tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92198044747310911082024-03-21T15:44:28.749-07:00Meat, Cheese, and DrakeAdventures in TurkeyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02545988524221929188noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219804474731091108.post-57475978762874021422010-03-17T08:13:00.000-07:002010-03-17T09:14:17.321-07:00Istanbul Baby<span style="font-family:arial;"> Hello my lovely people-- yes the headliner is correct, I went to Istanbul the other weekend! Now let me tell you all about it-- We decided to take a bus overnight on Thursday and arrive Friday morning to begin our adventure.... but little did</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9SJpcgsnps_H35o2YIjTJH2otpxPwbw3rrVgoRsRE9owuZoiaY3MGIt9F7RHYMyqXn-Qe_tut2ymN7kW5yU3JcKZXUvrHNozkAH47gX6P0jZrWkCgwOUDtUa5BhcZkWfxPBZw3RNHGSg/s1600-h/IMG_0798.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9SJpcgsnps_H35o2YIjTJH2otpxPwbw3rrVgoRsRE9owuZoiaY3MGIt9F7RHYMyqXn-Qe_tut2ymN7kW5yU3JcKZXUvrHNozkAH47gX6P0jZrWkCgwOUDtUa5BhcZkWfxPBZw3RNHGSg/s320/IMG_0798.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449632254906666626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> we re</span><span style="font-family:arial;">alize that we would 1. get there at 6 am, or 2. get dropped off at a random bus station 20 miles away from Taxim (where we needed to be). </span><span style="font-family:arial;">It was pouring rain and cold as hell, not to mention it was just me, Holly, and Lauren. But we were not going to let that bri</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ng</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> us down so we hailed a cab and ended up in Taxim Square 30TL later. We took the metro down to Sultanahmet and began ou</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r day (we even beat all the Asian tourists).<br /><br />On Friday we decided to do every touristy thing possible and see how much free stuff we could get.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> We went to all the mu</span><span style="font-family:arial;">st sees--- the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, the Cistern, The Islamic Art Museum, the Archaeology Museum, the Mosaic Museum and many other things that I</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad4rD8sjhaI9LQwNvILdixffXGONQSfvSSD48IF271gL72obB1v3DpXzMHlPtWIjBFCtL6YrUCFPaN3t66vCHzjUQBfUer8d_CzQEbkKqm_-tO98im9jlop5pl2KovL4zmkb_nfwjtUcX/s1600-h/IMG_1023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad4rD8sjhaI9LQwNvILdixffXGONQSfvSSD48IF271gL72obB1v3DpXzMHlPtWIjBFCtL6YrUCFPaN3t66vCHzjUQBfUer8d_CzQEbkKqm_-tO98im9jlop5pl2KovL4zmkb_nfwjtUcX/s320/IMG_1023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449632999970893298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> forget. T</span><span style="font-family:arial;">he Hagia Sofia was amazing, if nothing more that for it's sheer size. It was HUGE and beautiful. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">The mosaics were breathtaking and incredibly old (from Justinian the 1st). The blue mosq</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ue was nice, but I have to say I like the big mosque in Ankara better. The Isl</span><span style="font-family:arial;">amic Art Museum </span><span style="font-family:arial;">was really amazing, espcially the r</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ugs! There were these amazing 15th and 16th century Early Ott</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o</span><span style="font-family:arial;">man Empire rugs with vibrant and saturated reds, blues and oranges (acutally all the colors). There IS a reason why Turkey is famous for textiles. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />oh yeah and I randomly saw</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> the "Dicscus Thrower" in the archaeology museum. Real tight.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Later that night we made our way back to Taxim to meet up with our awesome couchsurfing dude. If you don't know what couchsurfing is, it's basically </span><span style="font-family:arial;">like facebook for travelers who are looking to host or stay with people from around the world.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNXZTdhtmLIY5C7wpsUDuBgT_nJnJkID4f352IJsGDrDvSkBRcQo87Ni3jE6WOUyC6ZsXAZPW8kCTUpCfAJGd1V4QKiRyB7hzGWOQJpc8WxhJmIzu2ap9-2-Feak1MXHMrTilVbmFcGKx/s1600-h/IMG_1053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNXZTdhtmLIY5C7wpsUDuBgT_nJnJkID4f352IJsGDrDvSkBRcQo87Ni3jE6WOUyC6ZsXAZPW8kCTUpCfAJGd1V4QKiRyB7hzGWOQJpc8WxhJmIzu2ap9-2-Feak1MXHMrTilVbmFcGKx/s320/IMG_1053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449634955482556514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> It's an amazing invention and a great way to travel on the cheap.