Best Week of My Life

 So I think the title of this weeks blog pretty much sums it all up: I quite possibly had the most amazing and best week of my life.  After we returned from Bürsa, we registered for classes (which was really a week long ordeal) and then hopped on a bus for Antalya a beach resort town on the southern coast of Turkey.  Our bus pulled into town around 8:00 am and we hit the ground running (literally).  Once we got to our pensiyon which is really like a bed and breakfast we changed into our swim suits and headed to the beach.  While it was so nice to be back at the beach just relaxing, soaking up the sun, I much prefer our white sandy beaches to the pebble beaches you find here.  A. the pebbles look nice from a distance but they hurt like heck B. you can't stroll on the beach because the pebbles hurt like heck and C. you can't build a sand castle without sand and the pebbles hurt like heck.  The water on the other hand is beautiful crystal clear and blue- that I could get use to.  Because we all pretty much had gotten 0 sleep on our 14hrs bus trip down we pretty much just napped and hung out on the beach all day.  Which in my book is a fantastic day!

On the next day the true adventure began with us first finding our way back to the bus station so we could get a bus to our next destination Olympös where we were staying in tree houses... that's right I said TREE HOUSES!!!  We arrived and immediately knew this was going to be one of the highlights of this week.  I mean how could anybody be upset when you are staying in a room with a tree running through the middle of it?!?!  Little did I know that the best part of my day was yet to come.  Our group split into two: some wanted to go rock climbing while the rest of us were down to see the ruins and check out the beach.  I was in the latter group and had the most amazing experience.  The ruins were in a fenced off park like area.  Once you got past the gate though you were free to roam and climb amongst all the ruins.  I felt like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider traveling through a forest stumbling upon cool ruin after cool ruin.  The pictures really don't do the experience justice.
As we made our way through the park opened up onto a beach.  While it was a pebble beach it was possibly the most beautiful beach I had ever seen.  Standing there you look out into the crystal blue water with cliffs ending at the edges and then you turn your back to the water and you see these huge green mountains with ruins sprinkled throughout the foliage.  We got there as the sun was starting to set too so you can just imagine how magical it all seemed.  When we got in the water, we swam over to the cliffs and after getting some helpful tips on how to climb up we took them over.  Climbing up the cliffs was possibly the scariest experience-I've never been so scared to fall (and I'm pretty use to falling) but once I was on top there was no going back all I could do was jump and I did just that.  Hitting the water was not the most fun but the hang time right after you jump and before the impact was an incredible feeling.  All of this made me just feel like I was on cloud 9.

 The next day we woke up super early to get a bus to Fethiye the last major stop on our week adventure.  Once we arrived we split up and went in search of a boat to take us out for the late afternoon and sunset.  After a little bit we hit the jackpot and headed out onto the Mediterranean.  Having pretty much been raised on a boat this was just amazing and I loved being able to bring our whole crew of 22 together for the night.  Literally sailing off into the sunset we stopped in between two islands, swam for a while and then ate dinner as the sun set.











As the sun was setting I had one of those moments where you go wow life is really good like REALLY good.  Here I am surrounded by people I have become friends with basically instantly, I am watching the sunset on a private boat in the Mediterranean and there really isn't anything I'm super concerned about.  We spend so much of our life searching and striving for happiness like it is a mission, but in that moment I realized happiness is a mood that constantly changes, not a mission.  So instead of striving to be happy I've decided to just enjoy life and live in the moments that make me happy.  Sitting on that boat watching the sunset was a moment that made me happy and I am looking forward to many more of those moments.    

Our final day of the trip was definitely the most daring day.  I mean I jumped off a mountain and flew above the world attached to one guy controlling our parachute, I think that is pretty daring.  I have always wanted to go sky diving so when people started tossing around the idea of going paragliding I was totally down!  To make the experience even better we were doing at one of the most photographed beaches in Europe, so the view wasn't that bad. 

 Going up I started to get nervous but like the cliff it was one of those things where there is only one way down.  Taking off we sailed into the clouds and up above the mountains and I had the most amazing rush of excitement.  I can't even begin to describe the joy and utter shock of what I was doing felt like- It was just incredible!  I took a 1,000 pics trying to capture the moment and I think some of them do it but it was hard to truly capture it all.  Coming back down to earth was so sad, I wanted to just go back up immediately.  That experience was truly once and a lifetime and an amazing way to end probably the best week of my life.  I went from feeling like I was on cloud 9 to actually being on cloud 9 I mean I was sailing around clouds (even though the sky was clear, you get the idea). 

