Turkey Time!

My trip to Turkey was outstanding--getting there and back was not the most delightful (12+ hour bus-ride with a bunch of chain-smokers who have no regard for those of us who don't enjoy second-hand smoke) but the trip itself was great.

The goal of my adventure was just as much to hang out my friend from graduate school, Tamar, as to see the city of Istanbul. I lucked out in the very beginning because I was able to stay at the hotel where Tamar and her colleagues were having their annual staff retreat. She arrived 2 days prior to the retreat so we were able to spend a lot of time together--and the man in charge of her project has a soft spot in his heart for PCVs so he invited me to join them for their evening staff dinners and team building activities, which was great.

The first day we went to the Grand Bazaar and I watched Tamar and her colleague friend stump everyone while they strategized bargaining in Georgian. I don't know if you've ever heard the Georgian language, but it really sounds like no other language I've heard before. It was pretty amusing watching the shop owners bargain with them, Tamar and Nino have their system down to perfection. I just stood there silently trying to not give away the fact that I was American so if I did want to buy something I wouldn't be expected to pay really high prices. The building of the grand Bazaar was beautiful.

Pictured here is me and Tamar in the beginning of our Bazaar exploration.