Merhaba from Istanbul!

Before I delight you with tales of my adventures, allow me a moment to share a few observations about my new home, Istanbul, Turkey.

1. It doesn't take a lot of research to see that Istanbul is home to a population about 4 times that of British Columbia.  A lesser-known fact, however, is that the city is home to as many seagulls as Canada is home to people.  They are everywhere.  I consider myself fortunate that they have not yet organized to form a sort of evil gull tribe that could carry away small children or block traffic, and instead spend their time trying to relieve unsuspecting tourists of their simit (a common form of street food, basically a bread doughnut).
2. Speaking of traffic, I would like to reassure everyone who said "are you sure the Middle East is safe?" referring to kidnap, violent jihadists or other terrors hyperbolized by the Western Media that my demise in Turkey will likely come, not from a terrorist, but from a rushed businessman who was trying to drive too fast down a winding cobbled street while simultaneously texting and shouting at his family in the back seat.  There are no traffic laws here.  I was warned of this, and believed myself prepared to do as the locals do.  However, this left me balancing on the line in the middle of the road (also known as the motorcyclists' route), swaying back and forth as though I was doing a DUI test with the Turkish folk as cars whizzed by on either side.  Don't worry Mom, I am learning to be more careful, and I am going to avoid crossing main streets.
3. The people here are among the friendliest I've ever encountered.  Passing by shops and moving through crowds, people greet you, but don't hassle you, and are always helpful in pointing out directions, correcting your abysmal Turkish, and suggesting neat things to check out in the city.  As a woman in Vancouver, I have sadly had to become used to unpleasant comments, inappropriate groping in crowded spaces or bars, and other unwanted advances from men.  I have not encountered anything but polite respect from the locals, perhaps as a result of more commonly held religious values, or perhaps because (in my admittedly limited observations of Turkey thusfar) women are objectified much less in advertising and media.  I like feeling safe walking through unfamiliar streets in the evening, even when the presence around me is predominantly male.

And now onto adventures!
I arrived in Istanbul late on Tuesday night.  A somewhat stressful crash-course in public transit later, I made it to Sisli/Mecidiyekoy Metro, which is quite close to my new home.  I was met there by Basak, my new roommate.  She and her best friend Nihan (also Turkish), are both students (forestry and satellite engineering), and they rent out the 2 empty rooms in their lovely apartment to exchange students in order to work on their English.  It has paid off, because we have had many opportunities to chat about topics from family to religion to politics, and they have had no problem expressing themselves and being understood.  We spent the first evening chatting and getting to know one another, and a good deal of the next morning was spent with Nihan having a long breakfast.  I tried my first cups of Turkish tea, and I can safely predict that I will consume my weight in that delicious liquid before I leave the country.

Around noon, I gathered my wits, my map, and my courage and set out into a completely giant and unfamiliar city.  I walked from Taksim square, the city centre most recently famous for last summer's anti-government protests, south along incredibly crowded streets.  The air is different, filled with different cooking smells, tobacco smoke (everyone smokes here!), and occasionally with the evocative and beautiful calls to prayer.  I made my way down crowded walking streets, made chaotic by the attempted passing of cars and motorbikes, passing stores selling everything from pashmina scarves to traditional folkloric instruments to flashing LED lights to refrigerators.

I stopped at Galata Tower (circa 1348), originally built on the site of a wooden lighthouse dating from 528.  The tower is 67 meters high, and offers a gorgeous view of the Bosphorus and the stunning architecture that Istanbul is renowned for.  I spent some time up the tower, photographic the mosques and Topkapi palace across the straight, and resolved to come back during the golden hour.  I then crossed the Golden Horn on Galata bridge, famous for the hordes of fishermen who crowd it each day to cast their lines into the water.  The views from the bridge are stunning.

I wandered the squares on the southern side of the Horn, eating street food and marvelling at the ridiculously fast pace of the city's tourist centre.  After circumnavigating it to appreciate the splendour from all sides, I covered my hair, removed my shoes and entered Yeni Cami, the New Mosque.  It was breathtaking.  Although it was not the hour of prayer, there were many believers inside worshipping God.  The walls are delicately tiled and the domes soar high overhead.  Although dimly lit, the splendour of the artistry was not lost.  I always find it humbling to enter extravagantly beautiful houses of worship, whether giant gothic cathedrals or huge, domed mosques, and the fervour with which people were praying in that holy space defies words.

I eventually left the mosque and made the trek back across the Horn.  I'm finding it a lot easier to navigate Istanbul than Amsterdam, mostly because uphill is home, and downhill is water.  I am quite certain that I will regain some fitness just by living in a city with steeply cobbled streets; it was quite a trek back to Taksim.  I found my way home with little difficulty, much to my relief, and I'm settling in well.  Today has been a laid back day, due to jet lag and unanticipated exhaustion, I mostly spent the day working out plans for school/banks/groceries etc.  Tomorrow I am planning to bus down to a different part of the waterfront to go for a run, and maybe take a ferry ride between continents.  I arrived thinking that I would feel like a local in no time, and would be able to get a hang of the city.  This may be true of my more immediate surroundings, but I had no concept of just how huge Istanbul is, and I would not be familiar with the city even if I lived here for the next 5 years.  It is equal parts intimidating and exciting, I can't wait to see more of what this place has to offer.