Since arriving in Turkey, Josh and I have been kept busy with orientation of the culture, town, and school community. We decided to arrive a few days early to give ourselves some time to settle ourselves and our pups into a new apartment and time zone. Thank goodness we did! Once the other new teachers arrived, we were kept busy most of the days from breakfast until after dinner.
We’ve been shown the local markets, taken shopping at a mall in nearby Mersin, and given a history tour of the city of Tarsus. (Did you know that this is not only the birth place of the apostle Paul, but Tarsus also claims to be the burial place of Daniel and where Cleopatra met Antony?)
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| Outside the Aya Sophia |
I and the other new teachers quickly filled up the school van on a trip to Metro (the local “Costco”) with supplies for our apartments. We were flown to Istanbul where we had our first language lessons, learned about Turkish history and culture, given a tour of the major historical sights of the city, and were wined and dined on an amazing dinner cruise along the Bosphorus.
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| The Blue Mosque |
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| Inside the Blue Mosque |
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| Inside the Aya Sophia--one of the oldest churches in the world |
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| Basilica Cistern |
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| Dinner Cruise on the Bosphorus |
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| Dinner Cruise on the Bosphorus |
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| Window of Sweets |
We have learned how to use the train to get to the major cities that surround Tarsus, explored an American market in Adana where we bought our favorite deodorant for a mere 15 TL ($9US), and were fed copious amounts of food at various restaurants around the city.
And as if all of that wasn’t enough, we were whisked away to a hotel on the Mediterranean for 2 days of rest and relaxation.
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| Lounging on the beach |
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| View from my beach chair |
One of these days, I just might have to work...
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