Yesterday I got stuck in an elevator for 30 minutes.

OH. MY. LANTA.

This has been such a whirlwind two weeks, I don't even know where to begin. I've been on the run almost everyday, and it feels like I've been here for months! 

I think I'll be very unhistorian-like and start with the elevator story, and proceed in no order whatsoever. 

So Aaron and I (another foreigner that got here about a week before me. He is probably going to be my BFF while I'm here. Also, he's from the same teeny town my mom is from--Paducah, KY. He doesn't like musicals though... they could be a problem) had just gotten back to my apartment from signing our "contracts" at our university. We were mentally and physically exhausted from the day, and just wanted to go to my corner cafe and eat and check our bookfaces. But I wanted to go down to the creepy basement first, to reload my water machine (I'll explain later, just go with it). After that ridiculousness, Aaron decided we were done walking for the day and we were taking the elevator (a whole two floors). A foot from the ground level, the elevator shut off. Completely shut off. Lights out, no sounds... the "emergency" button didn't even work! We kinda paused... then Aaron started laughing hysterically at our luck and I began to tear up (this is a teeny elevator!! I wasn't ready to die!!) So we did what anyone else would do, and banged on the walls and doors like crazies, yelling, "MERHABA! YARDIM ETMEK! IMDAT!! OH MY GOODNESS I'M GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!" (hello, help, really help, ok for real I'm losing it). Finally, a lady came to the door, and began talking in Turkish. We repeated, "English" until she said "Tamam, Tamam!" (okay, okay) and then she left. 30 minutes later it started working, and Raspy Ramsey (my apt caretaker) opened the door. And was laughing. LAUGHING IN OUR FACES. Definitely not a laughing moment, mister! 

There was nothing left to do at that point but go to my corner cafe. Later, I watched "New Girl" and ate about three pounds of chocolate. I got some very judgmental looks at the store for cleaning out a whole row of chocolate, but I did not care. 

I really love my neighborhood, and my apartment. I think I lucked out. The only teeny problem is that I have to be out by July 24th (the owners are in the Netherlands, and will be back then), but my teaching contract goes until September 2nd. So, for about 6 weeks I'll be homeless. Just kidding, I have new friends that I can stay with. They don't know yet, but it'll happen. 

My apartment is right off a main road, which is filled with cafes, shops, a gym, and pretty much everything I need. It's also right on the university shuttle route, so I have about a five min. walk in the mornings. Oh, and there is a bakery right below my apartment. So my living room smells like bread in the morning. And my heating bill will be low in the winter because of it. My apartment is furnished, very nicely, with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and two different types of toilets (...I'll leave that to your imagination).  It came with a stove (but instead of on top of an oven, it sits on top of my washing machine. Because why not?), fridge, and two types of kettles (electric and a typical Turkish one for making Turkish tea!). So all I've really had to buy for my apartment is towels, bedsheets, and a toaster oven. Oh and some panda hooks. Because panda. Also, there is a Mosque (or, Camii) right outside my bedroom balcony. Who needs an alarm when you have the call to prayer at 5am? All the other times of the day it's very relaxing and I don't mind it, but this 5am guy needs to be on a later shift. His voice is not pleasant. 

My rent will be wired electronically to my owner's bank account, my electric bill will be delivered and I will take it to a bank to pay, and my water and gas utilities are paid using these refillable cards (they look like credit cards with a chip in them). There are two boxes; my gas-box right outside my front door, and my water-box down in the creepy basement. Each has a number on it, and when the number gets low (I don't know the units or whatever... I just know not to let them get too low!), you take the cards to Kizilay (huge city area where you can get a bus to anywhere, as well as the metro center, and tons of shops), then load some money on the cards, and then stick the cards into the boxes and bam, you have water and gas. It's like magic to me, so please don't ask for any other details. I don't know. This sounds very convenient, except it's a pain to get to Kizilay from my apartment, and apparently this is the only place in all of Ankara where you can fill up these dang cards. Not everyone's utilities are like this, however; many just take their bills to the bank and pay them that way. When I moved in, there was about a month left on my gas box, and a week left on my water. I didn't want to let them run out, so I decided to go and put a large(ish) chunk of money on each, and that way I wouldn't have to worry about them for a few months. When I went to Kizilay, I found where you fill up cards, waited two hours, and was only able to fill up my gas because the water system was down. I don't know any more than that. I tried different counters, and they all said, "Yok su, yok su" (no water, no water). So I have no idea why. And no one knew when the system would be running again. Since I needed water more than gas, I spend the next few days conserving water and showered every other day (gross, I know... it's hot here and I sweat a lot). I went back in yesterday, and thank goodness, the water system worked. And now I have water! 

