New Host Family

I'm so happy with the change. My family consists of a host mom, an anneanne (grandma), & a host sister who is in Canada on exchange. My host mom & grandma don't speak a word of English. It's really interesting to me, speaking just Turkish & seeing how much I actually know. (More than I thought!) We typically eat meals together that Anneanne cooks. They are traditionally Turkish & really good. One thing I stumbled upon yesterday was Anneanne praying to Mecca. She put a sheer headscarf on & sat in a chair (facing Mecca) & was definitely praying. I have never seen anyone do this before, so I was really delighted.

My neighborhood is much different from the old one. All of the buildings seem to be made of varied materials, stone & concrete, etc. Some of it is a little ghetto looking, but in a 2nd world country, I'm sure it gets WAY more ghetto than this. My apartment is really nice, too. My room is about the same size as the old one & I have a computer, finally.

Last but not least, KÖPÜK. I have a cat named Köpük (pronounced Kuh-pook). She is a giant puff ball with a bit of a smushed, Persian looking face. She is kind of a brat, which is the cutest thing... She definitely has personality. I think she's enjoyed being an only child for the past few months...