Guest post by Lara:I'm Lara and I'm studying Art Management here in Istanbul for a semester.[caption id="attachment_44" align="aligncenter" width="640"] turkish delight[/caption]On August 30th the time had finally come - arrival at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul. I was traveling with two friends, Leonie and Talke from my hometown of Nuremberg. That was quite good, so I had someone familiar to start with and wasn't completely on my own. We booked an AirBnB apartment near Taksim Square for the first week. As soon as we put our suitcases down there, we wanted to explore the city. Get out into the hustle and bustle and try out the nightlife. However, we only got as far as the nearest bar and had something to eat. The next few days were stressful - it was still super hot at the time, we still needed a flat share and we had the Erasmus pre-events. So we ran to countless flat share viewings and Erasmus events. Still totally euphoric and in a great mood. During the first few days at these Erasmus events, I got to know the people who have since become my friends here. Of course you always get to know new people, but the core has remained from the first few days. The two friends from Nuremberg now live on the European side of Istanbul and I live on the Asian side. When we visit each other, it always sounds pretty funny: "Are you coming to Europe or should I come to Asia?"[caption id="attachment_45" align="alignleft" width="300"] Waiting for the ferry to Europe[/caption]Going from Görlitz to Istanbul was of course a big change. I was often annoyed by the crowds and the traffic, and I take the bus to my university in Yeditepe every morning for forty-five minutes. That can get on your nerves, especially when a course is canceled and you can travel home again. I'm slowly but surely getting used to the traffic and the crowds. The courses I chose here all fit in perfectly with my studies: Festival Management, Gallery and Museum Management, Cultural Management, Curatorial Studies and, of course, a Turkish language course. It was all a bit disorganized and stressful at the beginning, but over time everything has settled down and it's RUNNING! The teachers are all cooperative and help you if you're not happy, my department is super nice and does almost everything.The level of teaching is low compared to Germany, but there are still lots of exams, mid-term exams, presentations and written assignments that we have to hand in.All in all, the great euphoria at the beginning has turned into a "it's all too much and annoying" mood. After eight weeks and a bit of routine, I'm now in the "oh, it's going well" mood. Fortunately, supported by: