What will you do when your traineeship ends?

Well it's been a bit more than 5 months since I've arrived in Turkey and I finish my traineeship at the end of March. That brings up all kinds of uncertainties and possibilities. I set my return flight for August to allow me to pursue some other type of work for a few months here before going home. And so I am entertaining the ideas of teaching English in Istanbul and working at a hotel is the beautiful resort area of Fethiye. Sounds good eh? Well, then there’s the whole “what about the future” aspect, I am feeling a little anxious about my eventual return to Ottawa. So I’ve applied for the governement’s post secondary recruitment program and I will apply for some of the CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) funded internship programs. Which makes me think coming back to Ottawa a little early and start saving up some much needed cash wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Well all of these thoughts make me really realize how fortunate we are in Canada to have so many opportunities to go abroad. The government especially has so many youth internship/volunteer programs. In Turkey, obtaining a visa to go anywhere is very difficult, unless it is for work pursposed of course, so most people haven’t been outside the country all that much.

It’s been so great living here and having the opportunities to travel around. The country has sooo much history it’s amazing! There are so many things to see and do in Istanbul alone, not to mention the many historical sites, and scenic landscapes everywhere else. I remember the first month, not being able to get around since I didn’t know any Turkish or anything about anything Turkish, and now I feel quite comfortable asking where something is and being sort of able to understang the directions given (usually through the very lively gestures). Coming back to Turkey from the few days we spent in Romania felt really good, because we could actually communicate again and sort of understand what was being said to us.

Well if any of you are interested in travelling to Turkey there are two links below and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

www.turkeytravelplanner.com
www.mymerhaba.com

Rolf Potts-a few notes on wiping your ass and other funny things

Here is an email I sent out before to my fellow Istantul trainees:

Hey everyone, Megan, Nikki and I were recently talking about a certain
interesting hygenic cultural difference: toilet paper vs. the hand
&water wash. Well, it reminded me of a funny article I read
on Rolf Potts' blog. For those of you that don't know, Rolf Potts is a
hilarious travel writer (I'm actually secretly in love with him).
Check out his site http://rolfpotts.com .

[Above: Rolf is decked out for the Beija-Flor samba school parade the night before Fat Tuesday in Rio.]

Here is the link for that particular blog. Here is a preview:
"It is commonly known that travelers, when thrown together overseas
for extended periods of time, will eventually start to obsess on the
idiosyncrasies of their bowels (Tim Cahill has commented on this at
length). And, in places where toilet paper seldom exists (such as
Asia), there is much debate about just how sanitary it is to "wipe"
(so to speak) with water."

http://www.vagablogging.net/archives/003090.shtml#003090

Wanna know more about Rolf? Check out this article titled "Rolf Potts: The Man, The Myth, the Hottie" by Jen Leo.
http://www.writtenroad.com/archives/001596.shtml

This is a funny story which takes place in Beirut. It made me laugh
out loud quite a few times.
http://dir.salon.com/travel/diary/pott/2000/06/06/beirut/index.html?pn=1

He also wrote a great story titled "Turkish knock-out". I can't find
the link, but it is about how he got drugged and robbed in
Sultanahmet. It is really good.

To further exhaust the subject, I found this at www.mymerhaba.com (http://www.mymerhaba.com/en/main/content.asp_Q_id_E_106)

Toilet Habits
There are two kinds of toilets in Turkey, oriental and western.

“The oriental style toilet is the traditional toilet which has two platforms on which to put your feet and a hole in the middle in which to do your business. There is also a small tap on the wall; use this to fill the provided bucket with water, and then pour the water into the hole, essentially ‘flushing’ the toilet. How to use the oriental toilet: place your feet on the platforms, squat down and try to adjust yourself over the hole. The most important point to remember is to pull your pants or skirt out of the way, so as not to wet them. Though challenging for most foreigners to use, these oriental style toilets are actually quite hygienic.


In the large cities, western toilets are found almost everywhere, but throughout the countryside, at gas stations and road side stops, oriental toilets are the norm. There are almost always separate sections for men and women; sometimes you have to pay to use public toilets, although the charge is minimal. Generally, near each mosque there is one public toilet. However public toilets are always better in hotels and restaurants. The small water pipes coming from the back of the western style toilets dispense water and it is used as a simplified bidet, for cleansing purposes. Toilet paper is used for drying oneself, and it is worth noting that toilet paper is often non-existent in public facilities, so bring your own supply. “