After getting my water card filled up (Aaron was with me as well), we were just going to mosey around, maybe get a Turkish Kahve at Starbucks, when I got a phone call from the university saying we had to go in RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT and sign our contracts. We begin work on Monday, but we don't actually begin teaching until September 16th. The problem is that the university is quite a ways away, we don't know the bus system, and we don't have cars. The only way is by taxi, which is 40 Lira ($25) if the driver DOESN'T get lost. The first time I went to the university, I spent 80 Lira because the driver didn't know the area. It's a new university also, so that doesn't help. It doesn't seem too bad, and food and utilities are inexpensive compared to America, but Aaron and I had already spent money on plane tickets, hotel rooms, first month's rent, deposits, our residence permit applications, taxis, dolmus' (a Turkey-specific shared taxi / bus), and various other unexpected expenses (that the university didn't tell us about beforehand). And, since we only get paid once a month, the first of the month, we are short on cash until Oct. first. But we "had" to come. 

So we went. Our driver got lost, even though he was talking on the phone to one of the Turkish instructors, just so he wouldn't get lost. Then we waited around for an hour because it was lunch time. Then we signed our contracts, only to be told that there is a list of items that need to be completed in order to get our first paycheck. Which means we have until the end of September to complete the list. Which would be fine, but the first thing is to get a residence permit, and this can take a month. Once you get a residence permit, you have to get a foreigner's number (like a social security number in the US), which can take between a week and a month. They don't know. And then you have to get a police check done, a health check, a bank account set up, and your diploma translated and notarized. But you can't do any of this until you get your residence permit and your foreigner's number. So if everything goes smoothly, it takes over a month. (They didn't tell us any of this before we arrived... this would have been really nice to know. According to this timeline, we should have arrived by August 1st at least, in order to get paid by Oct. 1st. They told both Aaron and I to "arrive before the semester starts." What if we didn't arrive until this week?? We wouldn't get paid until NOVEMBER). OH. And our job offers state a "round-trip ticket" as part of the benefits, but we were told by other instructors that we will have to "fight" for that.

We are supposed to begin teaching September 16, and our contract starts Sept. 2. So you think we'd be back-paid starting Sept. 2 once all of our stuff is completed, right? Wrong. Last year, some teachers worked a few weeks at the beginning of the semester and were not back-paid. Aside from getting my water card filled, yesterday was basically just a bunch of shitty news, waste of money, and a fun elevator ride. 

Monday will be a lot of fun. Aaron and I are not happy campers with the administration right now. And we were told by other instructors "not to start off on the wrong foot with them." WHAT. THEY ARE STARTING OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT WITH US! We've got rent and bills to pay, and food to buy... how are they going to even suggest we may not get paid on time or back-paid??

I do need to take a time out though, and say that all the instructors (not HR or admin.) have been really super helpful. And one foreigner started last year, and renewed her contract for another year. So that is a glimmer of hope. If teachers like the teaching part of this job, especially enough to re-sign, then maybe once all the paperwork gets out of the way (and we start getting paychecks) everything will be great.  Right now Aaron and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Hah. There are other new teachers, but so far they are all ones who have taught in other cities throughout Turkey. So, they already have residency permits and everything. I'm just glad I'm not in this alone, and it wasn't poor communication on my end. 

I also need to say that Turkey is awesome. I'm loving the food, and the people are really helpful and nice (even if they don't speak a bit of English, they go out of their way to help).

