Save Tonight... And Fight the Break of Dawn...

Currently, I am sitting in the middle of my dorm room at Koc University, surrounded by piles (okay mountains) of my things. Clothes, books, souvenirs, and all that other stuff that we seem to collect over time.

Tonight is my last night here at the university, and it is being spent like many other "last nights". Packing, doing laundry, and finding ways to avoid the aforementioned activities.

As I wait for the dryers, I figured it would be a good time to reflect, and try and find some closure. All day, I have bounced between two extremes of emotion. Total denial, and painful acceptance. Right now, I am trying to find the middle ground.

Tonight, myself and my closest friends decided to "come full circle". We met in Taksim, like most other Friday nights. However, it was only appropriate to treat ourselves to a traditional "balik", or fish dinner. A long affair, the dinner starts with mezze, or cold starters. Then salads, hot starters and eventually grilled fish. And as soon as you think it is done, out comes the fresh fruit. It was incredible to sit, and look around the table at the people who have become my friends here. Each of us is so incredibly different, and yet we compliment each other perfectly. There is an order to our chaos.

After dinner, we headed to our favorite hang out, just for memories sake. Eventually, we all started to part our separate ways. As I was standing on a street corner, looking around at the group surrounding me, it began to hit me that this was it.

The goodbyes I said tonight are not forever. They are, however, for a long time. We each promised that this was a form of "see you later". This is a promise that I sincerely believe we will all try to keep.

"Save tonight... And fight the break of dawn. Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone."

With that said. Tomorrow I leave for several days with my good friend Havva in Denizli, Turkey. After a long overnight bus, I will then fly to Koln, Germany to spend a week with the FANTASTIC Emily Myers. (There may even be a trip to visit Eric Miller somewhere in there!) After my time in Germany is up, it is off to Milan to spend time with my friend Micol (pictured above), and her family. Then, back to Istanbul to pick up my luggage, and a final farewell to the city. Come June 17th, I will re-enter the US. Inshallah...

The Three Musketeers

Because any incredible journey is not complete without your closest friends...

The Problem with the Past Tense

Procrastination really is the key to blogging. If I had only known that at the beginning of the semester, perhaps I would have blogged more.

The good news that comes with this post is that I am almost done with my academic commitments to Koç University. The bad news is that this signals the end of the semester, which means a return to the States, and the end of this experience.

The last several days have really flown by. Not flown by like the days do when you are busy and overworked. Rather, these days have flown by, despite my desire to cherish every moment.

There is more bad news. I have started hearing myself say things like, “This is our last Sunday night”, or “A final trip to the Grand Bazaar.” Generally a comment like this is followed by groans from those around me, and then a short moment of quiet. It is in these moments of quiet that I have started to try and process the fact that I am leaving soon.

There is a definite denial phase to this process. You see, for 6 months prior to arriving, you tell everyone that you are “going to Istanbul”. And then for 5 months, you tell everyone that you are “living in Istanbul.” Returning back to the States means that I will have to start telling people that I “lived in Istanbul.”

Not to start a grammar lesson here… But the past tense is not one of my favorite verb conjugations. It feels so final. So removed. So over. The use of the past tense in English connotes an end point. It means that it was an activity or status that was once enjoyed, and now, only exists in the stories that you tell. It means that it no longer is a part of who you actively are.

While my experience living here is over when I step on a plane to re-enter the United States, it is not in the past. It is in my present, and my future. There is something about this experience, this city, these people and these moments that I will carry with me every day in the future.

It’s the way that calling someone “canim” changes the dynamic of a relationship.

It’s the subtle upwards head nod that has come to mean no.

It’s the “simit domates ve peynir” for breakfast.

It’s the Turkish flag on every corner.

It’s the never ending flow of cay.

It’s the Bosporus.

It’s the dolmus.

It’s the love.

It’s the life.

It is.

14 Days... You have 14 days to live your life the way you want it to be...

There is something about having a tremendous amount of work to do that inspires me to post an entry. Oh yes, it is called procrastination. Regardless, I am back after another long hiatus. Apparently I am not as good at the regular blogging as I would have hoped... But I claim quality over quantity?

Let's break it down...

Spring Break
After the family arrived, we spent a day exploring parts of Istanbul before heading to the Turkish Cyprus. We stayed there for several days, visiting my Aunt and Uncle. Then, it was off to Cappadocia for several days. This might be one of my new favorite areas in Turkey. Despite narrowly making it through customs control, (Who knew that Cyrpus was considered a different country?!) we finally made it to our cave hotel. Yes, cave hotel. The next couple days were spent playing on the mountains, taking pictures, and making a new friend, Sitki. A local guy, he took us under his wing and helped to make us feel at home. A true representation of Turkish culture, he opened his home and heart.
From there, we headed to Izmir for a couple relaxing days of bazaar shopping and eating dinner on the water. After getting stranded by a boat, trying to rent a car, driving for hours on end, and almost getting lost in Istanbul, we finally arrived back.
Although my spring break was over, my family had another week in Istanbul. We got to see all the big sites, as well as enjoy the small parts of the city that I have come to call my home. My Dad and Cyrus left, and my mom stayed behind for another week. We had to chance to shop, drink coffee and do all the thing that the boys didn't get to spend a lot of time doing.