---- anyways, I was super tired ( and super</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> lame) and went to bed a couple of hours later. The girls came home at three in the morning with some vague story of Baduk, wine</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> and</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> a cab driver. I felt ok about sleeping...</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />On Saturday it was cold and rainy so we decided to hit up the Grand Bazaar and the Spice market. I didn't particularly love the Grand Bazaar... it was pretty big and everything sort of started to look the same. It was ho</span><span style="font-family:arial;">wever very interesting to hear the people yell at us to buy their </span>'special items'. We got everything from "spice girls" to "charlie's angles". It was entertaining to say the least. Our next destination was the spice market which was <span style="font-family:arial;">a little bit of a hike, but well worth it. The spice market was less intense and way more yummy than the bazaar. I </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKPQPN97sfqRZUiUPVUdoyVxRYLlWtg1UhQlB8Q2A7X8w8wozAy4VXC7ciOrfMb2ZC4XhJjgbuwjL4ZVRvRVGh1s6t4XHxZv0DkxaTlYMvmMuRFOZLxiU56STCK-0TYpSRihDtE2vbdkf/s1600-h/IMG_1081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKPQPN97sfqRZUiUPVUdoyVxRYLlWtg1UhQlB8Q2A7X8w8wozAy4VXC7ciOrfMb2ZC4XhJjgbuwjL4ZVRvRVGh1s6t4XHxZv0DkxaTlYMvmMuRFOZLxiU56STCK-0TYpSRihDtE2vbdkf/s320/IMG_1081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449635659243334802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">bought many different kinds of dried fruit and nuts along with some cool evil eye bracelets (Mike M that's for you!).</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />After a long day of roaming we went back home and took a well deserved nap followed by a dank dinner. Late we met up with some of our hosts friends and experienced the Istanbul night life which was pretty crazy and a great change of pace. I heard everything from MJ</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq44QgKm2ueHbZQJJWlXMqhnE6D7vYig9zcCJxRQ0VicO8RDDk4I4MzvWd7L_qTvKjTNQelg-kJjpk3DUA1ql1gWKj5z7gjDdCl-784urNJIyy_ljdKzaVHc89Bdy8_3AkUB3qrzIpPQZ/s1600-h/IMG_1099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq44QgKm2ueHbZQJJWlXMqhnE6D7vYig9zcCJxRQ0VicO8RDDk4I4MzvWd7L_qTvKjTNQelg-kJjpk3DUA1ql1gWKj5z7gjDdCl-784urNJIyy_ljdKzaVHc89Bdy8_3AkUB3qrzIpPQZ/s320/IMG_1099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449636129364814978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> to the Bee Gees</span> that night and danced my booty off! <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Over all it was a great trip. Istanbul has a real spirit, I really felt alive when I was there. I plan on going back in the near future. This weekend I think we may be going south to somewhere warm.. not to sure yet. And for spring break I will be doing the NE and SE of Turkey with some Bilkent</span> students. I'm ready to see different parts of the country--- I think we're hiking too which is tight. <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />What else... oh yeah I bought a ticket to Prague to visit Rose and Kelsey for a week-- nothing else even needs to be said:)</span>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02545988524221929188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219804474731091108.post-33915963969900659572010-02-28T02:30:00.000-08:002010-02-28T03:00:33.127-08:00Last couple of weeks<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of undergoing the complete Turkish Salon experience. Holly and I decided tha</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMyPPi1cd_Y_2Lg0egotn0UwWjMlCqjZWpkfVLO4nqKczxeFU_cd1OYohjXz8C-5oISSKvFIy_UWPv4aMqyzCR5Ywo8i8izQDDHLubki0ur8oKQ5ex-18UQEyxO3jwxGTM4Ee58bAeE59/s1600-h/IMG_0712.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMyPPi1cd_Y_2Lg0egotn0UwWjMlCqjZWpkfVLO4nqKczxeFU_cd1OYohjXz8C-5oISSKvFIy_UWPv4aMqyzCR5Ywo8i8izQDDHLubki0ur8oKQ5ex-18UQEyxO3jwxGTM4Ee58bAeE59/s320/IMG_0712.