Hello, Turkey!

Merhaba!

I’ve made it safely to beautiful Antalya, Turkey. The journey was long and did not consist of much sleep, but I’m feeling well. Currently, I’m sitting in a cute Turkish villa hotel in a town that resembles Italy... so beautiful! I ate at a cafe in the village for dinner with some members from my team who also just arrived. Though it is 11:00pm and I have yet to have a good night sleep, the excitement of absorbing all this newness is keeping me awake!
Fortunately, we have an easy morning tomorrow before we are taken to camp in the afternoon for training. Apparently eighty degrees in California and eighty degrees in Antalya are very different... I was not expecting this humidity. Turns out I might be buying a few more tank tops while I’m here; not only because of the crazy hot weather, but also because it seems totally appropriate. There are definitely conservative women, but the majority of women my age are dressed like westerners without much concern for extreme modesty.
When flying in, I was shocked by how many mosques I saw... more that I could count, really. I have never heard the so-many-per-day calls to prayer in "real life", only on TV and through media. In a way, it's exciting to hear this aspect of culture for the first time, but then I am immediately saddened by the spiritual deprivation of this nation. More on that to come, I'm sure.

I’d better wind down; big days ahead. Thank you for praying for my while I journeyed! The Lord certainly had his hand of blessing upon me.

p.s. I accomplished my goal of recycling in Germany! I respect their savy waste management system. :)