A day in life

Life has started to be normal. I do not feel like I am in a completely different city, away from home and away from my university which I had called to be home for last three years. Istanbul has a lot of things to offer and there is always so much to do and see. For nerds who love history, culture, arts, language, architecture, religion and food, there can be no better place than Istanbul.

After almost two months in this city I do not feel like a tourist anymore. My routine has started to be normal again. My body is now comfortable with this environment (also includes sleeping in until 9 am everyday). Here is how a typical weekday is for me:

• Wake up around 9 AM ish 
• Grab some food if there is time before the first class or if there is food in the flat
• Rush to campus for the first class (I live 10-15 mins walking distance from campus)
• Couple of classes a day, drink some chay in between and eat whatever this town has to offer.
• Sit in the computer labs for a couple of hours, try to finish assignments but not without distractions.
• Then there is two options, either pick up a bite on the way home or stay out with friends (watching soccer or just hang out) before heading home.
• Plan on going to bed around midnight but procrastinating sleep for at least until 2 AM.
• While going to sleep, set up 3-4 alarms promising to self not to sleep for more than six hour.
• Next day, wake up even later skipping all the alarms and breaking all the promises from last night.

It has been a good two months but it also means that this life is coming to an end. It is definitely one of the biggest opportunities I ever grabbed. I have just over two more months before the semester gets over and life will be back to normal. It feels like I am living in a cocoon avoiding the responsibilities I have taken for last few years but the cocoon will eventually break and the big beautiful butterfly will come again. 

Oh yeah, about the weekends, nothing special there either. We go out or stay home, the nights are even longer and the days shorter.

Read More

Unknown 2:46 AM  No comment

It is party time!!

Getting ready to go rave!!

So. Let's talk about partying. Istanbul is an old city of young people. A lot of people are younger than 30 years old. And there's only one thing in everyone's mind, especially students, PARTYING. 

The view of Bosporus Bridge
 by the moonlight from my university

I was surprised that during the orientation there was an entire session for party. Don't get me wrong but a student organization called ESN presented about all the trips, parties, AND trips with parties.

But it comes at a cost. Istambul is "very very" cosmopolitan . And the part of the city I live in, European edge if Bosporus, it's all for young students like me. People party every day of the week. Sunday through Saturday there's always an excuse to party and you could find someone to party with. Public transportation runs from 5AM till midnight and the taksi covers the gap. They have very good coverage. Taksim is the nightlife part of the city. There are clubs, bars, restaurants of all sorts. Heterosexual, homosexual, Arabic, European, Asian, African, Rock, Reggae, you name it every thing is here. Everyone can a place of their choice easily. 

In a party with new exchange students during welcome week

But, buying alcohol is very expensive. Turkey, being a secular country still hold a majority Muslim population. The government has been slowly making alcohol policy stricter. And there is a very high tariff on alcoholic beverage. But you know you can always party without having to drink any alcohol. It is not advisable anyway. I have been out few times and they have been different experience every time.

Drinking age here is 18 but unlike America it is not very well monitored here. Also, there is no set closing time. Even though we are exchange students from America, we are considered Erasmus students (Erasmus is a European student exchange system). There are various groups that will organize various events for exchange students some of which are free and some require you to pay to be a part of.

Therefore, Istanbul welcomes you well. There is plenty to do during sunlight hours. And there is much more to do between the sunset and the sunrise

Blue Mosque by night!

Read More

Unknown 10:00 AM  1 comment

Istanbul reminded me of Kathmandu

So, I have been living in here in Istanbul for few days now and I love this country. And surprisingly, I found much similarity between Istanbul and Kathmandu, the city where I spend my teens.

• There are mosques everywhere, very similar to temples in Kathmandu. The traffic here is crazy as well.The first day I got here, our 30 minute drive turned out to be two hours. 

• There are open restaurants by the roadside where you could see "Doner" here like you see steaming momos on the streets of Kathmandu. 

• Tea (Chay) is very common here as well. The tea is a little different compared to Nepalese tea but are widely available and is the easiest thing you could get.

"Doner"

• Lots of street vendors. Bargaining for price on the street works very well. 
• There are quite a number of beggars as well.

Some key things that to know.

• Istanbul is NOT the capital of Turkey. The capital of Turkey is Ankara which is on Anatolian Peninsula (Asian Side). The capital was moved by the Founder of Turkish Republic, Ataturk, in 1923

• It is the largest city in Europe with 14 million + population. A majority of population is of age group 20-30 year making it a city of young people.

• It is the only city that is in two continents, Europe and Asia, separated by a narrow body of water called Bosporus Strait.

• It is one of the most important cities in the history of mankind. It was the capital of Roman, Byzantine, Latin and the Ottoman empires with almost 2000 year of history. 

• Visa is required for Nepalese Citizen to visit Turkey. American Citizen can get visa on arrival. There is direct connection to Istanbul from major American, European, African, Middle Eastern and Asian cities. Turkish Airlines have a direct flight from Kathmandu four times a week.

Turkish Chay

Istanbul map

(Please check other resources for date and other facts. I learned the above mentioned facts through conversation here) 

Read More

Unknown 9:00 AM  No comment

Beginner's Introduction

Hi,

My name is Parash and I am a student at the University of Northern Iowa. I am starting to blog about my upcoming adventure to Turkey and also plan on writing about other travel and experience I have had. My plan is to write actively which has never happened before. So I do not want to make promises yet.

Over next few months, I will be living in Istanbul, the world's most cosmopolitan city. Going to a school there and spending my time in two continents simultaneously will be a dream come true for me.

My host institution is Bahcesehir University and is located right on the edge of Bosporus on the Europen side. I will be staying few miles away from the campus but since they have a very extensive public transportation system, I do not feel that the distance will be a problem. We will see how everything goes.

I leave in exactly seven days from today.  I will be bidding adieu to Cedar Falls until late July. I have a lot of preparation to do but it does not feel like leaving yet. This place is very cold now but it will be absolutely pretty in few weeks. My past two spring in Cedar Falls were amazing and I know for sure that it has more to provide soon.

Overall, I am ready for this adventure. I am excited about Turkish food and the culture. Hope that not knowing Turkish language is not going to be a disadvantage. Keep sending me wishes and prayers. I will update you on my trips. Hope you will be able to see Istanbul through my posts.

Read More

Unknown 7:33 PM  No comment