Reflecting on this Year

When I started this blog in September, I had wanted to write about humorous things that I encountered while living in a different culture. Instead I began to write about a bit more personal things that interested me. And now I am a week away from going home, and I feel it's time for a final reflection. It is not final though, as I will be returning in August for another year of Turkish adventures.

Often friends ask me why I am staying in Turkey if I've had such a bad year. My year wasn't all that horrible though. Yes, I did not enjoy my teaching assignment, but that was only one portion of my life in Turkey this year. By nature I am a pessimistic person and always complain more than I express happiness about something. So, parts of this year were great. I'll talk about these now.

I had the amazing opportunity to travel a lot this year. In Turkey I visited these cities: Istanbul, Gallipoli, Çanakkale, Bursa, Izmir, Ephesus, Selçuk, Şirince, Pamukkale, Isparta, Burdur, Antalya, Olympos, Konya, Karaman, Ankara, Kayseri, Nevşehir, Amasya, Gaziantep, Trabzon, and Rize. And outside Turkey I visited: England, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Jordan, and Belgium. I had amazing experiences in these places and saw so many new things. Although I will be working more next year, I hope to continue traveling, especially around Antalya.

I had two amazing roommates. These girls became my best friends in Turkey and definitely made my survival in Isparta possible. I only lived with them for six months, but I will consider them friends for the rest of my life. They are so sweet and caring, and really showed me a lot about the love within Turkish families.

Fulbright friends. 54 of young Americans were thrown into some crazy situations in Turkey this year, and through that became very close. It became hard to explain our situations to friends and family back home, but our fellow Fulbrighters could especially understand these experiences. I have made a few very close friends through the camaraderie that was formed this year, friends I hope to visit in the US and continue to talk to for years.

My students. I became close with four students in particular and am so thankful for that. These four young Turkish men have taught me a lot about Turkish culture, politics, and relationships, and I look forward to seeing where our friendships go next year, hoping to visit them in Isparta and also their hometowns.

So often I was unhappy this year, homesick and missing Mexican food, frustrated with Turkish bureaucracy and superficiality, but overall it was a good year. Not great, but not horrible. Friends frequently ask why I am staying in Turkey another year and this is my answer: I had expectations of my Fulbright experience and they were not all met. But Turkey has so much to offer that I want to give the country another chance, to give me another year to learn and experience more, another year of Turkish adventures.