As I sit here on my balcony for the umpteenth time, listening to another storm roll in on this beautiful summer night in Ankara, I am thankful. I am thankful for this experience of working here at Bilkent. It has finally hit me that I am leaving, so I am in a mad rush to get in one more trip, meet one more friend, go to my office one more time. There have been a lot of things going on, so I thought I would try to catch you up.
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| sunset from my balcony |
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| view from my balcony |
I will be leaving Turkey on July 22 flying through Germany and the East Coast to head to St. Louis for about a month. After a month of visiting friends and resting a bit, I will head over to Dubai some time mid-August. My hope is that I will receive all of my household goods during the week before orientation, so that I can unpack and get settled. I do much better when I am settled and everything is in its place. So, here is what has been happening over the last few weeks.
Holiday Time
At the end of Ramadan, we had a long weekend, so my partner and I headed to Bodrum to spend the holiday with his family. Bodrum is stunning. It is on the coast of the Mediterranean with bright blue seas. This was my third time to Bodrum, but the first time staying in a summer home. A lot of the people here seem to have summer homes that they can enjoy during the warm months. We stayed with my partner's family, which of course, made me miss my niece and nephew even more. I can hardly wait to see them. The family would go to the beach in the morning and the pool in the late afternoon. This was really smart so that everybody didn't get too much sun, but was always moving and enjoying vacation. The drive was the worst part as we drove through mountains and well, Turkish drives don't always obey the road rules. There were many times when I closed my eyes and maybe overcorrected my partner a bit too much. I had a hard time containing my control freak nature, but I tried. It was a lot to do in just four days, but I am so thankful for the experience.
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| huge pool at Can's family's place |
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| love the yachts |
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| the beach was pebbly and the water rough |
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| cotton candy on the beach! |
Black Sea
I went on a day trip to the Black Sea, specifically Filyos with one of the tourism agencies here. The trips that the tour guide plans are always fun with many different activities. This one was just a day at the beach, resting and relaxing. I had never been to the Black Sea and it was on my list, so I was really glad that I could fit it in. The day was bright and sunny, but turned cloudy and started raining as we left. On the way out. we stopped by some ruins and took stunning pictures in lookout area just above the beach. I try to take in these moments and burn them into my memory for when I am sweating in the desert this fall. Turkey is honestly one of the most beautiful countries in the world. From the seas to the mountains to the amazing food, it is just spectacular.
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| panoramic |
The ruins are also amazing here. There are ruins everywhere and in this case, they were trying to create and exhibit of them, so a guard was there protecting them. It was just breathtaking.
Car is Gone!
I have been walking to work the past week or so since I sold my car. My walk to work is gorgeous with tree-lined paths and stunning scenery. It is about two miles to work, so if I walk to and from, I get about 10,000 steps. I have also been walking to the gym, so the steps add up! But I definitely miss my baby car. She was very good to me and tolerant as I learned to drive a stick shift.
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| walk from my office to library |
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| Dr. Akagun |
Laser Eye Surgery
I had corrective eye surgery in early June and boy, was it an experience. I have been wearing contacts/glasses since I was ten years old. I knew several of the expats here had laser surgery, so I asked the expat community and they referred me to Dr. Akagun. Now, my prescription is high, so I knew it would be miracle if I could actually see without contacts/glasses. But it worked!! The first few days really, really sucked. I slept for like 48 hours and I could not deal with the sunlight. But about day 3 or 4, I turned the corner. I could see so clearly. It is still very weird for me to get up and not have to put on my glasses or take out my contacts at night. I still have to use drops during the day and an ointment at night, but my eyes feel really great. Hopefully, the dryness will disappear soon. The doctor was very sweet and I would recommend her to anyone. It was a bit difficult with the language (other than the doctor) in the clinic, but overall, it was a good experience.
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| after |
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| before |
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| getting ready |
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| yeah, I rocked those glasses |
