Well, as I write this, I am snuggled in a cozy concrete
corner of the Ankara bus station. My phone isn’t working, there is no Wifi, and
this is a very large building. I have no idea at this point if the Telfords are
already here and looking for me, or if they haven’t arrived yet. *Stress.* I am
also STARVING but I am not starving enough to have to battle the language
barrier to get myself something…I can be SOMEWHAT patient I suppose.
I am so glad that I got here without a hitch! Thankfully, on
my way here I was able to find a two people who spoke a few words of
English…that helped quite a lot. And there was one very enthusiastic Turk man
who took my ticket and went to every bus in the lot to inquire if that was the
one that I needed to be on (alas, none of them were, but bless his heart for
trying).
The most entertaining part of my trip here to Ankara was when I went into the restroom at the first bus station (it was very small and out dated) and I got into the stall…the floor was sopping wet, the wall was sprayed with some unidentified liquid, there was no toilet paper or seat cover in sight, and the toilet seat was very clearly wet and sticky. Even now as I think about it, I move my feet further away from me knowing that they were on that floor. I was so stuck though, because I had to pee, and I had a 6-hour bus ride ahead of me. I went out of the stall to see if I could channel MacGyver and figure something out, and was mortified when I looked around and saw a vending-machine-sort of thing for little cardboard contraption that enables women to pee standing up. No way. So I looked in the other stall to see if there was anything in there to work with, and to my horror, there was a Squatty Potty (I know several of you know what that is) with a fountain of water draining onto the floor (that explained why the floor was so wet). NO FREAKING WAY. So I got back in the stall, and lets just say, I made it work, at the expense of an old T-shirt that I had just happened to pack.
The rest of the trip was spent trying to not bump the girl next to me ho was sleeping most of the way. I am so glad that I packed two iPods, because I have certainly needed them both!
Lately I have been trying to peg what stage of Culture shock I am at…I am neither ecstatic about Istanbul nor sick of it. I must say I think I have evened out and have reached a point of ambivalence to it. Indeed, I can’t wait to be home. Whenever I travel, I notice little things that I take for granted. Such as: hugs. Not just any hugs, but the hugs you give those who you are familiar with. The hugs that you are so used to that you don’t even think about. I also miss the friendliness of Americans. Granted, the attitude ranges in any country, but I miss the genuine friendliness in Lynden. Here all I get is blank stares, glares, and perverted gestures. Right now, in fact, there is a 30-something who has been walking back and forth outside, looking in the window at me. And just now he walked inside and walked by me again. To me its no big deal if a guy is looking at you, and then when you look at them, they look away. But what is terribly uncomfortable to me is when you look up and the guy keeps eye contact and just stares at you. Which is what this guy is doing. DUDE. STOPPIT.
Haha – not even half an hour ago, I was irritated with how my tailbone was hurting after sitting so long on the bus. Well…now I am sitting on cold concrete, and my tushey is even MORE uncomfortable! Go figure.
Another thing I have missed so much about the U.S. is control. When I am at home, I have control over just about everything. I can drive where I want to, when I want to, without any sort of hindrance. I can go to Safeway and know exactly where everything is. The cashiers recognize me, and I can joke around with them. I can go to Woods, and I know which baristas to get drinks from, and which to steer clear from. I have lost every bit of control since I have been here. I can’t communicate, and can’t drive myself, and beyond my everyday route, I don’t know where anything is. I can’t find anything in any stores because it’s all in Turkish, and I can’t ask about it, because all the Cashiers are Turkish!
I guess what I am trying to say is that I will always be a small-town person. There are a lot of wonderful things about big cities. But really, what I enjoy most is driving down the road and seeing four people I know. I love knowing and talking to cashiers…I love that just about everyone in Lynden knows eachother. I LOVE it.
Top on my list for things I NEED when I get back to the states:
East Indian food – spicy spicy spicy PLEASE.
Panera Bread – Cheddar Broccoli soup in a Sourdough round.
Olive Garden – Zuppa Tuscana
Sushi – Spider roll. (I think that’s what it is…the one with the deep fried soft shell crab).