Since Spring Break
Life has been relatively uneventful. A normal pattern of school and friends has developed, and its hard to break out of the norm.

I did however, have an incredibly exciting visitor. Eric Miller, a close friend of mine from high school has been studying in Germany for the year. He, along with three of his friends hopped on a plane to Istanbul. I was able to spend a good portion of their time here with them. In addition to all the fun touristy things, we also spent a day on the beach. Yes. The beach. The Black Sea to be specific. This was an INCREDIBLE day, including playing in the water, fresh cherries, horseback riding, holding jellyfish and frisbee.

Now
Classes are over, finals start on Tuesday. This means that not having done much school work all semester long is about to catch up with me. I've already said goodbye to my friends, saying that I will see them in a week, when I finally emerge from the library. The good news is that my last week here will be much quieter, with only one project to finish. I plan on spending the time doing all my favorite things in Istanbul one last time. Hopefully I will be able to chronicle these adventures for all of you to read about.

While this entry was severely lacking in humor, excitement and spice, I blame exhaustion.

So instead, I leave you with the thought that perhaps these are things that are overrated. What makes a home a home? Its a comfort in your surroundings. Its a acceptance of norms. Its the routine. Its the love of where you are.

I guess that means I've found a home.

Sussman Family Reunion: Turkey Style

Just a quick update, using wireless from the lobby of a hotel in Cyprus....

Mom, Dad and Cyrus arrived in Istanbul Friday afternoon, where I met up with them. We explored Ortakoy, Beshiktas and Taksim, and then Sunday morning flew off to Cyprus. (Turkish side). We've been here for about two days, visiting with family and exploring a truly gorgeous island. Lots of pictures to come...

Tomorrow we head off to Cappadocia, and then Izmir on Thursday night. Back to Istanbul on Sunday, because my spring break will be over...

I'll try to update as much as possible from now on, that's a promise.

Good things come to those who wait?

The title of this entry is my attempted justification for my extended absence. While it provides no good reason, I'm hoping that the cleverness will outweigh the details in your mind.

Since its been a little more than a month since my last post (woah... really that long?!?!) I've decided to compile the most telling pictures of the last month. Limited captions yes, but as the saying goes, A picture is worth a thousand words...

A natural spring in the center of Sofia, Bulgaria

Sidewalks double as parking spaces in Sofia...

The Sofia Synagogue- The third largest synagogue in Europe, and unbelievably beautiful

Kippot

Gorgeous government building in Sofia

Orthodox Church, Sofia

On the shore of the Bosporus, Besiktas

Bosporus Waters

Fruit and nuts shops inside the Grand Bazaar
Pure Henna, Grand Bazaar

Pure Iranian Saffron, Grand Bazaar

Old City Walls, Istanbul


A little presumptuous, no?
Turkish Beauty

Wait, do you even know HOW to cook fish???

As you might have guessed, tonight's entry will be dedicated to fish, and the adventures associated with this evening.

To begin, some context. Lately, we (the exchange kids) have been taking turns cooking dinner for one another. Sometimes this takes the form of traditional cuisine from our respective homelands, and sometimes it is just what is quick, fast, and feeds lots of people. Since my American culinary background is far from exciting, I had yet to offer my services until tonight. I decided that it was time to branch out of the norm, and so I offered to prepare fish for a group of 10 people. Simple, right? Read on...

To begin the journey, Micol (Italy) and I headed to Sariyer (the small town below the university) to purchase the necessary ingredients. After 3 different produce stands, I finally had all the onions, garlic, ginger, spicy peppers, spinach and lemons I would need. Now time for fish, or in Turkish, balik.

Having walked by the fish marker at least 2 times before, I set out determined to find it. After a couple wrong turns, and with Micol's help, we finally located a small shop showcasing aprox. 20 different varieties of fish. Realizing that all the fish names on the menu were in Turkish, I started flipping through Micol's Turkish-Italian dictionary. (Her hands were full) Seeing as my Italian is about as good as my Turkish, I would look for the word in Turkish, then try and pronounce it in Italian for Micol to translate into English. This continued for several minutes, which Micol found hysterical.

Finally, we decided to give up, and just point to the most attractive option. A wonderful older Turkish man came over, and let me pick out my 5 favorite fish. Then as he turned to package them, I realized that they were not yet gutted or clean. So, of course, I asked Micol if she knew how to do that. She laughed, saying that she was Italian, and that they didn't do such things. So, not knowing how to either, I began the extensive process of trying to ask the man to prepare them for me. Since I have NO idea how to say "gut", "clean", "cut" or "slice" in Turkish, I proceeded to do a little dance. Starting at my head, with a slicing motion across my neck, I tried to explain that I wanted the fish de-headed. Then, moving to my ankles, that I wanted the tails taken off. Then, by cutting vertically down my body and making a squishing noise, that I wanted the fish gutted and cleaned. My performance garnered heavy laughter by both the "fish man" and Micol. The good news? He knew exactly what I wanted...

