Merhaba!

Merhaba! Did you know Istanbul is the European Capital of Culture?! Somehow, I'm not surprised at all.

Last night I went boating on a beautiful yacht on the Bosphorus with the Duren family (my host family) and some of their friends. We took off from the 4 Seasons hotel right on the Bosphorus, pretty pricy at over 25,000 Lira a night!

It was soooo windy on the boat!

This is me and the kids on the boat! Metecan "LOOOOK!"

We didnt get back until around 1 am and both kids were SO sleepy!

We had to carry them up to their rooms!

Then today I took Saran on a play date to the pool with her good friend Talya (who is soooo sweet!) Talya's mom is also very kind, and she has asked me to come twice a week when I have time off and work with Talya on some English lessons! :) ummmm...YES!

OK, I am SOOO tired since I worked all day with no break!

Goodnight! (haha, it's not even dinner time for you folks back home!)

My first day off to see the city!

I woke up at 6:30 am and enjoyed a cup of traditional Turkish tea; at 7 am, we were off! Prof. Dr. Mete Duren drove us to his office by the “Amerikan Hospitol” and we met with his friend who is a historian and also has guided tours for 25 years! 25 YEARS! J Mete had arranged for me to have a private tour with him, how kind and generous!

We first went to Dolmabahce Sarayi (palace) and

we were guided through (after covering our feet with bags of course!) through a BEAUTIFUL palace. The crystal staircase was GORGEOUS! The sultan died in the

palace due to liver failure, and they actually showed us the room he died in, as well as his bathroom still displaying his medicines! I find it interesting that in the ottoman culture, men and women have seperate living areas and bedrooms! This palace is also home of one of the worlds’ largest chandeliers, weighing

in at 4 tons! Obama has recently visited the ambassadorial

reception hall here! …we were not allowed to take pictures inside the palace….sorry!

Next, we went on a bosphorus boat cruise- the water is the most BEAUTIFUL green/blue I

have ever seen! We saw a lot of beautiful places, and it was very interesting because I was literally in 2 different continents at once! One side of the bosphorus is Europe, and the other is Asia! (I won’t ever be spending much time on the asian side)

After the boat cruise we went to a very traditional, nice kebab restaurant facing the bosphorus- we were served SO many traditional Turkish dishes and I was a “big girl” and tried EVERYTHING! …and everything tasted incredible! The first dish was very similar to your everyday bread and butter before a meal (Or bread and olive oil at my house! :P) Basically, they bring out the hot bread filled like a balloon with air, you tear off a piece, put butter, goat cheese, and walnuts inside, and enjoy!

The salad is tomato, onions, and some other things, but no lettuce. The dressing was really interesting (and good) because they use olive oil, but instead of vinegar with it, they use fresh pomegranate juice with it! (mom, try this at home!)

After having several meats brought out, I was full, but then dessert came.

The most delicious thing I have ever tasted…I can’t even explain it! It did have syrup and cheese in it though, but boy was it tasty!!!!!! (It is called "Kundfe") The green on top is pistachio;

Pistachio’s are VERY popular in Turkey, and they are cheap because SO many come from here! Turkey is known for having some of the best pistachios in the world!

We moved on to the “blue” mosque, actually named Sultanahmet Camii (Camii means mosque) built in 1617. Before taking our shoes off and entering, I learned a lot about the hippodrome, where a very old structure from Egypt is-only 1/3 left standing today due to earthquakes.

There is also another structure with only a small remains left in the hippodrome. (wish I could recall every detail to share but I had to pack in a lot of info in one day!)(the "blue" mosque)

Ah, now on the the beautiful Haghia Sophia!!!!!! First off, before the Haghia Sophia was built, a different Christian church was in it’s place-it was torn down because Christianly was outlawed. Eventually, the church Haghia Sophia replaced it (although some remains of the old church can still be seen) It took less than 6 years to build this MASSIVE gorgeous church- mostly because instead of building everything from scratch, they imported a lot of already built things like stones, slabs, and columns…you will be able to see how a lot of the colors are different in the pictures because they are taken from different places. 2 of the 7 wonders of the world have pieces hidden away as part of the building! Also-notice the gold ceiling- the reason it is SO well preserved I learned, it because it has not touched air! On both sides of the very thin gold, there is a thin piece of glass, and this is on every single tiny piece of gold!

