Three months ago my boss was concerned about my living situation. As you may know from past entries, I lived in an all male dormitory in Kasimpasa a.k.a. Harlem of Istanbul. Ever since he has been looking to find accommodation that would be a little more suitable and had asked if I would consider staying with a family. I was a little hesitant at the time because to me living in the dorms meant 24 hour fun and a great social life.

Since then I have come to know the dormitory differently, such as having to roll up my pants and squat over the toilet given that the men…*cough, cough* boys apparently haven’t learned how to aim very well; or trying desperately not to look anyone in the eye because being one of five women living in an all male dormitory makes dorm life more like that game called predators and pray than an innocent way to socialize. Plus the fact that we share showers with curious boys, our neighbors have been nicknamed “The Jungle Boys,” our door doesn’t close, and the security guards hate us (well, some of us) made me realize the dorm a little less glamorous than originally expected.

So now that I have endured four months of prison in the so-called dormitory I was ready to check out other options. Just yesterday one was offered.
My boss has a Turkish friend who was living in the New York for two years, had a kid, and is now back in Turkey. Her child started learning English and she wants to make sure he keeps developing it while in Turkey. So the best solution is to have a native speaker around as much as possible. When my boss heard about the situation he proposed the idea to both of us.

So I went to meet the family late last night as both of us had other plans with friends for earlier in the evening. Our meeting was in their apartment so that I would have the opportunity to check out my living quarters before deciding. My first impression of the family was great! I really liked Derya my host "mom."She is 30 years old and super spunky. Her husband might be around 40 and also seemed very nice. Then I can't forget to mention the absolutely gorgeous appartment.

It is three floors. The first floor is elaborately decorated and has a livingroom, dinning room, study, kitchen, and master bedroom. The second floor Derya called the “summer floor” because for some reason they only use it in the summer. It has a kitchen, living room with a flat screen, a few bedrooms, and some other rooms. There is also a huge terrace with a that wraps all the wayaround the house with a view of the Bosphorus. The third floor is where the housekeeper/nanny and I would stay. I would have my own room with a bathroom and shower.
There is also a bathroom outside my room that I can use that hasa Jacuzzi and sauna!! It's a palace!! There is no way I could pass up this living situation.

I would be provided breakfast and dinner and given money for daily transportation. Plus she already wants to take me skiing with her friends on Thrusday! They want me to move in today.

I got back to the dorms around midnight last night and had to start packing. I felt so horrible. All my friends were like "where are you going?" I had to tell them that I wouldn't be living with them anymore. It was sooo hard to tell them. Eventhough I will still see them most weekends it's going to be a lot different. We were all like a family. For instance if we were out later than usual during the week people would always call to make sure we were okay. When anyone becomes ill we there is always someone to take care of him/her. We are all in a completely foreign country away from our family and friends, but we have each other.

It will truly be so hard to leave. Yet at the same time it will also be really nice not to have to search around for suitable work clothing in the morning in the dark, or carry my facewash and make-up to the public bathroom just to find out that I have to wait in line to use the sink and mirror. It's going to be nice just to be able to read a book, fall asleep, or do whatever I want without being disturbed. I think it will be really lonely all by myself at first but I am sure I will soon get used to it and enjoy my space. I will give it a shot until the students move into the new dorms and then reassess the situation after having met the family and tried it out for at least a few weeks.