Dearest Friends and Fam,

I've been in this country three days shy of a month, and the experience has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. My first weeks were spent acquainting with the other newly hired English teachers during our whirlwind tour through Turkey. A three-day visit to Istanbul, a couple visits to the beach at Çeşme—"Chesh-may," a home-stay visit with a Turkish coworker, a daytrip to the ancient cities of Ephesus and Şirince, barely a nap during the week-long holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan, and Ms. B is back in the classroom. This past week was spent preparing, and the energetic 4th grade turkish kiddos will arrive on Monday.

With all the goings-on, I've had little opportunity to mentally process all I've already experienced, but this I know: Turkey is a fascinating country. I'm excited to be here and I'm eager to continue exploring all that Türkiye has to offer. While you are on this site, have a look at the photos; each is worth a thousand stories.

As I embark on this journey I leave you with a thought:

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page," ~St. Augustine"

…and I must say I agree.