The most entertaining part of my trip here to Ankara was when I went into the restroom at the first bus station (it was very small and out dated) and I got into the stall…the floor was sopping wet, the wall was sprayed with some unidentified liquid, there was no toilet paper or seat cover in sight, and the toilet seat was very clearly wet and sticky. Even now as I think about it, I move my feet further away from me knowing that they were on that floor. I was so stuck though, because I had to pee, and I had a 6-hour bus ride ahead of me. I went out of the stall to see if I could channel MacGyver and figure something out, and was mortified when I looked around and saw a vending-machine-sort of thing for little cardboard contraption that enables women to pee standing up. No way. So I looked in the other stall to see if there was anything in there to work with, and to my horror, there was a Squatty Potty (I know several of you know what that is) with a fountain of water draining onto the floor (that explained why the floor was so wet). NO FREAKING WAY. So I got back in the stall, and lets just say, I made it work, at the expense of an old T-shirt that I had just happened to pack.
The rest of the trip was spent trying to not bump the girl next to me ho was sleeping most of the way. I am so glad that I packed two iPods, because I have certainly needed them both!
Lately I have been trying to peg what stage of Culture shock I am at…I am neither ecstatic about Istanbul nor sick of it. I must say I think I have evened out and have reached a point of ambivalence to it. Indeed, I can’t wait to be home. Whenever I travel, I notice little things that I take for granted. Such as: hugs. Not just any hugs, but the hugs you give those who you are familiar with. The hugs that you are so used to that you don’t even think about. I also miss the friendliness of Americans. Granted, the attitude ranges in any country, but I miss the genuine friendliness in Lynden. Here all I get is blank stares, glares, and perverted gestures. Right now, in fact, there is a 30-something who has been walking back and forth outside, looking in the window at me. And just now he walked inside and walked by me again. To me its no big deal if a guy is looking at you, and then when you look at them, they look away. But what is terribly uncomfortable to me is when you look up and the guy keeps eye contact and just stares at you. Which is what this guy is doing. DUDE. STOPPIT.
Haha – not even half an hour ago, I was irritated with how my tailbone was hurting after sitting so long on the bus. Well…now I am sitting on cold concrete, and my tushey is even MORE uncomfortable! Go figure.
Another thing I have missed so much about the U.S. is control. When I am at home, I have control over just about everything. I can drive where I want to, when I want to, without any sort of hindrance. I can go to Safeway and know exactly where everything is. The cashiers recognize me, and I can joke around with them. I can go to Woods, and I know which baristas to get drinks from, and which to steer clear from. I have lost every bit of control since I have been here. I can’t communicate, and can’t drive myself, and beyond my everyday route, I don’t know where anything is. I can’t find anything in any stores because it’s all in Turkish, and I can’t ask about it, because all the Cashiers are Turkish!
I guess what I am trying to say is that I will always be a small-town person. There are a lot of wonderful things about big cities. But really, what I enjoy most is driving down the road and seeing four people I know. I love knowing and talking to cashiers…I love that just about everyone in Lynden knows eachother. I LOVE it.
Top on my list for things I NEED when I get back to the states:
East Indian food – spicy spicy spicy PLEASE.
Panera Bread – Cheddar Broccoli soup in a Sourdough round.
Olive Garden – Zuppa Tuscana
Sushi – Spider roll. (I think that’s what it is…the one with the deep fried soft shell crab).
Asian 1 – Fried rice
24 Oz. Blueberry White tea and 16 Oz. White Chocolate Mocha
Shake with Irish Cream AND a 24 iced Americano.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries – anything.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries – anything.
SOMETHING BARBECUE. Anything. Just slap some barbecue sauce
on some part of a cow that’s been barbecued low and slow. Thankyouverymuch.
A Good ol’ white bread and plain cheddar grilled
cheese sandwich. So that’s my tentative list. I guess. I am still hungry, and I am still trying to kill time, can you tell?
Sure sounds like we should be glad we are here and not there. Except we miss you. We hope things start getting a little easier for you as time goes by.
ReplyDeletePlease keep us updated and we will enjoy the termoil there as we enjoy our peace and quiet ..OH YES FIVE GUYS BURGERS WHEN YOU GET BACK! Love You D & N
Haha love the "list of foods I will eat" list! It's good to know I'm not the only one who makes those...but mine is about three times as long :) Sounds like an adventure! I hope things will get more comfortable.
ReplyDelete