Today, I was invited to a Turkish friend's aunt's home. I got to know this great friend in Michigan when she went to Michigan for a study abroad program.

But, I had a very bad start. I took a bus in the wrong direction, but fortunately got help from a guy who helped me back to the place I started. Then, I headed to the wrong place which I believed I was supposed to meet my friend, tried to find a public phone to call my friend but didn't have a phone card to use it, went to office in desperation so that I could use the phone, found out that I need a code to dial numbers out of the office, tried to explain to security guards that I just needed to use a phone (in hopes that they would let me use their phones) but was sent back into the office. Luckily, my troubles ended when one of the staff who serves çay happened to be in the office, and after some miming, he managed to help me call my friend. I then took a train to meet my friend....and I was late for an hour :( I felt really bad because my friend brought along her other friends as well, so a total of 6 people waited an hour for me.

Horrible start aside, I had a great time after that :) My friend's aunt prepared materials for us to make mantı (kind of like ravioli but Turkish style).

Here we are, sitting in the living room making mantı. Four of them are German exchange students studying in my friend's university.

I didn't take a picture of us eating, because my friend took a picture and I was too busy eating :) After the meal, we had dessert.

Dessert was "chicken breast,"which no one knows why it's named as such. Çay was of course present.

While we chatted over chicken breast and çay, I unconsciously drank 3 cups of çay and felt the effects coffee would have on me.

Before we left, our kind host even gave us each a gift that she made herself.

I think it's meant to be used during showers, but I should check again.

I definitely had a great time, though it would be better without those problems at the start :) It was amazing that people were willing to help me; the person who missed his bus to help me get on the right bus and the other person who made an effort to understand my miming. I must also mention that while on a bus, I saw 5 people got up from their seats to help an old lady, who had difficulty walking, into a seat. Aren't Turkish people friendly and nice? :) And of course, my friend and her friends are very nice to have waited for me for an hour without complaining :)

Signed off by Priscilla