1 Month

Top 5 things that I love the most about Turkey so far!

(In no particular order)

1. Stallions Football.

Our first game is on February 20th and we are anxiously anticipating that day. We practice every Tues, Thur, and Sunday at Koc University! The guys on the team are really great and we are really building great friendships. They look after us like we are their brothers, and if you have ever been overseas, you know how awesome that feels. We also have some of the best coaches around (Rhett Burns and Jay Mosser). Im excited to continue to do life with them and play football with them.So by far, Stallions football is the highlight of my trip! Man I love the guys on the team and just playing football again. Its been about 5 years since I actually padded up, but I am learning again just how much fun it actually is. I am playing Quarterback and it is awesome. I would like to say that I am getting a little bit better with each practice, but really its just the guys around me making

2. Taksi Rides

Taksi rides are so amazing here. Every time I get in, I get nervous. I know very little Turkish and most Taksi drivers don't speak English. Most of

the time I get in and say will you take me to the Metro Bus, and he says yes. Then there is always an awkward silence that comes about...So far though, we have taken that awkward silence. One time the driver had a music player with a video screen and he played Britney Spears for us. He turned the music all the way up and just broke out and started dancing. Others we talk about American football and how we play here. They always say" Oh tough sport" and then they start making football moves. Its definitely been great and I can't wait to experience more.

3. Besiktas Soccer.

Besiktas Soccer is so legit. There are a few other teams in the Istanbul area but none as great as Besiktas. I got to go to a game the other night with my friend Burak which they won 2-1. I haven't figured out who my favorite player is just yet from the team; I bought a Quaresma jersey the other day but I really like Fernandez....either way they are both super legit. Soccer is definitely something here that can start conversation. Any time that you get into taksi you can just mention one of the teams and you will either get a happy face or a what the heck are you thinking face. I haven't figured out which one is better yet! Ha!

4. Blueberry tea

Oh man how this stuff has changed my life. I bought a pack last

week and just finished it. I average about 3 cups a day. It is so good. I dont know if they sell the stuff in the states but if they do, then

do yourself a favor and get some. People here drink chai tea almost

all day long; Its so nice and soothing. I have also tried apple tea which

is fantastic as well. Blueberry by far though will get you through a rough day.

5. Guitar

Ok so I have had an unbelievable passion for music since

high school. Lets get one thing straight, I am not musically

talented at all. I have probably the worse voice ever, but boy

do I like to sing a lot. I really would love to learn to play the

guitar and just use that talent whenever possible. I learned

maybe possibly one chord already, but my roommate told me

it sounded not so good so I am trying to fix that slight problem.

Bir, Iki, Uc Stallions....

So this is my second update since arriving in Istanbul. Things are going super well here, really starting to settle in and make it home. So if you didn't know already, I am here playing football for the Stallions. It has been really great so far. They guys on the team are some of the nicest and funniest guys I have ever met. Me and my roommates are really trying to fit in with the guys and mesh well. Micah is playing TE, WR, and CB and doing a really great job at. We don't have enough helmets just yet so me and micah are having to share so that has been kind of interesting. Stuart is playing RB, WR, and S. Stuart is probably one of the quickest guys on the team and is very strong for a smaller kind of guy. Roy is playing Center and DE and totally dominating the line; he is by far one of the toughest hitters. I am playing Qb and really enjoying it. We have practice T, Th, and Sun and that is definitely the highlight of our days. We are really meshing well together as a team and we are excited to see what happens these next few months.

Istanbul!!!!!

Merhaba Amerikan's!!!

Well if you are not sure what this means, it means Hello Americans in Turkish! It has been a fast pace couple of days getting everything set up! Istanbul is a massive city, there are around 15 million people and Istanbul is located in two different continents (Asia and Europe). Me and my roommate Roy live on the Asian side and Micah and Stuart (two of my friends from SE) are on the European side. The Bosphorous Straight separates the two continents, and is the most traveled area by boat in the world! Today was our first day of Orientation and today we had a scavenger hunt that consisted of us going out into the city and finding random things by ourselves. So you just need to imagine yourself and 5 other people going out into a city of 15 million people knowing only about 3-4 words of that language and trying to get around.

These events occurred in real time:

So we took off walking down the street and one of things we needed to find was a statue, so me and Stuart posed like the statues. I have no idea what the statue means but we did it anyway! This was the beginning of the journey, around 5 minutes in. At this point I think we were lost, but we also may have been lost the entire time.

Ohhh! Starbucks ...ummmm ....yes plz! I guess that I haven't actually had any yet, but I am excited about dominating some coffee. There are quite a few Starbucks around where we live and in the malls and its definitely a hit here. Me and the roomie are soon investing in a French press and buying coffee soon. We are both avid coffee drinkers, so blessed to have a roommate who enjoys the same things.

So we eat a whole lot here I feel like. This is a typical Turkish Dish (Lamb and rice with salad). It is absolutely incredible, Lamb really is one of the best things I have had in a long time. I think I have had lamb kebabs or a lamb wrap everyday since I have gotten here. If you didn't notice, there is also Coke Light which is the American version of Diet coke. It makes a good day go even better!

Well there is much more that happened, but its late here and we have another full day tomorrow! Will update more soon! Thanks for reading and being apart of my life. Love you all!

-Ryan McMillan