It just keeps getting better!

We have talked a lot about the attitudes and behaviors of the Turkish people, what is clear (as I said before) is that the Turks are very kind and show quite a bit of respect for human life. I have found along with the other girls on the trip that the Turkish men are very protective of the women here. This can apply to just about everyone. Even if we don't know someone the first person to come to our aid is the men. For example (sorry but this is one of my favorite stories!) but when we were at the university coffee shop and our dear friend Shanna fell back on her chair, without even a second of delay the first person at her aid was the man sitting across from us. The man was so quite and didn't even talk to us that we weren't sure how to respond. At any rate, the further than I am here the more and more I notice these little things. I love being here and the more I (attempt) to communicate with the locals the more I get an understanding for the kind of people they are. I'm noticing larger differences between the Americans I'm used to and these Turks that I'm just getting to know. I have begun to feel very safe and at home here. I don't feel the anxiety that I felt the first few days in Istanbul. I have started to embrace the crowded streets and the amazingly rich culture and city. Everything down to the meals is full of meaning and history and that is something that I have never known. Since the first dinner as a huge group I have started to gain this jealously of the Turks. I'm still questioning why Americans don't get to have such a wonderfully full life as these people have.