You Always Remember Your First

Hello from the gateway, the bridge, the link between East and West! Istanbul, Turkey; my first post as an employee of the Department of State. I've been living here for about 4 months now - time spent learning parts of the city (I'll never, ever see even 1/2 of it!), meeting some incredible people who have already touched my life in enduring ways, getting used to the title of "U.S. diplomat", and, as is my want, looking at the map and thinking about my where-to-next.

This is not a city that does things half-assed - the summer heat, the carpets, the population, the views, the mosques, the ships, the traffic, the history. It's all big and close enough to touch; so infused in daily life it is impossible to separate one from the other. For a girl who has never been to Europe, Istanbul seems so close to everything! Athens, Paris, Oslo, Bucharest, Vienna - all are less than 1/2 a day away. Having said that, I have spent almost no time outside the city yet - a trip to Cyprus in May and an upcoming trip to Oslo being the only exceptions. A 2 week vacation in August will take me out of Istanbul to Colorado and Honduras.

For those of you familiar with my Peru blog, I'm hoping you will find this blog just as entertaining and more frequently updated (Istanbul is a far, far, far technological cry from Jocos).

The Blue Mosque