1. Why are there so many cats around? They're all over campus. And they're not gross, ratty looking cats. They're huge, and well fed, and amazingly tame. There's one black and white cat that really likes to sit in my lap whenever I sit on the grassy hill in front of my dorm. Last time, it just sat there for 20 minutes doing that weird cat kneading thing that cats do. It helps me miss my dogs a little bit less.
2. Why is it so difficult for me to get the interwebs in my room? I was told at orientation that there is wireless all over campus, but nobody told me that by "everywhere" they mean "everywhere except your room". At first I couldn't even get wireless since I wasn't registered for a dorm room. Then, upon registration, I found that I could only get wireless internet right outside the dorm and in the kitchens, but I needed an ethernet cable for my room. Then I discovered that there was no wireless in the kitchens for some reason. So I go to get my ethernet cable at one of the DormNet offices in the lobby of another dorm. They tell me that I can't pay for my cable there, that instead I must walk to the administration building about 15 minutes away, pay there, receive a receipt, bring the receipt to the DormNet office, and then get my cable. So I walk to the administrative office to find that it's closed. The next day (today) I finally pay the 3TL for my cable, head to the DormNet office and find that, not only is it closed 40 minutes early but that it continues to be closed 20 minutes after they're supposed to come back from lunch. So I head to another DormNet office in another dorm and get my cable. But then I find that the cable that they have given me is too short, and that when you pay for the cable you must specify cable length, and that I can't pay them for a longer cable at the DormNet office but I must walk down to the administrative building again and give them more money. So I finally said fuck it and traded cables with Valentina (the roommate) since she's closer to the ethernet outlet and she has a longer cable. I don't get why this had to be so hard.
3. Why do I leave the states only to be back in the states again? Yesterday, after applying for my residency permit at the police department, I had to spend about 3 hours in AnkaMall next door, waiting for everyone else to finish with their permits. This mall, which I was later told my the archaeology deparment coordinator is medium sized, is 5 floors and god knows how long, filled with high end stores, has a huge supermarket called Migros 5M which rivals a Walmart in selection of stuff, and even has a little pool on the bottom level near the kids play area that has bumper boats. I thought excessive shopping malls and monster grocery stores was a distinctly American characteristic. There's even another supermarket called Real that is down the street from Bilkent. Sometimes it makes me forget that I'm even out of the country.
4. Why do I have to cook off of an electric hotplate when I use the kitchen? I really don't think that needs any explanation.
5. Why does even my dormitory bathroom have the gross hole in the floor standing toilets, even though its an all women's dorm? I just don't understand why they even put them in. I've only ever seen them in rest stops and bus stations. I don't get why they're also a part of dormitory bathrooms, especially since they also have normal toilets as well.
6. Along the toilet vein, why doesn't my dorm provide me with toilet paper? There is a constant supply of cleaning ladies who clean the kitchens and floors, but the dorms refuse to put money into supplying us with toilet paper, so instead we must buy our own. I would rather have toilet paper than a daily cleaning crew.
Sometimes I ask myself these questions when the bureaucracy of this place completely overwhelms me.
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