Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Finally got out of my room tonight after two straight nights of nothing (1 because I forgot my phone was on silent). I went and played "billiards" (they refuse to call it pool) with Dalha (Pakistani) and ended up losing 5 games to 4. I then went to a different cafe in the middle of town with Abu and Firdavs to try baklava (the cafe has the reputation of having the best). Not sure 100% what it is made of except the inside is a nut mixture (pistachios they claimed) and oil. Tasted pretty good.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

So you wanted another post but nothing major has happened, only a couple small things. 1) I was stopped by two random Turkish guys who were trying to speak Russian to me (assuming I was Russian) 2) Apparently bikes have the right away over vehicles at 4 way stops 3) Nigerians and Turks have both attempted to teach me to dance on separate occasions 4) Today is the first time it has rained for more than 5 minutes at a time and it has been sprinkling all day (yet to see a heavy rain) but I am still able to wear shorts and a t-shirt comfortably. Hopefully it warms up soon so I can go to the beach (university has a private beach club)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

So Monday night I was introduced to one of the "hangout" spots by Ash (Egyptian that sounds American) at one of the cafes and there met his friends from a slew of countries (Lebanon area). Tuesday night I went to Firdavs new apartment and enjoyed dinner with his new Turkish roommates (Muhsin, Yunis, and Murat) and Yunis plans on inviting me back so he can cook one of his favorite Turkish dishes. On the note of classes, it is only the 3rd day of classes and I have already come to dread going, although this may be caused by my 8:30 am classes 4 days a week.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Friday I got to sample Abu's cooking this time (I believe Yansin cooked the first time) and Abu has also decided that he will attempt to pass on some of his cooking ability to me with his remaining time at EMU. He prepared a spaghetti (absolutely amazing) of a sort (with many spices and less than normal sauce), chicken legs, and chicken pieces (not sure what they were called, just bite size pieces of flavored chicken). He had planned the meal for 5 people but several friends of theirs showed up unexpectedly and we ended up sitting 9 people around a small table (their dining table) and the food worked out perfectly somehow. This weekend I also figured out where to take my laundry (where I get to just drop it off and come back 3 hours later and have it already folded, was awesome) and then went bowling with Aytilla and Jazgulu. The main person (I assume owner) working the bowling alley went to take a ball from the lane we were on and I asked him to leave it because I was using it (by accident found a finger tip ball) and came to find out it was actually his ball. As he then saw I could actually bowl a little, he wrote random messages on our screen and even offered me a free drink if I could get different things. On the walk back to my dorm from bowling, there were two people talking in the middle of the path and as I was passing I heard one of them speak and had to turn around and ask him if he was American because of his accent. Ends up he is Egyptian (tricked first by Iraqi and now Egyptian) but spent some time going to school in America. Regardless, I talked to them for awhile and by the time I had left, I had gotten another person who could speak perfect English to offer me his assistance if I needed anything (as well as some tips on teachers).

Friday, February 17, 2012

So after physics class (which only one other student from Bursa, Turkey showed up to), which the teacher did not even come to, I finally got my meal plan which starts tomorrow now. Then broke down and bought a burger at one of the little food shops that are all over campus (little wooden building that sells food and drink really cheap). She made the burger right there and then loaded it with all kinds of things (fried onions, lettuce, etc) all for only 4 Tl. Was then going to go shopping with Firdavs but he had to talk to his teacher and I just so happened to run into Abu, his Nigerian roommate, who offered to show me some stores. During our walk through town (at a very leisurely pace to enjoy the conversation) we once again had countless deep conversations ranging from his desire to impact the world (I have yet to meet another my age who matches his intellect, depth, and sincerity). The first shop we stopped had jeans for 150 Tl which was ridiculous. The next play had them for 80 Tl so I got a pair and ended up only paying 45 Tl after discounts. Then a couple shops later I found a shirt (short sleeves are not in stores yet as they still think it is winter) for another 24 Tl. After that we began walking back when I noticed a piece of colored paper coming towards me (ridiculously windy today, Abu says that means summer is near). I tried to step on it because the money here is colored and managed to push it down a drain so I saw another two pieces and managed to grab one (a 20) while Abu grabbed another from the street (a 5). We then proceeded to (with the help of 4 of his friends that just so happened to be passing by) use a piece of leftover plywood (bent in half to make pincers) to grab the other piece from the drain (there drains are shallow). All in all I spent 69 Tl and then made 45 Tl walking back. On the way to the dorm we stopped to have a cup of tea (half a lira for students) which I am actually beginning to enjoy.
So I got 3 of the 4 classes I thought I was going to have (sucks but I will get over it) and my backup classes were only offered in Turkish. Missed my first class because the idiot assistant told me I could not get my username and password for the blackboard (wrong) and without it I could not see my class times. Met the teacher though and she is American so understanding here should not be to hard. On another note, the cleaning ladies have a key to our room apparently and come in as they need to (dunno what they clean yet). I know this because she opened the door to let the repairman in (at 10 am) and he is currently fixing random stuff in our room that was loose or broke (lock on one of the cabinets). Best part = roommate is still sleeping, or at least was before the power tools started.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

