In the five days from Thursday to Monday, I slept 14 hours total.

That meant Monday, to pass for a semi-functional human, I threw back dozens of glasses of tea, forced myself to occasionally pace around outside in the cold without a coat, and frantically moved from one activity to the next without leaving time to acknowledge that my body was drawing ever nearer to exhaustion-induced collapse.

Despite the lost voice and the bags under my eyes, though, the lack of REM sleep was completely worth it because this weekend I had four Syracuse University friends visit me in Istanbul.

In the days leading to their arrival, I felt slightly under pressure: There was a short chunk of time to introduce them to Istanbul, help them get a well-rounded experience and cram in the things that I wanted them to do, see and, of course, taste. Three meals a day wouldn’t be enough.

Is it really a surprise that sleep fell by the wayside?

Taking my friends to some of the traditional tourist hotspots of Istanbul was fun and necessary — no one should leave Istanbul without experiencing the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia or the Basilica Cistern. However, what I loved sharing with them the most were the little things that can’t be found as suggestions in a guidebook.

They tried street mussels and kumpir, or topping-loaded potatoes. They saw Ortakoy, the area where I live, and danced at an oft-frequented bar in Taksim Square.

Sharing sleepy, happy smiles as we heard the opening words of the morning’s first call to prayer at almost 6 a.m. was beautiful, as was hearing them integrate the Turkish phrases they had learned into conversation.

I introduced them to my international friends and saw two extremely different social worlds come together. Any stereotypes they had in mind about Turkey melted away, making me proud for my small role in the process.

We squeezed into the usual insanely fast taxis and navigated through the myriad kinds of public transportation. I passed along as many historical facts as I could remember (confession: I didn’t know the date for a single thing besides the founding of the Turkish Republic).

Despite our adventures, when I retracted my arms from the last goodbye hug, I was left wishing there was more time. Having my friends visit Turkey for one weekend reaffirmed my happiness in the decision to stay here for 18.

Having lived here for almost three months so far, at this point I fully feel like I am on my way to understanding this city: its grand history, the modern culture, what it’s like to be in Istanbul today.

Living in Istanbul has opened my eyes to a new way of life, and I have given serious thought about when I can come back after I leave. Living abroad puts American life in perspective and shakes up my ethnocentric ideas about the world.

My family will visit for Christmas, and even though I might be secretly sick of touring the Hagia Sophia by then, I cannot wait to have the opportunity to introduce more people that I love to the country that has stolen my heart.

Jillian D’Onfro is a senior magazine journalism and information management and technology dual major. Her column appears every Tuesday. She can be reached at [email protected].

Published on November 27, 2012 at 12:00 am