Aaron lives sorta near me which is nice! It's only about a 45 min walk, but he lives on the highest peak in Ankara. Maybe that's an exaggeration. But some of his hills are at a 70 degree incline. Maybe that's an exaggeration. But it's hot and not pleasant to walk up! I think I'll just taxi it to his place in the future. My area has hills as well. Not as bad as his, but enough to make winter fun. I can't wait.

Back to Aaron's place, his came unfurnished, but he plans to be here at least two years so it wasn't a big deal for him to buy furniture. He furnished his whole house (minus a fridge and washing machine) for less than $1000. All new stuff; a bed, mattress, wardrobe, futon, cat-bed / thrown thing (he's getting a cat named Godfrey... we haven't found him yet), a coffee table, and a rug. (So again, things are not expensive here when you think in dollars, but it's starting to add up!)

We spend about three days last week visiting furniture stores and getting items delivered. That was an adventure in itself! At one store, we ordered a bed and mattress for him, using a combination of Turkish, English, French, and Japanese. I spoke French to the warehouse guy, who translated to Turkish to the store worker, who then spoke back in Turkish, and then back to French, and then I told Aaron in English. WHEW. That was a mentally exhausting day for sure. Aaron has taught in Korea and Japan, and he kept throwing Japanese words in the conversation by mistake. But in the end it all worked out, and his apt. is nearly complete.

I think I've exhausted this post. This should keep you guys busy for a few days, eh? I haven't taken any pictures of my apartment yet, because I kinda threw my stuff all over the place, but I do have some pictures from the past two weeks! My next post will probably be next week, filling you guys in about whatever happens Monday. Unless something similar to getting stuck in an elevator occurs. 

Ataturk's Mausoleum 

Watch out for the snowflakes!

Aaron and I

No tooting your own horn!

First Turkish Kahve!

Pistachio Trail Mix Bars!! SO GOOD.

The Mosque right outside my balcony.

These guys were "off-roading" and got stuck.
It served as good entertainment for 30 min.

"My" larger Mosque, on the other side of my
apartment.

I will never stop taking pictures of
all the good food! 

Free desserts we received at "my" cafe!
Two different bakalavas, some pistachio
roll thing, and ice-cream!

I really am going to get fat. MILKA OREO BAR. 

I made it!

After a long and crazy episode of traveling, I've finally made it to Ankara. Feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. But, everything has worked out so far, so I can't complain too much. 

I'll start with Dulles Airport. This place is crazy and I don't recommend it for domestic flights. But, I did eat an amazing bison burger with my parents and sister for my "last meal." We arrived with plenty of time to spare; so early in fact, that Turkish Airlines wasn't checking bags yet. While we were waiting, I weighed my bags to see exactly how much overweight I'd be...one bag was 51 pounds, and the other 59. Paranoid, I took one pound out of the lighter bag and stuffed it into the heavier one. When it came time to check bags, the man who checked me in made a funny noise at the sight of my heavier bag (now 60 lbs), to which I replied, "I know... I knew it'd be over." But then he just laughed and threw it on the conveyer belt. Then gave me my boarding pass. In other words... HE DIDN'T MAKE ME PAY!!! I'm not sure if he forgot, or just "ignored" it, but that definitely makes up for stupid American Airlines. 

About and hour and a half before my boarding time, I decided to say my "see ya laters" to my parents and sister and head through security. If I had a repeat of St. Louis, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to repack my carry-on bag. Well, I had no problem getting through the actual security part, but it was a 45 min. wait!! There were about 10 security gates, and they were only using one!! One! For hundreds of people! Many had flights boarding soon, and I'm sure there were some that missed their flights. In fact, right before it was my turn to put my stuff on the conveyer belt, a man came up and informed a TSA agent that his mother is in the back of the line and her flight leaves in 15 minutes. The TSA guy said he can't do anything about it; the only thing the man could do was ask everyone in line if he could cut ahead. So the man makes eye-contact with me and begins pleading with me to let his mother go ahead. I told him I didn't mind (yea, they probably should have arrived a little bit earlier, but I couldn't say no), and prayed the 100 or so people behind me didn't start throwing things. The man directly behind me actually said that I'll be getting some good karma. 

