My New Turkish Apartment

After being in Isparta for nearly three months, I have finally moved. My department did provide me amazing (free!) housing, but I had a pretty difficult time living there. It was basically a small house with a nice kitchen, laundry, family room, guest room, and amazing view. But it was very isolated, lonely, and at times scary. So, after looking for a flat for over a month, I have finally moved off the hill!

A friend who works with the Erasmus exchange students from Europe introduced me to two Turkish girls last week. I came and saw the place and after a few days decided that this was where I needed to move. It is not as close to the city center as I was hoping, but it is about 5 minutes to the bus station/mall/large grocery store and a 5 minute walk to the bus stop that takes me directly to school. The city center and most restaurants are still about a 15 minute walk, but overall the location is much better than my little house on the edge of the forest. I do have to purchase some furniture for my room though, so once I buy my bed, I will post a picture.

The two girls are very sweet. They are both students, but are 23 and 25, and their English is fairly good. They were seriously so giddy when I moved in last night. They are thrilled about having an American flatmate to practice their English with. And I am thrilled about their cooking. Dinner and breakfast were amazing. I really hope they can help me to learn to cook. Last night they even set up my makeshift bed on the couch without me realizing while I was unpacking. Oh, Turkish hospitality.

I can easily detect a change in my attitude and feelings about being in Turkey and am so glad I decided to move. Having to pay rent, instead of being at the free university housing, was a choice definitely for the best. We'll see how the year goes though, but for now, at least I can say that I feel welcome in my new home and that I'm sharing meals with people!