10/12/13

There has been a whole lot of traveling today on the bus but shopping was a wonderful experience.

We visited the ruins of a church from the 4^th century but the only pieces that remain are 3 large pillars that once held up the structure of the building. There was a garden in the church’s place and the flowers were vibrant colors.

My big money purchase of the entire trip is a Turkish Leather Jacket from Turkey’s leather capital. Our tour company drove us to the Studio Factory where we walked inside and were taken into a small room. There was a runway positioned directly in the center and chairs lined around the stage. When the music started, 3 models walked out and showed off different styles of the amazing leather jackets that this company has to offer.

After the show a man took me and Sunny out into the main room where he explained in English that they have different styles, colors, and types of leather that can be purchased. I started looking through the many racks that hung from the ceiling and held at least a hundred leather jackets. I started pulling out jackets when the man came over to help me. I described to him that I want a dark leather jacket and is long to my waist. The man found me a gorgeous olive/metallic jacket with a chain that was stitched parallel to the zipper. It fit me like a glove and showed my feminine curves off nicely. (This means I have to lose all the weight I will gain in the future from my exchange in order to fit in my jacket…Oh boy!) When the man was fitting me for my jacket he asked my age and when I explained I am 18 years old, he was shocked. He couldn’t believe I am in Turkey without my parents. I explained about the exchange student program and this shocked him even more. He has never heard of such an exchange except for college students.

When I followed him to the cash register to pay, he was extremely generous and gave me a “student” discount. He took about $50 off the original price. We shook hands and I thanked him for his generosity.

As I walked out of the leather studio to the waiting room, Andzrej walked up to me. He pulled my leather jacket out of my bag and asked how much I paid for it. I told him the price in US dollars but this isn’t what he wanted to hear. Andzrej said he was told he would have to pay Polish zloty and that he didn’t have the option to pay in American dollars. The owner caught wind of our conversation and became infuriated. He asked me to step aside to have a private conversation. At the cash register he showed me with a calculator and piece of paper that he didn’t steal money from anyone. He showed me my price in Polish zloty and American dollars. There really was no difference and Andzrej was getting all worked up for nothing. I shook the owners hand and explained that I was not upset with the price. Then the lady tour guide came over and had a loud disagreement with the owner. The owner through his hands up in the air and told us to get out. He really wasn’t being unfair with the prices and the conversions but Andzrej and my tour group did not understand.

In the bus the tension could have been cut with a knife. Everyone was extremely worked up from the argument that we traveled to our next destination in silence.

We arrived at the Sart Sardis City which is about 3,000 years old. It once was the major city for nearly 1,500 years. I saw the Ancient Main Avenue, Byzantine Latrine, and Basin with Crosses, the Swimming Pool Hall, and the giant Bibliotecka. The Harvard University in the USA is successfully excavating this city. They are also excavating the 3th century synagogue positioned next to the Bibliotecka.

There are intricate mosaics laying on the floors as well as the walls in the main room. There is a wash sink positioned in the middle of the marble pillared room. The sink is huge compared to me. When I was taking a picture with this sink, I thought I could get inside and take a bath. I’m sure 20 people could wash their hands all at the same time. Over by the table where the Torah would lay during the reading there are lion statues protecting the table.

The next place we visited was a large temple for rituals and ceremonies. There was also the Alter of Artemis which is the most important place in the area. Here is where they announced political proposals and ceremonial proclamations. I stood behind the pillar and announced a speech to Sunny and Abdullah about being an exchange student. I imagined a group of people intently listening to my speech but instead Sunny laughed and Abdullah continued his history lesson. Maybe one day my imagination will become a reality.

The view of the mountains from this spot was incredible. I couldn’t help but take pictures with everything beautiful during my trip. I also took pictures next to the different pillars from the remaining of the temple. Some pillars are still being put back together so there is a pile of the stones ready for reconstruction.

Lastly, we visited my favorite place on the entire trip. We went to the Pamukkale Natural Park. This giant “mountain” is actually made of limestone and calcium. It is a natural sink of resources. Here are also pools of water that are warm and contain many minerals. In the main pond of water there are ducks and fishes that live here. The park offers swan boats to paddle on the water or go swimming at the top. It looks like a mountain of snow from afar but sparkles in the sun when you get up close. This is my favorite natural park.

