18 Again

In a scene taken right out of a Zac Efron movie, at 31, I’m living in the dorms of a college campus.  Yeditepe University in Istanbul is home until Saturday.  I’m transported back to my late teens, freshly out of high school and on my way college.  The campus rests upon a hill, nestled into the forefront of a small forest.  It’s very beautiful and fitting as Yeditepe means “Seven Hills.”  Of course, Atatürk peers down upon us from an adjoining hill overlooking the campus.  Two large Turkish flags flank him.  The crimson crescent and star is everywhere.  Every.  Where.    

While on campus we’ll have several lectures about all things Turkey and then spend the last week of June exploring Istanbul.  We’re staying in the dorms and eating in the cafeterias.  I’ve never been to a college outside of the US before but this one is pretty similar to what American students experience.  My dorm room is the size of my closet at home and I’m sharing it with a roommate.   The food served in the cafeteria and is exactly what you’d think it would be but with a Turkish flare.    

It’s very strange to be living on a college campus again.  The first day I couldn’t get over it.   Twelve years after first moving into dorms, here I am again!  I don’t miss it and I don’t have any desire to repeat undergrad.  Now if I could just stop eating this Turkish version of a Snickers, I might be able to avoid my second round of “Freshman 15.”