The endless paperwork for the residence permit and the spring coming accompanied by illness. The first month at Erasmus can be an adventure for some, chaos and dealing with bad luck for others. For me, so far, the latter is true.
I've had my first lectures. After a week of flu treatment, I finally showed up on campus. So I spent the week mostly catching up on classes and lectures, as well as running errands. This included being able to additionally change, remove or add courses. Unlike at Masaryk University, I was only able to do this a mere week after the semester started, with the first week of lectures lasting a maximum of 15 minutes and reading only the syllabus. So one had no idea about the courses. Since the possibility to make changes ended on Wednesdays, I chose my Thursday courses blindly. And that's with a heavy heart, because all the courses here are worth six credits.
I didn't have time to explore Istanbul again but I had to find time to solve one problem. I have been without data, without a Turkish number and without a SIM card for a month. That being said, I recommend that anyone traveling anywhere and looking to invest in a new phone get one that supports electronic SIM cards. I don't have one, unfortunately. And when I finally wanted to get a SIM card three weeks after I arrived, they wouldn't sell me one. I need a residence permit. I have already been assigned a Turkish national number, which means I am in a kind of intermediate phase where I can't use my passport to buy a SIM card, nor can I use a national number for which I don't yet have a residence permit.
I think when I´m desperate enough, I will drag one of my Turkish friends to the store and maybe I'll get the SIM card. Otherwise, I'll be waiting another month to get my residence permit. In practice, this will mean that I will still feel much less safe moving around the city because I can't text, call or navigate Google maps.
But not to complain: I already feel at home in our shared accommodation. I even tried fasting for a day with my Turkish roommates, which means eating and drinking only twice a day, just before dawn and after dark. For on the first of March, Ramadan began, the month of the Islamic lunar calendar that for Muslims is a symbol of purification, a deepening of self-image in faith, and an act of faith.
Although I swear a bit about all the arrangements, the university's information system and the communication of the lecturers, I actually feel good here. The university has a nice campus and I´m enrolled in interesting courses, for example on the current events in the Middle East, migration in the 21st century or the portrayal of crime in the media.
Plus, I always meet someone here who at least tries to help me; roommates, Turkish university classmates, Czech friends, the Erasmus club and our buddies, which are like assistants assigned by the Erasmus club to help students find their way around. They are all happy to help. And if they can't, or if they have the same problem, they at least share it with you. And a shared problem is immediately less of a problem. We laugh and move on.
The subject that I could not have signed up for at MU, i.e. Current issues in the Middle East through the lens of a country located in the Middle East, and at the same time from a lecturer who is really dedicated to the topic, captivated me so much that I devoured every word. The lectures here are three hours long, so paying attention the whole time is quite a challenge, but that´s what Erasmus is here for, and especially for language improvement.
The author of the article is a student of the Faculty of Social Sciences and a member of the student editorial team of M Magazine.