So after 3 hours (on day 3 of trying to register) I am now registered for 2 of my 4 classes. Also I am currently experiencing my first Cyprus rain shower and my roommate is still sleeping at 2 in the afternoon.

Monday, February 13, 2012

The meal with Firdavs was very interesting. It started as my second night time trip into Famagusta except this time I went much further. He showed me a larger grocery store than what I had experienced until then, a shopping store much like what one would expect at a Walmart, and even managed to point out the Turkish version of Dollar General. I also got to go inside of a (not an old church this time) mosque and view a prayer session and see all of the beautiful architecture and artwork. At his apartment, I met his 3 roommates, all from different African countries, and experienced one of their cultural dishes. During the meal I was amazed at the depth of one of his roommates as we had conversations ranging from comedians, to religions, to different perspectives, the negative views on Islam due to terrorists, to quoting Karl Marx and things as simple as our families. The meal was interesting because it made one feel very welcome and that we were actually eating as a group, not just sitting down at a restaurant, eating quickly and leaving. The tempo was extremely relaxed and after the meal was done they simply cleared the table, replaced it with a bowl of nuts and tea for everyone and continued the conversation. Already this trip has given me experiences that are priceless that I do not think I will ever be able to forget. The feelings and thoughts I gained from this “simple” meal cannot be expressed in words. Every time I reread this I have to add another thing and I do not believe it will ever suffice.
So the Ukrainian (not sure of name still...) is my roommate and there are actually 2 (I was told 1, but 1 guy, 1 girl). Was going to register today but did not know department so I could not. Instead took tour of Famagusta (part of it I already had but did not take camera last time). Saw an old monastery, older ruins of a castle, a huge castle (part of city is built inside of it), and a converted church. Tonight I have been invited to Firdavs house for dinner.
So the Ukranian is here.....I know this because 3 people knocked on my door at 1 am and in broken English informed me this new person would be sleeping in my room for the night. Now we are awkwardly sitting in my room until someone comes to get him (already 12:30 pm) and we cannot communicate as he does not speak English and I do not speak Russian....