Stephanie Raquel

10/11/13

Another beautiful day in Turkey and another full day of sightseeing. Today our first sight was the dam in Turkey that provided energy through thermal power. There are many homeless dogs that the country protect and there was one dog laying at this viewing point. He followed some members of my group around, whining for food. He looked like he is starving to death! Some Polish folks felt bad and fed the dog rolls of bread and crackers. There seem to be hundreds of cats and dogs just roaming around Turkey.

We then visited Meryemana Evi House of Virgin Mary. It wasn’t that interesting to see a prayer house for me. It was interesting though to see a wall full of prayers and notes for the Virgin Mary below the house. I contributed to the wall by writing a note.

No matter what religion, gender, race, or language; we all come together across the world as Exchange Students.  USA to Poland 2013-2014 Stephanie Raquel

Our next site is the foundation of Ephesus from 6,000 B.C. It is a settlement from the Bronze Age. I could see the games of X’s and O’s still carved into the stone slabs. When I reached the marble street lined with thick marble pillars, it was an amazing sight. There were buildings of structures remaining where they once stood tall. There were pictures and words carved intricately into the marble stones. There were thousands of cats sitting on the stones in the little bit of shade they provided.

The street led its way down to the Bibliotecka. The front of the building stands tall engraved in leaves, flowers, and patterns. There are statues of men and women positioned in between pillars and in scripted with sayings. It was the most interesting thing I have ever seen. When you are standing in front of the library, it only seems like the front of the building is standing alone. It is what remains of this building after all these years. I was fixed on every detail while Abdullah explained the history of the library. This was my favorite structure I have seen on this trip through Turkey.

The Ephesus city came to life in front of me and most of the buildings are restructured to give tourists a better picture of the once vibrant city that stood here. I can imagine walking down this marble street in my gladiator shoes, wrapped in a white toga, and my children trailing behind me.

Another street perpendicular to this one was also lined with marble slabs. This street directed us to the Assembly Hall where shows and matches were held to entertain the people. Lions once ran across the stage in front of the people, while men would perform with them. Pillars stationed behind the stage, high above the ground, is where the nobles would sit to watch the shows. This hall was positioned on the side of a hill in order to give better acoustics for the people playing music.

Next to the assembly hall is a marble street that stretched 500 meters. This is the street where the nobles would enter and see the giant assembly hall. From this direction they were taken directly to other parts of the town that have yet to be uncovered for the tourists.

Even though this town isn’t completely uncovered from hundreds of years of dirt, it is absolutely breath taking.

Stephanie Raquel

10/10/13

My first official day sightseeing in Turkey! Our first stop was the viewing point over the mountain tops. In the morning the air is very chilly so now I know to wear a sweatshirt every morning.

Our tour guides are a young lady with short blonde hair and a thick Polish/Turkish accent and an older man with a thick polish accent. The lady spoke perfect Polish to everyone because she was born and raised in Poland but then moved to Turkey. (I don’t blame her for moving. Turkey is gorgeous!) She was very nice and talked a lot of the culture in Turkey (So I was told). My personal tour guide is a Turkish man named Abdullah. He explained the tourist sites in English to just Sunny and me. Sunny couldn’t understand his English through his thick accent so it was mainly a personal guide for just me. Abdullah understand I couldn’t understand what the lady was saying on the loud speaker so he always walked to the back of the bus to explain things to me. He talked about the Turkish school systems, job opportunities, farming, and the history that created this country, the climate, and religion. It was very insightful and made me better understand the sights I would later see throughout the week.

The next place was the Likya settlement and about a 2 hour drive. The first architectural structure was built before Christ. It is amazing thinking these rock structures are over 2,000 years old but are still standing under the Turkish sun. In the side of the mountains are rock carved passages and rooms. They are graves built for the elite people of the city. The higher up on the mountain you were buried, the more important you were in society. Some of the graves had designs carved into the stones. I wondered what my design would be on the outside of my stone if I lived back then.

