Rotary weekend!!

 

 

 So this past weekend we had a Rotary orientation in Kuşadası and we also got to go to Mary's house and Ephesus. I thought I'd give all the text a break with some photos. First though, I LOVE EXCHANGE STUDENTS!!! I think we are going to have the best year together and I'm so excited for it.
We stopped at this makeshift village on our way to Kuşadası. It ıs a direct replica of rural villages. The statues looked creepily lifelike, and as some of them also moved, I thought they were real people for a minute.


Above are a knife sharpener and perfumist at work. To the right is a photographer and below is a woman spinnıng.
We also got to go swimming in the sea! It wasn't too cold(I thought) and it just felt amazing! We had a lot of orientation about how to be safe in the city and how to protect ourselves againt theft and earthquakes. The earthquake thing was very interesting as I've never really been told what to do during one. I guess they happen 5-6 times a year, but they're not super big. It's always good to be prepared though.

 Below is a man putting shoes on a donkey. There was also a mini museum which we couldn't take pictures in. It showed all these things and more, just in a mini size. There were also some very funny Turkish legends.






We walked though Kuşadası a little before dinner and there were a bunch of trees with paper lanterns and lights and they looked so cool!!
Dinner was really good. The food here is just amazing and I really have gotten used to the different flavors, sauces, and herbs the Turkish use in cooking. Even the yoghurt is starting to taste good. All of us exchangers spent the evening talking and laughing and we even sang. I don't know how it came up but the girl from Canada started to sing her national anthem and after her was Brasil then South Africa then Mexico then Indonisia and then the U.S. It sounded so cool!!

 We were up bright and early (okay maybe not) and after breakfast took the picture below. We were standing there sqinting into the sun and probably took 12 pictures. There were even a couple of pedestrians that stopped and took a picture. :P
After that, it was off to Mary's House! I'd already been there before but it was nice to go again. I think I noticed a few more things than I had the first time I went there.

 The picture below is of Annie and me waiting to go into Ephesus. I'll introduce you to all my wonderful exchange friends later. While we were waiting, a bunch of us decided to tie our flags aound our necks like capes. We ended up wandering around Ephesus with our flag capes and every once in a while I'd hear people comment on us. Or they see the flags and say 'Ooh Brasil, Canada, U.S., Mexico..wow'

Some of us had our Rotary shirts on too, so then they almost automatically understood who we were.    

 Ephesus was amazing and the sad thing was we only got a little over two hours to see the whole thing. That is so not enough time! I could have easily spent double that. I think that history is so much more interesting when you can acually see it and touch and walk on it.
We found some stone pillars and took turns taking pictures between them.
I might also add that the weather was perfect. It was sunny and hot, but there was a good breeze so you didn't really notice the heat. Perfect for sightseeing.

 Below is the view from the small theater which was used for counsil meetings. It probably seats 1000 people easily. Ephsus is really really old; and it's one of the seven wonders of the world so we all realized we were walking around something major. It also used to be a port city but it's miles away from the sea now.

Like I said...it's the small one.

 Below is an arch that I thought was really pretty. Also around the city you could find stones with anchient Greek on them.
The carving is also beautiful. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to carve all the little details into stone.

There was also a mosaic road that led up to the rich portion of the city. All along this road were small little houses for the people who worked for the rich. I can now say I have seen a mosaic even though that is really hard to believe. I envy the kitties that get to walk and sit on this road.

 Okay! Below is probably one of the most famous structures in all Ephesus. The LIBRARY! Let me tell you...it's huge, no it's bigger than huge. It's enormous. AND it's beautiful. It's truely a work of art and I can't even begin to imagine what it looked like when it was first built. I have to admit I took more pictures of this than anything else because I couldn't believe I was there.

 I mentioned that the carving is beautiful and the library is no exception. It was so very detailed and I was surprised at the massive detail of the structure.
I really can't get over the fact that I was there. =D It was sad though becasuse we only got 5 minutes at the library. So that's why I could spend hours and hours in Ephesus.

Yep..U.S. pride at Ephesus. (Dear Dad: see I'm using my flag!) Also you can see Max in the background with his Mexican flag.

 So as you can imagine, we all wanted at photo on the steps of the library. However, we all wanted one with our own cameras. So, our poor Rotary guy had probably 9 cameras and then we had to sit and smile for at least 9 different pictures. We've decided that from now on, one person gets the picture and then shares it with the group. But it was worth it for this pic.

 The trip couldn't be over until we had paid a visit to the famous theater. It's also HUGE!!
It seats 20-25,000 people. That's Quincy times 5! I can't imagine 5 Quincys in that stadium... I really can't. But the other astounding thing is that where ever you sit in the theater, you can hear the speaker clearly. We sent Max down to test that theory and it's true. We sat pretty far up, but we could hear him as if he was right near us. Pretty sweet!!

 So the whole day turned out to be a success! Well actually there's a bit more to my day. When we got back to İzmir, my host dad was going to a cousins to watch a soccer match and the whole family went with. Now I really don't know much about soccer, but I do know the basics about scoring and stuff like that. However, it is a pretty cool sport. My host dad and his friends have this superstition though that if they don't sit in a certain spot, the team will lose. Well since I was in a certain spot when the team scored, I now have a spot I have to sit in.

Our team ended up wining so that was good, and I got to meet a kid who also goes to my turkish school and is in the same grade, but not the same class. So that was nice too! Gracious it was just a good day! I'm paying for my lack of sleep this weekend because now I'm really tired, but hey I can be tired for school. Haha I don't really do anything anyway.

Blessings,

Monica =D