Baraboo News Republic Q&A

Hey everyone... Sorry I haven't been writing like I promised I would!
I will make two posts to make up for it, first this one, with my answers to the questions asked by the Baraboo News Republic and another post just to... Update you/ramble some more. Hope you are all well!
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What has been your most memorable single experience so far in Turkey?
To pıck one thing from my exchange year so far to call the "most memorable" is a very difficult thing to do, but I have to say that my last moments in America to my first moments here inTurkey are where I find my most vivid memories.I will never forget looking out the window of the airplane as it started moving down the runway in Madison. I took one last look at my parents waving from inside the airport and broke into sobs, to the alarm of the businessman sitting next to me.
Fast forward through many hours of navigating through confusing airports and many more hours trapped on airplane doing nothing but staring at the seat in front of me, and I remember looking out the window as the plane finally started its descent into İzmir, my new home. It was evening, I saw the curvy coastline, the sea, and the city lıghts, and I thought, "Is this really happening?" And then something along the lines of, "What am İ doing here?"
I was so nervous to meet my host family! The other exchange students and I rushed to baggage claim, grabbed our luggage, and dashed to meet our new families. As soon as I was with my family I was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief: I had made it through the airports, I had all my luggage, and my host family hadn't forget to pick me up at the airport (my biggest worries.) I was exhausted, but so excited, and I was ready to start my new life.

Is there anything you miss about Baraboo, Wisconsin, the United States? What?
I was so excited by everything that was different when I first got here that I didn't have time to miss things in the beginning. But like I started to miss my family as time went on, I started to miss other things, too. Some are predictable-- friends, of course, and my pets, and my bed.
Others are things that surprised me-- things I didn't think I would miss, or things I didn't think I would have to miss. I miss living in a house and having a yard. I miss the food at home-- certainly not typical American fast/junk food (they have that here!) but I miss ethnic food. I love Turkish food; it's really delicious! But it's all Turkish food. This city has four million people, and I know of just two Chinese restaurants, and I've never seen anythıng like Mexican or Indian-- how can this be?! I even miss Baraboo High School, which was a surprise to me. I was a little tired with high school in America, but since coming here I've started to think of BHS with fondness, and I miss going to a school where I had a lot of fun and still learned a lot.

How is it being away from your family? Have there been days or times that were harder than others?
Before coming here I didn't think I would miss my family very much this year. I figured that as long as I could send them e-mails and talk to them on the phone every once in awhile I would be okay. A year really isn't such a long time, I'd think, and my family annoys me sometimes anyways!
All that said, at times it has been difficult for me to be away from my family. Before coming here I was so excited about my exchange that I didn't have time to woorry about if I would miss my family, but once I got here and setttled in and the excitement wore off, I started to miss my family. I am used to being away from them now, but the worst time was around Thanksgiving. As I ate dinner with my host family that night (a very non-traditional Thanksgiving feast, I will say!) I couldn't help but think of how the day "should have been"-- a big meal, all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, watching football and playing card games. Obviously it just wasn't the same.
After Thanksgiving passed I felt much better for some reason, though. I still think of my family a lot, but I know we will be together so soon that I don't need to miss them.
I don't think that anything could make me appreciate my family more than being away from them in a foreign country for a year. I realize now how much time I used to spend with them, how close we are, and how much they mean to me, and I so thankful to have such a loving, supportive family. There is no way I would be here in Turkey at all if it weren't for my family; I owe this whole experience to them.

What kinds of things were strange when you first arrived, and how long did it take you to get used to them?
So many things are different for me this year. I suppose the biggest thing to adjust to, though, how just been living with a new family. They have been so welcoming to me, but still, to adjust to all their habits and routines is not an easy thing.
Another thing that took me awhile to adjust to is the weather-- it was scorching hot in the summer! I guess now I've accustomed to the climate-- I'll complain aout the cold if it falls below 60°F!
I've gotten used to not going anywhere by car; since there's nowhere to park you have to get everywhere either on foot, or by bus/fery/taxi.

Any negative experiences so far?
İ'm racking my brain, and I really can't think of anything really bad that's happened to me in my time here. Everybody has been so welcoming, friendly, and helpful to me. I just know that if I ever have a problem there are many, many people around who would be willing to help.

