The Return

I am back in Ohio after two incredible months in Turkey. My last week was an absolute whirlwind of American culture night fun, a goodybe party with my friends from around the world, packing and moving out of my host family's house, enjoying a last meal at the Turkish McDonald's that always tasted so good, going to have a Turkish bath at the hamam, and finally, catching my overnight bus at 3:30 am Friday morning to go to Istanbul.
I'm not going to get into the craziness that ensued between my arrival at the Istanbul Airport and finally reaching home, but it involved sleeping on the floor of JFK Airport in NYC. Two nights with no sleep and I am still feeling the effects.
I just want to say thank you for all the support and interest I was granted. I was so afraid and upset about leaving Ohio to go by myself to some distant land where I was unsure of what awaited me. But, I found that in pushing myself, I was rewarded with a new outlook on life and what is possible for me to accomplish. Turkey was the perfect place for me to go; I felt alive there and it felt like a second home after a short time. Every once in awhile, while I was in Turkey, I would stop, and a wave of disbelief would rush over me..."I am in Turkey." So far from home, in such a different land. Now, sitting in my backyard, I can't believe I'm not in Turkey. I can't believe that I don't know when I will be going back. I miss the Turkish breakfast, the sight of minarets breaking the horizon, the call to prayer, my trainee and AIESEC friends, tea in little tulip glasses, Turkish music, old Ottoman buildings. I miss almost everything about my experience. Now is the start of my senior year at Miami, but also the beginning of a countdown until I can return to Turkey again!
Hope to see all of you soon!
Love,
Natalie

Ephesus and Marmaris

Sorry for the lapse in time between my last post and now, but since my time remaining in Turkey is short, I have been trying to stay as busy as possible. Elysia and I were also planning a lot for American culture night, but more about that later. Two weekends ago, we all went on our last AIESEC tour to Ephesus and Marmaris. Our overnight bus ride took 5 hours, but that was nothing compared with our past bus ride of 13 hours to Antalya! We were immediately put into smaller charter buses for the ride to Ephesus. We always have fun on the bus, making AIESECers from each country sing a "traditional song" at the front of the bus (Elysia and I represented the U.S.A. with a rendition of "L-O-V-E") and then we all get up and dance in the aisles. It makes long bus trips much more fun.
Before going to the Ephesus site, we went to the Selcuk Museum to see artifacts found around Ephesus and learn a little bit about the history of the area. We next went to the ruins of St. John's Basilica, where you can also see the tomb of St. John in the center of a jumble of collapsed columns and half-standing archways. We then had lunch (gozleme) sitting on cushions in the shade and took a little nap. We got back in the buses and wound our way up the hillside so that we were overlooking the town of Selcuk, and then headed back off the main road to the house of the Virgin Mary. It is a stone house that has a one large room that is now a shrine and a side room. We passed quietly through the house and shrine, bedecked with flowers and rosaries, and back out into the sunlight.
Ephesus was a short drive from the Virgin Mary's house. People know of Ephesus from such sources as the Evangelist Paul's letters to the Ephesians, and the Ephesus site is known archaeologically for its completeness. The park entrance and the first glance at city is not impressive, just a small theater and lines of columns, but as you move further down the main road, the incredible intactness of Ephesus is overwhelming. There is a main roadway running through the agora of the city that once was flanked by columns and covered walkways on either side. There are squares with temples and fountains, relatively intact, off the main roadway. The mosaic tiles found on the floors of houses are exposed. As you cross through the main gate of the city, you get a glimpse of the Library of Celsus, an incredible structure several stories high, of which the facade is still intact. There are archways and doorways that stare at you as they tower above the columns of lesser buildings.Crossing through archways to the right of the Library you reach the amphitheater that seats 20,000. It's a massive construction, and it's hard to imagine the ancient performances that took place in the setting. Ephesus is a must-see because of how intricate and complete the city is for its age.
After Ephesus, we went on our way to Marmaris, arriving late at night, but just in time for a moonlight cruise around the harbor in Marmaris, lounging on deck chairs and looking at the town from the sea. The next morning we woke up early in order to get on boats to go to Dalyan to go swimming in the Aegean Sea. We took the boats through a swampy area with tall reeds that opened up into the sea. We docked and found a place on the beach and then jumped in! We spent most of the day there in the sun and sea. That evening we explored the nightlife of Marmaris, mostly consisting of several nightclubs along a wide alley blaring music very loudly.
The next day we got up to go out on another boat for our remaining time in Marmaris. We watched the mountains and the sea pass us by as we cruised around, stopping at places like "Paradise" to go swimming. The water is so blue and clear in the shallow sections. Marmaris was incredibly relaxing, and I know all that attended the tour were sad to leave! Look at the pictures of my excursion to the Aegean!