STEPPING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

by Silvia Njuguna (Kenya)

A leap into the unknown Turkey

I had previously travelled within East Africa, but even then, it was in the company of friends who offered me a sense of comfort and security travelling in a new territory. Last year,while I was going through my emails at work, I came across an invitation to travel to Turkey for a program, I had almost forgotten about, since I had not received a response but there I was, having mixed feelings. I was excited because this would be my first time travelling outside of East Africa but I was also scared of the unknown, I had not traveled alone. My mum couldn't believe that I really was accepting the invitation to travel thousands of miles away from home alone. My travel date arrived and I had a wonderful flight. But getting there, my luggage had been left behind in Nairobi. I almost missed my flight from Istanbul to Ankara looking for it. No one spoke English at the Ankara Airport, so I had to go and look for the organizers of the program, perhaps they could offer some kind of help. For 3 days of my 14 day trip, I was left stressed out on whether or not my luggage would be found, luckily it did. On day 4 and the last day in Ankara, I had learned about the local culture, the people and met some local government officials, but this was the theoretical part of it. The Ankara Park was incredible, I had never been to such a big fun park before and it was quite affordable, about 20 liras for each ride. Field trips started on day 5, having been on the road for almost 8 hours to the next town, I had 3 hours to rest, have breakfast and be ready. Gaziantep was everything I had read about and more. The food was exquisite, especially Simit bread, a local type of bread had been my go to breakfast item on my plate. Unlike the big towns, Ankara and Instabul, Gaziantep felt more homely and relaxed. I would definitely suggest visiting the local bazaars, they had so many handcrafts to buy as souvenirs. We were then off to Kahramanmaras, the two things I still want to go there for would be the local ice-cream, I think that's the best ice-cream I have ever tasted up-to date, and a traditional soup called Yuvarlama, not everyone's cup of tea but it was really great, made from peas and small meat balls. The local bazaars here were also really nice, with affordable things to buy from bags, local handcrafts and the Turkish coffee was also really good. My last stop was in Instabul, for the better part of my trip visiting all the local Museums, the Blue Mosque, taking pictures and trying out the food. Kebabs and the turkish pizza was my favourite thing to eat throughout the trip but I tried anything new whenever I could. But the peak of my trip had to be going on a cruise tour in Instabul, that was magical. Being between two continents and having your meal with the beautiful view of the city in the sunset, was a breath taking. I am glad I took the leap of faith into an unknown territory, because it was worth it. The local people would always help despite the language barrier that I experienced here and there, I always found someone who volunteered to translate for me or show me directions. Generally, Turkey is a really beautiful country with a lot to explore, I don't think even a few months would be enough to visit all the places.But unlike the many negative perceptions, it was really a safe country and I didn't feel scared walking at night, although I wouldn't advise walking alone.Despite that, all necessary measures are important, especially to ensure you don't get robbed in the bigger cities like Instabul with such a high number of tourists which makes it a good place for pickpocketers. Just take care of your belongs and enjoy all the country has to offer. I hope this was a start of many more adventures into the unknowns and being able to share my experience with the world.