I’ve always wanted to live abroad. It’s not that I haven’t traveled—as a travel writer and all-around travel devotee, I’ve been fortunate enough to see many corners of the world. But I craved getting to know places on a deeper level—or maybe I was just subconsciously jealous of all those Instagram memes about friends who never stop talking about their study abroad programs. When the option to move to Istanbul presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity—and didn’t do much else in terms of research and preparation.