Turkey Update

It seems like everything is coming together. Graduation is FOURTEEN days away, I have more than a few interview invitations in my in box, and my personal statement for grad school is coming together sooo nicely! The future I have dreamed of seems within my reach.  As for the present, I feel like I have finally hit my stride teaching here in Istanbul. I identify with the kids more, and I am realizing all of the academic, cultural, and social responsibilities of being an ESOL teacher. Academically, I'm doing great. Socially, however, I'm finding myself in another social rut.

I'm not sure if I will ever travel alone for over a month again. I know more kindergartners here than I know anyone else. The adults the I do know who speak English have lives that naturally don't include entertaining me. So I'm often left to my lonesome, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm introverted by nature, so having the itinerary to myself was a relief. I have the freedom to go anywhere, without taking anyone else's desires into consideration. But that's the thing. I want to take someone else's desires into consideration.  I want to be pushed to try new foods, even though I'm convinced that the only thing I like to eat here is the ice cream. I want to be suckered into trying one more museum, even though I've established that Hagia Sophia is the prettiest. As an introvert I need the kinds of people around me that will be willing to get lost in a foreign country with me. Cuz let me tell you, I'm not the one or the two to do so on my own.  

For the past week I've been thinking that Turkey is not the place for me. But maybe it's just not the place that I need to be alone. While I am so excited to be heading home next week, I can't wait to come back to Turkey with a community.