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An update from our exchange student Abbie in Turkey!
Posted by Aaron Buckalew
on Jan 01, 2012
These past few weeks in Turkey have been absolutely amazing! I have been so busy I don't remember everything I have done.
For Christmas my fellow exchangers and I went to Kapadokia. It is one of the most exquisite places I have ever visited.
On the way to Kapadokia we were able to stop at the Salt Lake. The weather was really cold but the lake is absolutely amazing. We visited two museums. One was of a really old city, the houses were built into the rock walls.
For Christmas my fellow exchangers and I went to Kapadokia. It is one of the most exquisite places I have ever visited.
On the way to Kapadokia we were able to stop at the Salt Lake. The weather was really cold but the lake is absolutely amazing. We visited two museums. One was of a really old city, the houses were built into the rock walls.
It was fascinating to see how things worked back then. The kitchen rooms were often black because the smoke from cooking turned the walls black. The ovens are in the floor, and the table is carved from the rock, as are the benches. There were so many holes in the walls for storing food it was amazing.
We then visited a castle. Walking up to the castle was hard work. I can't imagine how armies went up it in their armour with swords. It must have been really hard. The view from the castle was stunning. It looked over the city we were in at the time (I don't recall the name) and valleys of rock that looked like they had been smoothed to perfection. It was truly an amazing and beautiful sight.
Rotary took us to visit an underground city. Many of the passages linking the city were so small that we had to scoot through on our butts. People back then must have had major back problems. I saw multiple stairways that led into pitch black darkness, and walls that had strange writing on them. I saw where the people stored food in the floor in their storage rooms and special wine making rooms. They had homemade ways for draining the mashed grapes into a giant tub in the wall carved out of rock. There were also many millstones.
On Christmas Eve everybody dressed up very nicely and had dinner at our hotel. We then went to a traditional Turkish night where the performers went throught the different stages of a wedding proposal, bachelor/bachelorette parties and then the wedding itself. We were able to participate in wedding dances and then they turned on some special music just for us. It was an amazing night.
We headed back to Ankara on Christmas Day, most of the journey was in snowy weather. There was a lot of snow. When we woke up on Christmas Day and saw snow, the Brasilians went crazy because they had only ever seen snow on TV. They went outside and made snow angels, then proceeded to start a giant snowball fight. The snowball fight turned into a war between the exchange students and the waiters in the hotel. It was a lot of fun.
Today at school my classmates threw a Christmas party for me. Because they don't celebrate Christmas it was amazing to see how many good friends I have over here. My classmates and I also did a secret santa exchange.
My Christmas has been the best I have ever had.I was so busy that I didn't (and still don't) have time to be homesick. I am truly blessed to be in a place like this.
Merry late Christmas to you all. Happy New Year.
xoxo Abigail
We then visited a castle. Walking up to the castle was hard work. I can't imagine how armies went up it in their armour with swords. It must have been really hard. The view from the castle was stunning. It looked over the city we were in at the time (I don't recall the name) and valleys of rock that looked like they had been smoothed to perfection. It was truly an amazing and beautiful sight.
Rotary took us to visit an underground city. Many of the passages linking the city were so small that we had to scoot through on our butts. People back then must have had major back problems. I saw multiple stairways that led into pitch black darkness, and walls that had strange writing on them. I saw where the people stored food in the floor in their storage rooms and special wine making rooms. They had homemade ways for draining the mashed grapes into a giant tub in the wall carved out of rock. There were also many millstones.
On Christmas Eve everybody dressed up very nicely and had dinner at our hotel. We then went to a traditional Turkish night where the performers went throught the different stages of a wedding proposal, bachelor/bachelorette parties and then the wedding itself. We were able to participate in wedding dances and then they turned on some special music just for us. It was an amazing night.
We headed back to Ankara on Christmas Day, most of the journey was in snowy weather. There was a lot of snow. When we woke up on Christmas Day and saw snow, the Brasilians went crazy because they had only ever seen snow on TV. They went outside and made snow angels, then proceeded to start a giant snowball fight. The snowball fight turned into a war between the exchange students and the waiters in the hotel. It was a lot of fun.
Today at school my classmates threw a Christmas party for me. Because they don't celebrate Christmas it was amazing to see how many good friends I have over here. My classmates and I also did a secret santa exchange.
My Christmas has been the best I have ever had.I was so busy that I didn't (and still don't) have time to be homesick. I am truly blessed to be in a place like this.
Merry late Christmas to you all. Happy New Year.
xoxo Abigail