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443241374226074754" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">t w</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">e would go to the Universities salon and get our nails done because we were bored. little did</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> we know what would actually happen to us…. Yes, I got my nails trimmed and painted, but I also acquired many bloody wounds throughout the process</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">. Apparently in Turkey the way to stop a bleeding cuticle is to smother nail polish </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">remover all over (it hurt so freaking bad I can’t even tell yo</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">u)---- Oh yeah I forgot to mention, there is a complete language barrier here because they don’t speak any English and we don’t really know any Turkish. So in the light of getting our nails done we thought it would be a great idea </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRFI9YtemO9m_DwtXJnxpeWt2sZrm7LliiIVsV9M4v3anf2o7YMhMvFMPRqJLwWd19wl-48W12ugcOt4N0sqYnuphlsZKUAo3a8LY0rpPmRL6ohnZc3geKbcFWwkRhy-us1cBwt09Z1au/s1600-h/IMG_0717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRFI9YtemO9m_DwtXJnxpeWt2sZrm7LliiIVsV9M4v3anf2o7YMhMvFMPRqJLwWd19wl-48W12ugcOt4N0sqYnuphlsZKUAo3a8LY0rpPmRL6ohnZc3geKbcFWwkRhy-us1cBwt09Z1au/s320/IMG_0717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443241995996453554" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">to get our eyebrows threaded as well. Th</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">is wa</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">s a great</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> idea until they WAXED my mustache off! I had no idea this</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> was going to happen. I was laughing so hard and Holly was laughing </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">and the t</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">wo Turkish girls were l</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">aughing all at the same time (although I have no idea about what, probably abou</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">t how hairy we are). It was the most ridiculous thing ever. I left the salon with pretty red and bloody nails, perfect eyebrows and a skin irritated handlebar mustache.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> <br /><br /><br /><br />Phase one= brutal, but on the weekend we decided to go to a traditional Turkish bath (hammam) and lets just s</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ay that was a much more relaxing experience. The one that we </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">decided to go to w</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eUORfznMKmOY1wvHIXHFnIIlnuB1KO21QTZD53tA2h0riWEYaKDugl2Nm2pbIRQosBJhSW-GDbi7SzQPUpM4d9snjoivItFpeC7UCpwYA2RZMUfGlI0oFK3BFyeaJXtMoAQP3Rvo5Ap3/s1600-h/IMG_0735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eUORfznMKmOY1wvHIXHFnIIlnuB1KO21QTZD53tA2h0riWEYaKDugl2Nm2pbIRQosBJhSW-GDbi7SzQPUpM4d9snjoivItFpeC7UCpwYA2RZMUfGlI0oFK3BFyeaJXtMoAQP3Rvo5Ap3/s320/IMG_0735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443242690657790418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">as originally built in 1444 and restored in the 18th century and had a light blue interior with high domed ceiling. Basically you pay money to hang out in a bathhouse all day where you can socialize with other w</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">omen. We walked in with nothing but bathing suit bottoms on. It was really hot and misty, kind of like a sauna but not that hot, and we were told to pour water all over ourselves (in Turkish). Then they scrubbed us down with this rough pad-like sponges to get rid of all of the dead skin cells (it was so gross) and then gave us a full body massage. It was pret</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ty freaking cool. There were women of all ages and statures. The most beautiful were the elderly</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> large women who sang old Turkish songs. There were little boys and girls running around everywhere playing in the water. It was such an experience I think we might go back sometime because my skin has never been so soft in my entire life. I think I might open one back ho</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">me after I grad</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">uate if I have nothing else to do.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Last weekend I did something mah mama and papa told me not to do… I went to some protests (and they were so</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPybfjL3nzNAO-IqCGIzyrjYTKNMfqRbI4sxllAzO6cpQIKAeW-RHG8y5Pxcn5R0dlnsa0jwilKcnARUYUtpCpXoUrXiWyh2abnzPGmFVcsDlZuWPSiV7qfkMz8zbjeEOgZU4s_w5pjgb/s1600-h/IMG_0739.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPybfjL3nzNAO-IqCGIzyrjYTKNMfqRbI4sxllAzO6cpQIKAeW-RHG8y5Pxcn5R0dlnsa0jwilKcnARUYUtpCpXoUrXiWyh2abnzPGmFVcsDlZuWPSiV7qfkMz8zbjeEOgZU4s_w5pjgb/s320/IMG_0739.