Finally leaving home

Before I came to Istanbul for a traineeship, almost every past trainee talked about how great of an experience it was. They talked about Istanbul and its beauty, but most of all about the travel opportunities around Turkey. I was really excited about these before arriving, but having learned and experienced so much just within Istanbul, I didn't really feel motivated to leave the city. Well, after 5 and 1/2 weeks, I'm heading Southeast.

This weekend is the Southeastern Anatolia tour organized by @ Gaziantep. One of many reception events organized by AIESEC Turkey LCs, this one is extremely unique because it takes traniees through some of the oldest and most historical locations of Turkey. It's also just a short drive from neighboring Syria, so I'm eager to see the differences in lifestyle, culture, language, etc. between these opposite corners of the country. Certainly I'm not looking forward to a 16 hour bus ride, but hey, it's Turkey.

Also, I'm not sure as of yet, but I should be meeting a Kurdish friend I met at an AIESEC conference here. He's very eager to show me his community and introduce me to Kurdish traditions and such. His city is nearby, so we'll see, but I do think it'd be quite worth the effort.