So, I followed him to the back, and watched the process... Meanwhile, he asked if I was American, and we had the following conversation.

Fish Man (FM): American?
Me (in Turkish): Yes, I am an American exchange student at Koc University
FM: Ohhh! Koc!
Me: Yes Koc!

Pause...

FM: American... Bush? Bush Bad! Bush No! *thumbs down sign*
Me (in English): Yes, Bush bad... *Thumbs down*
Me (in Turkish): Bush is going *swift hand gesture outward* (I choose to say this mainly because we have only learned the continuous tense of the verb "to go" so far....)
FM: Yes.
Me (in Turkish): Obama? Obama very good!
FM: Yeah??? OBAAAAMMAAA! *Thumbs up*

I've decided that my cleverness, and ability to rally the international community behind Obama should grant me the title of Turkish Campaign Manger for Obama '08. Anyways, that is another story.

After all my purchases, we headed back to campus to begin prep work. Micol nearly had a heart attack when I started washing the rice, and then prepared it in the traditional Iranian fashion. But, she was a good sport, and helped me chop, dice, slice and wash endlessly.

The end result was really impressive... Steamed fresh fish cooked with ginger, peppers, garlic and onions, served with garlic sauteed spinach, and rice. Dinner was a hit, and everyone seemed to enjoy the story of the "Fish Man".

After cleaning up, I sat around for a little while with a new Turkish friend of mine. She and her two close guy friends taught me how to play batak, a traditional Turkish card game with striking similarities to Uno. This took a while, as the game is complex, and they would frequently break out into a fight in Turkish about the best way to explain the rules in English. As we were playing, the Turkish version of "Deal or No Deal" came on. NO JOKE! I almost died laughing, thinking of my family. My friends asked what the American version was like, and I said that it was very similar, but it has 50 scandalously dressed woman, who parade the cases around. They laughed, and then said that the Turkish version was simply censored... You know, that religious thing...

Overall, tonight was a great evening with lots of good memories.

Now, I'm going to go do my Turkish homework. Perhaps I will write my story about the Fish Man... You never know when I will need the verb "to gut" again....

Hello? You there?

I realize that I've been here close to a month (WHAT?!?!?!?!) and still have not provided anyone with contact information. So... Here it goes, every imaginable way to reach me!

Mailing Address:
Sabrina Sussman
Koç University
Yurt Müdürlüğü
Rumelifeneri Yolu
34450 Sariyer- Istanbul
TURKEY
*Please note, no packages! Only letters and postcards please!*

Cell Phone:
905548238593

Email Address:
Sabrina.Sussman@American.edu

Skype:
Sabrina.Sussman

AIM SN:
CAGurl222

If after all of these ways you still can't reach me... Well... Then someone should notify my parents...

(Just Kidding!)

How do you say "hospital" in Turkish?

(Hastahane)

Now, before everyone starts to get worried. I am fine. Despite having spent the better part of the past 2 days seeking medical attention, I am not hurt. Joost, my good friend from the Netherlands, on the other hand, is.

It all began with a KABAM! (At least that is what he says...)

After a fairly low key day, Joost arrived in my room, announcing that he had "Kabam-ed" during basketball, and that his foot hurt. After a preliminary examination using my fairly limited medical skills, I determined that a trip to the 24-hour student health center was in order. (AU kids- People here get sick outside of the hours of 9-5! It's amazing!) This would be the first of three trips to the center.

The doctor/ nurse that we "spoke" with (they=no english, and we=very limited Turkish) determined that Joost might have broken his foot, and needed x-rays at a hospital. Upon hearing this, the two of both burst out laughing. This sparked the doctor to ask us where we were from, and if we were really students.

After some discussion, it was determined that Joost would sleep on it, and return to the health center in the morning for another evaluation. At 10am Friday morning, Joost, Micol (My friend from Italy) and I arrived at the center. After a quick eval, this doctor said that Joost needed to be transported to a hospital for x-rays, and perhaps a cast. However, she said that the ambulance was busy at the moment, so we would have to return at 1:30pm for a transport. (Welcome to Turkey...)

After several hours of fighting with the European insurance company, Joost and I returned to the health center. This time, we were smart enough to bring along Haava, my next door neighbor. Her Turkish skills would later prove to be essential.

I will leave out all the details of the ambulance ride, except that by the end, I really thought I would need medical attention. Picture riding in a small back of a van-like vehicle, up and down a mountain, through a city, with no air, and Turkish traffic for 2 hours. Joost says that the story would be so much better if I actually had thrown up on him, but I insist that I like this version better.

