T-minus 4 Days

All right, friends. Here it goes.

I begin with this disclaimer: I have never maintained a blog before. I'm used to keeping my own counsel, for the most part, and I do that in my head, not even on paper. This year, I'm also going to try to keep a physical journal for my own looking-back purposes. I don't know how I feel about immortalizing my thoughts anywhere, much less on the internet, so bear with me while I adjust. I'm excited...I mean, this is only one of many things that are about to change.

So, here's the story up until this point:

Back in mid-June I (finally) found out that I had been offered a Fulbright grant to teach English in Turkey for a year. (Really an academic year--nine months.) I had also applied (and been accepted) for a one-year masters program at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in Middle East and Central Asian Security Studies. The MECASS program at St. Andrews is world-renowned and kind of amazing, but I didn't get the financial aid that it would take for me to go. So, had I not received the Fulbright, I was going to work in Asheville, my hometown in North Carolina. Ideally, this work would have had something to do with selling menswear in a department store. I know, funky, right? I'm just fascinated by how guys dress within their limited options. If you're really curious, I have an entire spiel, which I'd be happy to share. Also, if you're a guy and you need someone to dress you...

But I did get the Fulbright, and I was placed at Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon. Check out its location in Turkey on the map below:

Yeah, so, I'm right on the Black Sea, people, and MAN is it gorgeous. Check out this smattering of pictures that, every time I see them, get me amped up to get going:

And, yes, this one is of a MONASTERY CARVED OUT OF A ROCK FACE!

Trabzon is right on the water (and Karadeniz Teknik--that's how the Turks spell the university's name--is actually, literally, located right on the aforesaid coast), but it's also backed up against these breathtaking mountains which are often compared to the Swiss Alps. That's right, I'm on the BEACH and in the ALPS at the same time. The Big Man upstairs has truly blessed me with this opportunity.

Now, let us fast-forward through the summer. As the images sprint past, notice the scene of Kat waiting around to find out her placement. Then there's Kat freaking out about getting her medical clearance in time and getting stuck all over with weird blood tests. Oh, look, more images of Kat freaking out, this time because she has to FedEx copies of her contract all the way to Turkey. You know, this freaking out thing is becoming a pattern; notice Kat in the "freak position" (weeping into her hands and curled up like a fetus) when she (finally) receives the letter from the Turkish Higher Education Council that will allow her to apply for her visa...but receives countless and conflicting accounts of whether she can mail in her application (along with her precious passport) or whether she will be required to go to the New York consulate (that's right--DC only serves its immediate neighbors and ignores the rest of the South...qu'est-ce que c'est, people?) IN PERSON before she leaves...in a month. Oh, finally, an image of jubilation as Kat dances for joy when her passport returns to her, safe and sound, complete with hard-earned work visa. But there she goes, crying again, clutching her brother for dear life as she says goodbye to her favorite person in the whole wide world. Now the crying becomes a serious pattern as she tries to pack, and as she says farewell to friends, and as she realizes that it might cost her $150 to take a second checked bag from Istanbul to Ankara. Stupid domestic flights.

That (basically) brings us to today. In four days, I get on a plane. Well, a lot of planes. In case you're curious, here's the itinerary:

Asheville --> Detroit
Detroit --> Amsterdam
Amsterdam --> Istanbul
Istanbul --> Ankara

Upon arriving in Ankara, I will spend 10 days with the rest of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (all of whom I am eager to meet; we have epic conversations on the wall of our Facebook group), learning Turkish and how to teach English to university students. Also, hopefully, locating a serviceable Turkish cell phone. Hopefully I can get a group together to go a-shoppin' for our options, as I have coined this adage about the whole experience:

1 Confused American = Ignorant Tourist
Group of Confused Americans = Cultural Experience for Everyone

Whoo! So after orientation (don't worry; I'll have many updates, I'm sure, as well as many new friends), then they will ship me off to Trabzon along with two other Americans, and we will be there for the majority of the next nine months. I am planning on some weekend trips to explore the rest of the country, and (hopefully!) I'll have the opportunity, during the major two-week break at the end of the semester (last week of January, first week of February), to trek around Eastern (perhaps even Western) Europe.

Right now, we have the stress of trying to pack. Perhaps I'll post an update on how that's going, for all of you playing at home who might be curious. Packing for a year is intense, man!

Until next time...(remember, at this point I'm still in the country...)