Welp, looks like I'm going to Bursa!

I have been dancing around the idea of going to Turkey for some time--a fact little known by most I suspect.

With a fancy Cambridge ESOL certification under my belt, a couple job offers, and enough Turkish to get me out of the airport, I have decided to give Turkey an honest go-at-it. My job will be at a Language Academy in Bursa (I don't really know about work/blog rules, so I'll leave it at that. If you really want to know where I'm working, ask me.) I'll be teaching university students and doing a little private tutoring now and then.

Bursa is a city of 1.5 million people located in Northwest Turkey about 80 miles south of Istanbul by ferry across the Sea of Marmara. I'm told it's often overlooked by most tourists because of its close proximity to Istanbul's massive urban sprawl, but offers a distinct charm and beauty. Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and has some truly amazing architecture. Its nickname is "Green Bursa" because the city rests beneath the tree-clad slops of Uludag (Great Mountain) and is covered with some of the loveliest parks in the area. Bursa is a great place for a lover of the outdoors (your's truly) because I'll only be a short cable car ride away from a maze of hiking trails and rock climbing sites...not to mention skiing in the winter time!

That's alot of information you could probably find on Wikipedia or something but I figured I would let ya hear it from the horse's mouth.

I know that the reactions to the news have been varied. Some have responded with vauge encouragement...while others just look at me like I'm a crazy person. And really, its a hard thing to understand even for me. I just know that God has been intrisically involved in every decision and event I have made, including this one. The gift of discernment is a powerful one and so I pray that I am making my decisions in that truth. Some bizarrely amazing doors have been opening already in Turkey, so I am encouraged.

I fly out on July 14th and will be spending some time in Istanbul and possibly Bodrum (bellydancing class : ) So stay tuned for that!

I'm going to keep this much like a personal journal and will be updating if frequently. Feel free to send any questions my way. Emails are also welcome: jana.m.smart@gmail.com