http://www.istanbulizle.com/

^^ The link above will show you some awesome live feeds of places around Istanbul. Pay close attention to the first 2 links, because that is where I spend a lot of my free time. Also, Doga Tepe is a view from a part of Bogazici's campus!

End of the Week

I've done it! I have made it through my first week of classes! This, of course, means that I have no friday classes. That's a first for me and I couldn't be more excited.

 Oh yeah, I saw St. Vincent in concert this week. It was brilliant.

One of my classes was in Turkish, so I have to hurry and switch into another class. Otherwise, everything is just dandy. 

Maybe it's the weather today, but I am just falling more in love with everything Istanbul has to offer.

Hoşçakalın!

Boğaziçi vs. Hanover

After a pretty easy first day of classes, I started to think about how different Boğaziçi is from Hanover. Let me start by saying that if I had gone to UofL, or UK, I know I would be an entirely different person. I would have joined a sorority, and who knows what else. So in no way do I regret my choice of Hanover. However, being on such a big campus has its benefits. In my boredom I have created a list:

1. The atmosphere: It forces every student to be independent. I made the 20 min walk to South campus with my ipod playing, and without recognizing a single face that I passed. Two things I would have never done at Hanover. It is refreshing to feel like a grown-up, doing grown-up things.

2. The people: NO SWEATPANTS ALLOWED. Thank God for that. I never have to see another person who looked like they just rolled out of bed and into class. 

3. The classes: My professor today told the class that she could care less if we came to class or not. Although I doubt I will be skipping many classes, I never have to be afraid I will see my professors walking through campus, or get an email asking why I missed class. 

4. The food: Although there is a cafeteria on campus, most students seem to eat at cafe's close to campus or cook for themselves. For 4 whole months I won't have to worry about stomach aches after CC meals, or be tempted to eat greasy breadsticks at 10pm. 

5. The textbooks: Well they don't exist here. So far, I have one print out copy for my Turkish language class, and required reading in the library for my other class. It sure is nice to not have to spend $300 for books. 

Maybe I'll just never leave Turkey. That sure would be nice. Except, I really do miss Qdoba (Chipotle), and Jimmy Johns. 

First day of classes!

Here's to hoping I find all of my classes, and don't look like a total fool.

Photos around campus

A massive graveyard by South Campus on the way to Bebek.

Our first fancy dinner out in Bebek. 

The best damn risotto ever. 

Here I am standing at the most beautiful point on campus. Overlooking the Bosphorus. 

There are so many stray animals running around the streets. They are all fed by locals, and are very friendly. 

It's like the point at Hanover, transported to Istanbul. 

More stray kitties! 

I eat as I wander

My mom thinks this is what I should rename my blog. Thanks mom. Here are some more photos of the delicious foods and spices we have seen. 

Turkish Delight flavors at The Grand Bazaar 

Check out that huge honeycomb 

Spices and tea. Be careful because the salesmen are vicious. 

More tea, all for different ailments. 

You can get freshly juiced pomegranates! So delicious. 

Valentines Day

The first holiday well spent in Turkey! It was a pretty lazy day to be honest. Woke up late to chocolates from the bestie, then proceeded to walk to the mall to smell perfume. (I almost bought Marc Jacobs Daisy for 40 lira at The Grand Bazaar. SO CHEAP!)

We all decided to make a family dinner that night consisting of pasta and salad, followed by donuts for dessert. It was nice to actually eat a substantial meal instead of beyaz penyir (grilled cheese) or pide. Overall, it was a very successful evening.

I never thought I would actually be excited for homework, but just sitting around for 2 weeks has made me feel so lazy. Luckily, I got all of my classes registered except for one which I will figure out next week. I am so looking forward to my roommates moving in, getting in the routine of classes, and starting to meet a bunch of new people, but I can already tell that the time here is going to fly by.

Free Time

The last couple of days have been filled with stressful days and crazy nights. I have spent entirely too much money in Taksim, and on other none necessities. I will say that the Turks love their late nights in Taksim. All of this is going on while still trying to register for classes. Although, I am very happy with what I have right now.

As an American, a baked potato is a generally safe and delicious meal. Well in Turkey they have Kimpur which is like a loaded potato, loaded with things most Americans would turn their nose up at. I was so excited to try one of these, and after a long day at The Grand Bazaar it sounded like the perfect dinner. I did not expect it to be loaded with pickles, potato salad, mushrooms, corn, peas, ezme, couscous, and all sorts of other random items.

As you can tell from my expression in the photo, the potato was a little too much for my unadjusted stomach. It left me entirely too full. The 45 minute traffic filled bus ride home didn't help either. I guess I really am getting the full city life experience.

