Thank you to everyone for the kind words and encouragement. Every time I log on here and read more words of support from you guys, it really brightens my day. :)
Thank you also to Perseveranze and Mustafa-MC for your explanations, the "preventing sin" really does make sense, I understand how it helps keep you in a "holy" mindset. Also, it was my overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for giving so much in Turkey that made me want to pray namaz in the first place, so the gratitude thing makes sense too of course.
This past Thursday was my last day in Turkey for a while, before leaving to see my family in America for about 2 weeks. On this day, I met a friend in the morning, and we ended up going to his uncle's house. I prayed the Zuhr prayer with him - which again, seems really long "on paper" (sth like 6 rakat?) but when we actually went through all of them it didn't seem long at all+ I felt really nice afterward. I think his relatives were pleasantly surprised, or a little impressed, even though we went to a bedroom to do it in private.
A little later, around 3, I had to return back to my home to start packing. It must have been around 3:30 and my friend went to see me off at the ferry station. At the ferry station, there is a large and very beautiful mosque, built in the 1500s by the Ottomans. I asked my friend if I could please pray the next one with him here. As I had just learned how to even do salah 4 days ago, this was my first time doing it in a mosque/in public and I was a little bit nervous.
Instead of going into the mosque, we performed it on one of the outside platforms you can see here:
First we went through either 2 or 3 rakat, and I thought we were done, but we were actually doing the "optional" set (by which I mean what the Prophet did), and we still had to do the mandatory ones.
But! Then something very interesting happened.
An old man had gone to the left of my friend and started praying it along with us, so now my friend explained that we would have to do the next few rakat in union or "salat" now. This was of course my first time performing in a congregational or unity prayer with other people! So we lined up in a certain way and all proceeded to pray together, with my friend leading/reciting. Moving in harmony, with the sound of the busy street behind us, in the afternoon sun....it was a really great experience and I felt very in connection with God.
What was really great was, halfway through our rakat another man came up out of nowhere and joined us, stood next to me with his shoulder touching mine! My friends had told me before that when praying in unison, you are supposed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Muslims, even if they are total strangers. I had thought that was a really nice idea, but this was my first time experiencing it. I can't describe how fulfilling it was. At that moment, I really understood of "community" and praying in unision, in such close contact, with fellow brothers or sisters. I think in modern life (in western culture at least) there can be so much distance between "strangers" but when you have a stranger come up to you in this manner, even without saying anything....it really does build a sense of togetherness. I was honestly very touched by this experience, everyone, even though you all might think it to be a very minor thing. :)
But that wasn't all!
Then I went home across the river/bogazici strait....long story short, I met up with more friends later that day and I was blessed enough to be able to pray the Maghrib prayer with them, in our neighboorhood mosque. This time it was 5 or 6 us all lined up while another of my friends recited, he told me he recited from the Book of Mary for me which was really nice of him. =) Again, praying it with my friends in total unison, in the mosque, I really understood the importance of ummah. because of some things i struggled with in my past, like being lonely or not having a lot of friends that were guys when I was a younger kid, I think God is really speaking to me through this "brotherhood" or "community" aspect...at least, it's one thing about Islam that really appeals to me. :)
Anyway, I am back home and unfortunately separated from my friends for a little while....I miss hearing the call to prayer, but I'm still going to try to practice every day. I don't know if I can even find a ride by Friday, but if I can't I will be in Washington DC the following week and will be able to go to a Friday sermon at a mosque there.
I also must admit, I ran into some trouble when I got into an online disagreement about the afterlife. My friends had previous told me that Believers or People of the Book were respected in Islam/the Quran, and so after they die, the common muslim belief is that their belief in God will be recognized and they'll be judged on their actions just as Muslims are. But I talked to a Saudi (I assume wahabbi) guy online who told me that they will be judged for being non-muslims, which really upset me. I say not this out of concern for myself but my american friends/family, etc. I trust at the very least, there is a range of opinions/positions on this topic within Islam, just as there are a range of beliefs within Christianity.
Anyway I won't get bogged down with that but will instead focus on the positives/fundamental beliefs of Islam. I'll give you guys another update soon, sorry for writing so much. :)