Sunday, February 12, 2012

And now after all the posts (since I finally have internet if you cannot tell), it is Sunday evening (as you all are just waking up) and today we had lunch at a "5 star" hotel (I think there rating system is a bit different, but still very nice). I might be getting part time job just to fill the time (at the hotel) since so far I have been bored out of my mind without video games :'(
Saturday morning was bored again but finally got a shower and started to feel human. Went on a tour to a city in the north (not sure of name again) where we saw another castle. Was overall an enjoyable day other than a migraine. Firdavs, an assistant to international program (student) helped me order jug of water and pump and gave me tour of campus and will hopefully be helping me get couple more things I need tomorrow before next thing. Bored again at night since still no internet cable…..
Got about an hour of sleep again before I was summoned to the exchange student lunch. I am the only American in the group, the only other American decided to wait until next semester (and due to him I also have my own room at the moment, dunno if that will change). We then went on tour of city. Saw Othello tower and castle where they pointed out site where he killed his wife. Very cool and big castle, apparently the 4th most defensible wall in world. We then saw an old church which was converted into a mosque, also very cool. Then went back to campus where I was bored out of my mind without internet and eventually passed out at 8 pm, woke up at 5 am and pigged out on snacks and water, and then slept till 8 am.
So I finally got to check in at 4 am after about an hour’s worth of sleep on a hard metal bench (we finally moved because the group would not shut up). I wandered around the gate area as the Duty Free Shop was huge and stretched the length of the entire gate area it appeared. This was nice as I had finished off my first pack of gum and found out my second half-full pack was stale (didn’t know gum went stale) and had to purchase more gum. Pretty sure I got ripped off as I paid more for 3 packs of gum than I did for a meal in Cyprus. Found some more comfortable seats for awhile but then got bored and wandered again until I sat in the first gate area where I could see a board (my flight had not been assigned a gate yet). There I got to watch security stare at an abandoned bag for a good 20 minutes and when I attempted to tell them it had been there awhile they ignored me because they couldn’t understand a word I said. When my gate was finally assigned I moved to that area where another security person decided I was suspicious I guess because he sat 3 seats down from me when there was only 1 other person at the gate and then proceeded to act like he was sleeping while staring at me. Unfortunately for him he is a horrible actor and I caught him at least 3 times just staring before he finally left (he was also wearing his badge although he had taken his coat off so not at all suspicious). Gate finally opened, they screened your bags again at the gate and you then sat in another lounge until it was your boarding group when we walked through door, down stairs, and onto bus that drove to plane where we lined up and waited to get on plane in the snow while I was wearing a t-shirt. While it may be 60 something in Cyprus, it was 20 something in all of Europe and my plan of staying inside airports did not work at all. Flight landed in Cyprus, I got my bags, found driver, and was driven to campus
So starting from Chicago. Flew to Paris on an overnight flight and our flight was only about 1/3 full so everyone who wanted one had their own row although I technically had my own row before flight because I sucked up to stewardess and she blocked out the seat next to me so no one could change to it. Flight was 8 hours long, leaving Chicago at 5pm local time and arriving at 8 am local time in Paris. Definitely loving these sound-canceling headphones as I was surrounded by three babies for this flight but sadly made the mistake of getting only about an hour’s worth of sleep. So when I landed in Paris I had about an hour and a half to go through customs, find my bag, find my new airline and check my bag and get to gate. If this had been St. Louis it would not have been a problem except CDG is HUGE. Thank goodness customs was really fast (and forgot to stamp my passport) and bags came out right away because I had to walk from terminal (at least) 10 to terminal 1 (go figure). This even involved going outside through two parking garages and a mini metro link. Finally got to right terminal and checked my bag and they said the gate was “right behind the wall”. This really meant you walk behind the wall into a 5-story circle like building which gave you 50 different options for gates and at this point I didn’t even know what gate I was going for. So I just asked every cop or worker and eventually ran into a dude who was taking the same flight and said I could just follow him. Sadly landed while dark so did not get to see Paris at all and took off without seeing anything either. One interesting part about CDG though was that the military (I am guessing) handled the majority of the security and were very obvious, passing groups of 4 in full dress (with rifles or submachine guns) quite often. The flight to Zurich, Switzerland was only 50 minutes and I spent that talking to a kid about my age on one side (limited English and could not understand where he was from) that could speak at least 4 different languages that I caught and a Frenchman on the other side who spoke a fair amount of English and liked talking about the different history of the areas we passed, e.g. Switzerland has an area that speaks Italian, an area that speaks French, and an area that speaks German. Even though our flight was only 50 minutes we got served some type of bread (no clue what it is called) and for desert got a Swiss chocolate (yum). Naturally, on this flight was a toddler in the row in front of me repeating “papa” every second the entire flight while his baby brother had a cry-off with the baby two rows behind me. The Frenchman across the aisle was getting quite aggravated which was entertaining while I drowned out the crying with my headphones again. So I landed in Zurich (to the side-note