All the Fulbrighters February. It was a blast to see everyone! We all talked about our experiences in our respective towns.....many have had very challenging times. We heard from the YOK president, Fulbright president and the new ambassador to Turkey. All had very optimistic and forward thinking things to say.....but I think that they have a lot more to figure out before moving forward so fast. Ambassador Ricciardone was very nice and talked about his time as a Fulbrighter and how we are the most important part of international diplomacy.
Mostly, Tory and I have been in Kastamonu. I feel like I am hibernating for the winter! We have been making more friends here and have had some surprisingly fun times here in KTown. Last month we were invited to the annual doctor's ball and danced with the "who's who" of Kastamonu's medical community. The ball was held at a beautiful resort about 35 min away from town.
Another weekend, Selma (our Turkish mother) took us to the village Daday for a day. We ate their famous Etli Ekmek (meat bread), did a little shopping for local crafts and rode a horse! I feel like we are finally getting a better connection with the locals.
In a couple weeks my friends Susan, Maritza and Dee will come from NC to visit Istanbul!!! I can't wait! We will have so much fun in Istanbul. We will shop, sightsee, take a bosphorus cruise and maybe go to a Besiktas game! Can't wait for the girls to see this exotic city.
Other plans include going to the beach in Antalya for a final hoorah with all the Fulbrighters and maybe a quick trip to Paris with few friends before heading home to NC.
Hope all is well. I have plenty of new pictures to post. They will be up soon.
