It has been 3 years since I departed to Turkey on my 3 month excursion that turned into an 8 month stay. Ever since my return I have embarked on a new adventure to Norway for 2 years and have been promoted from Business Coordinator to CEO. A lot has happened as you can imagine I had to lay my writing pencil to rest for a while. I do however need to finish this chapter before I tell you all about my Norwegian adventures!
In Part 2 we ended our story with a traditional Turkish wedding and a plane trip to embark on summer holiday. My adoptive family took me along to Bodrum. Bodrum is a city on the Bodrum Peninsula, stretching from Turkey's southwest coast into the Aegean Sea. The city features twin bays with views of Bodrum Castle. The medieval fortress was built partly with stones from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, completed in the 4th century B.C. The city is also a gateway for nearby beach towns and resorts.
The next 30 days were spent on lounging in the sun, working on getting a Mediterranean tan, swimming in the sea, building sandcastles and exploring the local nightlife. The town is painted with white houses - the Turkish Mykonos, truly a sight to witness. Here I perfected my diving skills with my host kid, had midnight swims with friends, made friends with locals and explored a completely different culture than what the city offers. Hot days were spent with our feet in the sand and once the cool evening breeze was welcomed we spent evenings walking along the boardwalk eating special Turkish sticky chewy ice cream or better known as "dondurma".
Upon our return back to Istanbul it was still summer holiday and I therefore had to start getting creative as an Au Pair about activities. My host child and I spent at least a couple of hours a day in the pool, swimming, racing, diving and having poolside picnics. We'd challenge the neighbourhood children to basketball and football games and spent a couple of hours in the gym (nothing works better than a treadmill to tire a 7 year old out a bit).
Furthermore I became an expert at board games, a game of Monopoly was stretched over days. We made slime, read books, played piano, had living room dance parties and built a very unsuccessful fairy garden.
During my off time I continued to make a home out of Istanbul, attended pub crawls, haggled at the Grand Bazaar, went on boat cruises and consumed everything that this amazing city has to offer. By the end of August the air started cooling down a bit, life was slow and fun. I promised myself that I have to behave like a true tourist at least once. I visited the Blue Mosque, walked in the city, drank Turkish coffee and ate all the treats that I could find.
As autumn was approaching my time in Turkey also started coming to an end. There was almost a sadness that lingered in the air. My anneanne and I was still not able to communicate fluently with each other at this point, however I like to believe that we understood each other and shared the same emotions with regards to me packing my bags. Anneanne went on a special shopping trip to send some of my favourite treats and groceries home with me.
By September my bags were packed and I had to start saying my goodbyes. In hindsight Turkey as taught me a lot about life, myself and what true culture shock is. I had the best experience that I could possibly imagine. I still sometimes catch myself daydreaming about the really special moments that I have shared with my adoptive family. They say travel changes you and you never return the same person.
Travel changes me, because I leave a piece of my heart wherever I go. One day I will have puzzle pieces scattered all over the world.
You may ask me if I would recommend it to Au Pair in Turkey and the short answer would be... duh
2025/03/10
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