Prepping for the Adventure!

Hello everyone! My name is Rabia and I am just about to graduate from high school. For my senior project, I have decided to take a trip to Istanbul, Turkey in order to focus on the amazing history, culture, and lifestyles of the city between two continents. Why Turkey? Well, for the big Senior Thesis last month (which is an English research paper all seniors are required to complete at my school), I focused on Turkish literature. I read works by Orhan Pamuk, O.Z. Livaneli, and Irfan Orga and analyzed how each of the authors envisioned a modern Turkey instead of a torn, old-fashioned, conflicting one. Turkey has been at the crossroads of Europe and Asia for centuries, so there has always been a clash of cultures. Through my analyses, I found that the authors all envision a modern Turkey as a blend of Eastern cultures and Western cultures. Now, I get to go to Istanbul myself and see how far Turkey has progressed since its great modernization in 1923.

My family is lucky enough to be able to travel to many incredible places around the world, but this time, I get to explore Istanbul by myself! Well, actually, with my aunt who currently lives in London. I wouldn't want to get lonely in the big city all by myself! Therefore, I will be making a stop to pick her up and visit my absolute favorite city in the world. Going back to London is like going back home.

I leave in two days and I have yet to pack. I'm quite a last minute person! I'm so excited to leave and explore this fascinating new (to me!) city for myself. However, it will be strange and kind of sad not being able to share it with my parents or two younger sisters. I'm very close to them and we always take big family vacations to places like France, Dubai, Amsterdam, etc, but I have traveled without them before. Last year, I spent two weeks in Madrid with a Spanish family. Still, my mom and sisters eventually came to visit and I was able to show them my new favorite places and everything I had learned and seen while staying in Madrid. With Istanbul, they will just have to wait for the photos when I come back!

Alright, so that's all for now. Hopefully I can get all this packing done in about two hours. I plan on bringing only a few things. I'll supplement my wardrobe when I get to Europe. Shopping in London is the best (and I can't wait to try Istanbul)!