I spent this past week in none other but the transcontinental city of Istanbul, Turkey!
It was full of so much culture and experiences and much Turkish food.
Sunday we flew from Hamburg airport at 10 or 11 (I can't remember), and arrived in Istanbul around 3:30 their time. We got to our hostel, a nice hostel a couple blocks from the Bosphorus, the Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia, and then went out to eat dinner.
We ate at a bazaar and it was a mix of things from meat, to pita bread, and lettuce on the side.
Monday we went to a newspaper called "Today's Zaman," (who also copies in Arabic), and talked to a Turkish Journalist on what it's like being a journalist in Turkey. After we were finished there, the group disbanded into their own separate groups, and the people I was with, five girls from my class plus a couple extra, all went to The Grand Bazaar. We shopped around, and a Turk told me I looked like I was 13. I glared at him in return. I bought four pins for my Rotary blazer, and then we all walked back to our hostel. Well, we attempted walking back to our hostel but it took a couple tries getting lost. That seems to be the mantra of my year abroad.
Tuesday we went to the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, and the Taxim area. We got "the best ice-cream," up there, and afterwards I went shopping with two girls from my class. Let me tell you - Istanbul was blissfuly inexpensive compared to Denmark. That evening two of the classes in Istanbul went to a Dervish dance, which is kind of like a religious, ceremonial dance, and then we all went out to dinner. At midnight, a couple of us went to McDonalds and ordered Sundaes. So now I can say I've been to McDonalds at midnight in Istanbul.
Wednesday my class went to the HDP which is an up and coming Kurdish party in Istanbul, who advocates for democracy. We went up to Taxim again after we were finished talking with HDP, got Starbucks, (see left for picture of my new Turkish name), went shopping again, and then we listened to a Danish journalist speak on life in Istanbul. Well, really my class listened, I kind of spaced out.Thursday we went to an international Turkish high school. It was really cool, and reminded me very much of an American high school. It brought along some nostalgia with it. I was told that if I went to a public, Turkish speaking school, that it wouldn't be the same structure or English proficiency, and that it would be a lot different.
On Friday we went and watched Friday's prayer, got a döner kebab for lunch, and then went into a catholic church. I got Starbucks walking back to the hostel (See below right for picture of my second Turkish name), and then we all chilled before going out to dinner as a whole class for our last night in Istanbul.
I got my third Starbucks on the way back from dinner, and although I don't have a picture of the way they spelled my name, it was pretty...interesting. I'm stuck between saying this was the farthest off I've seen my name, because technically it's not even a name, or closest to my name with the most out of this world spelling. The last two times I got Cris or Kris, which, technically, those are names. Just not my name. This time, I got "Grays," (or Greys, I couldn't decipher between the e and a.) Grey's anatomy fan, perhaps?And then Saturday we flew back, which is where I got my fourth and final Starbucks, and swapped genders for a couple seconds. This time, I was named "Chris," the boys spelling of Kris. (See below left for picture of gender swapped Turkish name.) So there you have it, if you have a really common name, but think the misspellings of a coffee barista are funny, just go to Turkey.
Also- for anyone who cares to know, I booked my return flights. I will be back in Seattle on July 2nd, two hours after I leave London Heathrow airport (gotta love time differences), and three ungodly layovers later.
I suppose we'll soon see if all these summers of staying up to unholy hours of the morning and getting no sleep pays off, because after these following three flights I will have been awake for nearly thirty six hours.
What better way to push your body to extreme limits than travel? But I mean, what else is exchange for.
In and out,
Vi ses!
Sounds like a great trip Grace - excited to hear about it in Sønderborg next week :-)
ReplyDeleteGlæder mig, god tur tilbage på Torsdag :-)
DeleteDear Krys ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip, and a fantastic opportunity----to travel to such a fascinating place and on a school trip!
Be proud that you paid for this trip by earning and saving your money last year.
Much love and a big hug,
Mom
I almost forgot I paid for it myself, I suppose I'm a little proud ;-)
DeleteThank you, love you,
Grace
Hey, I was just wondering what you did for your pins? I'm trying to find out what to do and keep getting stumped. Have there been any really cool ones that you wish you could have made, or just thought looked pretty neat?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you commented :-) '
DeleteI was really stumped as well, and didn't actually make my pins until two week before I left...whoops haha.
One thing I did which I thought was kind of cool (although it technically has nothing to do with Denmark or the specific state I was from) was I attached snapple bottle caps on small pins.
I don't think snapple is as common anywhere else as it is the United States, and it has some pretty random, funny facts on the inside of the bottle caps.
I also got some ribbon that was red white and blue, or blue with white stars etc. (it was right after Fourth of July), and tied them into a bow, and glued a little pin on the back of it.
A lot of pins that I have collected from others are beads that are the color of their country that have been put onto the pin in a cool pattern as well, I really like those ones. I'm not around my blazer right now so I can't really show what it looks like, but if you would like later I can try posting a picture! :-)
Vi ses, hope that helped! :-D