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443243212174836482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> awesome!) Currently Turkey is privatizing many of its national companies to pay money back to the I</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">MF, and in the process many workers are being screwed over. I am by no means going to do</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">g any government’s country that I reside in, but it was a very sad thing to see. One particular company (TEKEL)’s workers decided to protest this decision (because they would basically have no money or way to get another job as a result of this privatization) and have been camping out in downtown Ankara in the district of Kizilay for over 65 days. They created this shanty-like town and have been living and sleeping outside for so long. The Communist Party of Turkey decided to help these workers and have been staging protests and walks that thousands </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">have been participating in. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> The particular protest that I went to almost felt like a festival with </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaklXtO3d6nVRqeYo9d3w6KKIt5obFNFAC0Itj6f2lwaXzguG2fwX6JkIRNhGU_hgLvcddiWSO38oo9l1Vmw_WPVRwPygcXcxSPt-rcH3mj1cu2nwU_mYglGY4B1bdFMb_PcOd5ELYmXq/s1600-h/IMG_0745.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaklXtO3d6nVRqeYo9d3w6KKIt5obFNFAC0Itj6f2lwaXzguG2fwX6JkIRNhGU_hgLvcddiWSO38oo9l1Vmw_WPVRwPygcXcxSPt-rcH3mj1cu2nwU_mYglGY4B1bdFMb_PcOd5ELYmXq/s320/IMG_0745.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443244202238477922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">music, dancing, and flags being flown. Famous musicians and party leaders reached out to the crowd with such enthusiasm and passion. I have never seen so many people with similar ideas and beliefs come out together and support a group of people they may have never even met before. These people are exercising whatever rights they have to try and make a change, a difference for themselves. At this point the workers have nothing to loose. Chants and fist pumps filled the crowd and workers with the energy that was needed to stay motivated throughout the cold night. I’m pretty sure Holly and I were probably the only Americans in the crowd (I was wearing a hat for sure). This was pretty Fucking cool---<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So yeah, I’m 21 now. My birthday was yesterday. I feel pretty much the same, maybe a little older. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do a crazy bar crawl like I would have in the States, but I think it’s almost better that way haha. I did have a great day though. On Friday night I had a party thrown in my honor where all my friends and people I chill with came. It was very fun and entertaining. On Saturday I just relaxed in the morning, and went and walked around downtown in the afternoon. At night I went to this really nice and yummy restaurant called Tapas. I thought that it was a Mexican or Spanish restaurant because of the name, but that was not the case haha. I ate a hamburger and drank sangria, then got some dank deserts ( sooo good,-- cake-like things). Went home watched a movie and chilled out. Very successful if you ask me.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Turkey is the tightest—I’m going to Istanbul next weekend for 4 days and let’s just say I’m ready to get out of Ankara for a while☺</span> </span>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02545988524221929188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219804474731091108.post-71978792825628391892010-02-17T00:59:00.000-08:002010-02-17T01:36:48.258-08:00Expedition in Cappadocia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZngKXV3JTvIgyX_NvimnJ-vE8pvPvUP_6rBhwmxWzDnCQjxNGFdgIcjA4NcH_InwYzq3bZfukXnyEgInEby6A2ttM-amVG1JEscOF2nzVPuxP-jfAeXAnxZ-pgjAuYbBvn9BW4ovwPG83/s1600-h/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZngKXV3JTvIgyX_NvimnJ-vE8pvPvUP_6rBhwmxWzDnCQjxNGFdgIcjA4NcH_InwYzq3bZfukXnyEgInEby6A2ttM-amVG1JEscOF2nzVPuxP-jfAeXAnxZ-pgjAuYbBvn9BW4ovwPG83/s320/IMG_0404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439141321847112434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">A pro of traveling to an uncommon place for study abroad is that the people i</span></span></span></span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >n my program are unique and come from around the world. We have kids coming from Ireland, Poland</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hong</span> Kong, Sweden, France, Italy, Azerbaijan, California, and many more places. There is something to be said for surrounding yourself with people from around the world and talking about politics, religion, and well life in gene</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ral</span>.