And I did! I had no major problems the rest of the journey. I even had an empty seat next to me on the first flight!

By the way, Turkish Airlines is the way to go. My flight from Washington to Istanbul was the best I've ever experienced. I only want to fly Alaska and Turkish from now on!  On every seat, there was a pillow, blanket, and travel goodie bag. It looked like a pencil case, but was filled with: chapstick, ear plugs, a toothbrush, travel toothpaste, a sleep mask, and socks. REALLY SOFT SOCKS. About 10 minutes in the flight, they passed out Turkish Delight. !!!!!  Then, 15 minutes later, I had grilled chicken with roasted vegetables, two different types of salad, crackers, a roll, and cheesecake.  You definitely don't go hungry on Turkish Airlines! I actually almost the entire flight, and used my new Bose headphones (expensive, but worth it) to block out the engine noise. And for breakfast, I had eggs, potatoes, and fruit. 

Once in Istanbul, I had no idea where to go. So I followed the crowd, until I found an information desk. I was confused about whether or not I needed to go through customs then, or when I arrived in Ankara. She told me I would there, but after I got my passport stamped. This was a long line, but it went fairly fast. When it was my turn, the passport guy looked at my visa, made a funny face which made my stomach churn, and then said something in Turkish. I replied with, "English?" but then he just stamped my passport and handed it back. So, I have no idea what happened. Once through, I wasn't sure if I needed to get my bags, and recheck them, so I went and checked the baggage claim. My bags weren't there, however, and there was a display that said all the bags had arrived. So I figured they were either lost, or did indeed go on to Ankara. I had to go through security again, and luckily had no problems. By this point I was ready to arrive at my hotel and take a shower. I was hungry and had to go to the bathroom, but I was more tired. 

Even on the flight to Ankara (less than an hour), they served a sandwich, chocolate-banana mousse, and eggplant salad. Way better than a packet of pretzels! 

When I arrived in Ankara, the airport was dead. It was the strangest thing. I'm not sure if it was because it was late in the evening, or what, but it was less busy than Fairbanks' airport! I exchanged my money into Turkish Lira before finding my bags (they were both there!), and then headed toward the customs and exit sign. There was one that said, "nothing to declare / exit" and another that just said "customs." Well, I had nothing to declare, but I thought I had to go through customs, so I asked one of the customs agents. He just said, "Yes, customs. Yes." So I asked if he spoke English, and he called another agent over. When I asked him if I needed to bring my bags through customs, he replied that he didn't understand the question. I didn't want to make a big deal, so I just asked if I could leave. He said, "Yes, leave," like I was asking a dumb question. Maybe I was asking a dumb question. I don't know. But I made it out. And then, another strange thing. There were no taxis! Ok, there was one, but it didn't have a driver. Even Fairbanks has a million taxis outside, no matter the time! I just stood in the taxi waiting area like a dummy for about 10 min, when a man and his mother came up and asked if I was waiting for a taxi also. Even he thought it was weird. This man went off and found someone, who began making phone calls, and suddenly there were about twenty taxis pulling up. The man with the phone began putting my luggage into one teeny car, and was saying something to me in super fast Turkish. I was too tired to try and communicate, so I just smiled and nodded. Haha. Another worry I had was whether or not the taxi driver would know how to get to my hotel, so I had printed out directions and was ready to help navigate. But when I told him the name, he simply said ok. 

I arrived safe and sound, took a shower, and fell asleep. LOOONG DAY. I think I cashed in my Karma from earlier.

I'm actually not too jet-lagged, and today (Saturday) I was able to get ahold of the real estate company I've been in contact with, and got to look at two apartments. Pretty successful day, I think! I'm hoping I'll have a place by Wednesday. Fingers crossed!

Bison burger with bacon and avocado!

Turkish Airline treats!

Somewhere outside of Zagreb.

First look of Istanbul!

And another!

