Why Istanbul, Turkey?

Last fall, I discovered an organization called the "International Association of School Librarianship." Over the past several years, I developed a deep passion for global education, and joining this organization seemed a natural step in terms of my professional development. I learned they held an annual conference, and this year's would be in Istanbul, Turkey. A conference where I could network with, learn from and become friends with school librarians from all over the world?? I decided to see if I could find a way to attend! After exploring the American Library Association website, I found the Bogle-Pratt International Library Travel Award, that allows one librarian each year to attend an international conference. I applied and was notified in March that I was the recipient of this award. I am very grateful for this opportunity! I made my flight reservations (direct flight from JFK to Istanbul - nine hours, which may sound like a long flight, but compared to my 19 hour trip to the Philippines, is not long at all! I leave on Saturday, May 5th, at 12:30 pm, and when I arrive, the local time will be 5:15 am on Sunday, May 6th. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!