and we were allowed only six hours of sleep before we started our Türkçe (Turkish) lessons. Six hours a day of Türkçe lessons!!!! For seven days!! I know (biliyorum) so much more than I did a week ago, but there is SOOO much more that I can learn. My family (ailem) speaks a little english, but not a lot, so I will learn Turkish, without having absolutely no way to communicate. Big relief!! I owe my little amount of Türkçe to Ipek, ögretmenim (our teacher). She was fantastic. Beyond fantastic. I was awed at the amount of patience she had with our abysmal Türkçe, and her ability to teach us the language IN TURKÇE!! That's all she spoke to us! Çok güzel (very awesome). 

     The hotel (otel) itself was fantastic. It had a beautiful pool that we swam in once,  and due to the fact that it is a new hotel, we were pretty much the only people there. We became friends with (ile) the waiters, the cooks, and the manager, and played ping pong (masa tenisi) and fusbol (langert) with them. They got to know us too. They knew to place two (iki) extra chairs at the table so the eight YES students could sit together, and they knew to put out coke and ice for Alden. They were also incredibly patient with our embarrassing Türkçe skills. We messed up so often!!! The hotel, although a hotel, gave us pretty good food, and introduced us to the Türkçe concept of food. DAHA (MORE)!!!! Especially towards the end of our stay when they were more comfortable with us, they would joke with us by piling our plates (tabaklar) with more and more meat and laugh as they walked away, knowing we couldn't finish it. Ahhhh, good times. The first day at the hotel we experienced a classic exchange student miscommunication. Zoë and I woke up (we were roommates) and went down to have lunch. The AFS staff told the waiters that she was vegetarian, but apparently that's not really a thing here, because they were extremely confused. Instead of the main course, they brought her a plate of pasta (makarna). A plate FILLED with pasta!! Completely filled. To the edges! But that's not it :D There was some confusion with my plate as well, so as I was cracking up about Zoë's plate, the waiter placed the exact same plate of food in front of me. All we could do was laugh. Because (çünkü) that's what we do as exchange students when there is nothing else to do. We laugh at ourselves!!! The rest of the week was filled with fun and many more laughable mistakes (although none so big as the makarna incident)! 

    We thought we were a close group at the PDO, but last week surpassed anything we had expected. The hotel had an astroturf lawn with umbrellas (şemsiye) and huge multicolored pillows that was perfect for lounging about on. On the last night we took all of the pillows and piled them into a huge nest/bed. We almost fell asleep there, but forced ourselves back to our rooms. Bu hayat (this is life)!

     So one week after we landed in Türkiye, I boarded another plane with (ile) Zoë, Tommy, and Christian, and a short fifty-eight minutes (elli dokuz dakika) later, we were in our new home. Scared out of our minds, but unbelievably excited. Last night I met my grandparents, one of my aunts, and one of my cousins. To my grandparents I performed the respectful gesture of kissing their hand and then putting it to my forehead. I couldn't understand anything they were saying, but I kept hearing tatlı (sweet), so I guess I was ok! I met one of my mom's (annem) friends (arkadaş) this morning (sabah), and her sister. Another aunt! Lots of people (insan)! My apartment is on a big street, and we are on the top floor. I can see a mosque out of window, and a little bit of Mount Erciyes! I will get used to this someday, but that's not today :)

     The highlight of my day was dancing with my mom, brother and sister to Gangnam Style sonra (after) dinner, and all the times my mom and I understood what the other was saying. It's these little things that you take for granted back home that matter so much here when you are so out of your comfort zone. Çok güzel <3

     I write this blog while listening to the absolutely beautiful call to prayer (ezan) from the multiple mosques (cami) near my apartment. It seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Like it is sounding from the heavens themselves. It will be a long time until I stop admiring this sound (even when it wakes me up early in the morning like it did today!).

     Ok (tamam), I must go to bed now so I can be ready for school tomorrow (okul). First day. Ohmygosh!! Görüşürüz! (goodbye)

Xoxo, Izzy

Türkiye group in our pillow nest!

Soooooo pumped for a seven hour flight!

Amsterdam!

Langert ile Amelia, Sam, ve Türkçe adam

Ahmet, Selin, ve ben

9/11

     Ok, so I know that I'm a day late. But better late than never right? Yesterday, as most people (at least in the U.S.) know, was the twelfth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I happened to be in New York City yesterday, so I hopped on a subway and headed down to ground zero. Unfortunately, the memorial was closed to all except family and close friends. However, just being there was moving. Looking up into the huge gap between the other skyscrapers put an image into my head of the towers falling in on themselves exactly twelve years ago. I sat in a park nearby for a good hour letting it all soak in.
     I have no memory of that day. None at all. The attacks have always just been there in the background for me. Remembered by most, and grieved by all. I dedicate this post to the 3,000 people that lost their lives that day; the people working in the towers, the passengers on the planes that hit the towers and the Pentagon, the passengers who crashed the plane into the field in Pennsylvania to prevent the White House from being hit, the people working in the Pentagon, the people who were killed by the collapsing towers, and the fire fighters and police officers who lost their lives saving others. We will always remember them. I also dedicate this to the people who didn't lose their lives that day. Especially the fire fighters and police officers. You have our love and thanks. Forever and always in our hearts <3
Xoxo, Izzy

Hey guess what? I'm still here!