What about the fact that Izmir is such a big city? Does that add to the difference? Do you think you like how big it is? Why or why not?
I think that a lot of the differences I notice in living here don't come from the fact that I'm livingg in Turkey, but from that I'm living in a big city. Since I was born and raised in Baraboo I have never spent a great deal of time in a large city, so to move to this place with four million people has been quite a change. Turkish people compare İzmir to Istanbul, and they say it's a small, quiet city. "Well," I say, "not for me!"
Sometimes I love the energy of the city: the lights and noise and having lots of other people around. I like that it's easy to use public transportation (a bus or ferry) to go places. Even though it's big city, I feel very safe here. It's a beautiful city, too; lit-up palm trees lining the seaside and great hills surrounding it.
Sometimes the city drives me crazy, though: feeling crowded into apartments, the horrible traffic, the constant honking horns. I live in a wealthier part of the city, but I still see the poverty that is here; the homeless, the beggars, the stray cats and dogs.Many Turkish people tell me I am lucky to spend the year in İzmir, because it's not as crowded and enormous as Istanbul, but it's not a tiny village, either. They say it's the most liberal city in Turkey.
I am very happy to get to spend my year here, because it is such a different experience to live in a city than in little Baraboo. I'm also relieved to see that I can survive in a city. It's nice to know that when it comes time to go to university I will be prepared to live in a place that has more than 10.000 people.

I've been following your blog, and I was wondering if you could elaborate a bit more on what languages you speak at home, at school, and in different settings. Do you use French a lot, for example?
Turkish is such a difficult language! It's so different from Engish. I'm doing my best with learning it, and while I understand a great deal of what is said to me, conveying what I want to say is still difficult.
My host parents and all my classmates have great English, so I fear I'm not learning as fast as I would if I had no one to explain things to me in English.
I never realized how lucky I was to have English be my native tongue. My classmates work so hard to learn it! And everyone is so proud to be able to say anything in English-- even the man selling food from a cart on the street tries to say something!
I do have French class here in school, but that's really the only time I use French here. Unfortunately it's a very basic level of French, and I have fogotten a great deal of the French I learned at BHS (hopefully I can pick it up again once I get back!)

What is the school environment like? What are the biggest differences?
A great deal of my time here is spent in school. It's very different from school in America, and I must say I prefer Baraboo High School to my school here. There a quite a few differences between the two. One of the most noticeable is the school uniform, which some days I love (it cuts down on the time it takes to get ready for school!) and somedays I hate ( it's rather unflattering!) The kids get tons of homework, take lots of exams, and many go to courses on the weekends. There is a difficult enterance exam they must pass to get into university.
The teachers are all strict, and nearly all the lessons are taught the same way: the teacher lectures from the book, the kids listen and take notes. It seems so much more serious compared to what I'm used to.
I was nervous about going to a new school, but all the kids here are so friendly and curious about foreigners. The kids don't swtitch classrooms, only the teachers do, so you stay with the same group of people all day. The whole class gets to be good friends.
There aren't any afterschool clubs, and no school sports. I think it's rather sad-- most of my classmates will tell me they would like to play sports or have other hobbies, but between homework and studying they don't have much time during the school year. Like I said before, I really have a new appreciation for my school in Baraboo, and I don't think I will complain about being bored there again!

What was most surprising to you?
Right now the only thing I can think of that surprises me is how America is viewed by the people here. I don't think I've spoken to anyone who has flat out told me they don't like the United States. It's nearly all positive. It's not unusual for me to hear how lucky I am to live in America, or hear about a classmate's dream of going to America. So many of them would like to study in the United States, but ıt's such a difficult dream for them to accomplish, and certainly not because they aren't clever enough.
My English class did a project a few months ago where they had to make a list of who they thought are "the top five men & women in the world." So many people listed Obama as one of their "top five men."
I have so much more pride in my country since coming here, but I still remind people that every country has it's problems-- even mine.

