I have officially been to Asia!
Today I did my field program to four different palaces of Istanbul. It was a looong day. We were looking at palaces from 9-5. The first one we went to, the Dolmabahce Palace, was by far the most extravagant. This two story building had 285 rooms! Of course we only saw a tiny fraction, but what we did see was mesmorizing. Everything was so lavish and detailed. We got to see the world's largest chandelier! It was fantastic. This was definitely my favorite palace of the day.
The second one was the Yildiz Sale, which was actually a chalet, and was rather anti-climactic after the Dolmabahce. It was beautiful in it's own right, but after seeing such a phenomenal one in the beginning, it was not nearly as exciting. It's ridiculous to think of a palace as being capable of being anti-climactic.
At this point in the day everyone was exhausted, hungry, and ready to be done, but we were only halfway. We stopped to eat the ridiculous box lunches the ship makes for us. I don't know if I have ever talked about what they pack us. They give us the same thing every time, and it is the most absurd combination of food ever. A salami/bologna sandwich, a chicken leg, a hard boiled egg, Oreos, an apple, cake, and a Capri Sun. It's silly, right? We ate lunch and then headed across the Bosphorus Bridge into Asia! The third palace was the Kucuksu Pavillion, which, like the second one, was anti-climactic. I think it would have been smarter to reverse the order and put the Dolmabahce after those two so that they would seem great as well.
Just when everyone was feeling pretty palace-d out and ready to go home, we arrived at our final stop: the Beylerbeyi Palace. It was a perfect way to end the trip. While it was much smaller than the Dolmabahce with only 26 rooms, it was just as grand and ornate. The chandeliers were stunning. Each room was a different color. The detail was exquisite. I really enjoyed this last palace as well.
During the trip I spent most of the time with a girl named Victoria, who is actually from China. I learned a lot about her and her culture. She told me that if I ever want to come to China I have a place to stay. I really hope I can take her up on that offer someday.
After I got back to the ship, I went for cake to celebrate my roommate Amanda's 21st birthday! She had a good day. Later on I went up to the pool deck to watch us depart from Turkey. It was breathtaking. The sun setting behind the city of Istanbul was the most beautiful sight. I ran into Deb (one of my supervisors) and her husband Rich, and they wanted to see my Beacon News article. I showed them and they thought it was fantastic. Deb is going to send it to SAS's communication and PR departments. How exciting. In celebration of my article, Deb and Rich bought me a cheeseburger from the pool bar (you can pay for food outside of the dining room), and we all sat down to eat. They are the nicest people. I had a really great, long talk with them about all kinds of things. We talked about their experiences on SAS in the past, my experiences in Turkey, my future, etc. It was the best way to depart from Istanbul. I like them so much.
After dinner with the Reslings, I returned to my cabin for a group nap with my roommates (it's what we do). While I was still awake and my roommates were asleep, Craig knocked on my door so I joined him back up on the pool deck. We ran into a bunch of friends, and our night ended with 8 of us playing cards in the Garden Lounge (one of the dining rooms) until 12:30am. It was the perfect end to the night.
Now it is almost 1am, and I need to get to bed as I have the largest amount of school work I've ever had in my life to do within the next few days. We have 4 days at sea before Morocco, which will be nice instead of the usual 1 or 2. I'm very sad to be leaving Turkey. Turkey has been the most meaningful country for me by far. It was the most different from the US. It was the most culture shocking. I engaged with the locals. I questioned. I learned. I explored. I delved. It was beautiful. Turkey itself has had a profound impact on me. Gears are turning in my head. Dreams and passions are being ignited. This country has left me inispired. I am very much looking forward to Morocco and everything it has to offer. I can't wait to be out of my comfort zone.
I have about a million things to say, but I am absolutely exhausted. Time for bed. Back at sea once again.
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