It's always a game of ketchup.

 One thing I have become addicted to is ketchup and mayonnaise with the fries...it is so good...hence the reason I use ketchup and not [catch up]. ...but yes, once again, I fail to post blogs regularly. At this point...I have four days left here in Istanbul...so my plan is to fill you in [very briefly] about the past few weeks....and then I'll post again after I return!

...Christmas in Crailsheim [Germany]

It was wonderful to be with family over the holidays. Svenni and her family are basically a second family to me, always making me feel so welcome there! I had such a great time....we were basically snowed in with about 3.5 feet of snow but it was a lot of fun anyway! We went to snow walks and played games of Phase 10 and other board games. I got to see some of my other friends [Svenni's friends] that I went to Rome with way back in '06.  I went to the classiest birthday party EVER....it was basically a personal "Mongolian Grill" atmosphere for everyone to choice what they want to eat and cook it right there on the hot grill on the table. It was delicious. Then everyone went on another snow walk and came back for desserts and drinks. It was great fun! I got to see Dani again and Thomas hung out alot because now him and Svenni are dating [[so cute]]

Perhaps this shouldn't be put in a blog--but I continue to gain respect for how Svenni survived a YEAR in highschool....now that I have been abroad for a semester, I know the struggles and I am impressed she was able to do it when she was 16 years old. Another thing...I feel like I could have been such a better friend. Meaning, I should have made more effort to take her places and hang out, etc. I guess I have some  "ketchup" in that regard as well for the future when we meet up in random countries! 

Anyway--it was great to be with her and her family for Christmas. In Germany, they open presents on Dec 24....and then the 25th is filled with family and food. Perfect if you ask me!

A Bulgarian New Years! 

WOW...Sofia is crazy....and perhaps it only seemed empty because I am used to the bustling city of 17 million in Istanbul but it seemed deserted.  It was a 15 hour train ride to Sofia....we spent about 30 hours in the city....and it was a 15 hour train ride back to Istanbul. Was it worth it? MOST DEFINITELY...but I am a bit exhausted now!

Asking the Police where the Hostel Mostel was...ha

To be honest, it was a tense trip. Perhaps I am so ready to be home that I was tense and thus, every little thing that bothered me was magnified but...we survived. We arrived, got ripped off when buying our return tickets...had trouble finding our hostel because no one took down the address....and then it was freakin' cold... [-9C]. Finally we found the hostel. We settled into the "apartment" and ventured out and about in the desolate city.

We found a Bulgarian cuisine restaurant, which was a lot like Turkish food...but with the addition of PORK! We were so hungry and we all ordered so much. We had Bulgarian Champagne and at least 3 courses each!

Zucchini with yogurt sauce

Basically all pork!--I did not order this!

Winter Salad--delicious eggplant

We continued to walk around and went into a few churches and wandered around the markets, making note to return the next day. We bought some champagne for our New Year's celebrations. After 3 hours of wandering and freezing, we went back to the hostel and a few of us took a nap while the others went to the central hostel hangout and had dinner. 

In the evening, we played a card game and when it was closer to midnight, we went to the hostel's bar and counted down together! I went to sleep after that...who knows what the others did! :-D

In the morning, we set out to explore a little more, shop a little, and take it easy. Well, no problem there--NOTHING WAS OPEN because of the holiday. We did stumble upon the flee market and then the outdoor market. We really wanted to find a place to eat before boarding the train...we have limited success. After walking around aimlessly looking for a restaurant, we went into a hotel and asked if they had a restaurant. They did but it didn't open until later...but they were nice enough to prepare us some cheese and ham toast with tea....we hung out there to get warm until we walked to the train station...and let the return journey begin. 

The gang on New Years Eve...

It was a long 15 hours in a cubicle no larger than 6ft wide and 7ft long--3 beds stacked on each other. It was miserable...but I took some cough medicine and went to sleep. That whole idea of getting homedown? Yeah...that didn't really happen. At the border, everyone has to get out of the train and go to passport control. It wasn't too bad of a wait but it was just inconvenient. Nonetheless....I got a train stamp in my passport! WOOT!

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Now I am back on campus. I have completed 3 classes and have TWO finals left. One is tomorrow and one is Wednesday. I need to study a little more but I only need a "C." 

I am 90% packed and ready to go.

