Turkey ✰ Part three

Here's the Part three of my exchange story! This is about my return home and all the feels and my souvenirs and... I don't even know yet :D

The exchange was only for three weeks but it certainly felt like three months. Every single day I experienced something new and it was amazing, like every day was a new adventure. At first everything felt too surreal and I couldn't even believe I was in Turkey. Then, when I had finally understood my new life and adapted to Turkish culture, I had to leave my host host family and head for the camp. It was hard but it was something I just had to do. The camp time was amazing and I couldn't even believe it was over until I walked through the security at the airport. It was a strange feeling when I found myself sitting in the airplane and heading to Finland. Only then I realized I was leaving Turkey. I didn't know should I be happy for seeing my friends, family and home or sad about leaving my other home and my life in Turkey with all the people I met there.

I really feel like I left a huge part of me (including my heart ;) ) in Turkey and I will be visiting Turkey sooo many times in the future! I met the best people in the world and I wouldn't be more grateful.

Souvenirs ♥ :

1. Some sweets, of course.. ;) 2. During the camp we also went to hamam a.k.a. Turkish bath which was.. interesting experience. xD We got those little packages from there and 3. there were a small towel and soap inside 4. An ornament we all got from one of the camp leaders, a snow ball (is that the name? xD) from Dolmabahce Palace and some playing cards from Istanbul 5. When I took this picture I really thought that here was all my souvenirs but.. no, not even close. I found so many other things when I unpacked my suitcase :D Anyway, I think you can see the majority here! Here's also all the gifts I got from my amazing host family ♥ One of my favorites is that hali (yes, my Finnish fellas, hali means a carpet in Turkish!) I got from them. :) 6. You could find those small pouches EVERYWHERE so of course I had to buy some of them, and I find them so cute! 7. These bracelets were for my cousins, they loved them ^^ 8. Turkish tea!! I totally fell in love with it! In Finland I don't really care about tea but the Turkish one was great so of course I had to bring some tea with me 9. My favorite necklaces at the moment ♥

Mail that was waiting for me when I came back! Actually I was quite surprised that I didn't get more than two envelopes in three whole weeks. But it's good that the lack of mail happened when I was away because I couldn't even have time (or possibility) to reply to them :D

1. The envelopes were from Xavier, China and Fab, Italy ♥. 2. The SPSH 2015 was a fail for me this time, but you can't be lucky all the time. But I was lucky to receive these goodies from Fab as a replacement 'package', I really like them! Thank you :) 3. Xavier sent me Vietnamese money (so beautiful!) and a card with '8' because why not ;) 4. Chinese stamps ^^

These are more recent pictures (even though it's already been awhile since they were took)!

I don't think it's necessary to put the numbers here.. It's just me enjoying my Finnish life with my family and cousins. :D Picking wild strawberries from our backyard, playing, laughing and flying kites. I can't remember the last time I would've flown a kite so it was funny haha :D

After the three weeks of hugging strangers, hearing language that you desperately wanted to understand but just couldn't, drinking tea every day and living in huge cities, my life in Finland felt surreal for once. But now I'm here again, everything went so safe and sound and I wouldn't be more thankful. ♥

Turkey ✰ Part 2

Hello again! Here's the part two my traveling montage that I promised to post soon..

This is the 'camp part' of the exchange! We had that 1,5 weeks long Lions Youth Camp with about 20 people from all around the world and I had so much fun with them :)

1. During the first days at the camp we went to see that stadium in Bursa 2. We also did a day trip to Eskisehir and there was this pretty castle 3. "Hey, could you take a picture of me and the water? :D" 4. The view from the castle 5. We also had a little boat trip in beautiful Eskisehir 6. City view ^^ 7. I'm not sure where this picture is from.. But the nights were always very pretty there! 8. We went to a seaside swimming pool on the 2nd camp day which was really nice! 9. More water.. :D

1. Boat trip :) 2. Just a random picture from a bridge in Eskisehir 3. Trojan horse in Canakkale 4. I don't really know how to describe this picture :D 5. TURKEY ♥ 6. Eskisehir city looked very pretty from the hights but not as beautiful as Bursa ;) 7. My name tag, I experienced so much with it :D 8. Evening in Canakkale when trying to find a waffle restaurant 9. Palm trees and taxes, pretty much what symbolizes Turkey for me haha ♥

1. Bowling ♥ 2. Haha, we went to go-karting and I really enjoyed that! 3. The beautiful streets of Istanbul ♥ 4. One day we had this thing where everybody had to write something positive about each person and that's my plate (not ready yet though) :) 5. ♥ 6. Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul 7. We also went to Hagia Sophia 8. Bosphorus tour in Istanbul, again! :D Those bridges were soo cool *__* 9. Turkish bazaars were so crazy but I loved them a lot!

There will still be a Part Three coming in a few days, stay tuned! ;)

Turkey ✰ Part 1

Hello, loves!! ♥

I'm back in the business again, after three weeks I finally have some time to sit down and open my computer and write about all those crazy things that have happened to me. I actually tried to write a blog post a few times but I always got distracted and/or I just didn't feel like writing... But here I am again. With a bunch of pictures!! I think I have so many pictures that I should do two or three separated posts. :D

Soo as you know I've spent the last three weeks in beautiful and sunny Turkey! First I was living in a host family and this post will be about that time. I really liked my host family and I feel like I couldn't have asked for better family! ♥ I landed on Istanbul on Sunday and went to the seaport to take a ferry to Mudanya, Bursa. My first view of Bursa was unbelievably amazing, it was at night and the first (and only) thing I saw was those beautiful lights in pitch black city. It shocked me at first, because I had just gotten used to Finland's clear and not-dark-at-all nights. :D

This first collage is from my first two days in Bursa:

1. Walking around Bursa with friends 2. Seaport where I took the ferry 3. The first Mosque I visited, Bursa the Great Mosque ♥ 4. We went to an amusement park and there was this cool water fountain 5. Look at that view!!!! 6. Melisa (with one s) is also a common name in Turkey so I was so thrilled when I saw that cool shop :D 7. Yours truly and the view *__* 8. A tower near the vantage point 9. Just a picture from a bridge in Bursa, I love the mountains!

And these pictures are from the other days in host family:

1. My host family had also a daughter who lived a few houses from their house and her house provided this AMAZING view, I'd never seen anything like that before! It looks a bit bland in the picture, but it was incredible! 2. We also visited the Bursa zoo and saw many animals, for example that giraffe ;) 3. Same place :D 4. Iskender kebab is the special kebab of Bursa and we also ate that and OF COURSE it was reeeally good! 5. My first postcards from Turkey to Finland 6. Just walking somewhere (?) 7. Dut!! Have you heard about that before? Especially my Finnish readers: We don't have anything like that in Finland, right? Oletteko kuulleet tosta ennen? Suomennos taisi olla silkkiäispuu tai jotain sinne päin :D But I really liked it!  8. & 9. More pictures from the Zoo 

Last days in host family ♥:

1. We went to Istanbul for one day and this picture is from the seaport when we arrived there 2. Dolmabahce Palace and 3. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque were both so cool! 4. Back to Bursa! Another view :D 5. More postcards.. 6. Me at the balcony of my hosts' house 7. I really like those Turkish houses! This is the neighborhood of where my host family lived 8. Pool, I have so many great memories from there ♥ 9. Bursa, again :D

That's all from now, I hope you liked my little travel story part one! Stay tuned for more.. ;) ♥