Next we visited the St. Nicholas Church. St. Nicholas is the protector of children, young girls, and sailors. He is also known as the International Santa Claus. There are beautiful paintings still visible on the walls and ceilings. I even saw St. Nicholas’s tomb and casket.

In the streets outside the church are shops lined up. Sunny and I were walking along the street looking at the Turkish nick-knacks. Many of the shops had the same items but for different prices, in different colors, and in different designs. While looking in 1 shop along the street I overheard multiple languages. There was British English, Australian English, American English, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Polish, and Arabic. I have never heard so many languages in one place at one time. It was very intriguing and inspiring. I would like to learn more languages one day.

The next destination we went to is the Panorama Seyirlik. From this point of the mountain we could see the beautiful islands of Greece. The sea was incredibly blue, the islands are brilliant green, and the sun was bright. The view was absolutely breath taking. I saw the islands of Greece with my best friend, Sunny. I feel so lucky to have seen beautiful places.

The Assembly Hall of the Lycian League was our next sight and the stones were a nice yellow with Greek inscriptions carved into them. Pillars still lined where the street was once located and the buildings were giant compared to me.

The best part of the day though was when we went to the beach! The sand was granulated but not as smooth as the Jersey sand. Sunny didn’t put her bathing suit on because after eating our hamburgers we only had 45 minutes on the beach…But this didn’t stop me! When will I ever get the chance to come back to this exact beach and swim in the Mediterranean Sea again? I took this amazing opportunity to swim in the sea and bask in the Turkish sun. The water was refreshingly cool and crystal clear. I am not used to seeing little minnows swimming around my feet because the Atlantic Ocean is not that clean. This made me a little unease being able to see the objects under me, but the feeling didn’t stay long. I floated on the back in the water and absorbed the warmth. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. I just wanted to relax here forever!

When I was laying in my beach chair drying off in the sun, a man in a blue bathing suit came up to me. He said I have to pay to lay in the chair and it cost 15 Turkish Lira. He looked completely unofficial to be the man I had to pay. I lied and told him I didn’t have that much but I do have 5 Turkish Lira. The man stood puzzled for a minute then accepted my offer. After he left my chair, I watched him walk up to every tourist sitting on their chairs telling them they had to pay. It was a clever scam for this local.  This was my first encounter with a Turkish man trying to scam me but I’m sure it won’t be my last.

A perfect first tourist day in Turkey!

Stephanie Raquel

10/9/13

I arrived in Turkey at 6:30 am which is 1 hour ahead of Poland. I saw the sunrise through the plane window and it was beautiful. In the airport, our passports had to be checked 4 times at each checkpoint. My visa had to be checked twice at different checkpoints as well. Their security center in the airport is extremely strict.

After all the checkpoints, we got our luggage from the carousel and checked in with our tour company. The tour bus drove us to our hotel with 30 other people. Once at the hotel, the front desk required to keep our passports which made me feel super uncomfortable. I was worried the desk will photo copy my passport number and information. I heard United States passports are wanted by everyone and people are trying to become citizens. It would be easier for them to just take my identity. That really scares me.

The front desk also wouldn’t issue room keys to our group yet so Sunny, Andzrej (Sunny’s host father) and I walked to the beach. The walk was about 5 minutes straight down the road. The view was beautiful because the beach is positioned between two mountains. The water was crystal clear and refreshingly cool. Everything about the beach was beautiful except the “sand”. The sand is actually stones. When I took my shoes off to feel the water, I was saying “ouch” with each step. The stones were harsh on the bottoms of my feet.

I had to sit down to release the pressure from my feet against the rocks. Once I sat down and absorbed the sun on my skin that is when the exhaustion hit me. I leaned against my backpack on the rocks and fell asleep under the sun.

At 10 am Sunny and I decided to walk back to the hotel and take a nap in our bed. By then we had our room key and passports back. I slept until 2pm and then took a shower. It was really nice to be wearing shorts and a tank top again.

At 3 pm Sunny, Andzrej, and I walked to a restaurant along the beach where we ate hamburgers and drank Coca-Cola. Then I laid on the beach with Sunny and read a book while listening to the waves crash against the shoreline. It was truly relaxing reading on the beach of a beautiful place.