My flight leaves early Saturday January 8th. I am thinking I won't sleep because I leave campus as 5am. I'll pull an all nighter and just sleep the entire flight home. I am so ready to get back to the states...I have loved my experience more than I thought I would or could but its time...

and with that....I will post again state's side!

For me, the biggest downfall of studying abroad has been my classes. From the start, it was frustrating--from choosing classes, being satisfied, and now attending classes. I've always been skeptical of people who complain about professors...those people who seem the world sucks because they are getting screwed over by their professors, taking on the "whoa is me" attitude. Well...I guess that is because I've been fortune (until now) to have great professors in addition to being an over-achiever, study-crazy, GPA obsesses student. The other problem is I don't know how to study for anything but an A....it's annoying. I have 3/4 midterm grades back and I got a 90 or above on all of them. I didn't even stress though...so its weird...

Most of the professors here...well I am not a fan of them and they are not a fan of me.Talking about my academics here will probably bore you to death reading this. So I've try to give a brief overview.

Mythology and Religion: The only American professor, she is the most timid insecure teacher ever! She does not project a feeling of authority over us...Turkish students are known for talking in class and she quietly will mumble "shhhh" to them....almost inaudible to me in the front row! She likes to describe myths, architecture, and art as "weird." When someone asks a question to further explain a topic, her normal response is "we don't need to know that. It isn't important." Enough said...right? 

International Migration: This is a 400 level class. I have never taken an International Relations/Political Science course in my life. Perhaps this is one of my most difficult classes but I am interested in it. Migration affects every part of the world, but we tend to talk about the Turkish situation a lot...it's a really interesting topic of discussion. However the teacher is the most scatterbrained, unenthusiastic, unorganized professor. She assigned everyone partners for a move review assignment (20% of our total grade)...after more than half of the groups complained about not being able to find the designated movie, she said "Okay...well since the movie cannot be found...find your own movie, send me a description of how it relates and then I will decide if it is acceptable. Once you find your own movie, you can start the assignment." It probably doesn't sound that bad....but when the topic is limited to Turkish migration movies...there are only so many that work. Anyway--I finally found one: Kebab Connection. It's interesting. I have it on my computer if you ever want to watch it! :-D

Introduction to Turkish: No complaints except that the language is difficult. The professor is great!

Social Change: No major complaints. It's the only class with quizzes and the one day I have skipped was a quiz that that sort of sucked. We tend to focus of the Turkish situation as well. I am writing my final paper now (due Jan 7, 2011) and I am almost finished. My topic is the "missing girls" in India. It's interesting to learn about and extremely upsetting. Basically, women should outnumber men because biologically women are hardier. However, millions of girls go missing though the practices of female infanticide, feticide  thought sex-selective abortion, and nutritional and health care neglect in childhood. 

Intro to Dance: For those of you who know me well...you know I can't dance..AT ALL! So intro to dance sounded great..as I might LEARN something. Well turns out its modern dance so it's very different from what I expected. There is a lot of rolling around on the ground and jumping. We are suppose to close our eyes and "feel the water all around us." We crawl around and run around. At times it is ridiculous. So...whatever. I do as best I can. I don't know anyone in the class. The professor speaks in Turkish and then will tell me what to do in English. I don't really feel like a part of the class. A few times, I had to read the worksheets she brings because "I speak good English"..go figure! Anyway recently she has given us a weekly assignment to choreograph a dance using 9 shapes/movements. Its horrible. Last week though, I was the only one who did it. So the professor made me show everyone what I did...then gave us all 30 minutes to work on it...indeed I had to redo mine because "You didn't have this movement and you only used a little bit of space and blah blah blah." Okay. whatever. I worked on it again. Then there was only 20 minutes left in class and we were all suppose to perform. It was taking a long time for each person so after 3 people, there was only 10 minutes left. I figured since I had already gone once in front of everyone that I wouldn't need to go again. Ha. Right. She called my name and I had to do it again. Seriously....For me it's torture! 

I am 98% sure that have a medical condition--endometriosis. I don't complain about it all the time because what good is complaining gonna do. Well recently, and most unfortunately...my back pain has increased so much. It's so bad that it makes me nauseous and makes it really difficult to do anything. The other day, I tried to lift a book off my bed and I felt paralyzed for my lower back up. I get shooting pains down my legs. Yea its messed up and I know I need to get it taken car of when I get back to the states. I told my professor about my issue and thankfully she is willing to work with me. Seriously though...I don't complain about pain. I have a high tolerance until I just can't do it. It sucks because this rolling and jumping, hooting and hollering crap is NOT helping my issue. 