I am still looking for that one delicious, traditional Turkish meal. If you have any suggestions pass 'em this way.

That's all for now.

Snow Angels.

Last night was quite the adventure. We spent our 3rd night in Taksim smoking Nargile (Hookah for you Americans), and having our first cocktails. We also had the Turkish version of grilled cheese, which was a million times better. Not only is grilled cheese my favorite American food in the world, but the Turkish equivalent is only 2.50 L ( $1 American dollar). It will fill the late night Taco Bell run's space in my heart quite nicely. 

However, that is not even the beginning of the night. Having just got our bus passes, we had planned on taking it to Taksim and then back. But by the time we had finished with our late night snack, the snow was coming down so vigorously that we all looked like little snow angels within minutes of being outside. We got on the last bus back, and were only on for maybe a mile when the bus started sliding down a steep hill. As you can see, it didn't make it and we were all forced to get off the bus and walk to try and find a taxi.

Assuming we knew the way, we started walking along the highway, but had not gotten far when a man yelled for us to turn around. He had been on the bus with us, and was the one who explained that the bus ride was finished. He offered to walk with us to the place to catch a taxi. This walk was probably a mile and a half or more, in the snow, on the day I decided that Converse were the best snow trekking shoes.

The man who helped us was named Deniz, and he is a graduate student at Istanbul University. He wanted to practice his English, and offered to take us to some historical sites around Istanbul. All of you back home should think about how many times you have helped a lost foreigner, because I'm sure the number of times could be counted on 1 finger. But without Deniz, I'm sure we would have ended up very lost and paying a lot of money for the taxi home.

In the end, we made it back to our dorm with frostbitten toes and very tired bodies. I will admit that I pretty much slept the day away today in order to avoid getting ill. But the snow has stopped and the sun has come out!

Tomorrow we are going to make our way to The Grand Bazaar to get kitchen supplies and hopefully phones!

Snowy Morning In Istanbul

Look what I get wake up to in the morning! With everyday that passes I am falling more and more in love with this city. How will I ever be able to return home?

Cay and Chocolate Muffin.

Potato Pide

If there one food that I have found in Turkey so far that is delicious, easy, and vegetarian, it is potato pide. It is essentially pita bread, or fillo bread filled with your choice of potatoes, cheese, spinach and cheese, or meat. Since arriving we have all eaten probably 5 of these.

Another adjustment is being able to legally drink here. At dinner last night we all order Efes beer, which is brewed in Turkey. It was so good. Another interesting drink is Raki. Well actually, I think it was disgusting, but if you like licorice you will love it. It is meant to be drank with a traditional Turkish meal, but we did not know this upon buying it.

It is still difficult to figure out food and drink, especially with a group of vegetarians. So far everything has been very good though. The next goal is to have a traditional Turkish meal that is vegetarian friendly.

Superdorm

 Here I am! This is my humble abode for the next 4 months. Yes, it's small, and yes, it's a bit plain at the moment, but it's so much better than a hotel. I finally feel like I have a home base. I'm glad that I brought my own sheets, but I may need to buy another blanket soon if it gets much colder.

The Superdorm is much bigger than any dorm at Hanover. In fact, it's probably the size of every Hanover dorm put together. In the basement, there is a market which has items similar to a gas station. There is also a hair salon, and a cafe that haven't opened yet.

I have 3 roommates, all of which are Turkish. Only 1 is here so far. She is super    friendly and fun. I am excited for all my roommates to begin to move in.

 The Superdorm is about a 20 minute walk from South Campus. The walk is very nice, with a great view of the Bosphorus. It is down a very steep hill, which is no fun to walk back up, but will definitely keep us all in shape ha.

I would estimate that in the last 4 days we have walked a total of 10 miles, if not more. Good thing I brought good walking shoes! ha. Next thing to figure out are bus passes, and cooking.

Hopefully it stops raining soon.

-Emeran

First Impressions.

It's funny to think of all the things you take for granted in the US. Prime example, ice water. In Istanbul you must boil every bit of water you drink. This can be very annoying when you are dehydrated and just want cold water.

The city itself is about 10 times larger than NYC. The first thing I have noticed is that everyone and everything here smells delicious. Whether it is walking past someone and smelling their perfume, or walking past a restaurant and smelling spices and food.

So far none of my roommates are here, and I am desperately waiting for a bilingual person to show up and help me find a phone, and an ethernet cord, and some more food than just bread, cheese, and tomatoes.

Despite all of this, I feel a sense of calm being here.