that it has the reputation as the most beautiful airport in Europe, courtesy of Frenchman #1), and just had to go to my next gate since I was still flying on Swiss Airlines. To get to the gate I had to pass through a security point (mini-customs it seemed) and that’s when I found out they did not stamp my passport in Paris and that there was now an unhappy Swiss guy added to the count. Thankfully I still had all my boarding passes and he did not want to mess with it so he let me go (without another stamp). Once again my gate was the last gate at the opposite end of the airport (not sure how 43 is after 44-60) and even had its own sign (whereas they typically say 40-60 this way). When I got to the gate area (take a motion sensor escalator up) I was greeted by more cops and a canine unit because someone left a jacket in the gate area. I attempted to then update the blog since it advertised I was sitting in a hotspot but every wireless connection was protected.
The flight from Zurich to Istanbul was uneventful (although had the most turbulence while landing in Istanbul in the snow), and I even got another half hours sleep somewhere in the middle of it and woke up looking out the window as we were flying over the Alps which were breathtaking. This flight was 2 hours and 30 minutes and we got served a meal of some type of pasta and a desert I did not catch the name of. Both were extremely tasty and put American Airline’s overnight dinner/breakfast to shame (not that they needed help). Instead of noisy infants this flight I got the random noisy/hyper old lady who constantly moved her seat back and forth and screamed random noises as she saw different things she wanted a picture of. Thank God again for those headphones.
Got to Istanbul at ~4:00 pm local time (8 hours ahead of central) and this was my biggest layover so far so assumed I would have plenty of time to claim baggage (switching airlines again) and catch my next flight. Sadly it took almost two hours to get through customs and by the time I got my bag and got to check-in counter it was 6:00 and my flight was at 6:30. Turkish Airlines also failed to inform me that it has a mandatory hour before flight check-in that if not met your seat is given away. So I got to sit here (where I have all this lovely time to type this) until 9:05 then because there was another flight to Cyprus at 10 pm and I was put on stand-by so once it hit the one hour mark I could take their seat. Sadly when I checked, there were 2 extra passengers instead of less than capacity (not sure how they worked that one out) although I did talk to the pilot of the flight as he checked in next to me but I was unable to convince him to let me on. So instead of that flight I got to wait stand-by for the next flight at 8 am in morning (which I was also told was full) to maybe get on that one or the one after it at 10 pm (originally I was not told about the 8 am flight). Just a note for anyone traveling this far East, everyone as far as Switzerland spoke a decent amount of English but once you get to Turkey, almost no one does. Thankfully Jamal (random airport employee, not sure exactly what he does) decided to ask me if I needed help after I went from check-in counter  ticket purchasing counter  stand-by counter  ticket purchasing counter (and on). Without his translations I am not sure if they would have ever finally done anything or just stared at me. Regardless, I annoyed the ticket lady until she told me someone dropped the 8 am flight and I am now a booked passenger and one that plans on checking in 3 hours before the flight so they cannot make me wait even longer, although it was not completely negative. I must say that people are extremely polite and you meet the most unexpected people at airports. St. Louis – Larger biker looking lady who just so happened to be flying St. Louis – Chicago – Europe and able to offer little tidbits on getting through Paris Chicago – 20 year old dude who was taking semester off school to travel Europe by himself for 3 months (and put my packing to shame with having one little bag). He also informed me of which internet I could use when I couldn’t figure it out. Paris – Frenchman who was my guide to gate, Frenchman with nearly perfect English and apparent history teacher Zurich – Was actually disappointing here although I may have been passing out at this point. Istanbul – Other than Jamal the Translator, we have the random air-ticket person who literally started running trying to get me on the 10 pm flight (even though it was not a success) and then most unexpected after not being understood or hearing English for so long was the dude only a couple years older than me that sat down on the bench and showed he spoke English when I was asking the Armenian where he got his water. Other than speaking English, he was actually from Colorado and having similar problems with Turkish Airlines (a sign not to use them?) as he was heading home from visiting family in Iraq. Once again I got a history lesson on the many political situations that have come and past in the various countries and learned he was actually born in Iraq and moved to America. The Armenian was another example of how kind people can be for no reason at all for even though he could barely understand me led me all the way back across the airport and translated so I could get water (also paid for by the kid from Colorado since we could use Euros and he was heading back to the states). And now, as the 3 Armenians, American, and other like 3 people in this lounge are all woken up by yet another (very large) group of traveling Muslim women (possibly religious trip), you are caught up.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Now sitting for hour and half in Chicago before next flight. Also managed to find the most expensive bag of Reese's pieces at $5 and had to fill out a lovely form when I informed the lady I would not also pay $5 for a bag of M&Ms. So I went ahead and filled it out but pretty much the only accurate information was my name and reason. Why they need my address and number for a void is beyond me. Also just realized I packed my camera in carry on so I could take pictures along way but not the USB cord to upload them......
Packed and visiting grandparents before heading to st. Louis airport for first of 5 flights