willis has landed

Before today I had never been outside of the United States. Before today I had never riden in a cab. Before today I had never had to convert currency.
My trip began yesterday with a frantic epsidode of running through the house worried of things I had missed and would be leaving. I'm sure my suitcase has more crap in it than I needed to bring. I'm also sure some of that crap will not make the trip home. I left from cincinnati at 1:25 a little nervous; still full of the jitters that I get when I haven't flown in a while. The plane was very cramped, it stank a little, and the portholes were by my knees causing me to bend to an awkward position to see the scenery. Flying into Boston was amazing. It is a beautiful city on the Bay, with the typical sailboats filling the bay. I took my time crossing the airport to check in with British Airways. The plane I then boarded was the biggest passenger plane I have ever seen. The 747-400, jumbo jet. The kind with the second deck for first class (kind of like in Snakes on a Plane, however the resemblances to that movie end there, thankfully). I was cramped between a sweet 19 year old british girl and a smoking 37 year old woman from Trinidad (A Carribean island).
The six hour flight got old pretty quickly. I couldn't sleep, and the movies were pretty lame. I caught up a little on Owen Meany and chatted some. After the flight, Suzie (the smoking chick) offered to buy me my first beer at a bar in the airport. I kindly took her up on it, seeing as it would be bad manners to turn down such a generous offer. We talked a lot and it turns out she's a role player, you know..Dungeons and Dragons. Whow would have known? I almost missed my flight.
Taking off from London, I felt like a true flying veteran. My stomach didn't churn once. I felt like I had done this a million times and I was ready to get to my "final destination" (being istanbul, not the ultimate final destination). However, looking out my window, I saw London, bathed in the light of a 7 am sunrise. The city was amazing, sprawling, huge! Bigger and more beautiful than Boston. I think I slept for at good 30 minutes on this 3.5 hour flight. Luckily there was a power outlet and I played some hardcore spider solitare. Nacho Libre was the feature presentation, which I didn't have the inclination to watch. By this point it was about 2 am and the sun was shining bright...sleep was not an option.
Sooner than I expected, we were flying into Istanbul over the Aegean. After seeing London, I didn't think I could be more impressed by a city from the air. I was wrong, Istanbul is huge. It is all urban housing and mosques. After a lengthy visa/passport check, I had the relief of being flagged down by an emissary from Bogazici University, whom guided us through the metro to a cab. In hindsight, I should have been more scared in that cab. The driver made no attempt to follow any sort of driving regualations. Turn signals were non existant...There might as well not have even been lane lines. Calling it aggressive driving would be an understatement. I now understand why Istanbul has one of the highest automobile accident rates in the world. I wasn't complaining, I buckled up and enjoyed the ride.
Did I mention that the city was huge? It took us a good hour of aggressive city driving to get to our destiation. After a quick and painless check in at the superdorm, i was introduced to my mental-hospital-like dormitory room. i have a desk and a bed. It is very small...but the common room is quite large. I was taken to South Campus where I saw Bogazici's "point" (which is cooler than Hanover's). I ate some traditional Turkish food, which was nice. Contrary to what others may say, I don't think the coke tastes that much different.
In the evening i met up with a girl i had been in touch with via e-mail, Rana. She called my extension when she got in and said that she was with two boys from Hanover. Low and behold Rick Saunders and BJ. The four of us set upon an adventure to find toilet paper, bed sheets, food, and a pillow. I'm back, the adrenaline and excitement has faded from my veins and the jet lag is starting to creep back up on me. We have decided on a 9:30 AM breakfast. So, i need to hit the sack. I have two weeks before classes start and a ridiculously big city to explore. In the next update you can expect some pictures! Stay tuned, willis out.