Pre abroad & travels

Merhaba ( Hello, Turkish ) Today we embarked on our journey to Istanbul. We woke up at 5:30, finished last minute things, and were sent off by dear friends by 7 am. We proceeded to drive to the airport and hopped on a plane to JFK, which took two hours. That was nothing compared to our ten-hour flight to Istanbul, which will get us into Turkey the morning of September 2^nd. So far the plane rides have been easy. On the first leg, I sat next to a man who was going home to Uganda for three years. He is going there to begin preaching about religion to his town. He was a very nice man and gave me a better understanding of what Uganda is like. Everyone’s life is so unique, and I absolutely love hearing other’s stories. Through this abroad I have already begun learning the stories of 18 fellow classmates and instructors. Before even leaving the United States, this trip has already opened my eyes in wondrous ways. “Wonderful things are happening”. I have a feeling that while on this trip I will be able to better embrace both the good and the bad and take every experience as a life lesson.

During the first week and a half of being at Principia we mainly did preparation work for the abroad. We sewed our own sketch books, learned basic painting and drawing skills, and learned some basic Greek and Turkish phrases.  The value of packing lightly was learned through a group scavenger hunt where we ran across campus with all of our luggage. Now this sounds like a lot of work (carrying 60+ days of travel material), but our luggage consists of at most one hiking backpack and one daypack. Running all the way up a hill was tiring, but it showed how strong and enduring each and every person on the abroad is. After running up the hill, our next clue was in the pool. We all had to jump in the water, which we decided to do with all of our clothes on, and take a group picture. This activity was my favorite. I got some good laughs out of it, as well as valuable lessons. Another one of my favorite activities the group did was we went to UMSL ( A college in St. Louis) and learned Greek phrases, history, and culture. It was very informative and I now have a better understanding of the Greeks.

As you know Syria neighbors Turkey. This is very far away from where we will be traveling; however, I want to let you know the abroad office has plan B, C, D, and E incase anything arises. There main alternative plan will be to go to Greece and stay there the rest of the time, which I would not mind at all J Safety is in God.

It was difficult saying bye for the second time (first was leaving California). Some tears were shed, but I know I am in my rightful place. I still get nervous here and there and miss home already, but I feel that once we are in country, I will not have time to even think about that stuff. The things I am most looking forward to are: donkey rides in Santorini, Scuba diving in Samos, visiting a Turkish bath and Mosques, and being on the islands. There is so much good and many adventures to look forward to. Thank you all for taking your time to adventure with me, and support me through this wonderful experience. We walk with Love a long the way. All, all is well.