At last, my faithful and devoted readers (also referred to as “parents” and “friends-I-guilt-trip”), I greet you from the rolling hills of Sariyer, Turkey. Oh, I’m sorry, you’re unfamiliar with that. Sariyer is a province in Istanbul and where my university is located. I apologize, I forgot that it has already been two weeks and I’m, like, really cultured now. But, yes. After the deciding, application-doing, form-filling, goodbye-saying (followed by the subsequent crying) and packing, I am at last in Turkey. So allow me to provide the long-awaited “List of Meagan’s Initial Reactions to Turkey”:

• The language sounds nothing even close to English.
• The Turkish word for “cheese” will be vital to my survival.
• As a vegetarian, I will be very hungry.
• Thanks to the Turks calling a grilled cheese “tost,” it has become socially acceptable for me to have a grilled cheese for breakfast — and it’s awesome.
• Why won’t it ever stop snowing in this coastal city?
• The colors and texture of Turkish lira allow me to easily convince myself that it’s monopoly money and that this excessive spending is all a game.
• There is an usually large number of fake gingers here, and I really appreciate it.
• Under no circumstance can I ever convince myself that Americans do not stand out.
• We have way more trash cans in the United States.
• Having to bring your own toilet paper to the bathroom makes going to the bathroom way more awkward.

But enough about cheese, trash cans and bathrooms (not in that particular order). I know you opened to this particular page in the guide, or clicked on the conveniently provided link on my Facebook, to hear the good stuff, all the juicy details about Istanbul’s nightlife.

Well, for that you’ll still have to refer to your Lonely Planet guidebook or any person cooler than me who has been to Istanbul. What I can tell you about nightlife, however, is that my brief experience, has taught me something very important about myself, something essential to who I am: I really like sitting down.

That’s right. Upon giving it real thought it has become quite clear that I have always subconsciously felt that in any given situation I would ideally be sitting down. I came to this realization with the help of a new friend and fellow American, Kelsey. You see, Kelsey likes to dance. It is the beginning and end goal of her nights. I, however, go out to sit.

Picture a bar with appropriate lighting (dim enough to create a “party” atmosphere, while bright enough so that you can identify the facial features of whomever you are conversing with), an enjoyable playlist (complete with late ‘90s/early 2000s Beyoncé hits and whatever Rihanna is doing right now set to a volume loud enough that dancing can happen somewhere separate from the sitting, yet quiet enough that a conversation does not take effort) and, the most important element of all, ample seating. This bar you just envisioned is called heaven. But as a result of my tendency to sit, there has been a constant battle between the sitting (me) and the dancing (Kelsey).

Now, don’t get me wrong; I do appreciate a good “pop, lock and drop,” “dougie” or “chicken noodle soup” (I had to Google that last one), not which mention that my “Cupid shuffle” is pretty on point. I came to Istanbul to experience new things and break out of my sitting-down shell. I want to be more like Kelsey, more like the kind of girl who says things like, “Ladies! Let’s go DANCING tonight!” So I’m trying, I truly, truly am.

And what I can be grateful for is that “grinding” is not a thing here. That is strictly an American thing and also the silliest concept to ever come from our generation. So I will try to make it a goal while I’m here to live by the age-old proverb of “dance like no one is watching.” The only problem is that’s just not true. People are watching and most likely judging. 

Meagan Kelly is a junior in the College and is a former photo editor for The Hoya. She can be reached [email protected]. GRANDMA GOES TO TURKEY appears every other Friday in the guide.