What did you do for Christmas and New Year's? Are you celebrating any new holidays?
Turkey's population is 99% Muslim, so Christmas is not really a holiday here. Some families put up trees and exchange presents for New Years, but other than that Christmas does not receive much recognition. I worried that the holidays would be a really hard time for me because of that, and in the beginning they were. I thought a lot about how the Christmas season is "supposed to be", with family, baked goods, and WOLX carols, and how nothing would be the same.
Once December started rolling it didn,t stop, though, and Christmas passed without me having much time to worry about things. And I did get a chance to celebrate Christmas Eve. All the exchange students got together in the day, and in the evening Rotary took us to a bar for our "Christmas Party." Needless to say it was an unconventional Christmas: eating a Turkish feast, watching the bartender juggle flaming bottles, and dancing to pop mucic. When we were first informed that we would be having Christmas at a place called "Lime Bar" I was pretty skeptıcal about the idea, but once I stopped obsessing over how Christmas is "suppsed to be" I warmed up to it. I figured, I'll have so many more Christmases, that having this one non-traditional one won't matter. And really, so much is different this year, so why not Christmas, too? In retrospect, I had a lovely holiday surrounded by friends (the other exchange students), and there was no way to feel homesick with that. This past Christmas was atypical, but I've come to realize that there are many things more important to Christmas spirit than traditions. (That said, I'm not going to lie to you-- I'm already planning Christmas 2010!)
New Years was a little different for me as well, but still fun. I spend the night at a classmate's house who was throwing a party. At midnight we all went on the balcony and cheered along with everybody else and watched the fireworks. I went back in the house and glanced at the news on tv-- they were showing live footage of İzmir's crowded main square, and I was so surprised because I live so near to there. The holidays weren't as bad as I thought they would be, but I'm still glad they've passed. Everyone says the best part of exchange starts after you get through the holidays.

Is there anything that's "just like home" that you weren't expecting?
I wouldn't say anything is exactly the same as home, but life goes on the same way here, you know? People work or go to school, they go grocery shopping, they go to the cinema. It's the same but it's different, and it's hard for me to explain!

Have you yourself changed since leaving Baraboo? How?
Even though I'm only halfway through my exchange I feel like I have changed so much in my time here. It's hard to even put into words. I think I've grown a great deal as person, and I really feel like I will be able to handle any problems that I might face upon my return home. I feel so much more independent-- I know I can do things on my own and nothing bad will happen. I've learned how to worry about myself, instead of worrying about worrying other people all the time, which is something I know I used to do. This year has helped me learn not to take things so seriously, and it's helped me see what really matters to me in my life.
When you're on exchange you get so much time just to think. It's really helps you clear your mind, and you can realy what type of person you are, figure out what kind of person you want to be, and then work to become that person.Being an exchange student has given me such a great sense of appreciation for everything. I don't know if I ever would have realized what a loving family, what fantastic friends, and what a beautiful life I have if I had never had this experience.

How do you think you will be feeling when you come back in June?
Just about a week ago I got an e-mail from my travel agent saying it's time to book my ticket home. I was so surprised, because it makes me feel like I will be leaving so soon, and it makes me realize how fast my time here has gone. Sometimes it feels like I've been here years, sometimes like I just got off the plane last week.
Of course I've thought a lot about what going home will be like. I love the thought of embracing my parents in the airport after not seeing them for ten months, and I can't wait to see my dog and cats, and I'm certainly looking forward to catching up with my friends. But when I imagine packing my bags, saying good-bye to everyone here, and spending my first night back in my own bed, I feel so sad.
Going home will be really bitterweet. I'm so curious what it will be like to have everything be "normal" again, since I feel lıke I have changed so much these past few months. Other exchange students say it can be hard to go back to high school after going abroad, but I am looking forward to a really fun senior year, even if I have tons of catching up to do with classes. I'm excited to think about college, and at the same time I am happy to have one more year in Baraboo before leaving for university. Turkey is just one short chapter in my life. I will enjoy the rest of my time here, and come summer I think I wıll be able to return to Baraboo feeling prepared to start the next chapter.

Finally, anything else you want to say about your time in Turkey that I haven't covered?
If I can take a few more minutes of your time, there are just a few more things I'd like to say that don't necessarily relate to my time here, but are important nonetheless.
I feel so grateful and just want to thank everyone who helped make exchange possible for April and I: Our parents, for helping us through every moment, other relatives and friends for also lending their support, Al Steevens and the Baraboo Rotary Club for sponsoring us, and the other Rotarians in Wisconsin, the Czech Republic, and Turkey who help make the Rotary Youth Exchange program possible.
This is truly an amazing experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I would encourage any young person who is considering spending a year abroad to go without hesitation-- you will learn so much and you won't reget it, I can promise that. And I would also encourage any family who is able to consider hosting an exchange student. You will gain new perspective on a culture so different from your own, and you will be helping to make a young person's dream come true.
And finally, I want to thank you, Ms. Taylor, for reading through all my ramblings and writing this article about April and I.
:)