Ok then....enough of the boring update. I only have 25 days left in Turkey. For 8 of the days, I will be away...Germany for Christmas and Bulgaria for New Years....life is good. I'm going to miss Istanbul...a lot!

I'M A BIG GIRL NOW...

THIS PAST WEEKEND, I DECIDED TO VENTURE INTO THE CITY ALL BY MY SELF. ITS NOT THAT BEFORE I WAS AFRAID; RATHER, USUALLY PEOPLE WANTED TO COME SO WE MADE A DAY OF IT. SOME OF MY FRIENDS WERE AWAY THIS WEEKEND SO I DECIDED I WANTED TO GO PLACES ON MY OWN—AND DO A LOT OF GIFT SHOPPING! WELL I CERTAINLY SUCCEEDED. I WOKE UP EARLY, CAUGHT THE DOLMUS TO SARIYER. FROM THERE I TOOK WHATEVER BUS CAME FIRST, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE THE SEA BUS, SO IT TOOK A WHILE BUT I DIDN’T MIND. I HAD NOT CONCRETE TIMEFRAME FOR MY DAYS ADVENTURES. I WITNESSED A TIFF BETWEEN TWO ELDERLY LADIES. WE WERE SITTING ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER, IN A PLACE WITH FOUR PASSENGERS. ONE LADY DID NOT WANT TO WINDOW OPEN BECAUSE IT WAS TOO COLD ON HER EARS [ IT WAS SO HOT, WE WERE ALL SWEATING] SO EVENTUALLY THE OTHER LADY OPENED THE WINDOW AND THEY WENT AT IT. IT ENDED WITH ME BEING TOLD TO OPEN THE WINDOW, I DID SO ON THE REQUEST OF THE LADY SITTING NEXT TO ME. I GUESS I PROBABLY WAS HESITANT BECAUSE I WASN’T SURE WHAT SHE WAS ASKING ME AS WELL AS I KNEW IT MIGHT CAUSE PROBLEMS. ANYWAY, THE LADY THEN ASKED IF I WAS TURKISH, I SAID NO AND WE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION IN ENGLISH! 

I GOT OFF AT KABATAS AND CAUGHT THE TRAM TO SULTANAHMET. FROM THERE, I WALKED TO THE TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ART MUSEUM. I SAW SOME REALLY HUGE, OLD CARPETS FROM THE 15^TH CENTURY. THERE WAS A LOT OF ARTIFACTS CLAIMING TO BE FROM THE PROPHET ISSAC, ABRAHAM, AND MOSES. THE MOST INTERESTING PART WAS THE VARIOUS QUR’AN BOOKS THAT WERE SO DETAILED AND COLORFUL AND THE HUGE CARPETS. THE LAY OUT OF THE MUSEUM WAS GREAT, AS THERE WERE ROOMS OF JUST HANGING CARPETS. BEFORE TURKEY, CARPETS NEVER EQUALED A WORK OF ART--THAT HAS DEFINITELY CHANGED! THERE WAS AN ENTIRE EXHIBIT ON THE BOOKS OF QUR’AN. IT WAS FASCINATING AND GORGEOUS WORKS OF ART!

DETAIL OF A QUR'AN

ONE OF MANY ROOMS OF CARPETS

AFTER THE MUSEUM, I WALKED A LITTLE, CHECKED OUT TOURISTY SHOPS, BOUGHT A SIMIT [PRETZEL LIKE STREET FOOD] AND WALKED TO TOPKAPI PALACE.  IT IS KNOWN FOR ITS LOCATION, OVERLOOKING THE BOSPORUS YET INCORPORATED BY THE TERRAIN OF THE AREA. THE TILE WORK WAS JUST OVERWHELMING. [I RUN OUT OF WORDS TO DESCRIBE SOME OF THE ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECES HERE IN ISTANBUL, BUT REALLY ‘AMAZING’ AND ‘WONDERFUL.’] THE STABLE ROOMS WHO FULL OF JEWELS, CLOTHING, AND JEWELED SWORDS, ETC. I HAD NEVER SEEN SO MUCH JEWELED THINGS IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME. TO BE FRANK, IT WAS A BIT RIDICULOUS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SO MUCH WEALTH NEEDS TO EVER BEEN CONCENTRATED WITHIN A SINGLE SULTAN'S POSSESSIONS. 