Selam!
     Well, about a week after we were notified of our postponed departure date, I am still suspended on the East coast. And it hasn't been an awful waiting period of an experience either! I never realized it before, but I have a number of really close friends and acquaintances in the New York City area. So, after the initial period of extreme disappointment, I readjusted my mindset and my plan to try to include as many of my friends and as many trips to New York as possible. Which I have so far! And with two weeks to go until I leave for Turkey (our new departure is September 20, crossing my fingers this one is final), I have more than enough time to continue my adventures.
     It all started in New Jersey. We spent the second day I was there at the beach (Jersey Shore :P), which was awesome. Being at the beach is so nice for me being from New Mexico, even if it's Jersey instead of the Caribbean. The next day, we went to New York with my friend's (Bronwyn) mom and her mom's boyfriend, and did the touristy stuff; Central Park, F.A.O. Shwartz, Tiffany's, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, etc. We also ate at this FANTASTIC Italian restaurant, Eataly. Restaurant is a very loose word for it, however. You walk into a bustling crowd of people pushing for a spot in the line for the gelateria, bakery, fish market, meat market, cheese market, and more! As you head farther into the building you enter an area full of people standing at counters drinking wine and eating cheese, prosciutto, and bread. We didn't get to experience this part, but for anyone who has the time, I recommend taking part in this, as the flavor of the prosciutto and homemade mozzarella (my personal favorite) are probably to die for. For dinner at Eataly you can choose from the fish restaurant or the pizza/pasta restaurant. We headed for the pasta restaurant, and after waiting for a seat, we were seated. I ordered the squid ink trenete pasta with mussels and tomato sauce, and had absolutely no idea what I should be expecting! It came to me in a seemingly relatively small serving of black pasta. BLACK!! The color came from the squid ink, which aside from the color, gave the pasta a slightly fishy, slightly smokey taste. It was interesting. Not delicious, not disgusting, just interesting. I ate about half of the plate before I was full, and took the rest home (it has sat in the fridge since. Not on purpose, we just haven't gotten around to it). For anyone who likes different, slightly strange dishes, I recommend this. It is unlike anything I have ever tried, and I have tried a number of foods. We headed back to Jersey after dinner, but my time in the city was not over. A few days later I was getting tired of the monotone quality of Jersey. Please don't mistake me, Jersey is a wonderful place, but having been used to the diversity of Santa Fe, being in Jersey surrounded by malls is too much to deal with for more than two days in a row. So after promising to check in every hour and text every time we changed locations, my friend and I were allowed to head into New York City by ourselves. We ended up getting off the PATH train near Soho, and spent the morning wandering the streets and eating at an adorable little cafe called Salud, which seemed like a mix of Soho and Mexico to me! Eventually we walked up towards Washington Square Park, noticed that the welcome center of NYU was across the street, and decided to pop in to ask a few questions. Fifteen minutes later we were on a tour of the school. Well, first it was an information session for an hour, but it was part of the tour. Now, when I had looked up touring NYU, the website said you had to have a reservation, but the people at the front desk were happy to put us in for the one ten minutes later. Could you say good timing?! The part of NYU that stuck with me was the campus (and the $66,000 tuition. Eeeek!). The focus of the school is to be in and part of the city. While most colleges are gated and have a quad, the buildings of NYU are spread out in the area, and the "quad" is Washington Sq. Park. I love that when you walk out of the dorms or any other building, you are immediately surrounded by Manhattan, and if you walk into the park, you are surrounded by fellow students. I also love the international aspect of the school. With three campuses around the world (NYC, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai) and a number of study abroad options (not nearly as much as Barnard or Columbia), including Ghana which is high on my list for study abroad in college, the school is trying to make itself a community of the world, not just the U.S. If you stay in the dorms, you will be placed with people from around the world, of different cultures, back grounds, and ethnicities. The world is my oyster, so a college that is very much focused on that catches my eye pretty quickly. I had crossed NYU off my list when I stopped wanting to be an actress, but it is absolutely back on again. Bronnie and I were in no way done with being in New York, so that night (after many more promises to text every hour) we were again allowed back into the city. The second day was less about exploration, and more about visiting more colleges. So we took the number one red line up to 116th street for a day touring Barnard and Columbia. The first tour, at 10:30, which we barely made it to due to some subway mixups, was Barnard. Barnard is an all women's college founded in 1889, and is a member of the Seven