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!!!