Hoş geldiniz!

This time a week ago, I was sitting at home in Montreal, wondering what Turkey was really going to be like, and what kind of adventures would be waiting for me as a 'foreigner' living and teaching in Ankara at Bilkent International School (BUPS/BIS).

Well, I'm here... and as the title suggests, my first impression upon arriving - indeed even as the airplane was descending into Esenboğa airport - was of how beige the landscape was. It's funny how flying into more humid climate zones (Montreal, London, even Munich earlier that day) had led me to subconsciously assume that the land I was being flown over/into would be green & lush. Surprise! Not in this part of Turkey. Apart from areas with irrigation (such as the school campus), at this time of the year around here the grass is pretty much dead. Add to that the fact that much of the area has few trees... and you have a landscape with an overwhelmingly "beige" tint to it.

There were 6 other new teachers on the plane with me from Munich, and we each had at least 3 bags... so it was no big surpise to be met at the airport by a welcome team *and* a couple of buses. Oh, and some bottled water - a true blessing in the heat!

We were brought through Ankara to the Bilkent University East Campus, which includes (among other things) the BUPS/BIS campus and the university housing which is now home. Hehe I almost laughed out loud when I arrived in my new apartment to find that the carpets, furniture cushions, and curtains were (are) all... you guessed it - beige. But with a third-floor view, and 2 bedrooms & 3 balconies, I can't really complain. I'm just glad I brought some decorative items to colour it up!