Merhaba from Istanbul! Because the last 4 days (only 4!) has been a whirlwind, it is impossible to write about the range of feelings and things that have happened. I believe once I have settled in – I will be able to deconstruct it all piece by piece. In tiny snippets, Istanbul so far  –

1. My apartment is not ready.
2. Move aside fellow Fijians, the Turks take the title. 15 minutes means in 45 minutes.
3. Its a tea country and I have drunk countless cups of free tea offered everywhere I go.
4. Expression ‘Smoke like a Turk” is true. Its rather anti-social not to smoke. (Dear God, please let me not succumb)
5. The food is absolutely amazing and cheap.
6. The Turks dress really well. The works.
7. OMGEE! The men are hot.
8. Despite the size, the city is actually very clean.
9. Their public toilets are even cleaner.
10. The public transportation network is bloody amazing.
11. The traffic is terrible.
12. Its much faster to walk to places. I have walked a lot in the past 4 days.
13. Its colder than I expected.
14. I have already got lost 3 times. (where people have had to come pick me up from some corner)
15. I was only in the city 2 days when I crossed the Bosphorus river sea.
16. I blew a little tantrum which people I don’t know know about.
17. The coconut wireless is just as fast.
18. As luck turns out, I was again the only female in the new teachers batch.
19. Anticipated – I did get sick.
20. I cried when I heard my mother’s voice on skype.
21. I still don’t know what Past Perfect Continuous is.
22. I’m still getting used to how it an area goes from Middle Eastern to European in a matter of minutes.
23. People actually are really helpful.
24. Older men (like men) have this really bad habit to stare.
25. The Turkish are just as amazed with me being a Fijian as I am with them being well..Turkish!
26. I have not yet seen one tourist because I live so locally.
27. Traveling and living in a foreign country are two bloody different things.

And tomorrow I’m teaching a total of 7 hours! (which I have just been told now. 7.59pm. How Turkish!)

ps. I have not taken a single photo yet! (How not very facebookish!)