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /></span></strong><br /><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >Two weekends ago I traveled to the beautiful and extremely old region of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Cappadocia</span> in the Anatolia region with 75 of my closest exchange peeps. I really had no id</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >ea of what to expect from this trip and only had a vague idea of what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cappadocia</span> even looked like. Boy was I blown away. To begin our trip I woke up at 4:00 in the morning and got onto a VERY </span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >cold bus, so cold I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">couldn</span>’t feel my lower </span></strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-ii7U_y_8HnHIeTM70T4t088ZhZnoVJZ85w5fpzjW71ZklcTJoD3bBGcAPPn68CdiSOxX4LWwSpsi7SoqWgX_geN1w65GQGUrjpiyLKqvAoNLgE9F4KIuuxYLRR0ZRt9ymvfygRrWcp3/s1600-h/IMG_0382.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-ii7U_y_8HnHIeTM70T4t088ZhZnoVJZ85w5fpzjW71ZklcTJoD3bBGcAPPn68CdiSOxX4LWwSpsi7SoqWgX_geN1w65GQGUrjpiyLKqvAoNLgE9F4KIuuxYLRR0ZRt9ymvfygRrWcp3/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439141070492144610" border="0" /></a><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >extremities until we got there (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Cappado</span></span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">cia</span> is ab</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >out a 5 hour bus ride East of Ankara). Upon arriving in the morning at about 9:00 my exploring expedition began. </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >Here's a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">litt</span></span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">le</span> bit o history for ya--</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /></span></strong><br /><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >Basically the fairy chimneys and structures that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Cappadocia</span> is famous for were created by volcanic eruptions over the past several thousand years. </span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >Early civilizations (Hittites) and eventually the Christians in the 14<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">th</span> Century, carved into these volcanic structures to create homes and Mo</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">nasteries</span></span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > to practice Christianity in without persecution.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />The fairy chimneys and structures themselves were absolutely breathtaking. They looked like sand castle sculptures, or like frozen soft-serve ice cream with sand rubbed on them. They were Real tight. The weather was nice enough that I was able to enjoy walking through the snow and admire these natural wonders. When I to</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">uched</span></span></strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumcYW1W5PAT-ONblMNpPgXql4ELEGAfsiR6EcHkAhgo5kNtW1EZfvg7Wd8pPgVYtfhp65ZBVe6Y5v1fOIoan1DsMpfoFJHTUupIP18U1Wu_y3bL0v4XZWlpNgh7KZlmRjJGbI6HBVflUa/s1600-h/IMG_0452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumcYW1W5PAT-ONblMNpPgXql4ELEGAfsiR6EcHkAhgo5kNtW1EZfvg7Wd8pPgVYtfhp65ZBVe6Y5v1fOIoan1DsMpfoFJHTUupIP18U1Wu_y3bL0v4XZWlpNgh7KZlmRjJGbI6HBVflUa/s320/IMG_0452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439141978949467410" border="0" /></a><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > the homes, it felt like I was touching time and history all at once.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /><br />Other things we did on the trip--- eat <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">badass</span> food (traditional Turkish)—On Saturday night we had a </span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >“T</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">urkish</span> Night” where we ate lots of yummy food and watched Whirling Dervishes spin and spin and spin. But apparently these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">weren</span>’t real dervishes, just ones for show. After they stopped spinning there were very entertaining Turkish dancers that came out and performed for us. Let’s just say Turkish people can move their bodies… especially the belly dancer! It was like her hips were disconnected from the rest of her </span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >body—crazy. The dancers continued to perform every couple of songs while the audience enjoyed the massive amount of beverages that were distributed. It was a beautiful thing.