Winter Has Come!

That is what is proclaimed on the news (alongside constant updates on the "domuz gribi" , or swine flu) - "Kış geldi" - Winter has come! And the actual date of the beginning of winter aside, winter truly has come here, in a very rapid way, bypassing autumn for the rainy and cold winters I have been promised ever since I first complained of the summer heat. While only a week ago I was sweating in my tank top as I walked down the street, today I was bundled up in sweater, jacket, and scarf, with an umbrella, feeling legitimately cold.

With the cold has come a change in people's mindsets, and some changes in daily routine. Showers are now an adventure, as I have to go outside on the porch and light some sort of pilot light for the gas that heats the water before having a shower. This means that the showers are finally quite pleasantly hot, though they are less frequent now that we have to turn on the gas (and now that we don't sweat as much). We appear to be drinking even more tea (though I did not realize this was possible), and in the house, which is not heated, we wear several layers of clothes. The winter wool blankets are on my bed. The normally open windows are now kept closed.

I am enjoying this change in weather, but I am sad to have bypassed the autumn season - one of my very favorite times of year. Where are my reds and yellows and oranges? How will my Thanksgiving be without those? We did have a very sweetly planned Halloween party with our host families on Saturday night. In Turkish Halloween is called Cadılar Bayramı, which literally translates to Witches' Holiday. All of us exchange students dressed up (I was a cowgirl) and got together for some Halloween festivities. It's great to share American traditions with our host families, while we are learning so many Turkish traditions. Still, it didn't quite feel like Halloween without any trick-or-treaters or, for that matter, any candy at all.

Next week we take a program trip to Antakya, the ancient city of Antioch. It looks like an interesting and historical place, and I have been told by every Turkish person I speak to about it that the food there is wonderful. It sounds like a wonderful trip, and I look forward exploring a different city. Do any of you have any places in Turkey you're curious about? I've already been doing lots of research for places I want to go later on in the year potentially when I have independent travel time. I can't believe how much there is to see in this country!