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| My 7'x 10' Dorm Room |
I am finally moved into my SuperDorms apartment! My friend Ozgur picked me up from my hotel yesterday and again escorted me to my destination via Istanbul public transport. I turned out to be a smart choice; because with the money I saved not having to get a 'Taksi' I was able to go on a walk with some fellow classmates into town to purchase bedding [sheets & pillows]. I knew prior to arriving that we would have to have something for the beds, so I had swiped the blanket and the small pillow from my Turkish Airlines flight a few days prior. This would have been a great plan, had I not forgotten the pillow in the hotel.
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| Arkema Shopping Mall |
So far my experience with the new district of 'Etiler' has been great. We have scouted the nearby village for nutritional sustenance and groceries as well as scoured the Besiktas district for Migros-Turk. During this period of first reconnaissance we discovered a 'Western-World' gem amongst the treasure trove Eurasian culture. This was our initial stop for bedding, but you had to drop about 100TL for decent bed linens and although they would be comfy, they were only needed for 2 months. So our next destination was Migros-Turk. The group I was with asked me what Migros was. I replied by saying 'Migros is the closest thing to a Walmart you are going to see while in Europe.' It translated between cultures beautifully and much to my relief they had well priced bed linens, allowing me to keep my mantra of 'The World Traveler.' I did however make a mistake by wearing my slip-on non tied Vans into town, so now my feet are sore and blistered.
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| The Mixed-Grill Dinner |
Once the journey to bed-linen land was complete, our initial group met up with some more 'SuperDormer-ers' and we departed for dinner. We walked back into town where we had previously been earlier in the day and scoured the restaurants for a favourable combination of price and cuisine, and a place that could sit all 16 of us together. We found a great Turkish restaurant that met all of our demands. After sitting down, we played the 'name game' and everyone proceeded to say their name, major, what school they hailed from, and interesting facts of their choice. The dinner soon arrived annd we all began to marvel at the cuisine that was now being front of our starving eyes. While nothing quite beats the 3TL street wraps of chicken and beef, this has been the BEST Turkish meal yet. Once we all began to devour our delicacies, we continued on with our conversations. The biggest plurality of students are from California, with pepperings of different nationalities: Turkish, American, Palestinian, Indian, and Lebanese. The majority of students are like me, pursuing an Arts & Sciences degree with focus on politics, religion, and/or history. This is definitely a great group of kids to be stuck with halfway across the world...
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| The Futbol Stadium Next to the SuperDorms |