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />The next day we went and saw some more sites around <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Cappadocia</span> and went wine tasting at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Turasan</span> Winery which makes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Cappadocian</span> wine with grapes from the Anatolia</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >n region. The whole trip was</span></strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MPRz4JFJtjSL96mzkpAmYobtdl-6mM6pFpN8whUvY-C9Rh2VBgLWR87JXsqp7rwuTzsjc2dFcPvAqU84JGS_tZr7pV-S1EoXQK2yL7ZEfJfv_MZHjgKr2qkcutnvOSJnentueb3-xdc/s1600-h/IMG_0402.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27MPRz4JFJtjSL96mzkpAmYobtdl-6mM6pFpN8whUvY-C9Rh2VBgLWR87JXsqp7rwuTzsjc2dFcPvAqU84JGS_tZr7pV-S1EoXQK2yL7ZEfJfv_MZHjgKr2qkcutnvOSJnentueb3-xdc/s320/IMG_0402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439141628979800802" border="0" /></a><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > fun, but my favorite place we went was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Guray</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Seramik</span>--- aka <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Guray</span> Ceramics. We went to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Guray</span> family studio and showroom that displayed thousands of ceramic bowls, cups, plates, and sculptures. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Guray</span> family has been in the ceramic b</span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">usiness</span> for hundreds of years. The forms made come from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">family tradition</span> and consists of many sun references. The main concept of there glaze designs stem from one singular or central point. Family and heritage are the most important values, and that idea comes from the center and revolves around oneself (or something along those lines). The coolest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">th</span></span></strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY2yKMnD7dQi2vd5a3khdNPt-VFEnwDJWPLG9A95rJFvC8VMpPxAGGh_lGl7Z4wfPOeG-4lrJ0GyNCaQ7xNmEcnX0JP9MIJJK39eQpMUP3paxOpQaIoR_4dQzHEtRRoZx17feCXKBGrp7/s1600-h/IMG_0524.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY2yKMnD7dQi2vd5a3khdNPt-VFEnwDJWPLG9A95rJFvC8VMpPxAGGh_lGl7Z4wfPOeG-4lrJ0GyNCaQ7xNmEcnX0JP9MIJJK39eQpMUP3paxOpQaIoR_4dQzHEtRRoZx17feCXKBGrp7/s320/IMG_0524.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439142628179561330" border="0" /></a><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">ing</span> was that they make their clay from the soil that only exists in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Cappadocian</span> mountains. The clay felt so soft and fine, almost like a sticky porcelain with a deep <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">redish</span>-brown tone. The glazes they use are mostly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">underglazes</span> with a clear coating on top, although they sometimes use glazes fired at a higher temperature. The boy that gave the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">thro</span></span></strong><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >wing demonstration was only 18 years old and had been throwing for over six years---- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">ahhh</span> so cool! </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" ><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Ok</span> enough—the trip was sweet and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Guray</span> place offered me an internship!---</span></strong></span><strong style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" > (my cynical self says of course they’d love an American chick who speaks no Turkish for a summer)</span><br /></span><br /></strong>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02545988524221929188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219804474731091108.post-4195045731014770162010-02-16T00:48:00.000-08:002010-02-16T12:17:13.703-08:00I'm in Turkey? You're in Turkey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocfl2btp9uSTaSO2g_RddkHDFVKvk5Ejyta5vB8gMSDbT2vJ1fk5M4c5_mzf183vIPH_Lr1GSeGiiNhwArz7gYIYvLAGPvaHfdWHJbqiJtgljLn1Mr9eCPOj7KQXlbPfFC1ifCYGmG7aB/s1600-h/IMG_0213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocfl2btp9uSTaSO2g_RddkHDFVKvk5Ejyta5vB8gMSDbT2vJ1fk5M4c5_mzf183vIPH_Lr1GSeGiiNhwArz7gYIYvLAGPvaHfdWHJbqiJtgljLn1Mr9eCPOj7KQXlbPfFC1ifCYGmG7aB/s320/IMG_0213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438784406662174434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The