Just the beginning..

     This may be long overdue, since I have been here for two weeks already, but I guess better late then never, eh? The first thing I learned when I got here is that Istanbul never sleeps, never stops, and in a hectic city like this there is no chose but to roll with it, so it has taken me these two weeks to get a decent amount of time to sit down and start a blog. And where to start in recapping two weeks that feels more like two years? It will most likely take more than one blog post...

     When I first got here, I was barely awake, having been traveling for twenty-two hours, from Phoenix to Minneapolis, on to Paris and finally arriving in Istanbul. Luckily I was greeted by a group of very friendly students representing Bahcesehir University where I will be studying, and they accompanied me on the bus to campus, on the trip I managed to snap this not very good photo..
 

If memory serves me right, this is an old Roman Aqueduct. Today, the highway passes through the arches. Istanbul is an amazing blend of history and modernity co-existing.

     After arriving at Bahcesehir I was welcomed to the International Students Office, and after a few minutes my host student, Emre showed up and we caught the ferry over to Asia. If you didn't know, half of Istanbul is in Europe, half in Asia, cut in half by the Bosphorus strait. For many it is a daily routine to catch these ferries, an intercontinental commute to work, school, or whatever.

In this picture the ferry is going from Asia to Europe, with the European side in the background.

    
     Arriving at Emre's house began nearly two weeks if the most welcoming hospitality I have experienced. I had heard that the Turks are famous for their hospitality but really didn't know what to expect. When I got there his mom had made us an amazing traditional Turkish dinner. Sadly, I was too tired after almost 24 hours in airplanes and airports to remember to take a picture, or even what it was called, but I assure you if you are offered any traditional Turkish food, especially if it is home cooked, you owe it to yourself to try it. In the period of time I stayed at his house, his mother had a breakfast ready for us almost every morning, and wouldn't let me leave for my new place without doing my laundry for me, and I cannot thank his whole family enough.

      I will write again soon to hopefully get caught up on the blogging, but for now I will just leave you with a picture of the Marmara Sea from Moda, on the south coast of the Asian side of Istanbul.