Saturday, August 29, 2009

Quarantined in Turkey

"Quarantined in Turkey

Friday, August 28, 2009
Elizabeth Grubbs / First person
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

My advice to all who travel the world this year is to pack a local-language dictionary and a change of clothes in your day bag.

I earned this wisdom after being quarantined in a foreign country where I could not speak the language. It is not an experience I would recommend.

This summer I flew from Tennessee in the United States to İzmir, Turkey for a grand adventure. I had been awarded a scholarship to study the Turkish language for eight weeks. Having previously studied and worked in Turkey, I was (and I remain) captivated by everything Turkish: food, culture, politics, music, architecture, religion, beaches and, of course, the Turkish people."

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