first thing I realized once I got to Turkey was that I had to eat meat or else I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wouldn</span>’t survive. I have been a vegetarian for two years and haven’t eaten red meat in over five. Th</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ree day’s in I eat chicken, six days in I ate lamb… let’s just say I am now a meat eater. (I try and eat cheese but we all know what happens when I do that. Not pretty)</span></span><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> After 22 hours of traveling across the world, I finally arrived in Ankara Turkey. I was taken to my (lovely) dorm room to find no towels or toilet paper and let’s just say I needed to use the restroom… Welcome to Turkey. </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I was very excited to finally be in Ankara and begin to get settled in. The anticipation of what was to come was killing me. My dorm room at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bilkent</span> University was probably half the size of my room at home and looked like a 1980’s pink hotel room (imagine small, pink, and being completely alone). I got out of there as fast as I could and moved into this great apartment in downtown Ankara with two American girls Holly and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Jemma</span>, and one Turkish dude <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Erman</span>. Both of the girls had already been to Turkey before and Holly was returning for a second semester at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bilkent</span>. She is the best, k</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63dZ79eyhn_73IaCiMjYIinc4pWe34XhDE6qDdSZcuAMiBkWRuFflEEXVnsgLN_ounI5xhzyELMGVJGNfDZSnsNx7yxFEDZIoljOdNKuMepVxCR66ZqgYVkRJ8a6lUTnH0InTo-rEbZnG/s1600-h/IMG_0134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63dZ79eyhn_73IaCiMjYIinc4pWe34XhDE6qDdSZcuAMiBkWRuFflEEXVnsgLN_ounI5xhzyELMGVJGNfDZSnsNx7yxFEDZIoljOdNKuMepVxCR66ZqgYVkRJ8a6lUTnH0InTo-rEbZnG/s320/IMG_0134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438778862756265762" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ind of like all my friends put together, including the craziness and Maggie/ Nikki D’s nasty face (I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">couldn</span>’t believe it). We get along perfect and if it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">weren</span>’t for her I would be having a much worse time.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsveFU88OXL3dQdp79qwv_m_kIyr_3CInZw9hD-3ovnyCxcaPplH-1ltCanydKTUeaPZQhu8KgjkkkXZwgsHaaELfQHDFnlt8-KvdxM5qqEPSuswGT0afBvm-T0d_ODqbBTcMn0aUVYk_/s1600-h/IMG_0159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsveFU88OXL3dQdp79qwv_m_kIyr_3CInZw9hD-3ovnyCxcaPplH-1ltCanydKTUeaPZQhu8KgjkkkXZwgsHaaELfQHDFnlt8-KvdxM5qqEPSuswGT0afBvm-T0d_ODqbBTcMn0aUVYk_/s320/IMG_0159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438781913124496338" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The first week I was in Turkey I participated in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ESN</span> (Erasmus Student Network) orientation program that basically showed me around Ankara, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bilkent</span> University and gave me lots of fun things to do (like get my residence permit, register for classes, oh yeah and organize sweet parties). </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">During orientation I did the one thing that all Turkish people must do at some point in their lives, and visited Ataturk's Mausoleum. It was SO big. I have never seen something so grand and nationalistic in my entire life. I have pictures that I’m going to try and post or you can check my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">facebook</span> to see them. When first entering the Mausoleum you have to walk up a million stairs to the walkway to see the actual building. There are two large square temple-like things with large statues of men and women mourning the loss of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Ataturks</span> life. Then you must continue down a walkway lined with lion sculptures for about 1-¾ football length fields. THEN, you find your self in this open area enclosed with big wall like structures with openings (you can see all of Ankara up this high) and if you look to your left you see a large square building up on a platform where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Ataturks</span> tomb lies. This architectures smells like Egypt and looks really fucking big.