wankers
some people are just complete and total wankers. this is not a "fresh"
observation, but one that i have been reminded of in a less-than-great
way.
basically, i was supposed to move into my new apartment with these
girls who i
thought were cool -- but it turns out are minions of satan.
one of their friends is visiting and "just decided" to stay in istanbul,
which means she's taking the room i was going to rent (and live in,
as of tomorrow) and i have to start apartment hunting in istanbul
again from square one.
ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhwho does that though? who yanks a house away from someone a few
days before they are supposed to move in?
WANKERS! that's who!
well, i am over my initial shock / anger / psychological breakdown
but i just can't believe people sometimes.
anyway..... so yes, it's almost july. i was supposed to have my new flat
as of tomorrow, but instead i am posting lame messages on Mymerhaba
and the expatinturkey website.... ther's a big ex-pat party tomorrow,
so perhaps i will meet some people who need a roommate or are
looking for a new flat.
apartment hunting in istanbul = not my favorite thing in the world. girls
who are total wankers = definitely not my favorite people in the world.
saturday....
finşshed working today and am currently at an internet cafe in
cihangir.
i am housesitting right now for my friend pam before i move into
my new flat, so i am internet-less unless i drop by an internet cafe!
this is a difficult thing for someone slightly addicted to their
email & digital connection to the outer world.
tonight, my new roommates are having a little party, so i am going
over and will meet all of them for the first time together. well, that
makes it sound like i have 72 roommates..... i don't.... just 2, but
i am meeting the outgoing roommates as well, so it feels like a lot
of people. i hope it is fun! i need to procure a bottle of wine before
i head over there....
anyway... i should go eat something, buy some wine, and then go.
iyi akşamlar!
by popular request....
a photo. ugh. (note: taken after cleaning house and packing a lot
of stuff up for my upcoming move)
this may be the only time you see this color on me, as i
purchased a loreal haircolor kit today and plan on using
it tonight. it was fun for 36 hours, but i'm over it!
am i going to have more fun?
well.... i don't know why, but something posessed me yesterday and
i decided to go blonde. yes, friends.... what happened to me?! i have
had every shade of hair color under the rainbow-- reds, browns,
black, an accidental blue-ish tint, and now..... blonde. it was the first
really hot day here, so i had a bunch of "no-show" students (i.e. they
book a lesson with me and then don't show up), an hour-and-a-half
break, and then another cancellation.... so.... with all this time on my
hands, i decided to wander down to the salon (the
kuafor) and
attempt to communicate styling needs in really poor turkish.
well, i
kind of got what i wanted, but not really. i keep looking at
myself in the mirror wondering if it looks good or like a science
experiment gone wrong. i'm leaning more towards the latter, but
it was a good experiment if nothing else. i'm not platinum blonde
or anything crazy like that, more like a "light honey."
ahhhh whatever. i should know better than to go to the salon when
i can't communicate exactly what i want. it's hard enough to do
that in english in america! ugh.
random thoughts on cultural differencesi was riding the 94A bus home the other day when i observed
something that really made me smile.
i got on the bus and sat across from a woman about my age,
with the world's cutest baby sitting in a stroller. everyone around
her kept complimenting her on her baby, smiling, and pinching
the baby's cheeks
(note: pinching babies' cheeks is totally normal here-- i'm sure in the US mothers would react with a "don't touch my baby!!!!").well, a turkish guy got on the bus and stood in front of the stroller.initially, i thought
"oh boy, this guy is too cool for school" -- in
his too-tight D&G jeans, logo-ridden leather jacket, and slicked
back hair.
well, this guy instantly bonded with this baby-- it was adorable.
he gave her his prayer beads to play with, then had a little
conversation with the mother, telling her that she had an angel
for a baby--
awww! then some other guys got on the bus, and
they were equally as googly-eyed over the baby as the first
guy. it was just really funny and cute to watch these guys get
on the bus, all serious and cool, and melt the instant they set
eyes on this baby.
it just made me think of how in the US, this kind of thing doesn't
happen very often. i don't know. of
course men think babies
are cute! they are adorable! but here in turkey, these kinds of
interactions are frequent because children are simply valued
so much-- by everyone. people aren't afraid to reach out and
pinch a cute child's cheeks-- and i can't tell you how my heart
almost falls out of my chest every time i see a sweet old man
at a bus stop just pinch a child's cheek when they walk by. i
know it might sound strange, but it's adorable.
alright. enough, enough! put the ovaries away!
oy.
some random thoughts on this "desperate housewives" tuesday
time for some more random thoughts, courtesy of your absent-minded
hostess.
cucumber insultswe were having a discussion at school about the phrase
"cool as a cucumber" and whether it had a turkish equivalent. it turns out that
calling someone a cucumber is a really, really bad insult. i said to my
friend muharrem,
"ok, so.... what you're saying is, i probably shouldn't call someone a cucumber then?" and he said
"well, not unless you want to live a long life!!!!" he said it's so bad it's like a curse..... wow.
so.... keep that in mind and don't call anyone a cucumber here in turkey.
tuesdays are "desperate housewives" nights...and therefore, my favorite day of the week. i know that's sad, but it's
nice to get a little american TV in the middle of all the turkish soaps
and futball matches.
move-in, july 1stfound an apartment, at long last, in taksim/cihangir. i will be living
with a canadian girl & a swiss girl (swiss/turkish). woo hoo!
ok... more later...............
damn it
i keep trying to post and i have erased a long entry TWICE. ugh.anyway, here are some pictures of last saturday night, partying
with my students and my fellow teachers at rio bravo in taksim:
this is me & my student/good friend, arzu:
the dance floor..... guess who is dancing?! ONLY our students and
teachers! YEAH!
and having a good laugh.... on the left is asli, one of our students,
and on the right in the red shirt is hande, one of the turkish
teachers i work with (who is hilarious!).
turkish shwag
yesterday i bought some credit for my phone at the local AVEA
store and received TURKISH SHWAG. oh my god. the man at
the AVEA counter asked if i wanted a CD or a cassette-- and i just
looked at him with a blank look...."huh??" and then he said i got
a free tarkan CD with my purchase! yeah!!!! so i am sitting here
right now, listening to my free tarkan CD and rocking it turkish
style...!
had dinner last night with becky and andrew.... they have some
CRAZY stories from
kyrgyzstan. they have been in the peace
corps there for 2+ years and signed up for a third, but the country
has basically been going through a revolution and it has been
deemed "unsafe" for peace corps volunteers. they are vacationing
here in turkey and will probably be leaving kyrgyzstan soon.
they were very excited to eat at mcdonald's and to have fresh
lettuce.... i guess they normally eat pilaf, meat, and fruit. it's
funny because most people want to go see historic sites, learn
about the history, blah blah blah..... but they were just excited
to be able to get cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and watch a movie!
i am going to try and take them on a field trip to 7-11.... yes, i
have located a 7-11 here in istanbul. however, we will only go if
they have slurpees!!
tonight is the monthly ex-pat gathering. i didn't have too much
fun last time, but i think it will be better tonight. my friend laurie
is back from alabama and my friend hande (one of the turkish
girls i work with who is crazy about american culture) will be
going. should be fun.
****
this morning, someone was ringing the doorbell reallllllly early.
too early. it ended up being ilhan, back for a long weekend from
south turkey. he has been living down there for 2 months or so
and has opened his own restaurant there. he looks relaxed, tan,
and really happy. :) it's good to see him!