Now that I'm back in Istanbul, summer is coming to an end (FINALLY, its only been 5 months) and I am headed off to class!  I guess the vacationing and partying had to come to an end (well... I'll at least slow down and add in some learning).  But seriously, I am really excited to start classes, I mean I am that kid who gets SUPER pumped about getting new school supplies.  It's not just about the classes though, it's also getting to meet students from all over the world, it's learning the language of the country I'm living in for the semester, it's getting to learn the history of this culture and see the places I'm learning about in person, and most importantly it's about having moments that just make me incredibly happy!

Sending you All my Love from Turkey <3

Beginning in Bürsa

This past weekend we traveled to Bürsa the first notable Ottoman Capital in Turkey.  I had been sick the few days before so I was thrilled to wake up on Friday morning feeling good and excited for the adventure ahead.  We left the Super Dorm (and btw it is pretty Super) at 8:30 am heading to Asia.  Yes, that's right ASIA! Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia with most of Turkey on the Asia side.  After traveling about an hour into Asia we hit a bay where we took a car ferry across to the other side.  It was a beautiful sunny day and just a perfect way to begin our trip outside of Istanbul.  Pictured are 3 of my new friends- Jessi, Angie, and Jacqueline- Jessi and Angie both go to Duke with me and Jacqueline goes to Wake Forest.  After the ferry we still had about an hour until we would reach Bürsa, but once we were there the program had an awesome schedule planned for us.  

 When we reached Bürsa we went directly to the Green Mosque, so named for the green tiles used to cover the Mausoleum that was built within the complex.  We learned that Mosques are usually not built alone but in complexes with a mausoleum, school, or soup kitchen.  After visiting both the mausoleum and mosque we went to the center of the city and visited the Grand Mosque.  This one truly was grand and very large.  Every time I walk into a mosque I'm fascinated by the script.  I think it is so beautiful and really appreciate that they do not try to come up with representations or figures of God.  The timing of this trip could not be more perfect too as I just finished reading The Shack (yes mom, I finally did it! And I absolutely loved the book!) where God shows Mack that there are many parts to God and that the Christian depiction of him as a father is not necessarily a true depiction.  I think that by having a rule that there should be no depictions God can be whoever or whatever you want and I love that!  The other really fascinating thing about Mosques is that they change and each one is very different depending on when it was built, where it was built, and who built it.  While there is always a dome and mehrab (depicts the direction to mecca) how that is constructed is very different.  The call to prayer is mesmerizing when done properly and I have yet to get tired of hearing it.  There is something to be said about how Turkey has been able to have both Christians and Muslims living within its territory peacefully for a long time now.  Turkey has no national religion and does not show preference to either one but allows them to live harmoniously in their state.  I think this is something the United States should look at carefully and learn from the Turks for they seem to have it right. 
I know that many of you may be worried about me here, but I can assure you that I am very safe and have not felt threatened at all.  As you can see we are covered in the Mosques and Bürsa was a much more conservative muslim city, but I only had to cover my head and shoulders out of respect to their culture in holy places and I haven't had any problems interacting with the turks.  While I do expect the turmoil to increase and I probably will witness some protests, I understand where the protests normally are held and I know to stay away from those areas (they are no where near me).  If anything this is a truly exciting time to be in the Middle East learning and exploring a country with a muslim influence.  The world is shrinking in size as communication becomes much more accessible and it is time that we learn to work with each other not against. 
Anyways back to Bürsa.  After a long day of looking and learning about Mosques and the many early Ottoman rulers buried in the city, we headed to our hotel which we were excited to hear had a turkish bath (hamum).  The bath is actually the place and environment in which people go and steam, bath, and scrub themselves.  I have come to the realization with my few trips abroad that every other culture outside the US is VERY comfortable with their bodies.  Lets just say the women in the bath were very comfortable and for us Americans that was quit a shock and a little jarring.  I chose to get a massage and lets just say it was more of a rub down than a massage.  But in the end it was an experience and I can say that I have been to a turkish bath. 

The following day was filled with more Mausoleums and Mosques BUT the highlight has to be the amazing Turkish village Brunch that we had.  Everything was hand made and fresh from the village- the bread, the cheese, the jams, the tea, eggs, etc.  It was amazing and SO SO SO good.  As you can see nothing would be complete without Turkish Coffee.  It is a lot like drinking a shot of espresso but they add the sugar in for you and it is very strong.  Each time I have had it, it has been delicious.  Another tradition I've really gotten into is they like to have a small glass of hot tea at the end of every meal.  It's delicious and really a great way to end a meal.  

