UKLA and LB Abroad

So, I've been at my new job for two full days now. I've been reading and dealing with everything under the sun that has to do with our markets in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, so you can imagine I've been just a little busy. I guess technically our partners in Malta and S. Africa are my responsibility, too, but we're going to focus on the others, mainly the US and Canada, first, because they're the largest and most complex. Then the others, theoretically, shouldn't be so hard to be brought up to date. Anyway, these first few weeks is an intense period where I have to acclimate to the environment and really get a good grasp on the background of our partners, the market in general, the company, and the education systems.

I also talked with my boss, Bülent, yesterday, and he said it would be fine for me to come home for Joey's christening! Yahooo! In fact, he is going to let me have the whole week off before the party, too, so I'll be coming home for a WEEK at the end of June! I did tell him I would meet with one of our Chicago schools, because I think it will be really great for the company, and it won't be so hard on me to go there for a day. I also want to take a bunch of pictures of Chicago to show the Aiesecers here. I would love to get some of the IU campus, too, so they could see what a beautiful campus looks like, but I don't know if I'll have enough time to do that..I don't want to get ahead of myself.

I plan on coming back to Turkey loaded with a bunch of crap I don't need. I've already started forming the list in my head and it includes things like more clothes, CD's of course, and an ultimate frisbee. I'm going to go home with (maybe) a backpack, so that I can just bring a bunch of bags back with me. Big Bertha is definitely one of those things, and she'll be groaning under her own weight.

Anyway, that's pretty much all..I've just been working at UKLA, helping out with Aiesec matching and Reception, trying to partake in congresses, and one more thing..what was it? Oh yeah, trying to have a social life. :) Oh, which reminds me, tonight I'm going to see a football(not the American kind) match between Aiesecers and trainees. It should be pretty funny, to say the least. But it will be a very hard night, because my partner, Ewa, will be leaving tomorrow morning to go to Istanbul. She will fly back to Poland on Friday. :( She is the last of the MMF project trainees, other than myself, left in Bursa; and she is one of the few close friends I've had here since most of the others are gone already. *Sigh* Se la vie.