Merhaba friends!
Blogger on my computer is in Turkish now; I've been posting from my phone so I didn't notice until now. It turns out I get computer-compatible Wifi on South Campus and North Campus (including the library), which is nice.
Anyway, classes have begun in earnest. The instructors speak almost entirely in Turkish unless we ask specific vocab questions, which is great for immersion but can be confusing. I'm still unsure what homework is due tomorrow and which questions I'm supposed to do for the reading. It's a bit disconcerting.
Unfortunately, it seems like I'm already behind on work, because instead of sitting in the library doing work I've been hanging out with people from the program, exploring the city, and attempting to talk to people in Turkish. I don't think that's a problem though; there's no reason to stress out about grades that are just going to show up pass-fail, and I have been learning a lot from what I've been doing outside of class. I can more or less ask simple requests and respond politely, even if I can't express complex thoughts while speaking just yet. I think within a couple of weeks I'll be better, because the grammar in class is giving me the tools to be able to think and talk in Turkish.
Also, I should be able to start making research contacts this week, because Istanbul Onur Haftası is this week and I'll be going to the events that don't conflict with required TLCP activities (unfortunately I had to miss a panel today for class). I don't know how hard it will be since I'm not conversant in Turkish, but it seems like there's a lot of English speaking people at least. So, that's exciting. I asked one of the organizers if I could assist but I didn't get a reply; I probably started too late since the preparation mostly happened before I got to Turkey. One of my classmates wants to come to stuff with me, which is great.
I'm still adjusting to the schedule and accommodations, but I think I've already acclimating to Istanbul itself. Other than the language, daily life isn't all that different from living in any city in the US (though with Seattle's hills and New York's crowdedness; I imagine San Francisco is a good comparison). The views, though, I might want to avoid getting used to; there's probably a dozen gorgeous views of the Marmara and Anatolia between my dorm and class each morning. The hills may be a lot of climbing but you can't fault the scenery.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to work now, because I have Things To Do tomorrow evening and I need to get ahead.
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