Hahaha

Preparing to depart! EEK. (And how I got this gig)

*Disclaimer* This is a long one! Kudos if you read the whole thing! :p

If this is what "pregnancy brain" feels like... I DON'T LIKE. I'm about to head over to Turkey, FOR A YEAR... TO TEACH ENGLISH... and I'm trying to be as prepared as possible. But me being prepared is turning into me coming up with crazy, outlandish "what-if" scenarios that are leaving me feeling sick to my stomach. I think this has a lot to do with the great time I had in St. Louis. Questions going through my mind range from, "What if, when I go through customs, they make me take out EVERY ITEM from my two suitcases, backpack, and carry-on? so they can wipe each thing down?" to, "What if there's a problem and I miss my flight / they don't let me go on the plane?" to, "WHAT IF NO ONE LIKES ME AND I DON'T MAKE FRIENDS?!" 

I'm also going to have an overweight bag. No doubt about it. I tried; but after going through both suitcases MORE THAN 5 TIMES, and still being overweight (by SIX POUNDS), I've decided to just pay the dang fee. The website is confusing, so I think I'll have to pay between $80-$300. Haha. OY. Learn from me, people. Just say no to Under Armour undies that are on sale. And did I really need three sewing kits? One is good... Why did I originally pack three?!  

Packing nonsense aside, many friends / family members / randos have wanted to know how I got this gig and what I've had to do to prepare. 

Well, to be completely thorough, it's a long story that originated during my Senior year of college, when I was about to graduate and had NO FREAKING CLUE what I was going to do next.  To shorten it, I'll say I researched. I spent about two years researching Teach Abroad programs, reading the blogs of other teachers abroad, checking out different countries' newspapers, stalking Instagram profiles, and watching videos on how to pack a suitcase for one year (apparently I failed in that area). Now, I hope you're not in shock and think I'm a complete nerd... I was also going to school full-time and working during those two years, so I only researched when I had time, which wasn't that often. 

I'm rambling too much. 

This time last year I was considering South Korea more and more. I looked into the Greenheart program, and began my application for South Korea this past December / January. South Korea is a whole different story, so if you or someone you know is looking to teach in Korea, they need to start at least six months beforehand. You'll need an apostilled FBI criminal background check, apostilled official copies of any degrees (most programs / countries require at least a 4-year degree), and a million other smaller items. 

While I was working on this, I was given contact information by some of my friends for a few people who were teaching or had taught in South Korea. So I began bombarding them with questions (they were all super super nice and super super helpful). Then, it turns out that since I have my Master's in Education, I could teach at the University level in Korea. Since recruiters only deal with primary schools, this meant I could apply directly to the universities. 

I was referred to Dave's ESL Cafe, which not only lists hundreds of teaching openings all over the world, but also provides teaching ideas and material, tips and help for teachers abroad, and forums for different countries. 

I was also told to get a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours. So, while I browsed for job openings and sent applications (sometimes three or four a week!), I also took an online TEFL course. Some of this was review for me, such as writing lesson plans and classroom management, but some of it was new and difficult! For example, did you know there are 12 different tenses in the English language? 12! No, no, no, it's not simply "past, present, and future." Ugh. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it. I can't wait to teach tenses. 

Side-note, more and more schools require applicants to have a TEFL / TESOL certificate as well as a 4-year degree. So, if you're thinking of teaching abroad, I highly recommend taking a course. It's not super difficult, there are some cheaper options, and even if the school doesn't require it, it'll boost your resume and make your year easier. 

Back to the job search. After a couple of months of applying to South Korean Universities, and not hearing back from any, I began to get desperate and I applied to a random primary school, confident I would at least get an interview. I got the interview, but it all seemed too good to be true. The director agreed to my job-related requests without hesitation, the location was superb, there was a CrossFit gym right down the road, as well a Dunkin' Donuts that sells Nutella-filled donuts. NUTELLA-FILLED. So, although the interview went well, there was that little piece of me that didn't feel right. Turns out it was too good to be true. The director became wishy-washy after the interview, and I decided I probably wouldn't want to work under someone like that. 