INTERIOR OF BAGHDAD PAVILION

I WENT INTO THE HAREM WHICH LET ME SEE THE BEDROOM, BATHES, LIVING QUARTERS, AND CONCUBINES’ AREA OF THE SULTAN. IT WAS PRETTY NEAT. HOWEVER, I LIKED THE GENERAL AREA MORE. THE VIEW OVER THE CITY WAS AMAZING. I HAD LEARNED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE BAGHDAD PAVILION AND THE CIRCUMCISION ROOMS. THE CHAPEL-LIKE AREAS WERE SO ORNATE AND DETAIL ORIENTATED.

BELOW ARE SOME PICTURES TO SHOW THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL EACH ASPECT OF THIS PALACE INCORPORATED... DIFFERENT DESIGNS ARE JUXTAPOSED TOGETHER AND SOMEHOW THE PRESENTATION IS STILL A GORGEOUS SIGHT.

COURTYARD IN THE HAREM QUARTERS

HALLWAY IN THE HAREM

DIFFERENT TILE PATTERNS

I LOVED TOPKAPI PALACE. AFTER LEAVING THE PALACE, I WAS PRETTY EXHAUSTED. I DID A LITTLE MORE GIFT-SHOPPING. I WENT TO TAKSIM AND THEN CAUGHT A BUS BACK TO SARIYER. ONCE I GOT BACK TO KOC UNIVERSITY, I FELL RIGHT ASLEEP.   

ON SATURDAY, I VENTURED BACK INTO THE CITY WITH A FRIEND TO MEET UP WITH SOME PEOPLE MY PARENTS AND ANDA MET WHILE HERE. THE LADY SHOWED US ALL AROUND THE GRAND BAZAAR...TO "TANIA'S PLACE" THAT GIVE US THE BEST DEAL. IT WAS FUN TO HAVE A GOOD TOUR OF THE PLACE. I SAW HOW CARPETS ARE SOLD...AND FOUND A LOT OF CUTE SHOPS THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER FOUND ON MY OWN.  WE GRAND BAZAAR'ED ALL DAY. BELOW ARE PICTURES. IT WAS OVERWHELMING AT TIMES, EXHAUSTING, YET FUN! 

 

ITS WAS ALL CRAZY. BAZAAR. I LOVED IT THOUGH. I DIDN'T BUY MUCH BECAUSE LIKE I'VE SAID BEFORE, IT IS A TOURIST TRAP BUT ITS UNFORGETTABLE PLACE.

London Bridges falling down....

"London Bridges falling down... falling down... falling down... London bridges falling down. ..my fair lady!"

Our one week of travel for the Kumran Bayram Holiday was much needed. I went to visit Mikita in London. I arrived late on Thursday, November 11. I got a little lost but hey…it didn’t matter because I could ask people for directions IN ENGLISH! It was a good feeling. 

Anyway, I made it to her apartment and her roommate Amy let me in. Mikita didn’t arrive until Friday evening. So I fell asleep after an exhausting day. In the morning, I ventured out into the city and went to the National Portrait Gallery. It is such a good museum—I saw all these masterpieces that I learned about in Art History. I stood there, in front of them, marveling at how amazing they are. I remembered learning about the artist, the symbolism, the controversies….ah!

 

I walked down a street mindlessly, and ran into Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The “Poppy Appeal” was going on, so infront of Westminster Abbey, displays of poppy crosses were everywhere. It was really neat! 

 

When I walked back to the Tube stop near the National Portrait Gallery, I saw a man standing in the fountains fishing out something, because someone had dumped thousands of paper poppy flowers. I took a handful for keepsake! It was pretty early in the day so I decided I would walk a little instead of hopping back on the Tube. I walked to Piccadilly Circus and saw the Eros statue. Then I walked through the theatre district and Soho. I kept on walking, according to the Tube map…later I found out that that was a mistake. Anyway, after hours of walking, I arrived back to Mikita’s apparent. I did a little homework (because unfortunately I had midterms on the days following the holiday). When Mikita arrived, we caught up on life and travels—then we cooked dinner. We had the agreement that she would cook and I would set up/clean up the kitchen! We went out for CIDER that evening. I love it. Such a good drink!