After about 2 hours, we arrived at the American hospital. Phew, I thought. English, good doctors, and efficiency. Exactly what I need. Except not. The American hospital did not accept Joost's European insurance, nor did speak English. This meant that we all were returned to the ambulance, where we proceeded to drive to another hospital, Memorial. Arrival at Memorial hospital might have been the most reliving part of my week. After running up and down, left and right, from the ER to admitting to Radiology, and then finally to Orthopedics, it was determined that Joost would first see a doctor, before spending the time getting x-rays. (Might I add, no one here spoke English either which meant my good friend Haava was QUITE busy interpreting every word.

Finally, we got in to see a doctor, ENGLISH speaking. He immediately examined Joost, and said that hie had strained a ligament in his foot. Yepp, ladies and gentlemen, that was IT! A simple ice wrap, and script for pain and anti-inflammatory meds and we were sent on our way, no x-rays. (Might I add, this is at 5pm)

From there, we had promised to meet up with some of our friends, if Joost was feeling okay. The original plan for the day was to head to Fatih, a conservative area with the most famous religious convergence in the city. (All of the old churches, temples and mosques) Since Joost needed a trip to the hospital, that plan was out for the two of us. So, we decided instead, just to meet up with them in Taksim, the famous shopping/eating/partying district in Istanbul.

The ambulance driver offered to drive us to the nearest bus stop to Taksim, so we took him up on that. Apparently, that meant under a highway overpass. So, this meant that the three of us had to climb, yes climb, up a dirt and stone hill to reach the top of the overpass. From there, we walked along a highway for a minute or two, and then caught a bus. (Meanwhile, I was convinced Joost would fall and ACTUALLY break a bone) From the bus, we caught the metro to Taksim, and met our friends outside of a Starbucks.

From there, we grabbed dinner at a Pizza Hut (No, that is not a joke), went to a pharmacy for Joost's meds and grabbed ice cream. Then, my roommate, Duygu and her closest friends joined us. We headed into the nightlife area of Taksim, and ended up at a club where an awesome band was playing. (The drummer was the cousin of my roommate's friend). Throughout all of this, Joost's foot seemed to be doing SO much better. So well, in fact, that he managed to salsa with a girl he met at the club.

All in all, it has been some of the most entertaining days of my trip so far. I mean, after 20 consecutive hours with Joost, who wouldn't be entertained.

Stay tuned, I have lots of other stories from this week!

Snow days are a beautiful thing...

Pardon the extensive absence... As we get further into my time here, I find myself with less time to put proper thought into blog posts. With the acknowledgment of how long it has been since I have last written, I think that I will provide you, my reader, with a numbered list of my week's highlights.

1) I made it through Week 2 of classes. Unfortunately, my Independent Study proved to be near impossible to coordinate, so I ended up just picking up a 5th class. Organization Behavior, which seems very interesting. It is all about leadership, organizations, human nature and increasing satisfaction. Basically, its right up my alley.

2) Caught up with Cyrus via skype. Apparently, he is kicking some big hockey butt! Playing goalie for two teams isn't easy, but I've been getting the game analysis from him. Unfortunately, I am not there to witness all of his game saves, but I get the readers digest version from Turkey.

3) Learned about the differences in meaning between Turkish and American ideas of love and romance. I say that with some sarcasm. In my Turkish Family class, my professor dedicated a full class period to examining our ideas of love. She managed to wholly offend me, and the greater American understanding of love at least three times in this 75 minutes. While it was interesting to hear her obviously not-objective understanding of our cultural differences, I decided that I would continue to believe in my prior understanding of romance. For more details, feel free to ask. It was quite hysterical!

4) Engaged in Brain Gym exercises. My crazy, but fantastic Intercultural Communication professor (the American) taught the class several brain gym exercises to get us thinking at the start of class. This was interesting stuff. I'm not sure I am convinced yet, but we will see... She said that we will do it every day.

5) Valentine's Day. While I cmpletely detest this holiday, the exchange students were able to make it rather enjoyable this year. The 14th is also the birthday of the other student from American University (Sarah, the PhD student). So, Micol, my good Italian friend offered to cook everyone a fantastic authentic dinner. As sous chef, I helped her prepare food for about 20 people. Followed by birthday cake, it turned out to be a really good night.

6) Woke up at 6:30am to go to the Police Station. No, not because I was in trouble. All the exchange kids were bussed to the station so we could complete step 2 of getting our residence permits. That was exciting, as we caused quite a stir! 20 foreigners running around the station, it was good times.

7) From the police station, we headed out to the city, revisiting the Grand Bazaar, the book bazaar, Istanbul University, several area mosques, and the Roman Aqueducts. We ended the night with a 2.5ytl (Turkish Lyra) fish sandwich right on the water, and 3 hours of public transportation to attempt to get home. Amazing!

8) A whole lot of nothing. My regular 3 day weekend is pretty fantastic. It allows me to have a great deal of free time. Usually this time is spent on campus, with other exchange students, watching movies, gallivanting around Sariyer (the small city below the university). Saturday was no different, and ended with a large gathering in my room. Little Caesars and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ended our evening.