Walking back to the hotel for supper, I wore my American flag shorts. Some guys passed by saying hello while others just stared at me. It felt funny having all these eyes on me, but I like being patriotic in Europe. When I see a USA flag anywhere, I become extremely excited and cheer.

It feels so surreal being in Turkey. I never thought I would visit this country, but I recommend everyone should visit here.

Stephanie Raquel

10/8/13

I packed and left for Turkey today!!

I decided to take my big, black suitcase that I used to bring all my clothes to Poland. I filled the bottom with summer clothes such as shorts and t-shirts. The max weight is 20 kg which is equivalent to 44 pounds…I weighed my suitcase to be 18.6 kg. I definitely over packed and didn’t leave any room for things I will buy in Turkey, but oh well! I am on the plane heading to a beautiful land.

I sat in my room after I packed for about 4 hours. I finally watched the movie “This is the End” featuring Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill. It was a stupid but good movie. I started watching “Monsters University” but that is when Sunny and her host father showed up. Everyone was shocked at the size of my suitcase because it up to my waist when I stood up. Even though I didn’t fill it, it was still pretty heavy.

We drove to the Warsaw Airport which took about 3 hours. I slept most of the way because our flight took off at 2:30 am. This is my first red eye flight! I am experiencing a lot of firsts. In the airport as we went through security, I ended up having to take off all my clothes. Sunny walked through the metal detector still wearing her sneakers and sweater, but I had to strip down to my socks and t-shirt. I told Sunny this is racist thing since I come from America. Honestly, I am used to stripping down to nothing in the airport because that is the protocol in America. Sunny thought this was very odd, me having to strip, because in Taiwan they don’t care if you are still wearing shoes or sweatshirts through the metal detectors.

On the plane, Sunny and I slept the entire way. The stewardess shut off all the cabin lights and everyone had their shades shut. Above the clouds, the moon is very reflective making it impossible to sleep with the shade open. About 2 hours later, we arrived in Turkey where the sun is always high in the sky, the water is warm, and the beaches are nice.

I am so thankful to have be able to visit Turkey. Thank you Sunny and her host family for taking me to Turkey on the two week journey. I will be visiting Turkey again in my life.

Stephanie Raquel

10/5/13

Another busy day in Warsaw with my family.

For breakfast we ate at Charlotte’s, it is located in the main city by the giant Rolex building. I ate orange and honey French toast. The bread is all made fresh in the restaurant. Ania ate an egg sunny side up with one tomato and a basket of fresh bread. You can eat the bread with a choice of jam or Charlotte’s chocolates. We ate it with Charlotte’s milk chocolate, white chocolate, and strawberry jam with cinnamon. My host mom had an omelet and my host dad had the same as Ania.

We went to the Palace of Wilanowie, home of King Jan III and his wife. They only had 3 children that reached maturity. The outside is a beautiful yellow color with beautiful crown molding on the borders. Surrounding the building is green grass hills and yellow, green, orange trees. Everyone is right when they say the gold autumn in Poland is gorgeous. The palace has little to no original furniture left over from the family. The paintings along the walls and on the ceilings are breathe taking. The palace and the ground is quite large. We walked in a circle around the palace grounds. Along the grounds were 4 bride and grooms taking their wedding pictures. All the couples looked spectacular intertwined with the beautiful scenery.

My family and I made our way to the Old Town where I saw a man covered in artificial flowers standing in a flower pot. It was so amusing seeing people try and grab tourists’ attention. There were horse drawn carriages standing in the streets waiting for customers. The castle sitting in the square looks grand but it was closed by the time we got there. Next time I visit Warsaw my host parents promised to take me.

On the long ride home from Warsaw, Ania and I ended up sleeping the whole way home. My host dad always says, “Too much air helps you sleep easy at night.” He is completely right.

