Archive for October 2014

A typical day as exchange student in Istanbul

I wake up to my alarm clock and the happy sounds of my 6 year old flatmate eagerly getting ready for school. Before I leave for my own school, I gobble up my non-Turkish breakfast: I just can’t detach myself from yogurt and muesli, because a Dutchman needs his dairy after all. The free shuttle bus my university provides…

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Turkey is beautiful. Thinking is, too.

Turkey is beautiful. That is probably the most obvious discovery I have made so far. University started a month ago, but it is only now that I’m finally leaving my vacation mood. After our trip to Çeşme and the first introductory weeks of classes, the national holiday of Bayram „forced“ us to take advantage of…

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Toilets, Money, and Vacation

Three weeks. That’s how long I’ve been in Istanbul, but it feels much longer. Somehow I just really feel comfortable here, despite all the complications that come along with being a foreigner. Hospitality here is legendary after all. But no matter how hospitable a new place is, there are all always these ‘weird’ differences you…

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