9)A new Turkish friend. A made a friend in my comm class, Pinar. She had me over to her apartment downtown on Sunday so that we could work on our Culture Collages together. (Yes, a collage, with pictures... I love my classes) I spent the whole day with her, her sister and her boyfriend. We cut out pictures, pasted, watched Desperate Housewives with Turkish subtitles and hung out. At the end of the day I had to brave the storm to get home.

10) Oh yeah... The STORM! We have been hit by a lot of snow. Not a lot by Rochester standards, but a lot by DC or Istanbul standards! Its been fantastic helping all of the exchange students who are new to snow get adjusted. There have been lots of snow angels, snow ball fights and snow men. Additionally, the storm has granted us SNOW DAYS. They canceled class today, Monday, and JUST announced that we will also have tomorrow, Tuesday, off. That means a 5 day weekend for me!!!!!!!! I appreciate the snow a lot more as a result of this.

That's about all... I'm off to got meet a bunch of people at the gym. They've started playing basketball, which is exciting. But, instead of trying my luck at a sport meant for tall people, I'm going to hit the cardio machines, and get some lifting in before another authentic Italian meal.

Hope all is well with you!!!

When a class is taught in Turkish, you know you have a problem...

In honor of completing my first week of classes, I thought I would provide my readers with a run-down of the observations I have made this past week.

Most of them are simple, but point to the fundamental differences in culture that make Turkey so different from my normal experiences. Hopefully, I will be doing an Independent Study with a professor here at Koc examining these differences, with a focus on communication norms. (But more about that later!)

So.. Back to the topic. Classes here run on a Monday-Wednesday, Tuesday-Thursday schedule. Friday's are reserved for problem and discussion sessions, which I have successfully avoided all together! This means that I have a three day weekend, every weekend!!!!

Anyways- I am taking the following classes:

1) Institutions and Politics of the European Union
2) Basic Turkish Language and Society
3) Intercultural Communication
4) Family Studies and the Turkish Family

My plan is to add an Independent Study to this list, but thanks to AU's unbelievable bureaucracy, and Koc's unbelievable slowness, this hasn't quite happened yet. Stay posted!

Overall, classes have been going well. I have yet to do any homework, which is a great way to start the semester! I am interested in the topics, and think that my professors will all be pretty good. So, with the fundamentals covered, on to my list of observations...

1) No one ever pays attention during attendance. (Anywhere, this is not unique to Turkey) That is, until a professor calls my name, and I have to say here, or state my my year, major, and reasons for taking the class... As soon as I open my mouth, the entire class swings around, and starts staring... I'm not sure yet if it is my accent, or the fact that I am an American, but I seem to harbor a lot of attention. And talking in class? Forget it! As soon as I raise my hand, people stare until I am done with my thought.

2) Even the Turkish kids don't always know where the buildings on campus are... Having gotten lost several times this week, I have been relying on the kindness of fellow Koc students to help me find buildings. However, sometime this have proven difficult. All of the academic buildings here connect through a complicated series of under and above ground tunnels, which makes it hard to tell which building you are in. Luckily, I think i have it figured out now. But, I felt comfortable in my company, as some of the natives couldn't even find their way around.

3) Armani is like a god here... The TA of my second class had a very flashy Armani sweater on... I had a hard time focusing, in my basic long sleeve shirt and jeans.

4) Time is very fluid... A 2pm class means that the professor shows at 2:05, and the class begins at 2:10.... But, if you show up any time after that, you can still come in... Only one of my classes has the professor expressed the need for people to arrive on time. Everyone else just assumes that you will arrive eventually, and if not, that it is your problem to deal with...

5) Exchange students have a natural bond for a reason... Being alone in a classroom with 30 Turkish kids is terrifying... So, when you walk into the student center, and there are other people who are terrified and speaking English... Relief sets in.

6) When day 1 of class is entirely in Turkish... Drop the class... Enough said....

7) Coffee is necessary... Even if it has to come out of a machine... The university has coffee vending machines all around the academic buildings, and EVERYONE uses them... As a patron myself, I can attest to the fact that they really do make getting through class a lot easier!

8) Class from 11-5 is bad, no matter what country you are in...

9) People talk in class, constantly! No matter who is talking, or where they are sitting, talking in class is more frequent than note taking. Not that I can understand what anyone is saying, but I do know that it has nothing to do with the material at hand.

10) Communication professors are special everywhere! My comm professor here is a American-Greek-Jew from LA, with crazy hair and a need to move around the classroom at all times. She makes me laugh, because she represents all the insanity of SOC (School of Communication) that I miss...


Well,there you go! The Top Ten of Turkish Education... I'm off to bed for now, I have to be at my Turkish class at 8:30 AM!!!!!

Wait a minute... We have to go to CLASS here???

With my absence, one might assume that I just fell off the face of the earth... Not quite, and I apologize for my laziness in keeping this updated. My excuse is that I am off experiencing Turkey, instead of just writing about it!

Here's a rundown of the last couple days...