The next day it was time to head back to Istanbul, but first we would stop in Iznik.  Set on a beautiful lake Iznik has a very important history.  It was originally Hellenistic and over time became taken over by turks and the Ottomans.  It was the takeover of this city by the Ottomans that set off an alarm in Rome and began the period of crusades.  It was a quaint town with the original city walls still there (in ruins of course) and even a roman theater. 
We began our stop here at the Hague Sofia.  Did you know that Sofia means Wisdom and that Hague is Divine there for when things are called this it does not mean church or place of worship but where the Divine wisdom is located.  This Hague Sofia began as a Basilica, then transformed into a Mosque, then a museum, and finally it has been converted back into a mosque.  It was a really fascinating example of this process and a very old example as you can see.  We learned that in the western part of Turkey this process of converting churches into mosques is very common as the western part of the state was taken over by the Romans and was quit Christian before the Ottomans took over.  The rest of the day we visited another green mosque again so named for the tiles, had a beautiful fish lunch by the lake, and shopped in the local market for some tiles(Iznik was where the beautiful tiles that cover the blue mosque and other buildings in Istanbul) before heading back to Istanbul. 
 
Below are some pictures of the Group! We had an awesome time in Bürsa and now most of us are off to Antalya for the week.  I am expecting to have an amazing time and will keep you posted! Look forward to some crazy pics from the beaches of Turkey and even me Paragliding.  But in the mean time know I'm safe and doing wonderfully. 

And as Always sending You all Love from Turkey <3

 

I Made It!!

After a year of hoping and planning, my semester abroad in Turkey has finally begun and I couldn't be any happier!  There were a few spilled things, a million butterflies in my stomach, and a long sleepless flight before I arrived; but, I am here in Istanbul Turkey and I'm not about to sit around and just watch the time go by.
Our first full day in the City was amazing.  After getting settled in and a short meeting to go over logistics, we were let loose in Taksim.  It's a huge tourist attraction and has a lot of nice stores.  We mainly just walked around trying to take it all in. 

I was so overwhelmed by everything so I spent a lot of my time just watching the people.  As we made our way down the street we stopped and got some Turkish Delights, watched them pull ice cream like taffy, and went into an art gallery filled with pieces centered around Revolution.  We made it to the water to take some pictures of Istanbul at sunset and then got dinner on the terrace of a building to watch as the sky darkened.  It was beautiful and the most amazing way to spend our first full day in Istanbul.

On our second day we took a tour of the campus that we would be calling home for the next 3 months.  There's only one word to describe what it was BEAUTIFUL, it was absolutely stunning. To the left you can see a picture of what we see on our walk to the South Campus.  And views like that surround you as one walks around campus.  There is just no way anybody can escape the wonder and beauty of this incredible city.  Below is a picture of the South Campus academic buildings.  Once you are on the campus everything is very close, it is just the getting to the campus that takes a while. But I mean with those kinds of views its not such a bad walk.  As we are learning more about the school I'm finding it isn't that different from American universities, especially since all the professors have gotten their PhDs from American Universities.  There are also a ton of other exchange students on campus.  It is funny to walk around now and here other American accents, but there are also Australian, Lithuanian, and German accents.  On campus everyone speaks English well, but the minute you step off I realize quickly I am a long way from home and seriously need to learn the language.
The campus is overrun with cats and dogs but mainly cats.  You can see a few in this picture but you seriously can't walk 2 feet without seeing a cat.  The most fascinating thing is that they are all well fed, friendly, and seem very happy.  The people seem to like them and the cats and dogs live in harmony.  I am not going to lie I like them a lot as well.  I have always been a big animal person and having all of these animals around who will walk up to you just for a pet or two is kind of wonderful.  The people, like the animals, are also very friendly.  I haven't had any problems or felt out of place really (besides the whole language thing).  Our program directors have also done a phenomenal job in organizing activities and helping us through the process of getting settled in.  With their support and guidance I think we are in for an amazing adventure.   Classes will begin on September 24th and I can't wait to make more friends in the University.
 

Last night our directors had a dinner cruise planned for us.  To get to the water front we had to travel down some really steep and narrow streets.  But with Porsche's, Bentley's, and Ferrari's passing us the trip wasn't that bad.  I am fairly positive now that we live in a very wealthy neighborhood.  Down by the water we walked a good ways up to the boat passing fisherman after fisherman.  Even late at night when we got off the boat and were walking back there were still a ton out fishing.
In a big group we attract a good bit of attention.  In New York I had to get use to the cat calling, but in Istanbul they really just are fascinated by foreigners.  So where the looks and stares in New York were hard to deal with, here I don't mind them.  On the boat we spent most of the time just talking and watching the scenery go by as the sun set.  Then we danced under the stars and in between Asia and Europe.  The magic of Istanbul flows right into the night time as the city illuminates with lights, music, and people.  This is just the beginning but I think I'm going to really enjoy being here.
To my family and friends I miss you terribly but know that all is well at home.  I am off on an adventure across the Atlantic but you are always near in my heart.  As I continue down this road, check this blog for updates and word on how I'm doing.

Sending you all lots of love from Turkey,
Caroline