The next day we ventured to different parts of London. We ran into two problems. The tube shuts down for construction purposes on the weekend, so we walked a lot. Also, since it was around their equivalent to Veterans Day, there were a lot of Parades…we rather enjoyed stopping and watching. Plus, streets were shut down so we could walk in the middle of the road! We found Platform 9 and ¾ from the Harry Potter series! It was great! Ha. We walked back to Big Ben and Parliament. The most

common photograph of London, the Parliament building with Big Ben in the background? Yes, we took many pictures! Mikita took me to the area where she works; I also saw the huge Court House of London. Later in the evening, we met up with Kevin, a friend from Berea who is now living in London. It was a fun, relaxing evening. Like all evenings, we were exhausted when we returned.

On Sunday, we did more walking and exploring. In the morning, we went to Camden Market which basically was a London version of the Grand Bazaar, except a lot of it wasn’t covered. Anyway it was fun! We bought a few things, had great Polish food and acted like tourists! Among other things, we walked across the pedestrian Millennium Bridge, found St. Paul’s Cathedral, and went to the British Museum. At the British Museum, we focused on going to a few key exhibits….we saw the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon. A lot of the sculpture and reliefs from the temple are now in the museum. This too, I remember learning so much about. It’s a great feeling being able to see in person such magnificent, ancient, art! We also saw the Rosetta Stone and a lot of Egyptian sculptures and tombs.

On Monday, I did a tour bus to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bathe. It was so cold and so foggy in the morning that Windsor Castle was not visible until half way through the time allotted at the castle. Anyway, we left early because Prince William was there so we were not able to tour the main part of the castle. It was a bummer! Anyway, I saw the creepy doll collection of one of the Queens and went into St. Georges Chapel. It was so beautiful inside. There was a lot of stain glass and so much intricate wood and stone work. I was amazed. I really wish I could have taken pictures. The outside, however, is just as amazing (see picture below).

St. George's Cathedral

Stonehenge was also quite a feat! Mikita had warned me that it wasn’t as fascinating as she thought it would be. So I had forewarning but I loved it! I recommend anyone who wants to travel around London/England to go in November. My tourguide said we were lucky because it is the end of tourist season so not many people are going to the sites. I was able to take pictures of Stonehenge without anyone else being in them! Maybe a totally of 100 people were there, but usually its thousands! It turned into a beautiful, with a blue sky. Indeed it was still freezing but bearable. 

We traveled to the Roman city of Bathe afterwards. Apparently, when the Romans lived here, they built a vast complex that was centered around the hot water springs. When the English kicked them out, no one thought to learn how to maintain the structure. It was left to ruins. Years later, people rediscovered the hot spring and the monarch/king wanted to have a new complex built. Thus, the tour of the building including parts of the ancient and newer complex. The town of Bathe is a very quaint town with lots of cute shops and restaurants. We had a lot of time here (because we left Windsor early). 

I enjoyed the trip immensely. Unfortunately, I slept on the bus and missed the informative chatter from our tourguide. I got back around 9. We had dinner and then slept!

For my last day, I went to school with Mikita. While she was in class, I walked to the Victoria and Albert Musuem. It was alright…not my favorite but still worth seeing. We hung out between classes, did homework, went to Harrod’s. What a ridiculous department store! However, it felt like Christmas [actually, all of London was already decorated] and it was nice to experience that, because Turkey will not be celebrating [Go figure!]. We walked around some of the floors, especially the Christmas department and the food areas! We briefly walked through a clothing part to check the price of belts….any guesses? Okay…I’ll just tell you how much a stupid belt cost: 725 POUNDS…so that’s more than $1,000. The pastry shop was the only place I could afford something, so we bought lunch here!

We went to a pub before Mikita’s last class. After her class, we went to another pub so I could have Fish & Chips. I met her boyfriend, Ali. We all hung out for a while but then it was time to go back to the apartment, pack up and sleep. I had to leave at 6 in the morning. My flight went well. I got back to Istanbul around 5pm. I was sadder than I thought. In fact, I sort of freaked out. I had such a wonderful time hearing ENGLISH and the moment I stepped outside of the airport, I was surrounded by the confusing, frustrating Turkish language. I had trouble catching a bus back to Sariyer, and the driver definitely ripped me off. I know it sounds pathetic, but I just cried. I was having one of those moments that I desperately wanted to come home. [Thankfully, my family came the next day and gave me a new burst of energy and encouragement!]

Oops…I did it again...

