First Day in Istanbul

Today marks my first day abroad in Istanbul, Turkey. Although this trip is not part of my summer of service, this is the gateway to that part of my trip—the place where I will break my jet lag, the place where I will become acquainted with the Mediterranean, the place that will be my home with friends for a week before I begin working.

My life here with Out of the Blue, in the care of Esma’s hospitable chauffeurs, cooks, gardeners, and family members, is a little bit more pampered than I expected. However, isn’t this what the summer is all about, to experience the unexpected? I guess this is a form of culture shock for me—leaving my plate on the table to be cleaned for me, not pouring my own drinks or throwing away my own trash, expecting a driver to pick me up at a certain time. Although this isn’t the kind of treatment that would send me into a diagnosed reaction to culture shock such as vomiting or anxiety (like they warned me might happen), I am a little surprised at how the upper-upper class life functions here in Turkey, and how it will be to barter in the Grand Bizarre with one of Istanbul’s well-known socialites.

We have not yet had the chance to explore the city, since we have been at Esma’s house to sleep, shower, eat, and hang out after our long and confining 11 hour plane ride from New York. Tomorrow, however, is the day that we will venture out (camera’s ready), to the Grand Bizarre and the big Turkish mall after we take a boat to lunch.

For now, I just take pride in the fact that I have become a mini-resident of the Mediterranean—for a week in Turkey and 8 weeks in Greece. I can only hope that the sights I will see and the people I will meet will be as beautiful, multifaceted, and breathtaking as the view of the ocean and city perched on the hillsides that I have been breathing in all day from Esma’s patio.