biraz düşünce

On January 20th, five days from now, I will be flying back to Boston. Exams are finally over, so I guess it's time for some reflection on my past semester. And because I like to make lists.

Things (some unexpected) that I have gained an appreciation for since living in Istanbul:
1) Sleeping past noon. Because why not? Don't ask questions.
2) If I was not fortunate enough to sleep past noon, taking a nap for several hours later in the day.
3) Wearing my glasses outside of my room. I never do this at home, but for some reason (see above) I have started putting less effort into... everything?
4) Kanye West's new album, and on a completely different note, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
5) Findik ezmesi. Like peanut butter, but made with hazelnuts and sugar. Eat it by the spoonful, put it on bread, use it as an exfoliating moisturizer, whatever. It's all good, and by good I mean delicious.
6) Fresh baked bread. Really soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, preferably warm. Not sliced, because tearing it with your hands is just so satisfying.
7) Beyaz peynir. This translates to white cheese. It's basically feta, but better than what we have in the US. And I eat it almost everyday in one way or another.
8) Throwing random Turkish words or phrases into my everyday speech. I guess this isn't that unexpected bir şekilde.

5 months ago, I thought I would be doing the following in Turkey:
1) Eating baklava all the time. It's true, I love baklava, but there are other delicious things to eat too.
2) Taking the ferry to the other side of the Bosphorus. I've only done it a couple of times, because there is so much stuff on the European side, and less on the Asian side. No offense, Asia.
3) Hanging out in Sultanahmet by the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Turns out that's only a good idea if you are a tourist, and even then it's questionable. Future tourists of Istanbul: Sultanahmet is cool, but it's not the only thing to see. And people are much less annoying in other areas of the city (generally).

5 months ago, I had no idea that I would be doing the following in Turkey:
1) Picking up and moving the cats that have jumped up on my desk in the middle of class.
2) Rowing in a single, especially on the Golden Horn. I still can't really believe I did that.
3) Studying. To be realistic, most Americans that study abroad do very little work. I haven't really had that experience. Thank you, neuroscience!
4) Getting offended when served tea in a ceramic mug. Who do you think I am, a Westerner?
5) Worrying about where the next toilet paper roll is coming from.
6) Conscientiously trying NOT to look Russian.

Things about my life here that I will never get tired of:
1) Hearing the call to prayer. If I go a day without hearing it, I get a little bit disturbed.
2) The amazing view of the Bosphorus that I see when I'm walking to class on South Campus.
3) Drinking çay after every meal, mostly as an excuse to just sit and enjoy the present company.

MUTLU YILLAR! (Happy New Years!)

Happy New Year from Istanbul!

I'm still here. Classes officially ended yesterday, December 31st. The semester schedule (obviously) is very different from what we in the US are used to. Things I have to look forward to now that classes are over: Taking 5 exams. The fun starts with my Turkish exam on Monday. I should start studyingfor that... but in the mean time I'm going to fill you in on what I've been doing!

As you might imagine, Christmas isn't much of a holiday here. Most Turks are Muslims. That's not to say that there is no holiday cheer. The end of December is surprisingly commercial here, as well, but for different reasons-- it's New Years! There are lights up all over Etiler, the region of Istanbul I live in, and trees and shrubs on campus are covered in them. And there are some serious New Years sales going on, too. I have stolen some of my lovely Stella's photos to demonstrate the New Year decor, because I've been bad with the camera stuff recently. Also, Stella isn't my only friend, in case you were wondering. I do have other friends.... I think.

Apart from going to church on Christmas Eve, I spent Christmas pretty much like I spend any other Saturday in Istanbul. I even woke up at 7:30 Christmas morning to go to the boathouse with the crew team. I really struggled with that decision, but after some serious pondering on"What would Jesus do?", I decided that I would go to practice and not let my team down. I think Jesus would be proud. He always did stress the importance of early morning workouts, right? After practice, I went out to breakfast with some friends and watched Love Actually, which tries to be a Christmas movie but is really good to watch all year round. I skyped with my family, ordered Chinese takeout for dinner, and watched the Knicks play the Bulls. I don't usually pay attention to the NBA, but that's what my friends were doing, so I thought it wouldn't kill me to participate. Besides, they were wearing red and green for the occasion, and nothing says Christmas Spirit like red and green basketball jerseys!

New Years was outlandishly exciting. First of all, New Years Eve fell on the Friday that classes

ended. It was a perfect storm of reasons to party-- the end of a semester, the last hurrah before

several weeks of exams, and the celebration of a new year. Second of all, I went on a boat cruise

of the Bosphorus with lots of other Erasmus/exchange and Turkish students from all over Istanbul. It was a great idea in theory, but it was cold enough that I didn't spend much time out on the deck appreciating the fact that I was on a boat. I mostly tried to stay warm inside. But it was still outlandishly exciting. I think that's the best way to describe the night. Get it? Out-land-ish? Cause we were on a boat? Thanks, I know, I'm hilarious. Anyway, the boat cruise was great way to celebrate the new year with some of of the fantastic people I've met here. I have minimal photographic evidence, so again I have stolen pictures from Stella. See? I do have other friends! And they aren't just strangers posing for the picture. Although there were quite a few of those, too.

What a wholesome group.

Stella and I are sharing a moment, as usual.

So Mutlu Yıllar, everyone! Here's to hoping that 2011 will have as many exciting adventures as 2010. It'll be a tough act to follow!

The most beautiful starbucks in the world?

This beauty is in Bebek, which is a short but steep walk from campus. My friend Chelsy and I "did homework" here yesterday. Finding a seat on the deck overlooking the Bosphorus got competitive!