Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Merhaba! (Hello!)

Well I have been in Ankara for a few days now, and I am pretty much fluent! I wish! Though the lack of my Turkish language knowledge is quite frustrating, other than that everything has gone pretty smoothly thus far. Thank you so much for all your wonderful thoughts throughout this time; I know they are what carry me through it! The flight here couldn't have gone any better. No missing luggage, friendly people on all the planes; the most confusing airport was the one in Chicago and everything was in English! Thanks America! My apartment is quite comfy and very close to the school. The other new teachers her e have been great companions to explore Ankara with (a.k.a. get lost). Thus far we have successfully shopped at the local grocery store, IKEA, and the mall. No, I am not on a world shopping tour; you just have to get a lot of stuff when you move to a new country. I have successfully ordered wonderful Turkish food from a restaurant (tavuk Şiş- chicken kebab). We walk pretty much everywhere, but we have somewhat successfully ridden in a taxi and a dolmuş (small Turkish bus). Locals have been very patient with us all. There aren’t too many non-Turkish people in Ankara so we do a lot of hand gestures and shaking of heads. I really want to learn the language as fast as possible, but must remind myself that it won’t happen overnight. I just hope for courage to use the Turkish I know and am learning when I am out and about. It is a very humbling experience for me, but very good too. It has given me great respect for the people trying to learn English in America! Well I work tomorrow morning, so I will keep this short, but I wanted to share some pictures of my new home and city. Görüşürüz (See you later!) Love CC