Duniya Photos: Hey did you miss me?

So, it seems that I have been very neglectful of late. I have completely ignored my blog and my dear readers. Well I do kind of have a good excuse. I have been living and teaching in Istanbul for the last two months. This city has a habit of eating up your time and you just don't seem to get a minute to yourself. I hope that you can forgive me and to make it up to you I will be keeping you all updated with my adventures from now on.

So what do I think of Istanbul so far? Well this is one crazy, mad busy city. I thought living in London was hectic, well I tell you now, you haven't seen anything....come to Istanbul then tell me that London is crazy. I swear this city never sleeps, it doesn't matter what time of night it is people are always around, the shops stay open until the early hours and rush hour traffic lasts all day and night. The city is one big, living, breathing organism, it is a place where time never stops.

So far I have really enjoyed my time here. I feel like Turkey has embraced who I am and sometimes I feel that Turkey is a mirror of who I am, a little bit of East and a little bit of West. I actually feel at home here - apart from the fact that I am constantly acting like a mime artist as I can only speak a few words of badly pronounced Turkish. However I am getting there slowly and Inshallah one day may even be able to speak the lingo. Sometimes being of Pakistani origin can be a problem as most western countries view us as terrorist or Islamic militants and the constant references to Osama Bin Laden have gotten a little old, but Turkey is a country that opens it's arms to Pakistanis...as many people have said our countries are brothers ( I have always found it strange that some countries are seen as feminine and some as masculine - who decides this lol) Being here I feel at home and welcomed, as if my religion and my culture is not only accepted but loved. It makes up for always getting lost and struggling to communicate lol.

I have been fortunate to have met some amazing people and seen a lot of Istanbul's gems, however there is so much more to see. Knowing that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg of Istanbul and its beauties is a comforting thought. Knowing that I have so many adventures yet to have makes me excited and brightens up my days.

I am not going to lie, on some days the homesickness really creeps in, like those horrible nightmares that keep you awake at night, I miss my friends and family so much and even miss the rain and miserable faces on the tube, but I console myself with the fact that I am having an adventure I am experiencing something new and that Love can carry itself across Oceans, I know that I have not been forgotten and that many people are out there routing for me to have a great time.

So on that note tonight my readers I am going to love you and leave you, but before I go I will post you up some Iphone pictures that I have taken of Istanbul for your delight and I will be back real soon with tales of my Turkish delights.

Goodnight and sweet dreams