Preparation

Merhaba tekrar,



It’s only two weeks until I leave for Turkey. Meanwhile, getting ready to travel abroad this year and last have been two completely different experiences. For one, the things I want to do in Turkey this time around are different from what I wanted to do last time.

Cafe Orchid. Strongly recommend. 1746 W Addison St, Chicago, IL

I’m not going claim that I am not a yabanci  - a foreigner - but Istanbul now seems to me more of a home than last time. Unlike most exchange students, I have already been to Koc, so I have a pretty good idea of what my living situation will be like. I can imagine myself crashing there as I can imagine living in a dorm at DePauw. I became accustomed to passing through Sultanahmet square, and while I will be visiting many of these landmarks again, I will probably not be spending as much time looking for new sites in Istanbul. Also, knowing people in Istanbul makes it seem less distant (Though, none of this will make my flight ticket cost less).

But, there is so much I haven’t done! Learning Turkish is always an ongoing personal project. I’m really excited to test what I have learned from my summer Turkish lessons (through Turkish American Cultural Alliance); I feel very comfortable with basic conversational Turkish. Plus, there are so many places I haven’t even been to (even in Istanbul). I’m hoping to travel to Anatolia more this semester - visiting some friends in Ankara, going to Konya and seeing the magnificent caves and rock formations of Kapadokya (a.k.a. Cappadocia).

Meanwhile I’ll be looking for a job. This is my last undergraduate semester, and those students loans are not going to pay themselves. I really have little idea of where I might work at. A paid internship at a think tank would be nice, but I’m also considering teaching English as a second language between now and graduate school. Not sure who would hire me and where I would like to work. Hopefully, I’ll get a Fulbright grant to teach English in Turkey. I also plan to apply for a critical language scholarship through the State Department. We’ll see how this all goes. Who knows? Maybe I will find work in Istanbul.

Anyway, I am excited for the adventure Turkey promises and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you guys.

Also, I'm looking forward to raiding this record store! Small, but it has a great selection. Yeni Çarşı Cad. 60/A, Cihangir/İstanbul - Avrupa, Türkiye