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Published: March 9th 2006
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picasso
i went to a picasso exhibit but they won't let you take pictures in there so you have to settle for a icture of me out front instead. with a smoky effect merhaba everyone. if you hadn't figured it out, merhaba means hello in turkish. its one of about 10 words that i have learned here. is it rude of me to think that they should speak english instead of me speaking turkish? i am not sure. maybe i am just being an obnoxious american. anyway, i am still here in istanbul as i haven't made it out of the city to do any traveling yet. there is continuous talk of a weekend trip to bulgaria but it never seams to materialize. hopefully it wil happen soon as i am keen to see some things and get on the road. i love this city and am enjoying it tremendously but i didn't just come here to see istanbul, i came here to study (ha) and see some of the world that i haven't and may not get the opportunity to again. i am thinking that i will probably travel through more of turkey later in the spring when the weather warms up. right now it is shit and i am having to use all of my iron will power to make me get out and go to class. interstingly enough, it is not
turkish beatles cover band
the turkish beatles cover band as hard to get out of the dorm to go out at night. i am not sure why that is.
my trip through western europe with merrick is in serious doubt now as she broke her collarbone snowboarding. she is having surgery to put some screws in today and she will be the bionic woman before long. she is in a lot of pain and sometimes very high from the pain pills but still in good spirits. she is not giving up hope of coming but i am dubious since it will probably take her some time to recover sufficiently and that length of a trip would be very uncomfortable for a person with no screws in the body. keep her in your thoughts, even if you don't know her, as she is very important to a lot of people, even me. whether she comes or not i intend to go on the trip as planned. i tried to cancel or alter my flights but it was not possible so i am just going to have to tough it out by myself instead of eating the money spent. it will be lonely but i think i'll manage. atleast this
inside the blue mosque
coury, lynda, and i in the blue mosque way there is no way merrick can stick me with her bags.
i am continuing to have a amazing time here in istanbul. i can't really convey in words hope interesting, compelling, beautiful, culturally rich, and fun this place can be. i am just not that talented. i have been spending most of my time going to class and spending time with the friends i have made. we have made a habit out of having "chicken night" at my friend coury's apartment. he lives in a really nice place in taksim, which is an area of istanbul that is similar to sixth street in austin, there is a lot to do in terms of shopping, resturants, bars, clubs, and so forth. it is basically where we hang out most of the time so it is in a very strategic location. our chicken night usually consists of a bought chicken for very cheap with heaps of rice, pita bread, and cucumbers and tomatos with feta drizzled in olive oil. it is very delicious, quite filling, and very reasonable. it is a really nice opportunity to just sit and hang out with good people and have some good conversation while they
inside the blue mosque
the inside of the blue mosque get drunk on wine and i sit and drink water or tea. i know, its really exciting.
continuing the earlier theme of cover bands, we went and saw a turkish beatles cover band last weekend, which might be the highlight of my trip now. any beatles cover band is fun, but a turkish version is even better. they weren't as good as 1969, but what they lacked in talent, they made up for with humor. my friends seemed to enjoy it very much. they danced continuiosly from start to finish, even starting a mosh pit during the encore of let it be and hey jude, which as you know, are extremely intense songs that lend themselves to moshing and violent dancing. the turks loved them.
we also spend a lot of time at nargile bars, known in the states as hookah bars, smoking the traditional turkish water pipe that is filled with flavored tobacco. they can be very posh and comfortable with couches and lounges, but are also very trukish with the carpets and tapestries. the problem has been finding one that serves alcohol. i guess tea and nargile is not enough for a good time. i enjoy
the blue mosque
the blue mosque just hanging out there and relaxing. the smoking has kind of worn out since i have done several times before and am trying to be as healthy as possible these days. we also spend a lot of time at traditional bars. they are really fun to go and watch local soccer matches as the fans get very into the game and can be quite humerous. i did however have a frightening experience at one soon after i got here. it is an experience which shows how stupid we americans can be. i was out with 5 other people, all americans except one massive german hippy. we decided to go to this bar which was on the 5th floor and we didn't want to take the stairs. the building had an elevator but it was very european, meaning small, probably built for 3 at most. we could have split up and taken 2 trips but NO, we are going to try to fit all 6 of us in it. as we walked in i said outloud that i hoped it wouldn't break from our weight. dammit if as soon as we shut the door it didn't break. imagine all 6 of
us squished into a 3 man elevator, no room to move, one girl who has to pee, in turkey, and none of us speaks turkish. things were not looking good. i began to resign myself to the long haul, not expectng to get out for some time. one of the girls was claustraphobic, making matters worse. after being in ther about 20 minutes, a very stern urk was able to let us out and he was not happy we had broken his elevator. i couldn't understand a word he said but i am pretty sure i knew what he was saying by his tone and the most evil stare i have ever seen. needless to say we didn't go to that bar and i haven't gotten in an elevator since.
thing i miss most about home right now: mc and american effeciency
until next time......
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assholey
non-member comment
wow
Thats fucking gay.