And that would be…stop blogging because of the crazy hectic life I lead here in Istanbul. I’m not complaining. I mean I am rather used to it—I’m quite fond of the 3 extra hours you must tack on because of transportation time for any excursion one might want to do! As long as I bring a book [homework] or an ipod, 3 hours wastes doesn’t seem so bad!

Anyway, I’m going to go backwards for a while. I will start with my most recent events of noteworthy blogging---FAMILY!

First, let me start with my day yesterday-- 12 hours later and I achieved so little. A friend and I ventured out to get our haircut, pick up her computer in a part of Istanbul, find a movie theatre with Harry Potter in English, go to the city to shop for souvenirs, meet up with another friend to find a Hookah bar and then come back…

1.    1. The hair cut was quite an experience. In the kuafor shop, a young bride was getting her hair done, except it wasn’t her hair that was showing. Rather, the cloth or veil was getting beautified. It was stunning. They had a beautiful design of folds and then a mesh material covered the silk and they added glitter and ornamentation! It was so pretty, but it was interesting that not a strand of hair showed through the veil. Moving on to my actual haircut? Well, as one would guess, I don’t know fluent Turkish and the little bit that I have learned does not involve what one should know for a hair salon. I tried to show them via gestures but that failed. Then I showed them a picture but I really didn’t want my hair to look like any of the available pictures so I picked the best one. I tried to say I did NOT want bangs and I thought they understood. Well after some chopping and layering, they gave me bangs [at least they are long] but it defeated the long, drawn out process I have been undertaking to be able to put my hair up without bobbypins. Oh well…I got what I asked for…and since I couldn’t ask for anything, I got what they wanted to give!

2.     2. We got the computer and then we got lost trying to find our way to the metro station. Oh well. It was a fun walk around Sisli, a part of town I otherwise would not have explored! We had Sbarro Pizza and Krispy Kreme donuts—yes it was our AMERICANIZED day!

3.     3. We found the metro got off where we needed to and then the troubles began. We coouldn’t find a dolmus to take us where we needed to go so we started hopping on a dolmus, asking if it was the right one and  then hopping off when it wasn’t….we didn’t pay for 2 means of transportation and definitely got yelled at in Turkish! Oh well…Finally, we found HARRY POTTER….but unfortunately we were 30 minutes late for the showing. So we waited….we waited 3 hours in the mall. This mall was massive….about 6 stories and 2 football fields wide…if that doesn’t seem large, them my proportions are off…because it was HUGE! After waiting forever, we saw Harry Potter 7 part 1 in an IMAX theatre and it was amazing!

4.       By the time we got out of the theatre it was 9pm so we decided to head back. Again, our limited knowledge of transportation was most unfortunate. We ended up going to a place we knew to catch a dolmus that we knew would take us where we needed to go but we definitely backtracked for 30minutes. Oh life in the city!

OKAY—NOW FOR THE WONDERFUL WEEK WITH MY PARENTS AND ANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [Nov 18-25]

Luckily, my dad has great connections and they were able to stay at Roberts Kolej at their guest house which made the entire experience so much more relaxing and cost efficient! On the first evening, we walked to Ortakoy to experience the famous potato! I can’t explain it suffiently but perhaps I’ll try to replicate it someday! The giant potato was a delicious dinner, which we followed up with Turkish Apple tea. We walked around Ortakoy for just a little bit and headed back to the house. It was a fun filled evening of conversation, catching-up and going to bed! Early the next day, however, we ventured to the city in hopes of going to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. Little did I know that because it was a holiday, EVERYTHING was closed. Instead, we got lost searching for the bazaars and ended up going to the magnificent HAGIA SOPHIA and Blue Mosque. After being amazed for a second time,  I advised the rest of them to go to the Underground Cistern to be amazed once again. I studied in the courtyard between the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Afterward, we walked on Istiklal street in Taksim. This is the pedestrian street, traversed daily by 1-3 million people. Around 5pm it was busier than usual and WOW…it was overwhelming for us all…I’m pretty sure it was not enjoyable for my parents but I don’t want to put words into their mouth! [We got back via taxi…traffic was so bad that we got off at Ortakoy and walked 1.5miles just so we didn’t have to sit in traffic and pay the taxi driver more!] Again, it was an early night in preparation for an early morning!

On Saturday we went to Dolmabahce Palace…one of the most gorgeous structures I have ever seen! Thanks to Anda’s illegal photography, you can see a few shots from the interior. The palace is home to the heaviest chandelier [4.5 tons]. The ornamentation of the entire palace is just incredible. The structure is set along the Bosphorus and even the exterior is quite a site to see. The interaction between the natural elements is remarkable-the fountains, water, gardens and building elements join together create a fascinating complex. It was well worth the money!

