Mega-entry

It's been a month since I've arrived and Turkey's been an amazing country. Perhaps I'll share on what I've done in Istanbul so far.

Settling in

Accommodation was a problem as I was given a double room instead of a quad-share. I stayed in the double room for more than a week before my buddy managed to speak to the dorm lady to give me a change of room. I got my spectacles replaced at a reasonable rate all by myself; something that I was quite proud of.

My roommates are quite friendly and can speak English rather well. So not much communication problems for me so far. The exchange students are friendly; most of them are from Europe (France, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Greece etc) and there are also a significant number from Palestine. It was interesting and fun talking and learning about different countries and cultures.

Academic

I will be taking five courses: Basic Turkish, Entrepreneurship, Comparative Political Systems, NGO Governance and International Marketing.

My favorite subject is Basic Turkish. I would say that it's quite fun but there's a lot of things to memorize. However it will be good for me to get around the country. The instructor is great as well and her lesson isn't dry at all.

The professors teaching the political science modules speak good English as one is US-trained and the other did his doctorate in UK. Both their resumes are pretty impressive; one in fact was an assistant Mayor of Ankara back in the 80s. Some of the concepts are quite dry though and there are plenty of readings to worry about.

Business modules are a mixed bag; it is the first term for the professor teaching Entrepreneurship and I find it hard to keep awake most times. There is really a significant difference in the level of English proficiency between a Turkish-trained and a UK/US-trained academic. I do not want to comment on his capability only three weeks into the semester and I hope that the lessons will improve soon.

International Marketing is taught by a network professor from the States. Originally from Turkey, he spent almost all of his adult life in the States so language wasn't a problem. So far it's been more like International Economics; many of the things he covered are not exactly new to me but economics has never been my favorite subject.

Travelling

I had the opportunities to get around Istanbul for quite a bit; visited many of the touristy places like Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Taksim etc. Istanbul is truly one of the cities which take your breath away; full of history and yet full of energy. I don't think that one will ever get bored staying in such a wonderful city.

Outside of Istanbul, I've gone skiing in Uludag, near Bursa as well as the capital in Ankara. Bursa is only 3 hours away and Uludag is a further hour away and skiing is relatively cheap in Turkey as compared to other parts of Europe. The place was crowded both times I were there but it was not a bad experience. Bursa is a nice city with some nice sights such as Ulu Camii and is definitely not a bad place to spend the weekend. Its most famous food, Iskender Kebab, is a must-try for any visitor to Bursa.

Although Ankara is the capital, it pales in comparison to Istanbul. There are several nice sights such as Citadel and Museum of Anatolian Civilizations but one can really feel the difference between its dullness and Istanbul's vitality. Not a bad place to stop by though enroute to Capadoccia or Safranbolu.

More trips to come; so little time yet so many places to see. Turkey is indeed a wonderful tourist destination.

Food

Turkish eat a lot of bread; I think that they consume the most bread per capita in the world. There will be bread in every meal. The food here is not very cheap; the cheapest sandwich in town is probably around 3 liras; a meal in an mid-range restaurant cost roughly between 8-20 liras. Turks eat a lot of meat as well; it was really quite a big change from Sikkim.

The school has several dining options which are all not too cheap. The dining hall serves decent food and everyday there is an option of a meal at 4.75 liras (consists of soup, staple and meat). There are also various cafes which sell the usual sandwiches and stuff. Of course there's a self-catering option; a supermarket operates on campus where students can do their groceries-shopping.

Transport

The transport here isn't cheap either; there are usually a lot of transfers and every trip cost 1.30 liras regardless of the length. There is discount on transfers using Akbil which makes it a good investment.

The school is located on the eastern edge of Istanbul province; the trip to Taksim takes roughly an hour in good traffic. The school subcontracts out the shuttle service to a private company and it charges accordingly. The two most frequently-used shuttle is those to Taksim and Kadikoy. There are also dolmushes operating outside the school; I think that it will probably take several hours to reach town on them.

That's all for now... Will try to update more often but no guarantee here.