Also, the Haghia Sophia was converted to a Mosque because Islam is the central religion- Because Mosque’s have very specific requirements (AKA a sign to Mecca (to face during prayer), 8 names displayed in arabic(Allah and muhammed are 2, I don’t remember the rest) and a narrow staircase leading to a small stage for someone to lead prayer) the had to make a few changes! First, they covered up all of the pictures, and then painted over the Cross’s with artwork. If you look closely you can see the faded crosses on the ceilings, and Because the Haghia Sophia is no longer a practicing Mosque, the material covering the pictures have been removed as well. In the main dome ceiling, 4 angels are displayed to “protect” and their faces were all covered with gold medallions- so far, only one medallion has been removed to display one angels face.

We then visited an underground aqueduct- although back in the day it was ground level! There were many fish in the water, and apparently people used to come scoop water right out of the aqueduct to drink, and seeing fish meant that the water was not poisonous and was clean. Many artists display their art on top of the water, but it was very dark and difficult to take good pictures, it was eerie but very cool!

Turkish ice cream….delicious. We sat down for a small break at a traditional ice cream eatery outside on a busy street. I was a bit taken aback as a plate with 4 “slices” of ice cream was put in front of me, one looking kind of like a sausage?? It was then explained that the ice cream is made differently and is tougher- you have to eat it with a fork and knife! …it was SO GOOD! ..by this point I wasn’t surprised because so far everything has been amazing! There was chocolate, Vanilla almond, pistachio (of course), and the 4^th was actually a baklava made with pistachio’s…YUM!

Then…GRAND BAZAAR! ( Kapali Carsisi) this covered marketplace has over 4000 shops and dates back hundreds of years! They sell EVERYTHING and as you walk through everyone yells at you to come buy their stuff because it is better than everyone elses stuff! Goodness…

The guide explained to me that a lot of people were speaking to me in Russian because they thought I was Russian! (I feel like I hear this a lot? I am not Russian though!) It is really amazing because in the grand bazaar people are from all over the world, so the shop owners can generally speak many languages!

After the grand bazaar, we went the the nearby Misirv Carsisi (Egyptian Spice Market) and I was blown away by the HUGE portions of middle eastern spices all around me…I think mom would be in heaven here!!! We stopped in a store of one of the guides’ friends, and they gave me a seat and served me apple tea (yum!) and traditional Turkish delight! Also, sent me on my merry way with a handful of the best pistachio’s I’ve ever had! The guide explained in any shop they will always offer you tea or coffee, even if you buy something, it is just the culture! spices at the misir carsisi mom would love! never mind the grumpy looking men! :P

We hopped in a “Taksi” and headed the Dr. Duren’s office where he dropped me off. By then it was 7 pm already! I had a busy, amazing, fun day! I gave him all my thanks and headed back to the house with Mete. Tomorrow I am returning to the Grand Bazaar to check it out some more since it is my half day! I think I will get some more ice cream too! :P

It's now 10 am and i'm off to spend some more time in the grand bazaar and spice market!

Gorusuruz!

Longest post everrrr. Sorry!

It is obvious that venturing to the opposite side of the world is sure to bring about a completely different lifestyle- this is proven true to me!

I have so much to share and I really don't know how to go about writing it ALL down, but I will try my best!

