The fun part.

I was hesitating to write this for obvious reasons. But then I thought is it really me who should be hesitating? And I realized that no. It’s actually them who should have hesitated to arrange things the way they did. For my friends who don’t know about all the fun I am having with accommodation here is a short introduction: We were staying in the student dorms till now, but on the 1st of September we had to leave them. Till the very last moment (and even after that) nobody knew where we would stay… We were asking a week before, 3 days before, one day before “Where will we be staying in Istanbul?”. The answer was very inspiring and comforting : “We don’t know yet … but we’ll fix it!”. And who will fix in the end my broken nerves and spirit?

Anyway, on the 1st of September (!) we were packing our suitcases still without knowing where we would land for the night. Not to bore you with a long story of crossing Istanbul here and there with my luggage I’ll tell you that in the end I was brought to a local family (relatives of a friend of a friend – as it is alwas in Turkey!). On the way there late in the night I was told that I would stay in one room with a 17 y.o. girl and live together with her mother and grandmother. I would not get a key because the grandma is always at home and would open me the door. And I have to be at home by 12. Are you kidding me?

I am a guest in a family I don’t even know. I have to feel like a guest and behave accordingly every moment. That means that I have to control everything I do… Is it ok to take shower twice a day? Is it ok if I put my toothbrush here? Can I use the kitchen? And all that kind of stuff.. You know the way it is to be a guest somewhere. And now imagine that I don’t know these people and have to live here for 3 weeks. I work everyday and go out sometimes and when I come home I want to relax… And not to think about my social behavior. And the worst thing is that now it feels like I owe them.. Like it’s a favor what they are doing to me. And in fact it is! They don’t have to host me… So I have to be even more careful and grateful

Before that every Friday I was coming home at 5 in the morning. After a party in a club. How am I supposed to come now? Should I ring the bell  and make the grandma open the door for me?! Seriously? And again I have to be “happy” having a roof over my head because another girl still doesn’t have even that and God knows how long will it take till “they fix it”. I mean come on, Iaeste, it’s really bad what you are doing to your interns! And I know people from many countries who have done this internship and I’ve never heard such stories. Disappointed

Ok, now a bit of good stuff : I really liked the family! They were very nice and sweet to me. I entered the apartment with a lot of doubts but when they hugged me and kissed me I really felt very welcomed… Seriously if it were not for their warm welcoming I would have killed the Iaeste people wouldn’t stay there. And one more bonus – now it takes me only 30 minutes to get to work! Fantastic time for Istanbul.