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.

Shut up and learn.

It's 2:40 AM on a Saturday, and seeing as I have two exams this afternoon, I saw it fit to update my blog. I've spent some good quality time in the Bogazici University library recently, and I thought I'd offer some anecdotes about what makes it so... unique.

1) It closes at 10 pm. Compare that to the Williams College libraries, which stay open until... 2 AM? 3 AM? Soft core.

2) You have to show your ID every time you enter the library, and usually the ID checker looks like he or she will shoot the next person that walks in the door. Walking into the library is therefore kind of like Russian Roulette.

3) It is a pain in the butt to use the bathroom when you're in the library. When I'm at Williams I like to go to the bathroom as a kind of "study break," but here the bathroom is in the basement, it's always FREEZING cold, and there is never, ever any toilet paper. It's just generally a good idea to carry tissues around with you, wherever you go. After about four months here, I finally learned that. Today I was prepared.

4) Do not speak in the library. Seriously. Don't even walk loudly. And please keep your breathing to yourself.

4) There are signs all over the library offering inspirational quotes on wisdom and learning, just to remind you of the purpose of a library. As if you had forgotten.

5) I like to study near the reserves section, where they have tables with laminated pictures of famous intellectuals. Just a little bit of added inspiration. I like to sit at the Einstein table, especially when I'm working on neuroscience. Usually Dante's table is too crowded, and I would sit at Dostoyevsky's table, but seeing as I've never read anything of his I think it would make me a poser. Not like I've ever read anything of Einstein's, either. But where's the harm in trying to channel a little bit of his brain power during exam period?

Deep in thought with Albert.

For your supplementary reading pleasure...

Stella also keeps a blog, which is phenomenal although it hardly even pertains to Istanbul. However, there are a few true gems in here. Check it out.

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!

YES!

I have been waiting for a care package from my Mom for the past three weeks, and today it finally arrived! It's a Christmas miracle. The contents: An Advent calendar from Harbor Sweets, a candy shop in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Each day comes with a new chocolate surprise. I love this season.

The downside of the Turkish post system: I was supposed to get this package a while ago, and we're halfway through Advent already. Who's in charge of delivering packages in Istanbul? Scrooge?

The upside: I have 13 days worth of candy to eat to make up for lost time! So maybe I can't complain after all.

Thanks, Mommy!

Winter, is that you?!

Hold up a second. Last weekend, I wore a t-shirt around in the 70 degree weather. This weekend, I spent most of my time hiding from the snow. This doesn't make sense to anyone else either, does it? Just checking.

One lesson I've learned while living in a country where I don't speak the language is that if I want to get something done, I have to plan it ahead of time. Spontaneity will only get you so far, and is generally accompanied by some degree of stress. I have spent the past three months in Istanbul assuming that I would stumble into Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque at a time that was convenient for me. Anyone that goes to Istanbul can tell you that these are two absolute must see attractions. They lie across from each other in the Sultanahmet district, and can therefore both be checked off the list in one afternoon. I have been living here since mid September, and it wasn't until yesterday that I finally went inside of them. To some, this may seem normal. What's the rush? They've been there for hundreds of years, and will hopefully remain for hundreds more. It's not like I hadn't seen them from the outside. I've been to Sultanahmet plenty of times. I've explored Topkapi, checked out the Basilica Cistern, and survived the Grand Bazaar. However, as an Art History major with a special interest in Byzantine art and architecture, I am absolutely disgraced by my negligence with regard to these two landmarks. Especially the Hagia Sophia. This building was what inspired me to come to Istanbul.

I finally realized that I wasn't going to wind up seeing them without some prior planning. Luckily, my friend Katherine Conaway decided to take a weekend trip from her job teaching in Sofia to come visit Istanbul. Unlike Sara, Kat had never been to Turkey. What better way for me to spend my Saturday afternoon than catching up with a friend and seeing some incredible architecture?

