Last Post

---

The trip is quickly drawing to a close. Finals are upon me, and while I know I should be reading, I can’t help by try to find ways to procrastinate.

May has been a time of continuing great experiences. Starting with Spring Break and the exploration of the majesty eastern Turkey, it transitioned into visits by a number of friends, allowing me to share part of my life here with them. Each had a very different experience, and each will take away something very different from their brief stays here.

As friends visited, and as school let out in the US, I started exchanging more frequent emails with friends back home, and started to look forward to seeing them all again in the coming months, and at the latest, when school started up again. As my thoughts turned to home, and the summer, the reality of what I’m leaving behind here begun to sink in. In early May, Hakan Vural, a Turkish friend from the Netherlands left to return to Europe. His departure was but the first of many to come as the community created here is thrown into its own mini diaspora. In a few days, Josh, another good friend here, will return to the States, and a week after that, I will leave, and in the coming months Bogazici will see us all depart.

I’ve never been truly talented at expressing myself. Even near constant reflection, it is hard to determine and express one’s thoughts and feelings in a succinct manner, and it indeed takes me several attempts to get something out that I am satisfied expresses the “gist” of what I am feeling at the time. The closest I can come to expressing myself, and my experiences here, is that I on the 12th of June, I will be returning to one home and leaving another.

---

Photos

A Warm Turkish Home with Dan
Dan visited, and a group of us went to Hakan's parents' apartment to have another huge (and delicious) meal.

Billy in the fortress
Billy in the fortress built by Mehmed II before he conquered Constantinople.

Warm Turkish Home with Karl
I still don't know who exactly these people were, but 8 of us came, ate, and talked for a while. Then we rushed around to get Karl to his flight.
That's Yasemin, Karl and me on one of the couches. We played a nice game of "Hold the Baby Until She Starts Crying." ...Then we held the baby out in front of us until her older sister came by and swooped her up, at which point she calmed down and the game began anew.

Taco Night II
Billy brought some taco seasoning packets with him, but we were unable to organize something big. Josh and I fixed that last night, cooking tacos for us and 8 Turks. We made a little too much food, but that's ok; everyone ate in the Turkish style (until you are about to explode) and enjoyed it.