This past week has been difficult for me, not just because it was my first week, but because I have been working 14 hour days! (I don't know I survived :P) The kids a cute as can be, and the little girl has really been an angel for me, and the little boy has been more difficult, but he is only 3. Day by day he adapts better and gets to know me, he has even given me kisses the past couple days! :)

I am slowly learning a bit of Turkish, but this language is not so easy! To me it is funny and really sounds like jibberish-alot of sh, and ch, sounds! :P

I think I mentioned in a previous post about the small "feast" at every meal time- its really something! I noticed they eat alot of things almost every day that I really like- alot of fruit, chicken, and french fries...the french fries are cool because the housekeepers literally peel the potatos and fry them right before it is time to eat- they are fresh! They call french fries "potatos" here!

The iphone they gave me had some problems so they gave me a temporary phone (like a go phone) until they fix it. It is confusing to me because there is no english setting! ahh! They also had a desk put in my room and a TV....I told them the TV was not necessary but they insisted! Maybe it will help me with learning Turkish!?

Here is the bad part of the update...(but don't worry, happy ending!)

Typically, being an au pair means going to a foreign family and watching their children, teaching your language, and being "part of the family"...the most common host families complaint is that after the au pair has finished her scheduled "work hours" she hides away in her room and no relationship/friendship is formed. For me, I know this wouldn't be a problem because I genuinely WANTED to come to a family and form a friendship. I wanted to talk at dinnertime and share life experiences, especially to note how things are different and culture is different at these very far locations from home!

Well, I think those au pairs that families complained about would have fit in perfectly here- it is clear the family wants me working with the children on my hours, and then I should go to my "area" (aka-my room) when I am not working. It even disturbs them if I am on my computer in the living room...this is a problem because I still have no internet in my room! Right now I am typing up this post in my room (I had to say a quick goodbye on chatting with my big sister Melissa, sorry love!) where I have no internet because I was upstairs by the pool earlier but the family came around...so I felt I had to leave. It makes me very sad they don't want to know me, and I feel like I almost have to "hide" from them. When I am done with this post, I will run back up and post it, and then come back down to my room until it is dinner time. Then I will eat with the kids and make sure they eat more than just the sugary things on their plate! (parents don't eat with the kids here) After I put them to bed- back to my "area"...

SO of course it is hard for me, since I am not the kind of person who likes to always be alone! :(

Ok, enough of the bad, here is the good-

I am determined to stay positive and make this work- things are not ideally how I would hope for them to be, but I am sure I will adapt and make it work.

Also, I was upset working so many hours (since I am only supposed to work 8-9 a day and a half day) but today I spoke with the kids mother and we decided on a schedule! I will be with the kids 8-1ish and then 5-9:30ish on the regular days! Tuesday is my day off, and wednesday is my half day! I would much rather work my 8-9 hours straight and then have the evening off, but I will make this work.

Anyways, tomorrow the family was very kind and arranged for me to see the city on somewhat of a private tour, so I am very happy to finally go out and see something! :) I hope I did not make the family seem awful- they are very kind people!! They have been very giving and accepting of me, a stranger, coming into their home, and luckily I am now understanding how they want this arrangement to be.

*Hint to future au pairs: Make sure you understand exactly what the family is looking for so neither party feels bad/disturbed/confused ect.!!!

To my family and friend: I miss you SO very much! It has been difficult to adapt to a completely new environment,but I know it will continue to get easier- especially as I learn some more turkish! :P

Pictures soon to come!

ugh

I was going to update. But I have nothing positive to say right now.

Tuesday is my day off, so I will up;date after that with great stories!

Day 1

Its only been a little over a day…and I already have SO MUCH TO SAY!!!!! I have a feeling you will be reading extremely lengthy blogs posts from now on…

The airport :

Saying goodbye to mommy dearest turned out to be A LOT harder than I expected….aka I was BALLING. Then the security lady wouldn’t even let me hug her one last time- THANKS ghetto security lady. Thanks a lot.

Anyways, flight to NYC was fine, about 2 hours; I then had to connect to…ISTANBUL, TURKEY! I knew I should eat before getting on the super long flight, but all I could find near my gate was this weird organic health food stand…so I got this weird pasta salad thing…but it was pretty good! I also got an extra big bottle of smart water for my noggin….just kidding.