As I mentioned above, these kinds of things take planning. Unfortunately, in the wise words of Outkast, "You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather." Thank you, Andre 3000 and Big Boi. I never thought I would quote you in a blog about Istanbul. So as you may have guessed, the weather was terrible. A wintery mix, as they say-- rain, snow, and wind. I am proud to say that we were NOT deterred. We saw both Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and spent the rest of our time hiding from the weather. This "hiding" involved lots of food and tea, because I couldn't let Kat leave without having lots of the local cuisine. While escaping the elements, she and I did a lot of catching up and talking about our experiences living abroad. I'd say we managed to make the most out of the horrendous weather! So it looks like winter, or some variation on it, is finally here. Luckily, in true New England fashion, I'm equipped with some sturdy Bean Boots and a (mostly) weather-proof attitude. Bring it on, Istanbul winter.

As a wintery-themed side note, Stella and I decided to make stir-fry for dinner while listening to Christmas music on my computer. Stella got weepy cutting the onions, and I tried to catch it on video. The Christmas bow on her head is what really makes the video complete.

My first visitor!

Dear Everybody,

I'm sorry that I have neglected you for the past two weeks. I'm sure you've been dying to hear what I have been doing since my last post, which was just after Thanksgiving. So I concede that it has been a while, but as I believe I mentioned previously, but I am in fact IN SCHOOL. I have had roughly a month of "midterms", averaging roughly one paper and one "midterm exam" per week for the past several weeks. Why do I put quotation marks around "midterms"? Because they can't possibly be midterms if they are in the last quarter of the semester, right? Yet somehow they are still justified, apparently. I just love taking five classes! What I'm most excited about finals, which start in less than a month. And my neuroscience class is really rocking the boat. Hard. Good thing these grades don't translate to my GPA back at Williams!

So enough of that silly class stuff. The highlight of my past two weeks was hosting my first

visitor, Sara Wallace. I was honored to show off my territory to one of my best friends, who will now hopefully be able to vouch for the fact that Istanbul is the coolest city in the world. Luckily for her, she had already been to Istanbul once before. We therefore did not go to the touristy region of Sultanahmet, which is where you find the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and lots of pushy Turkish men. She wanted to see what I like to do with my time on weekends, and I tried to give her the right idea. Highlights from our weekend together include, but are not limited to:

1) Enjoying a sea bass dinner together in the classy Galata region of Istanbul, and enjoying the Galata tower all lit up at night.

2) Going to Ortaköy and enjoying kumpir, which is essentially a super-stuffed baked potato, by the waterfront. Ortaköy has tons and tons of kumpir vendors. It's really the thing to get there. As we ate our kumpir, we watched as the waves from the Bosphorus splashed up onto the sidewalk, scattering jellyfish all over the pavement. Some little boys decided to collect them all in a plastic bag, which is a difficult task. It's not that they sting-- it's that they fall apart. There were little pieces of jellyfish adorning the sidewalk up and down the waterfront.

3) Rowing together in a pair (2 person boat, 1 oar each for you non-rowers out there) on

Saturday morning. It was especially interesting because we are both starboards. And my oar broke when we were in the middle of the lake. Try getting anywhere in a pair with one functional oar. You really can't. I'll leave it up to your imagination as to how we got out of that one. Here we are, back on dry land after practice!

3) Hopping on a ferry over to the Asian side of the city and satisfying our shopping craving. We spent most of Saturday night in Kadıköy, which probably the most cosmopolitan area on the Asian side. After checking out some clothing stores, wandered around the food markets, had a delicious kebap dinner, and stuffed our faces at Mado, a restaurant chain that specializes in phenomenal desserts. I introduced Sara to salep, which is a hot, creamy, sweet drink that is some combination of milk, sugar, and spices. The picture at right shows Sara just moments after I told her to watch her step. She is straddling a gutter that is carrying a stream of fish blood and guts from the fish market uphill.

Like I said, this is a pretty limited list. We really did do a lot of stuff. Sara got to meet my friends, go to rowing practice, and see the Bogazici University campus, so now she basically knows as much about Istanbul as I do! Any questions? Ask her.