And the Grammy award goes to...

I can't believe its just one week!
i feel like i haven't had enough time to do everything!
i feel like i'm finally adjusted, not a whole lot suprises me anymore
every day is starting to feel normal and not like an adventure
and i guess that is how you know its time to move on...

anyways...i have to give a shoutout to my girls...my roomies...Michelle, Selin, Ecem, Gizem....we deserve our own little ode to our awesomeness.
We have lived in one room, shared one bathroom...6 girls...and guess what
not one fight!

not even a petty little girl cat fight.... that deserves a standing ovation am i right...
this is simply because we have bigger problems to deal with then "who used my shampoo, and "why do you snore so loudly", and "You're such a witch in the mornings"

our problems have to do with a language barrier and a huge fashion difference....
so in the end my turkish roomates have been very kind and lenient with my bad American style sense and i in turn have never givn them crap for wearing Ugg boots (this rule does not apply to any American's i know...you will take heat from me if you are a wearer of Ugg boots)

We stay out of each others way...are kind and polite and respectful of each others things, time, space, and sleeping schedule.
If someone is in the shower and you have class in an hour...then you curse your own oversleeping self and hightail your butt to class...
If someone is doing their homework late at night and needs one light on...then you wear a sleep blindfold or pull your covers over your head...
If someone likes to sleep with the window open so they can get fresh (albeit frigid cold) air...then you wear all of your available pajamas and sweatshirts and bundle up under the covers....

oddly enough you go out of your way to make everyones life easier- that is the primary rule that has made living here in the dorms such an awesome experience....we aren't there to make each others lives miserable

and while i'm at it i should mention that everyone in the dorms, Ahmet, Karsli Yunus, Mardin Yunus, Hakki, Baran,Burak, Mizgin, Tugce, Begum, Serhan, Mustafa, and so many others have been nothing but helpful and kind and sweet, if not for them there would have been times when i would have starved, or been intimidated, but their smiling encouraging faces kept me going each and every day...

okay i'm starting to sound like an acceptance speech at the Grammy's....
what i am really trying to say is that this experience would have been impossible if so many people weren't willing to share not only their food, but their ideas, their culture, their language, their time with me, to help me adjust and to help me understand

i know from firsthand experience that it is not easy to reach out to someone culturally different then you...its time consuming and it forces you to slow down and analyze your own speech, thought, values, and circumstances....but in doing so...they enriched my time here in Turkey...

I truly felt connected to a community, so i knew that i had people to count on and rely on and to help me when i needed it in any way. Its been my privledge and definatly my pleasure to be a part of their world.

ciao
jessi