I'm posting this from the comfort of my mother's quaint New Hampshire house, where I am savoring the pleasures and riches of the countryside for the last time before my great adventure to Istanbul. What draws me to that area of the world? Who knows, really. It was kind of a whim. But I'm leaving on September 14th to see a part of the world I have never been remotely close to, studying and living at Bogazici University in Istanbul for four months. As an art history major, I can attribute my trip to my fascination with Byzantine architecture, such as Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya in Turkish (and yes, that's what they speak in Turkey. I get that question a lot). However, I don't really know if it's actually the architecture that makes me want to go. Maybe I'll find out when I get there!
Things I'm looking forward to in the mean time:
1) My cousin Mac is getting married to his high school sweetheart, Rachel, this coming weekend!
2) A haircut.
3) Attention from my family, especially my worried parents who think I'm going to step on a land mine or be abducted. This might be cute for a little while, and they might even throw me a going away party! But hopefully they won't go overboard obsessing about my safety. To their credit, they have been nothing but helpful so far.
That's all for now! All that's left to do is to pack (lightly) and get my visa in the mail...hopefully soon...