Friday (Sightseeing in Istanbul)

The exchange student mentors took all of us for a day of historical sightseeing in Istanbul. As they said, the things that everyone needs to see at least once! The day began at the Blue Mosque, otherwise known as Sultanahmed. The mosque is famous for having the largest domes and most impressive architecture for its time period. This stop was by far, my favorite part of the day. We walked around the outside of the mosque before proceeding inside to see the high ceilings, unbelievable stained glass, religious symbolism and modern-day lighting and sound systems. This mosque is still in use, and we arrived shortly before the noon-time prayer was to begin. After removing our shoes, we all gathered in the inside, and had a chance to experience the beauty. Below are some pictures, but truly, there are no words... The mosque carries so much history, meaning and significance that you really have to be there to best understand it. We had to leave shortly before prayer began, to make room for the hundreds who had already begun to assemble.
The main gate

Inside, a view of the prayer floor, stained glass and lights

Above the exit door

From there, we headed literally across the street, to Hagia Sophia. Originally, it was a Christian cathedral, but was converted to a mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire. It is now a museum, and no longer used for religious services. This is also truly unbelievable, as almost the entire thing is constructed of huge slabs of marble. Over time, the marble has been worn down, so it is smoothed, and the doorways are indented due to all the visitors footsteps. Unfortunately, there is some refurbishing being done currently, so some of the ceilings and floor were covered when we got there.

This was taken from the courtyard of the Blue Mosque... Look at how close it is!!!

From there, we went to the most famous kebab place in Istanbul... While I couldn't try any of the meat, I had a fantastic soup! I also tried aryan, which is a traditional yogurt drink that tastes just like Iranian doogh. It was FANTASTIC, and reminded me of home!

Next was the underground basilica, which was the most incredible underground structure I've ever seen... It was filled with spring water and large goldfish, and was lit to accentuate the ceilings and stone carvings.

From there, we headed to the grand bazaar... I didn't get to spend as much time there as I would have liked, but I plan on going back... It's even more exciting than you can imagine! I got a chance to practice my bartering skills, and hopefully they will get even better by the next time I go.

After leaving, we headed to a nargilah (hookah) place, where we all hung out, grabbed traditional turkish food from street cars, and enjoyed the company. After that, we all decided to head home early, as we were totally exhausted from our day of running around the city.

Saturday and Sunday (Calm before the storm)
The majority of the weekend was spent preparing for the week ahead. On Saturday, I had to move to my permanent room, which was across campus. After a key disaster that took an hour to fix, I finally began the moving process. It was sad to leave my fabulous Italian roommate, but she was moving to a new building also. After unpacking all of my things, I met up with the rest of the exchange students and our mentors. We headed to the Metro City mall to purchase SIM cards for cellphones, and to get dinner. Then, about half of us headed to Taxim again. We started at a pub, where we practically took over an entire floor (the 4th, to be exact). From there, we went to a dance club. We coincidently ran into the exchange coordinator, which was very awkward, but very funny! She left rather quickly after seeing us! One girl was not feeling well, so Micol, my Italian friend, and I left with her. Together, we navigated our way home from downtown WITHOUT the help of a Turkish friend! I was very proud...

Sunday morning I slept in, then got lunch with a couple exchange friends. After I went grocery shopping, and hung out before all of us met for dinner. We went to the cafeteria, and watched the Istanbul Derby football (soccer) match on tv. After dinner I met my new roommate, and prepared for the week ahead...

Monday (Day 1!!!!)
I'm going to post later in the week with some formal observations I've made since classes started here at Koc, but here's a rough outline.... I went to 4!!! classes on Monday, and thank god some let out early... If not, I would have been in class from 11-5pm! After that exhaustion, and some confusion with my academic advisor, I met the exchange kids for dinner. We then decided to organize a movie night, so we watched Thank You for Smoking. (Despite Brittany lending me the movie for 3 months last semester, I still had never seen it!) Its a fantastic movie, especially for someone who is interested in pr! After that, I came home and met 6 of my roommates friends, and then headed to bed...

I'm off today to buy a cell phone (FINALLY) and grab dinner with the gang in the city... Check back later in the week for an update on classes, and all the funny little things that are different here!

Gule Gule!!!! (Goodbye in Turkish!)

The Day Everyone Else Arrived...

I know its been a couple days since I last wrote, so I apologize for the delay!

Let's begin with Wednesday, which we will call "The Day Everyone Else Arrived..." Since this was the last day before official orientation began, most of the remaining exchange students arrived in the mid-afternoon. After doing various forms of paperwork, and meeting the new students, we sat around, talking and getting to know everyone. Meanwhile, our Turkish mentors were busy running around and planning an activity for that evening. We were told to bring our cameras, and to be hungry.

