güle güle 2010, hoşgeldin 2011
This is part of my monthly report for the month of December.
It pretty much sums everything up. :)
Happy New Year everyone. In Turkish, Mutlu Yıllar, Yeni Yıliniz Kutlu Olsun, Iyi Yıllar, and many more. It’s hard to believe that it is actually 2011; the start of a new decade. For the exchange students of 2010-2011, it means the end of our “year of a lifetime.” That’s a scary thought. However, this second half of our exchange is also our chance to really live and make this country our home. I’m not sure what everyone else is doing, but that is my plan. I’ll do whatever it takes to make the most of the time I have left here, which is about six months. New years is a time when people around the world make decisions. Those decisions are based solely on the personal circumstances in which we find ourselves. I feel that as exchange students, we find ourselves in particularly unique circumstances this year since it is very likely that we will never see a year like this again. This is it.
So, I’m jumping in to this new year intentionally, realizing that I have one shot, and I’m going to make the most of it. Now that I’ve had the 2010 part of my exchange to adjust and settle, it’s time to show people who I am, why I am here, and what Rotary is all about.
When my family doesn’t have something planned, my weekends usually involve exploring the city to some extent. I’ve gotten on a bus without knowing exactly where I was getting off. I’ve hailed a taksi without practicing how I’m going to tell him where to go in Turkish. I’ve even walked down a street without knowing where I would end up. It always works out just fine. I’m really curious about the old city. I’m in Taksim all the time which is technically the old city, but I’m talking about beyond the Golden Horn. Exploring is always on the to-do list.
The week after Christmas was the real start of the holiday madness for folks in Istanbul. New Years Eve was on Friday and everyone was getting ready. On Tuesday, I performed for my school in a singing contest. The entire school and every teacher came to watch. I had a blast singing for them. I even spoke some Turkish which was way more nerve-wrecking than the singing. My good friend, Berke got second while my other friend, Elifsu, took the prize. It was a lot of fun for all of us. And I now feel like more people know me in the school. Walking down the hallways, I usually get at least 7 “hey”s. It’s great and I’m so happy that the music department invites me to sing a lot. It’s a passion of mine and I’m happy to share it with whoever wants to listen or sing along. I know several Turkish songs, so hopefully I’ll be able to sing in Turkish for some people soon. I’d love the opportunity.
New Years Eve was a lot of fun. I stayed home on Friday to be with my sweet host sister, Yasemin. She stayed in my room the night before and we fell asleep chatting. That next morning, she was like a kid around Christmas time. “Yay, it’s the New Year,” she said. “It will be a nice day.” I had to agree. We prepared some breakfast for ourselves and watched a movie together. Despicable Me @micaela erskine @emily garcia. :)Laura came over around lunch time and we had some Ramen noodles with köfte, or Turkish meatballs. We cleaned the house a little, but when my host mom got home from work, the cleaning really began. Family friends were coming over and spending the night. Cooking and cleaning like crazy. It was incredible the amount of food placed around the house. Soon, the friends arrived and the party began. Laura and I took the girls up to my room and we played music and talked about life. We even danced around a bit. Around 11:15, we played a sort of Turkish bingo called Tombala. The numbers were called out in Turkish and luckily I know my numbers very well. I didn’t win the prize but it did kill some time before the clock struck midnight and the new year began. Everyone kissed each other and said, “Mutlu Yıllar,” or happy new years. Then, the kids ran for the gifts. My family got me a really nice sweater and I wear it all the time. :) But they don’t realize that they’ve already given me the best gift possible. I have a new place I can call home, and it’s with them. What more could I ever want?
December was a great month. I saw snow several times, listened to holiday music, spent time with wonderful people, ate way too much, and introduced Christmas to my family. The best thing about this month was discovering how simply spending time with my family and feeling at home here fills me up. I’ve felt so incredibly full this month. Satisfied. Doydum. Rotary has told us from the beginning how difficult Christmas and the holidays would be, and I was ready for the struggle, but instead, I’ve felt even happier to be here. It’s incredible and I’m so thankful for this feeling. I know I can credit my host family with this. They have made me feel more welcome and loved than I could have ever imagined. Highlights of this month are all about them. I’ve felt the best when I’m spending time with them. I could go on and on. And I can’t wait to go to Antalya with my host mom and Yasemin. Not only because Antalya is beautiful, but because it’s just another chance for quality time with them. That means everything to me.
Thank you, Rotary, for all that you’ve done for me. For giving me this amazing opportunity for growth and spreading love as far as I can reach. Thank you.
