Work has started

I arrived in Istanbul last Thursday. It is HUGE. I come from a very small city, so this is extremely different from home. There are so many people!

I began work on June 7, so I had the weekend to recover from any jet-lag and to tour the city. I went to the old part of the city, as well as some of the newer shops. It was good to get a feel for the city before working. My favorite spots so far have been in Kadiköy and the old part of the city. On Saturday, I met up with Peter, another CIBE intern, and we toured some of the old monuments together.

Yesterday was my first day of work at Girisim Faktoring. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about work because I haven't had any assignments yet. There is some difficulty with language that is preventing me from doing certain tasks around the office. I know basic Turkish, but it is very hard to communicate with people. Also, not many people in the office speak English which makes that end of the deal complicated as well. The office has been very kind and welcoming, which I am grateful for. They are determined that I will learn Turkish soon. In the meantime, they are looking for work that I will be able to understand.