At around 7:15pm, (Turkish people eat dinner much later than in the states) we all boarded a mini-bus that they had arranged for, and headed downtown. We once again went to Taxim, the area of the city that I mentioned in my last post. The mentors had mad dinner reservations for all 20 of us at a very traditional Turkish restaurant. As we approached the table, there were approximately 20 types of appetizers and salads already set out for us. However, we realized that this was a little above our budget, so the waiters quickly came and took most of the plates away, leaving us with several different types of food to try. As we all got settled, everyone in the restaurant started to look at us, as we stuck out pretty dramatically. As a very large group, speaking loudly in English, we were in the definite minority. This restaurant was a place that a lot of locals enjoy, so we were really immersed in the culture. Shortly after being seated, the live music began, with traditional Turkish instruments and songs. All 20 of us really enjoyed ourselves, trying all of the new foods and drinks, and getting a chance to talk. Before long, several members of our party started dancing to the music, with people from other tables, and yelling. To be quite honest, we created quite a rucus. By the time that our bill of 530 lyras (aprx 450) arrived, I think the wait staff was ready to see us go. From there, we had the adventure of trying to get everyone back onto the minibus and onto campus. This adventure included lots of dancing and yelling in the streets, and well as a rambunctious ride back to campus. I don't think Istanbul will ever be the same... For those of you with Facebook, be SURE to look at the pictures of this night, it was pretty hysterical. (I took 110, but could only post 60 of them!)


After a good night's sleep, we all woke up on Thursday to begin official orientation. This included a short greeting from the exchange director, and lots of details about our stay in Turkey. From there we did a campus tour (It is HUGE, and unbelievably gorgeous... Pretty much EVERYTHING is made of marble, including stairways, walking paths, and almost all of the buildings.) This is a picture of the administrative building (left) and the student center (with the clock tower). After another fantastic lunch in the cafeteria, we sat down to begin the registration process for classes. And then, in traditional Turkish style, we took an afternoon break for tea in the student center. (The other exchange students asked my opinion on the American presidential election at this time, and it was really interesting to discuss it with them, because they have a totally different perspective.)

Thursday night, one of the mentors invited all of the exchange students over to his off campus apartment (still owned by Koc University, but not on campus... Think Park Bethesda) We ordered pizza (Little Caesers... No joke) and hung out for a couple hours. After, my roommate and I invited two other students to our room to watch a movie. We ended up getting halfway through How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, before it was time for bed...

I'm going to have to take a break here, and move to my permanent room. It is all the way across campus, and my bags are really heavy! I had some key issues this morning, so hopefully it will work now. Next time I get a chance, I will have to tell you all about our travels on Friday- where we saw all the historical sights of Istanbul!

Goodbye for now!!!

It Depends...

Hello again!

So, a quick run down of where I left off last time.

After arriving at Koc University, I was taken to my temporary room. Apparently the heat in the main buildings hasn't been turned on/ isn't working quite yet, so all of the exchange students are being placed in temp locations. I met my temp roommate, who is an exchange student from Italy. From there, she, I, the other exchange student (a guy from the Netherlands) and two Turkish students headed off campus to find dinner. However, our first stop was a Turkish grocery store. As we roamed the store, looking for the basics, my new exchange friends and I joked about how unprepared we felt to be shopping for groceries already. I then proceeded to break a plate, by sending it crashing to the floor. My mentors started laughing, and hid it under the display. Of course it would be me... But at least it got people laughing a little more.

From there, we drove down the hill that Koc is located on, and past the sea that borders the main town we are closest to. It is an incredible journey at night, with the city lit up, and people coming back and forth. Suddenly, we stop, and one of the mentors said that we had arrived where we were going to have dinner. It was a Turkish McDonalds. No joke... My first Turkish meal was at a everyone's favorite American establishment. Except, this one delivers (on moped, of course) and serves a McTourc, or a pita with Turkish-style meat.

After we finished and headed home, it was already well past 10:30, or more than 30 hours since the last time I had slept. So, my roommate, Michol and I went to our room, where we proceeded to unpack a little, set up internet, chat and get ready for bed. Turns out, we are both interested in politics, so we discussed that for a whole, as well as the differences between American and Italian universities.

Today (Tuesday) we had to meet the other exchange student and our mentor at 12noon. So we slept in a little, and then got ready for our day. After meeting the staff at the exchange student office, and getting a tour of the student center, we sat down for Turkish lunch at the cafeteria. (This place's food is so good, TDR looks bad... Which, I know isn't hard... But still...) From there, we ran around campus doing a million errands, back and forth from the housing office to the bank, to the exchange office, to the student center, to the finances office... etc... From there, our mentor left the three of us, and instead of resting (like he suggested) we decided to find our way to the town directly at the bottom of the hill that Koc is on. So, we found a bus, and proceeded to walk around the town, finding a pair of gloves for one friend, and an adapter for another. From there, we found a place to have our first glass of real Turkish tea! We then headed back up the hill to the university, to meet the new exchange students arriving.

Two more Americans arrived today, one of which actually goes to American. But, she is a PhD student, so I had never met here. After lots of introductions, and a quick game of 20 questions (where are you from, whats your major, why are you here... etc) we decided to head out for a very traditional Turkish dinner. The place was fantastic, and the food was incredible!!! We started with a cheesy dip for bread, pickled cucumbers and cabbage and dolmes. From there, I had a chicken dish with rice. Fantastic! After, we all had tea or Turkish coffee.