We walked from Dolmabahce Palace to Istanbul Modern Art museum and while the family went through the permanent collection, I again did homework. Then we walked to Tophane and partook in the hookah environment. We had peach hookah and tea. and played a few games of Backgammon! Afterwards we walked a long way to Eminou to eat under the bridge at a fish restaurant. It was a crazy experience. As you walk underneath the bridge, it is lined with restaurant after restaurant. The host tries to intice you to eat at their “wonderful and different” restaurant when in fact, they are basically the same style of restaurant. Sometimes the hassling goes to such an extend that the person will walk in front of you, with a menu shoved in your face, for 30+ seconds. It is the most annoying thing! Since we were having a lunch/dinner around 2, we decided to walk across the entire bridge. When we reached the other side, we stumbled upon the spice bazaar which interestingly enough was open (despite the fact that we were told the Bazaars were closed for the entire weekend because of the holiday)….oh Istanbul! So we went to the Spice Bazaar and did some worthy shopping. A shop keeper that my dad made small talk with decided that I was “Turkish” because I go to school here and thus, we all get the Turkish-price for things…which in fact is about half the price they try to sell to tourists! We bought some spices and fabrics and other souvenirs!

We came back to the house and crashed---super early morning. We went to Princess Islands in the Marmara Sea. I helped the family rent bikes and told them how to go around and up to the church. I sat and did homework in a coffee shop. When everyone returned from the bike trip, we had to wait around for 2 hours to catch a ferry to the Asian side—to Kadakoy.  The wait was not fun because on the small island, there was only so much to do and see. Eventually we boarded the ferry and after a long 1.5 hours we arrived in Kadakoy. We went to the candy shop, bought lots of Turkish delights! Then we found CIYA…and had a very Turkish dinner. Finding a bus back was an adventure but we managed to make it back to the house. It was a long day even though we didn’t do too much. I had to go back to school that night as well. I was very sad to leave, even though I knew I would see them again. It was so nice to be with my wonderful family again….I am more than half way through but at times it seems like the day will NEVER come. Istanbul can be so overwhelming. The population. The lack of language knowledge. The lack of transportation knowledge. It is frustrating. But nonetheless, I feel like I was a great tour guide for my parents and Anda!

I know that Anda and my mom made it to the Grand Bazaar and back to Ortakoy for another potato! Dad was doing his art-thing with the students at Roberts Kolej and I am sure they loved his presentation/demonstrations!

I went back to the house to see my parents on Wednesday for several hours. I skipped class and got there around 3. We went out to dinner and have a nice, relaxing last day. I made sure they were set to go and then I hopped on a bus and made my way back to Koc University. The next day, I find out that their flight was delayed again and again and well…they made it back 24hours after they were supposed to…I HOPE THEY THINK IT WAS WORTH THE TRIP ANYWAY, BECAUSE I SURE HAD A FABULOUS TIME WITH THEM!

Random place in the street

Restaurants under the Bridge

Parents & me at Dolmabahce

Izmir...and by that I mean....

Selçuk--Kuşadasi--Söke--Didim--Ephesus--Şirenci--Izmir

We [Emily, Becca, Susannah, Suay, and me] left campus at 6:30am, took a cab to the airport...arrived in Izmir around 10:30am. After several transfers of transportation, we arrived in Selçuk. We went to a museum, walked to St Jean's Church and Byzantine Fortress, and then bought lots of souvenirs! :-D

We made out way to the bus station and went to Kuşadasi which translates to "Bird Island" but they call is Pigeon Island [the reason revolved around the island being white because of all the pigeon poop?]. There is a castle covering the entire island so we ventured around for a bit and then we left for Söke. 

Suay lives in Söke. Her grandma lives in the apartment below, her family (Mother, Father and three daughters) live above. Lets just say...it made me miss my family even more! The 4 of us and Suay ate a delicious home cooked meal. It was exquisite! When her father came home from work rather late, we were introduced to Mezze which is basically appetizers. We had three different dishes and RAKI (the famous Turkish liquor). We stayed up very late but had such a wonderful evening!

St. Jean's church in Selçuk

Mezze & Raki

The next morning, we had a great breakfast of bread, cheese, honey, olives, and çay. This is the day of 10 transfers of transportation!

