victory day
well.... F1 is over (and yes, there was a big concert happening in taksimsquare in honor of F1 while i was writing my last post!). the closest i
got to F1 was at a restaurant on istiklal... i was eating some iskender
kebap when some men came in dressed in F1 uniforms (from germany,
i think) and ordered some kebaps. that's close enough for me though!
i am currently at an internet cafe a block away from my apartment
in cihangir. it is a sublet for 3-months and seems to be working out
OK. there is a crazy cat and a roommate that i rarely see (i like to
think of her as my "virtual" roommate....) and it is cockroach-free.
the 3-month part is good because i am afraid my time in istanbul,
in this city of cities, is coming to an end.... for now. i feel extremely
conflicted about leaving, but i also feel like going back to the US is
a good idea for me at the moment. i miss my family, i miss my
friends, i miss a lot of things that seem inconsequential (tacos? sushi!
24-hour longs drugstore, the freedom of driving my own car,
cranberry juice, fudge, american slang & joke-telling, malls). oh my
god. did i just type "malls"?? ugh. sad.... and yet.... true.
(note: they have malls here. it's just that the shopping experience in turkey is difficult and not
very fun. people who work in stores follow you around and i never feel relaxed or that i'm
having fun shopping. this may explain why i never go shopping here.)
the things i will miss about turkey could fill an entire book, but i
don't think i will be leaving forever. i was thinking tonight in the
dolmuş (aka minibus) that i am really proud of living here. i really
love it. am i crazy to leave? no.... i don't think so. am i crazy to
think i'll come back? hmm.... no.... again, i don't think so.
but offffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff..... istanbul.
i think once istanbul is in your blood it will never leave you.
at least, that's what i'm hoping.
posted by camille @ 10:36 PM
5 Comments:
Anything we can do on this end, let us know.
As part of the Camille fan club (USA branch), I'd like to say that we'll welcome you back with open arms. But if you could bring us some kababs, that'd be swell. thanks.
Camille, I'm really sorry to hear you're leaving. I've been keeping up with your posts for the last few months. I do understand how you feel tho, you need a good dose of home. All the best!
Hatice
Camille
I'll miss your blogs, but they do say that home is where the heart is. If you feel like it, maybe you could post us something when you get back - the things you miss about Istanbul and Turkey, and contrasting life in the USA with Turkish life.
Thanks for all the great work. I've been a visitor in Istanbul, but not a resident. You've given me a taste of that - and perhaps helped inform my choices.
Iyi yolculuklar!
Hi Camille!
Hope you have a good journey back to the US. Your bloggs have been great and made me "homesick". As you start the journey home, I will be going to the wonderful city of Istanbul to spend the winter. I'll keep a seat in a Cay Bahcesi warm for you until you visit again!
Sarah Ordulu x
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