Sisters. It has been associated with Columbia since 1900. Now, I knew the two schools were very close to each other, and my mom had always said they were across the street from each other, but I had not expected the truth of the matter. They are literally ACROSS THE STREET! You walk out of Barnard, cross Broadway, and walk into Columbia. The schools also have a very close relationship and exchange. If you're at either of the schools you can be part of any of the clubs, sports, or classes at the other. Both schools have fantastic study abroad programs, and very good financial aid. Barnard's campus didn't strike me like NYU's or Columbia's did, however. I have no explanation for this, I just didn't absolutely love it on first site. What did strike me was the focus on strong, intelligent women, at a small liberal arts school that centers it's academics on the leadership of women. Those aspects of the school, plus the connection to New York, seem perfect for my college experience. I had a funny, small world moment at Barnard as well. My tour guide, while introducing herself, mentioned that she was from Albuquerque, NM. I immediately told her that I was from Santa Fe, and about an hour later, we figured out that I went to Hummingbird with her brother, who goes to NMSA. If I had come later that day, or another day, I may not have had her as a guide, but I came that day, and was able to discover again, how small the world really is. Bronnie and I then headed over to Columbia, and signed up for a 2:00 o'clock info session and tour (this was another school that said you should have a reservation!). We had an hour until the tour, so we went to Ollie's Noodles across the street, ordered to go, and ate our lunch on the quad of Columbia. Now, let me interject here, that the number of cute guys in New York, and especially at Columbia, is drastically higher than New Mexico. Drastically!!!!! So, anywho, as we sat there people watching (Columbia and Barnard don't have classes on fridays, so everyone was outside), we noticed an unusual amount of feathers floating around our feet. We then noticed everyone around us looking up into the tree next to us. Looking up, we realized that there was a hawk eating another bird, probably a pigeon. It was pulling the feathers out and devouring the meat like nobody's business. I tried not to look up for the rest of lunch... it was not a pleasant sight. We then headed over to the visitor's center for the tour. I will skip most about Columbia (although I have to mention that the dorm setups seem fantastic! You can have a single room if you want, or you can live in a co-ed dorm!) and focus on the campus. WOW. That is one beautiful school. There are big, grand, columned buildings, and glass walled modern buildings combined in one school. There is a chapel, and the whole sports complex is underground. The pool is UNDERGROUND!!!!!!! That was just so weird to me. And cool of course. If you're at Barnard, all your sports will take place at Columbia, so I would be able to take advantage of that at either school. The tour at Columbia concluded our second day in the city, and we headed home after that, exhausted.
     So that was the last time I went to the city up until now. The next day I woke up and my friend in Connecticut and I decided that I should take the train up there for a few days to visit her. I have known her for twelve years, so it was hard to resist. Well, long story short, here I am, sitting on her back porch, looking at the absolutely stunning view of the green, green, green Connecticut forest. This state is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I am heading back to Jersey tomorrow or wednesday, but I'm so glad I was able to see another part of the east coast.
     In two weeks I will be in Turkey. I have already been away from home for a week and a half, so I'm not so homesick now, however, the day I flew to New Jersey, I was painfully homesick. And terrified. Terrified of leaving everything I knew, of leaving my parents, who are such an important part of my life and of who I am. Sometimes I still miss them, but I feel like this three week trip is serving as an important buffer between my life in New Mexico and my life in Turkey. I have also been talking to my host family on Facebook, which has done a lot to ease my fear. They seem like fantastic people, and I cannot wait to meet them. I also received my school information! It is bright orange!!!!!!!! And by that, I mean the school is the shade of flight attendant's uniforms in the 60's. I will be attending the school with Tommy, and according to a girl who went last year, we will wear a uniform for half of the year, and then we won't have to. This is slightly disappointing, because I really enjoyed the thought of wearing a uniform, but oh well! C'est la vie (wrong language I know).
     Although the Americans missed the AFS orientation in Istanbul, there are some other students who had to be postponed as well (two German girls, and a boy from the Dominican Republic at least), who will arrive when we are.
     Well my friends, that is all for now I believe. I say goodbye to you from this beautiful setting, and hope ya'll are having as good of a time as I am wherever you are. Stay tuned for more New York adventures!
Xoxo, Izzy


   

The sunlight through the Connecticut trees <3

Yum.

Bronnie and I on the Jersey shore!

Lake Michigan... thought it was the ocean!

Squid ink pasta at Eataly

Me in Soho with the Freedom Tower in the distance