1. Dolmus in Söke
2. Bus to Didim [Temple of Apollo. Massive complex!]
3. Bus to Söke
4. Bus transfer to Kuşadasi
5. Bus to Ephesus [The best preserved classical city in the entire Mediterranean]
6. Cab to Şirenci [Old Greek village, known for its (free) wine-tasting...in every shop!]
7. Bus to Selçuk
8. Bus transfer to Kuşadasi
9. Bus transfer to Söke
10. Dolmus in Söke

Temple of Apollo-Massive columns

Temple of Apollo

The Library at Ephesus

I could go into more detail but that was the quick run-down. The actual city was Izmir wasn't that special. We went to a castle on the top of the hill and had a great view of the city! We went to the ancient ruins of Izmir...and then the rest of the afternoon we spent our time in the Bazaar shopping!

Indeed this is how we spent our four day weekend because it was the 87th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic!We returned Saturday, received a phone call Sunday morning from our Study Abroad director asking us if we were safely on campus because of the suicide bomber in Taksim square. Yes...I was freaked out. Taksim is a central place in Istanbul...when Mikita was here, we were there every night. So we weren't allowed to leave campus all of Sunday--that was the extent of our lockdown, but it is still quite nerve-wracking to know how close to terrorism I am right now. I'll keep y'all updated on what I know...but right now, that is all I know!

Thank God for Big Sisters!

I was really starting to feel homesick and stressed. I was frustrated with school & the language barrier has tested my patience...

The timing was perfect for Mikita to be in Istanbul! She was she for over a week...and I spent 4 nights with her! We had so much fun! She had done a lot of site seeing when I was in class but we did a fair amount too!

• Went to Taksim every night to eat/drink/meet up with friends
• Princess Islands [Biked around the island, walked up to the church, had a picnic]
• Got off the Ferry at Kadakoy, the Asian side. Went to a candy shop [Mikita bought lots of Turkish delights]
• Walked under the bridge with all the restaurants in Eminou
• Met up with Mikita's friend Emra whom she met on the airplane to Istanbul.. [We met at a Gay Bar, FLAVIO--we definitely got free shots and then half price drinks!]
• Went to Dolmabace Palace gardens [too expensive for both of us to go inside the palace]
• Istanbul Modern-Art Museum....so good! [Women artists depicting ways women are objectified in Turkish culture.] [Fashion Exhibit] [Hanging books in the library....so neat! I will replicate this in my house some day...we couldn't take pictures but it was such a unique idea]
• Walked to Tophane. Ate a potato and did HOOKAH and played BACKGAMMON! It was a very Turkish afternoon!

Mikita took tons of pictures and once she posts them, I will upload a few! She has a much better camera than I do so I let her be the photographer of the excursions!


On Sunday morning, we woke up early and went on a quest to find a Turkish Hamam [bathe]. We both had no idea what to expect. However, we quickly found out! Via hand signals, we were told to put on their wooden shoes and wear the towel...NOTHING ELSE. We both were pretty uncomfortable doing that, hoping we could wear shorts and a tank top since we did not bring our swim suits. However, we did as we were told. And low and behold, we walked into a room of naked women. I won't speak for Mikita, but it was an uncomfortable feeling. After the shock of the cultural experience I was undergoing, I allowed myself to forget about the awkwardness and enjoyed the experience of a Turkish Hamam. We sat in the sauna room until the Hamam worker-ladies were finished with their "patient" and when it was our turn we moved to the middle of the room, to a square hot stone. We got a skin scrub and afterward, our skin was so soft and smooth... There was no limit to how long you can stay in the sauna--Mikita and I stayed for about 1.5 hours...and then we left.


WOW...that was the most culturally shocking experience I have yet to experience in Turkey. I enjoyed it and recommend it to others, but lets just say I am glad I went with someone I knew...and not my new friends here...


We decided to walk to Ortakoy (4miles?) to get another famous Potato...and then we were going to go back to Koc University but the buses took forever. So we said our goodbyes: I went back to Koc U. and Mikita went back to the hostel for one more night.... 

I am going to London Nov 11-17 to visit her! It was so great to have a taste of family/home in Istanbul for the week. Don't get me wrong--I love Istanbul. I am having the time of my life....but I admit to homesickness. I am lucky because in 3 weeks I see the rest of my family! :-D


Life is good.