Day One

After saying many goodbyes to my family members and to many Hilliard Rotarians at the airport, I got on my flight from Columbus to New York to start my year as an exchange student.  It was sad to say goodbye to my family, but I know this year will be well worth it and go by very quickly.  Once I got to New York, I walked around aimlessly trying to find a monitor with anything other than American Airlines (I arrived with American, but my next flight was Turkish Airlines). I gave up on this searching thing because my carry on bags were starting to feel like they were a billion pounds and I got out my handy dandy smart phone and went to JFK's website to find out where I needed to be.  I had no idea I'd need to go back though security, I landed in terminal eight and needed to get to terminal one, so I got to terminal one, went through security and I quickly found the gate to my next flight without a problem.

My flight to Istanbul got delayed an hour, so I sat around reading at the gate for about two hours.  I then waited in line for about 30 minutes waiting to board the aircraft, and, luckily for me, the person with the seat next to mine didn't show up, so I only had someone sitting next to me on one side. The flight to Istanbul took about 9 and a half hours, and I was able to watch 3 or 4 movies during that time and also take a little nap.  I learned the hard way that napping during an international flight IS important because it really isn't fun to arrive in a foreign country, with a foreign language, with zero sleep. Anyways, I landed and was able to easily get myself through customs and find all of my luggage and then find my host family eagerly waiting for me with a "Welcome to Turkey" sign.

My host family then took me to breakfast at a little cafe next to the sea.  I flew into the European part of Istanbul, and we had to drive into the Asian side of Istanbul for breakfast, meaning I was in three continents within 12 hours (cool, right?).  For breakfast, we shared bread, an omelet, a meat and cheese plate and a plate of appetizers. I also got some famous Turkish Tea! Everything was very good, and it was neat to be able to sit on the water and watch the boats go by.  After breakfast we drove to my host sister's house in Istanbul (my host parent's main house is in Bursa, about 3 hours away by car) and just hung out there until dinner.  I showed my host family pictures of my American family and then I got a much needed "I just traveled for 15-ish hours and desperately want to shower" shower and then I took a giant nap. It was very nice to have a relaxing, stress free morning.

For dinner, we went to a marina with a plaza next to it and had dinner at a döner restaurant and I got İskender kebab, which was döner kebab with yogurt, pieces of pita bread and vegetables. It was so rich, I couldn't eat all of it, but it was very yummy! After dinner we had more Turkish Tea, which I've learned I really like. The awesome thing about this restaurant, and I guess it's a normal thing in Turkey, is that they hand out blankets when you sit down at your table so you don't get cold! It was so comfy! I thought it was fun. I was actually really confused at first, because the waiter was just kind of holding a blanket up to me, and I was like "What is this for...?" then I noticed my host family using them to keep themselves warm, so I did the same.  Watch and learn... one of the many things an exchange student learns to do.

After dinner, we came back to my host sister's house and watched Turkish TV and drank more tea! I've had five cups of tea today. Five. And I am not complaining! My host sister showed pictures of her exchange, then everyone went off to bed at their own time. I don't know if it's the five teas or the five hour nap that still has me up at 1:30 AM, but I'm up. Anyways, it was a very nice day and tomorrow my host dad and sister have things to do, so my host mom and I will to be hanging out! Everything has been new and exciting and I'm looking forward to tomorrow, but for now, I need to fall asleep as I await my new Turkish adventures.