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| Me and fellow AIM Overseas students in front of the Hagia Sophia |
After departing Australia shortly after Christmas, embarking
on a long flight to Europe, I found my self exhausted and in need of some
appetising food that did not replicate that of airplane food… but regardless, I
was ready for a journey that would be both adventurous and enthralling.
After spending some time in Germany, it was time to depart
for Istanbul. I was feeling rather nervous and unsure on what to expect, but
was ready to embrace the culture!
Arriving was much like arriving at any other airport, until
I began the taxi ride to the student accommodation, which I was to spend the
duration of my trip. This taxi ride started off as a culturally shocking
experience, with crazy traffic conditions and constant honking of horns, but
remarkably the taxi driver knew the roads well and manoeuvred his way through
what appeared as complete anarchy. After arriving at my accommodation, it was
nice to finally be acquainted with Australians, sharing stories of arrival and
first impressions of what has become a very enchanting and remarkable city.
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| A shot of the Blue Mosque from a window in the Hagia Sophia |
We began our first week of classes, meeting professors and
starting to learn about the “Political change of the Middle East”. At this
point, Istanbul was experiencing heavy snowfall, which had added an extra
exciting element to the beginning of the trip.
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| Loving the snow at Bogazici University |
Exploring the local streets of Ortaköy where the accommodation is located
was a culturally enriching experience, meeting many different Turkish people,
eating various foods of the Turkish kind. Indulging in local Baklava and
Turkish delight, my sweet tooth had already kicked into gear, but there was
nothing greater than eating such amazing food in its traditional location. The
friendly smiles of the Turks and embracing attitudes made the cultural clash
and language barrier something of little concern!
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| The stunning Hagia Sophia |
Exploring the beautiful Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia was
a marvellous experience. These venues demonstrated exemplary architecture and
spirituality of Istanbul, indicating the wealth of history and culture of such a
vibrant location in this world! The sound of the “call to prayer” coming from
the Mosques on a regular occurrence throughout the day was something
enchanting, bringing about realisation of the beauty of belief and culture that
spreads throughout the world.
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| Admiring the Mosque's beauty |
Having completed our first week of classes, and beginning
the exploration of a diverse city, my knowledge of the Middle East and Turkey
has grown substantially already. The history of Turkey and the Middle East is
one that is rich, complex and forever changing and I look forward to continuing
the adventure for the last two weeks of the program.
~ Adam
Adam Saunders is completing the Political Change in the Middle East program at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. Adam is in his 4th year of a double degree at Griffith University 
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