Stephanie Raquel

10/4/13

This morning I felt horrible. I stood up and felt extremely dizzy. My stomach is also turning inside out. All I want to do is throw up. I couldn’t possibly go to school feeling this way. My host dad made me mint tea and let me sleep instead of going to school. I then had a fever so I turned on the heater next to my bed and bundled up with blankets. At 8 am (my time) I called my mom which was 2 am her time. All I did was cry to my mom because being sick in a foreign country without my mom is very upsetting. She told me to take the medicine I brought from home, drink lots of fluids, and sleep. Around 11 am I was feeling a little better so I took a cool shower and made myself toast. It seemed safe to say that I was healthy enough to still go to Warsaw with my family.

My host dad and I left to pick up Ania at her house around 1 pm. (Ania is my host cousin on my dad’s side). My head started to act up in the car so I slept most of the way to Warsaw. Ania only slept a little bit which made me feel a little better for letting my host dad be the only one awake in the car.

Warsaw is such a nice city! It is a European style of New York and Philadelphia, but has no skyscrapers. We went to the Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) which was a gift from the Russians to Poland after World War II. We went to the top terrace where you can see all of Warsaw. The building is gorgeous on the outside.

Back at the Golden Terrace Mall (Złote Tarasy), we met up with my host mom after her conference. The mall is quite large and has a wide variety of stores. Warsaw is known to have any store you desire including Louis Vuitton and Victoria Secret. I ended up buying 2 sweaters in white and navy blue to hold me over in the winter weather. The only stores Warsaw does not have are Macy’s and DSW Shoes, but their stores make up for the loss. At TK Maxx (not TJ Maxx) I bought two winter jackets. My host mom bought a pair of boots.

When I was trying on coats, I started to feel bad again. My temperature was rising and I wanted to throw up. At supper I ate chicken noodle soup and drank a cold Coca-Cola. My host mom gave me Advil and we went back to the hotel.

Ania and I roomed together in the hotel room and for hours we just talked in bed. She told me all about her friends, family, and adorable dog. It was so nice getting to know her. Talking to Ania about my life, felt like I was talking to an old friend. She and I get along so well. It is so nice to have Ania visiting Warsaw with me. I also hope we become lifelong friends.

Stephanie Raquel

9/29/13

My host dad woke up at 6 am…I heard everything. My host mom woke up at 8 am…I heard everything. I finally woke up at 9:30 am when my host mom woke me up for breakfast.

I ate perogies for brunch. There were other things on the table like mushrooms but I only wanted to eat perogies for brunch. I wasn’t full after the 3 perogies but I didn’t want anything else.

We left at 11:30 am for Busko’s main city square. I saw the beautiful sanatorium building that smells like sulfur. This city is dedicated to retirement people and people with sicknesses focusing on recovering. The old people are sitting within the large park playing instruments like the accordion. The park in the middle of town is huge because it helped the town maintain a clean atmosphere. My host parents said we will be back in the city in the winter and spring to see the park in the different seasons. Chestnuts grow on the trees here for the fall and in the spring large white flowers grow on the trees.

Next we visited my host Aunt Ellen’s father. He is 90 years old and lives alone in a town house. His faithful dog had recently passed away and his grandson bought him a brown lab to replace the dog. The puppy keeps him company when he gardens and makes him stay active by having to walk him daily. Today we took the dog for a walk in the backyard and I got to play with her. Her name is Baya and she has beautiful blue eyes. In the garden she bit the fur on the Uggs because she thought it was an animal. My Uggs also probably smell like other animals. When I go back to New Jersey I definitely want a dog like Baya.

Once we left the puppy, my host parents took me to the Krzyztopor Castle that was built in 1631. I couldn’t imagining living in the castle. The architecture matches the design of a calendar. There are 365 windows for 365 days, 4 main quarters for the 4 seasons, and 12 hallways for the 12 months. Most of the floor and décor is missing but the structure is still standing. The family only lived in this house for 11 years after it was designed because all the family had passed away. There are texts still written on some walls and passage way accessible to the public.

While we were there, there were brides taking their wedding pictures throughout the castle. I saw about 3 couples laying on the grass, leaning against the walls, or standing in passageways. October is a popular month to get married in Poland. Any month that contains the letter “R” in the month is good luck to get married. If you get married during the other months…well it’s just unheard of to be married then.

It was nice spending the weekend with my host parents with their relatives. I am lucky to have a family that is very welcoming and opens their house to me.

