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Published: January 4th 2009
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New Year's eve in Istanbul. It was literally
magical. I will literally probably fondly remember it for the rest of my life. I spent it, as I said, on a boat in the Bosphorus. I got the chance to see a bunch of people I meant to befriend but never got around making the time for before they leave, drank a lot of rakı (my faaaaaaaaaavorite), danced for a while, bonded with Emma, Emily, Shannon, and Alison, looked at the Bosphorus and the Bosphorus Bridge (the New Year's light show on the bridge was soooooo cool), saw some fireworks launched off the prow of the boat next to us (which was nice since the main fireworks were cancelled due either to the weather or in protest against the situation in Gaza...or both?), and gave lots of people New Year's pecks. I could have stayed on that boat until 5 AM if they would have let me...except they kicked us off an hour early around 1 because people were throwing glasses and stuff off the boat. Which might have been a good thing because after that I, like everyone else on that boat, started to deteriorate pretty quickly--I think literally everyone was
a shit show at that point. Good thing I
didn't have any extra unlimited rakı. I got home and, after calling Kendra like 5 times to ask her to come spoon me and her not being there to answer I passed out.
All photos c/o Alison Chatfield.
Since then my classes have been done and all I've been doing is switching off between studying/working like mad and hanging out with people I really like--particularly many of those leaving soon. I wrote one essay about the aspects of republicanism that made ethnic nationalism salient and meaningful and, arguably, serve as the basis for ethnic nationalism and its attendant ethnic violence--that was a pretty stimulating, fun one to write. I felt like a
real, grown up political philosopher! Anyway, last night I hung out with my grlz and other people here before going to Taksim and dancing to reggae like silly white people who don't know how to dance to reggae--which, I might add, is the
best way to dance to reggae. Today Shannon, Emily, and Alison had a Reveal Party where we took off the bandages on Shannon's thumb which looked like someone wearing a stiletto heal had stepped
on it--on New Year's Day it looked like it was about to explode and the next day at the hospital they had to puncture her nail with a needle to drain the blood and other goop. She somehow doesn't remember how that happened even though she remembers most of that evening--like I said, everyone was a shit show. On Tuesday we're going to have a sleepless sleep over since most of them are checking out of the dorm and need a place to stay until they leave for the airport at 6AM. Cuddle party for sure. I'm excited. I'm also sad.
Also, my bank cards haven't come yet WTF. I need them before I leave for Syria. I might just RE-cancel them and have my mom Fed-Ex the new new ones to me.
Also, I just found out yesterday that Afşın, my AMAZING room mate, is moving out at the end of this month for sure. I am going to miss him so badly it's not even funny... Yet one more casualty, and he's not even an exchange student. :[ At least living with Emma has been fun.
I don't want to study, I don't want to distract myself with stupid philosophy papers; I want to spend beautiful hours feeling strange sadness like wet pine trees seen distantly through the windows of sterile libraries and appreciation for the gifts that existence gives us daily with the people who constitute my world here and are leaving soon. I want them all to fall asleep in my arms and when I wake up I want us to have pleasant, meandering conversations over coffee or tea that never go anywhere and never have to and sometimes lie in the dark and listen to sounds and feel with them every moment until they leave.
But, I suppose, I--perhaps we--want to pass these classes and get decent numbers printed on our transcripts more than we or I want that.
Alas...!
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