My long journey to Turkey has finally concluded, and so far, the thing I both love and hate about Turkey is the paperwork. There are millions of things you have to apply for with a million pages to each application. Of course, you have to pay for every application and then, it seems, as soon as you turn in the papers, you’re cleared.
Now, it is possible that my untrained eye simply cannot detect the efforts of the Turkish government, but it’s equally possible that it really just likes paper trails.
But even then, I have to wonder. When I submitted my student visa application, I was given a receipt in the form of a carnival ticket. One was given to me and one was taped to my passport. I was instructed that as long as a person had the corresponding ticket he or she could pick up my passport. Really great security practices, right?
At the same time, it truly reflects Turkey, where everything is difficult until it is easy. Everyone has to submit the same papers and do the same thing; however, life is hard, university application procedures are terrible and the job market isn’t great. But as soon as you finish the last necessary thing, everything falls into place.
So, after the embassy trip and weeks of pretending to prepare, the day of departure arrived. I packed my bags in earnest and then repacked the night before because all of my friends told me I only needed one small bag. I never got everything into such a small space — partly because every time I took something out my mom added another item, and partly because I don’t plan on buying a whole new wardrobe just because “it’s from Turkey.” They have all the same brands, anyway.
After two vacations, I’m finally here for some serious business: studying at Middle East Technical University, which, as I have recently learned, is considered the best university in Turkey. We’ll see how it stacks up compared to U.Va. standards.
And I still know there will be lots of paperwork to face. I’ve been looking on the university’s Web site, and it seems there are endless lists of required papers. I’m not excited about the paperwork, but I realize that as soon as it’s completed, I’ll be in. And that’s the truly exciting part. Studying in another country, learning another language — it’ll be great. I hope. Or, as most Turks would say, “Insha’Allah,” which is a phrase from Islam that people say all the time here, kind of like “God willing.”
So far, I’ve been managing with Turkish — mostly because my boyfriend kindly has corrected my every mistake. Starting at the university will be the real language test. Even though my classes will be in English, I have a feeling that doesn’t mean quite as much English as I would like. But what’s the point of studying abroad if you don’t throw yourself completely into the unknown?
And that’s exactly where I am at the moment. Spending two weeks waiting for school to start with my boyfriend and his family. Finally enjoying the summer. Even though it’s hot as hell here (imagine first-year dorms with even more heat and no fans), it’s going to be great. Even if I have to fill out six billion applications before the first week is up.
Jessica’s column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at j.walker@cavalierdaily.com.
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