After dinner, we returned to campus where we played fooseball, and randomly decided to had to Taxim, which is the equivalent of Addams Morgan, only bigger, fancier, and and more fantastic. We ended up at a pub, and sat around for a couple hours just chatting and getting to know one another. After that, we headed back to the university, and here we are now!

But now, it's late, so I should head to bed... That's all for now!

Marhaba from Istanbul!

Marhaba (Hello) is my first Turkish word, and it has been very helpful over the past 24 hours... But let's back up, and start from the very beginning.

After taking Cyrus out for what turned out to be a very slow breakfast, with a very confused waitress, I headed home to finish packing and head to the airport. It was at this point that we had the packing emergency mentioned in my last post. Don't worry, it was quickly solved! After a tearful goodbye to Julius (yes, our dog) the Sussmans headed to the airport. The man who checked me in totally overlooked the fact that each of my suitcases were horribly over the weight limit, and let me through. After taking a quick break with my family, I was headed to the gate.

The flight to Dulles was rather uneventful, as I anticipated it would be. It was so reminiscent of heading back to school, that I was worried that I would forget to get on the plane to London! After a short stint in the Dulles airport, I was in the plane, ready to head out of the US.

The flight to London was 7 hours long, and left Sunday night, US time, and arrived very early Monday morning, London time. Since I made friends with the British lady working the counter for British Airways, she moved me to an end seat with no one next to me. This was fantastic! While everyone else on the plane slept, I watched two movies (The Nanny Diaries and For Your Love) and fussed around. About half-way through the flight, a man collapsed right next to me, on the floor of the plane. We all rushed over to see if he was okay, and the flight attendants came over to check him out. He was okay eventually, just had a moment of exhaustion and dehydration. After we landed, they kept us in the plane for over a half hour due to the fog. It was incredible. I looked out the window, and you really couldn't see anything....

Once we finally got off the plane, we had to walk down this long corridor, and split off into different lines for each terminal for our connecting flights. I waited in the hallway for about 10 minutes, and suddenly, Brittany Schell and Amanda Kisner walked down the other side of the hallway. I knew that they would be arriving at around the same time, but I wasn't sure if we would get to see each other. They are both going to Paris for the semester, and had flown out of BWI. After a quick hello, we went our separate ways. I took a bus to the proper terminal, went through security again, and proceeded to try and locate my gate. However, in London, the gates are only posted shortly before your flight. So, I sat around for a while, and then they announced that my flight would be delayed 30, then 50 minutes. (Side note: For those of you who understand, I had a Wes Peskin look-alike sighting... It was really really funny) Long story short, we finally boarded the plane, and proceeded to sit on the tarmac for another hour. Instead of leaving at the scheduled 9:40am, we left at noon. I sat next to a nice Turkish guy, who was really excited about returning to Turkey. We finally landed at 5:15 (Turkish time) which was more than an hour and a half late.

From there, I went to customs, got myself stamped, went to currency exchange, got myself some lyra, and went to baggage claim, and got myself some baggage. Since I was so late, I figured that my Turkish mentor had given up, and that I would have to take a cab to school by myself. Just as I was about to give up, I noticed that there was someone with a sign that said "Koc University, Sabrina Sanam Sussman". They had picked up another exchange student, so he, I, and one of the Turkish students headed out to the car. A man from the university was driving us back to Koc. After a struggle with my suitcases (they didn't fit in the small Turkish car) we headed out. It look us about 45 minutes to get to the university, because we hit traffic coming out of the city. I wont even begin to describe the driving... It was incredible... But, I made it to the university safe and sound, and began the process of settling in.

This has been really long already, so I am going to stop for now, and get ready to meet the other students and my mentor. I will post about my first night in Turkey later today! Look forward to tales of supermarkets, McDonalds, my roommate and hail!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

In spite of a packing crisis that lasted 2 days, and a packing emergency about 30 minutes ago, (We discovered that my suitcase that was all packed didn't have a working zipper...) I think I am all set.

I'll be leaving Rochester this afternoon, headed to Dulles and then London en route to Istanbul.

Good bye for now, I'll see you soon, from TURKEY!

For every door that closes, a window opens...

In about 40 hours, I will be boarding a plane to the Dulles Airport in Virginia. In the past few years, this has become something that I do fairly regularly. Between school breaks and the occasional quick trip home, I have become quite adept at the 55 minute flight. However, my final destination on Sunday is not American University. Instead, I will be traveling to Istanbul, where I will spend the next six months of my life.

This blog will chronicle my trip, hopefully providing details to those of you who I unfortunately, ran out of room in my carry-on for. Check back for pictures and stories, so you can be a part of of what I expect to be an unbelievable trip.

For now, I have to continue packing. They tell me that I get two suitcases to fit the next six months of my life in... For those of you who have seen me pack, this should be an adventure in and of itself!