The flight actually didn’t drag on as long as I expected it to- I watched a movie and a couple TV shows and slept….and then I was here….here in beautiful Istanbul!

The meet:

So as I got off the plane, the ‘what if’ nerve set off in my brain! I started worrying things like “what if my friends jokes come true what if I get kidnapped AHH!”

After I got my visa and went through the passport line, I saw a familiar face with a big smile- it was Dr. Mete Duren! I greeted him and he introduced me to some important person of the airport. That person led us down a special hallway away from everyone else (You know , the REGULAR people?) and brought us into his fancy schmancy office where we were quickly served waters by other people. It was all kind of a blur because I was so surprised I was getting treated like I was important or something…oh and they were all speaking Turkish…

Anyways, they finally told us to follow them out of the office because whaddayaknow, I didn’t have to get my bags from baggage claim like regular people, my bags were already taken care of.

We got in Dr. Duren’s car and came back to his home in beautiful Kemerburgaz, where his wife, 2 children, and many others greeted me!

Everyone has been SO sweet to me! I have met 2 of the other people responsible for caring for the kids and teaching them.

It is now 7:45 pm and I am writing this as the kids watch a Disney princess movie I brought. We just finished dinner recently…let me explain how it works around here:

We sit down at the table (the dining room/kitchen is in the basement!) and the food is already served by the housekeeper. It is kind of like a small feast; there are so many different dishes and you just serve what you want on your plate (one dish had lots of paprika so I stayed away!) But they had a kind of Turkish rice, a fruit and olive oil dish, 2 kinds of chicken (SO GOOD!) French fries (what?) special kind of pizza, and other turkish dishes. I thought it might be more formal, but when the mom was finished she got up and said she’d see us later and was going to the city! Then Dr. Duren got up and said he was going to the office…and they all just left their dishes there for the housekeeper….I still brought mine to the kitchen and cleared it even though I was told I didn’t have to. I just feel weird/bad getting :”served” Anyways, I am SO thrilled to be here, and this is such a nice family! J Time to play some more with the kiddies! I still need to unpack and am running off little sleep! Ahh!

Oh, did I mention they gave me an iphone today? Yeah, really.

stressful last days in the US

This past week has gone by so fast it's just a blur. I finally got everything completely moved out of my apartment, and turned in my keys today! Hooray! Also, got to go to Kani for dinner tonight with mom, grandparents, and brother!

I still feel like I have a million more things I have to do- everyday I figure something else out that I need to get done!

Tomorrow, I will try to get everything done early so I can enjoy my last day in the states...it feels weird saying that. I am having a few close friends over to the house tomorrow night to say goodbye...I'm sure I'll cry! :(

I'll prolly update my last thoughts at the airport before I take off- I'm sure it will be something along the lines of: "OH MY GOSH IM SO EXCITEDDDD!!!!"

...yeah.

Oh- and here is a picture of my last day teaching my class at church! I'm gonna miss them!

Turkish & gifts from yours truly

My packing seems like an endless battle!

I'm trying to squeeze in as much time with friends, fun, and relaxation because I have an inkling that things are going to be crazy my first few weeks in Turkey! I have an turkish-to-English dictionary that my good friend Ellie gave me!

I have a list of phrases I am trying to learn before I leave including:

I don't speak Turkish (turkce bilmiyorum)

Hello (Merhaba)

Goodbye (allaha ismarladik)

Do you speak English? (inilizce biliyarmusunuz)

and more...looks like an easy language, doesn't it? :P

I've been doing some shopping for my host family and their kids, and I think I've got some things they will really like:

For the kids:

books with great pictures, computer game to help with english vocab, temporary tattoos, childrens disney sing along CD, princess card game, and candy!

For the parents: Godiva chocolate, Georgia Pecans, I am making a scrapbook about the USA, GA, and myself to give them so they can understand me better and where I come from, and I am considering giving them some kind of American wine...

LEAVING IN A WEEK!!!!!!