</span><span style="font-family:arial;">Inside the wall like structures and behind somewhere else there’s a museum where they basically kept everything of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ataturks</span> from his cigarettes to his swords, cars and clothes. It’s pretty insane (they love him, so do I). </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />My apartment is right near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Tunus</span> (and super close to the bus stop, which I am thankful for every morning when I sit on the bus for 30 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">mins</span> to get to school). My neighborhood is very friendly and safe. It’s pretty typical, filled w</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbqdMpo7KssDQQJmoifSeFQPANYvhz3fc1lwRit1p-7oVtHqsSqmgHpP_IoGP_KdtAfjosYn5KqW9xhg8kuhfIq8hCC84odc4rD81wngWd1N_0uzs3vRZOEkEouxfAv1FLq-UQIqBqlI9/s1600-h/IMG_0225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbqdMpo7KssDQQJmoifSeFQPANYvhz3fc1lwRit1p-7oVtHqsSqmgHpP_IoGP_KdtAfjosYn5KqW9xhg8kuhfIq8hCC84odc4rD81wngWd1N_0uzs3vRZOEkEouxfAv1FLq-UQIqBqlI9/s320/IMG_0225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438785851240419874" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ith apartment buildings, markets, small stores, bars, hookah places (called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">nargile</span>) and Kabob <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">restaurants</span>. It has a quiet sound, although people are constantly bustling around. I feel very lucky to live where I do, only a 5 minute walk to the market and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Tunali</span> Street where many more stores and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">café</span>’s are. I still have to explore this area more.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />I attend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Bilkent</span> University, which is slightly removed from the center of Ankara. It's kinda suppose to be the Harvard of Turkey—aka it’s private and super expensive. My program (Fine Arts) is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ok</span>, pretty self-driven it seems.... and I’m just going to leave it at that. Hopefully I’ll do some cool things while I'm here. This time seems to be dedicated to more soul searching than anything else. My academic classes are awesome (Art History and Archaeology). I’m learning about the French Revolution and the Enlightenment in my Art History class and is turning out to be pretty fucking relevant ( Revolution anyone?).</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Things about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">dat</span> Turkey:</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> I am blond and stick out like a sore thumb</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> Everyone here is skinny (well not everyone, but hardly anyone is fat)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> Smoking cigarettes is a part of life</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> Turkish hospitality and friendliness is the best</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> People drive like madmen</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">There are no clothes dryers- can you say crunchy clothes?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Only bottled water</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It is gray here (reminds me of Michigan)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">You must walk fast or else you’ll get run or pushed over--Walk with a purpose</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Traffic between 5 and 7:30pm is horrible, no matter where you are in the city</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">You can get any movie pirated </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Black clothes are in</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Beer is cheap--liquor is expensive </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">My neighborhood has a very calm and quiet spirit</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I go to the market almost everyday to buy fresh food (everything is organic here)</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />This is all for now, I gotta go shower for school (I am forced to shower here because all the girls I got to school with actually look nice and I stick out as much as it is)--</span> </span>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02545988524221929188noreply@blogger.com0