Stephanie Raquel

9/28/13

It’s is 8am and I am waiting on my bed to go to my Aunt and Uncle’s house. My parents are taking me there to visit the beautiful nature surrounding their house. They live in a lake with trees, flowers, and many antique farming tools placed in the yard. It is very peaceful and quiet.

The ride is about 3 hours to get there. After everyone is introduced and greetings are exchanged, my parents and I are served dinner. Dinner is tartar but with fish and sliced bread. I do my best to eat the tartar but the fish taste is making it impossible for me to find it appetizing. I covered up the taste by jamming as much bread in my mouth as possible. They also served me gas water which is bubbly and unappealing. This made it hard to wash everything down my throat. This was an unfortunate situation.

My uncle loves to exercise so we hiked for 3 hours up and down steep hills and across farms. I started the hike with clean Uggs, a long sleeves shirt, a thick sweatshirt, North Face jacket, and a warm scarf. By the end of the hike I had dirty Uggs and only wore the long sleeve shirt.

Back at the house I had collapsed on the couch outside and refused to get up. All I wanted to do was sleep for the next 2 days. Then I had a major craving for chocolate. This craving did not go away no matter how hard I tried to push it in the back of my head. My host mom was staring at me too so it would make it impossible to sneak the chocolate in my mouth without her seeing. As soon as she got up to use the bathroom I had maneuvered the chocolate out of my backpack and broken a small piece into my hand. When she got back, I was now holding the chocolate. My host dad called her over to the outdoor kitchen which gave me enough time to put the chocolate in my mouth and have the wrapper shoved into my backpack pocket. My host mom is very observant so when she came back, I tried to camouflage my chews by scratching my cheek with my hand.

For supper, we all ate on the dining room table siting on the dock above the lake. The table accompanied the 8 of us. I ate cabbage filled blintzes which wasn’t the best but the ketchup made it delicious. As soon as I was full, I got super tired and couldn’t keep my head up. My host dad gave me his puffy vest to keep warm and my host mom took me inside to watch TV. I couldn’t figure out how to work the clicker so by accident I recorded 2 shows. Eventually I got it to play a British show and converted it into English.

After a few hours of sitting on the warm couch, my host dad and uncle got a fire started outside. I went with my host dad to sit with everyone. My host uncle told me I looked like the angels and saints that are painted on the murals in church. When the fire reflects off my face and my features, it makes me angelic. This is an absolutely huge compliment that I have never heard before. I feel so honored and warm inside.

In Poland sometimes the houses and bathrooms are designed for different sized people. In my family’s house, their downstairs is an open room with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, and dining room. Upstairs is an open room as well with 4 big beds laying on the ground with 1 bathroom in the corner. I took a “shower” in the tiny bathtub that had no shower curtain. The ceiling was also on a slant so I had to sit on my knees and kept my head in my lap when I had to rinse the shampoo out of it. It was hard not to get water all over the floor no matter how hard I tried.

After the hot shower in the tiny tub, I shimmied into my sleeping bag on the flat mattress. I was sleeping in the same room as my host parents which was a little odd to me. I could hear everything they did when they came upstairs to go to sleep. Privacy is not an option in this house.

Stephanie Raquel

9/22/13

Every Sunday I attend church with my host family to honor their lord and be respectful to their religion. At the church…this is where I become very homesick. My eyes always look at the families sitting around me. The mothers are hugging their daughters and the sons are imitating their fathers. All the little girls are dressed up in dressed while carrying purses just like their mothers. It makes me miss my family very much. I wish I could hug my mom and hear her say, “Hi babe.” I think about the day that I will come home from exchange and finally get to hug my parents. I tell myself it’s going to be a long year if I keep thinking about this, but I can’t help myself from imagining. I imagine walking through the baggage claim with all of my suitcases and seeing my family. Tears of sorrow and happiness will be running down my cheeks because I just left my life in Poland to come back to this life in USA. Church is the only time I let myself think about being home with my family because I see all the families embracing around me.

It’s okay to be sad every Sunday but anymore will just be unnecessary sorrow.

Stephanie Raquel