The next week I got an email from a university in Turkey that I somewhat randomly applied to. I lived in Turkey when I was in 7th grade, in Izmir (Go Sultans!), and have always wanted to go back. I saw an opening for a position in Ankara, that offered pretty much exactly what I wanted in Korea, and decided to go for it. They wanted someone with university experience, however, so I really didn't think I'd get an interview. But, I did! The lady who interviewed me was super nice (it was over Skype, by the way, at 10pm AK time), and throughout the whole interview, all I could think was, "AHH I WANT THIS JOB. I WANT IT SO BAD." I was so excited by how well it went, I forgot to ask some key questions, which is kind of biting me in the butt now, BUTT oh well. I guess I'll figure it all out. 

A week or so later, I got the job offer. I was going to wait a few days and think it over, but the next morning I woke up feeling like that was what I was supposed to do. I know it sounds kinda corny, but it just "felt" right. This isn't to say I've felt great about it for the past few months. Even as I write this I'm questioning myself a little. The thought, "What am I thinking?? I'm doing WHAT?" has crept into my brain more than a few times. But then I just laugh. Whether I hate this next year, or love it, it's still happening. 

After I accepted, the next step was to wait for my work permit from the Turkish Higher Education Council. Then, I had to apply for my work visa, which would allow me to stay in Turkey for longer than 90 days. I didn't want to buy my plane ticket until after I received my visa (just in case), so it was a bit more pricey than it could have been (it will be reimbursed by the school). 

Right after I bought my plane ticket, I notified the lady with whom I had been corresponding with, and asked her if anyone was going to meet me at the airport and if there was someplace I could stay until I got an apartment. She simply replied that I should get an apartment before I arrive, and no one will meet me at the airport. But I can take a taxi. 

Umm... great. Getting an apartment in a new city is hard enough. Let alone in a new country. Oh, and if you don't speak much of the language that could cause a teeny mishap (I remember numbers, directions, and small-talk words). Thank goodness, after a couple days of researching, I found a real estate company in Ankara that helps foreigners find FURNISHED apartments. So I booked a hotel for a few nights, and have been in contact with those nice chaps. 

Hopefully this time next week I'll have an apartment!   

Oh, and what am I supposed to do when I arrive? "Just come to the university and find us." OH, OKAY. NO BIG DEAL. 

I begin teaching September 1st, so let's hope I can figure out the bus system by then! 

My advice for anyone wanting to teach overseas comes down to: 1. Research, research, research. 2. Start early. 3. Save up an emergency fund in case you have to book a hotel for a few nights. Also, you may get paid only once a month, so have enough cash for food and whatever for a month. 4. Pay for a VPN, so you can watch Netflix. 5. Do what feels right. If something sounds sketchy, it probably is. 

I think that pretty much covers everything. Any questions, ask! I'll answer the best I can! 

One year's worth of crap. :p (ps, that orange one is
the cursed one. It's been replaced.)

"This is where nurses such as Clara Barton tended the wounded."

Today Mega and I were tourists again, but this time in my parents' town of Fredericksburg, VA. This quaint city is famous for being the boy-hood home of George Washington, the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg (1862), as well as the home of the University of Mary Washington. So, for a history lover like myself, it's an awesome place to visit. Mega enjoyed it too, but I think more because of the architecture and courthouse. ;p 

Not only did we stroll the streets of Old Town, but I also got my palm read (she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know), we ate delicious Italian pizza, and WE TOOK A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDE. Our guide told us all about the history of the city and pointed out many of the famous building / former homes. If that's not touristy, I don't know what is. But it was fun, and we definitely learned more than we would have by simply walking on our own. 

This place once made it to the front page of IMGUR!

Mary Washington Monument

Mary Washington's backyard. Apparently there are
plants here that she planted. That is just too cool.

Mary Washington's house. She was a loyalist
and very upset about her rebellious son. 

Cemetery from the olden times. 

The Anglican Church that Mary attended.

Presbyterian Church where Clara
Barton helped out!

The courthouse (still used today).

Fredericksburg Battlefield 

Unknown soldier :(

Bullet holes