Merhaba Istanbuldan!

Hello from Istanbul!  Here's a picture of our group gathered near the Hagia Sophia, the original cathedral of Emperor Constantinople.  Hagia Sophia was the largest mosque in the world for over a thousand years!

The group is in good spirits as we continue to settle into our new surroundings and accommodations.  We spent Sunday evening exploring Taksim square, one of the most popular areas in Istanbul for tourists and Turks alike.  We've had our crash course in the Turkish language, which has been a hilarious experience with all of the midwestern mispronunciation and other humorous confusions that are a part of learning a new language.  We have our Turkish exam this afternoon after the first meeting of our political science class.  Wish us all luck!

Time to get back to studying!  Allahaismarladik (God stay with you)!

Made it to Constantinople

We made it!  The whole group is safe and sound in Istanbul, arriving without any problems beyond the discomfort and stress of overseas air travel.  We are checked in at the Superdorm on the residential campus of Boğaziçi University, which will be our home until we venture off on our Turkish excursion beginning on September 19th.  We are in for a busy time in Istanbul.  Tomorrow, August 28th, we have a full day tour of the city, which is sure to be fascinating.


Just wanted to let everyone at home know that we all arrived safely.  Hopefully we can all banish the last remnants of jet lag with a good night's sleep.  We'll make sure to post another update as soon as our energy stores are back to full charge!

Last Day in the U.S. of A

Here we go.  Last night at home, finishing up with all of our last minute preparations, checking off the final items from our packing lists, making sure all of our business is in order.  Tomorrow, we embark on a four month adventure, an adventure we cannot honestly comprehend until we find ourselves in the midst of it.  Right now, I'm sure all of us are full of excitement as well as a fair share of nervous anticipation.  I for one am beyond excited to go, but also quite anxious to leave home.

The first legs of international travel (i.e. overnight, cross-Atlantic flights) can be bizarre, jarring experiences  Tonight, we'll sleep in our own beds.  In a few days time, we'll be getting out of bed in Istanbul, over 5,000 miles from St. Olaf, from our homes, our family and our friends.

It'll take awhile to get into the rhythm of the trip, but I know we'll find our rhythm as a group easily once we overcome jet lag and travel fatigue, once we get rested up and settled into our new accommodations.

Unbelievable that our date of departure is finally here.  All of you in the group, sleep well, get your rest; we have a lot of travel time ahead of us.  Family and friends, wish us luck, keep us in your thoughts, and stay tuned for a post upon our arrival.

Peace,
Luke P

Corrected Schedule Links

Pretty sure the links to our monthly schedules will not work for many, if any of you.  You should be able to access the Google Doc version of the schedules, but you will need to sign into, or create a Google account to view our monthly schedules.  If you are unable to access the new links, please let me know by posting a comment on the blog.  Thanks and good luck!

August
September
October
November
December

Again, please let me know if you are able to access the new links.

Monthly Trip Schedules

Below, I've posted links for anyone interested in downloading our monthly schedules for the trip; looks to be an amazing, busy lineup of class and activities!

Links to Monthly Schedules (click to download):
August

September

October

November

December

Two Weeks Till Departure

What's up everybody.  Just thought it would be a good time to get rolling on the group blog for our TIME-2010 trip.  This blog will be managed through my account, but I am more than willing to give access to other group members interested in contributing to the blog. 

The date of our departure approaches and our anticipation seems to be rising exponentially, mounting higher and higher with each day counted down and checked off the calendar.  After what was hopefully an exciting, fulfilling summer for each member of our group, we prepare to launch off into a new adventure, which is sure to be far more exciting than the casual fun of the summer months.

For the next 14 days, we'll be swamped with packing arrangements, running errands to get necessary supplies, final goodbyes to friends, family and significant others, informing our St. Olaf proxies, ironing out all of the mundane details from the spread of travel prep.  But soon enough, the tedium of practical, mundane preparation will fall away to make room for the complete excitement of new adventure.

I'll make sure to send out the URL for the blog to all TIME members.  Feel free to pass the word along to friends and family.

Peace,
Luke P