Hello friends...... another day..... another slightly interesting blog post from yours truly. Istanbul is beginning to feel more and more like home which is really nice because it's such an extremely unique kind of place (in the best way obviously)... but I was worried about not getting used to it this quickly. however, it does remind me in many ways of India, which I'm used to already, so adjusting hasn't been too difficult! there's lots of crazy driving, kind strangers, and the experience of being surrounded by a new and beautiful language. so right up my alley, eh
yesterday we woke up and had a nice breakfast together and then met up with durant to walk over to Dolmabahce palace. it ended up being a little further than expected so we hopped on a bus (it's incredible how we figured out the bus system so quickly without wi-fi. I mean, we only know one route, but that's good enough tbh) and met up with the rest of our exchange group at the gates, stopping at a cafe to drink some tea and have a light lunch
the palace itself was extremely beautiful. we weren't allowed to take pictures inside (although we did attempt to sneak a few only to be told off by the guards) but hanging out with the other exchange students was NICE! they're all extremely friendly and interesting and getting to know these new people has been one of the best parts of study abroad honestly
fun tip! if you want to become popular and make friends quickly, get a selfie stick. people will literally flock to your side and never leave.....
after the palace, we decided to come home and cook a meal (save some money u know) with michelle and our roommate, selcuk. and by 'we cooked' I mean karolina, selcuk, and michelle cooked..... sorry not really... they made a lovely lentil soup that reminded me of one I used to eat at my family's favorite Middle eastern restaurant when I was younger, and vegetable noodles. our roommate even made us a warm brownie-like dessert with hazelnuts and raisins that was so heavenly. and then we all watched an old movie about killer roommates that really made us feel comfortable and at home with each other.... ha ha ha... we noticed that kyle has glasses similar to the killer so me and karolina are just gonna casually lock our doors every night.... stay out Ortman you're not wanted here
we headed to bed fairly early but woke up to a cloudy and rainy day this morning. Typical istanbul, always foiling our plans. But we had class registration at 10 am so we huddled in the living room, furiously emailing professors and begging them to let us into their classes. the selection is surprisingly limited for the spring semester and from what we were expecting but things are falling into place slowly but surely! I have 2 classes with my bff Durant and am simply thrilled to learn all about differentiating equations with him. A true joy
We then had a traditional turkish breakfast at home (a nice spread of cheese, honey, butter, jam, bread, eggs....), watched I Love You Man, and then ventured out into the world for lunch with Emily. it was delicious and the first time I tried meat in Turkey. i have to admit, it tasted much better than the chicken in the states. More soft, more flavorful. then we headed home and Kyle and I just relaxed while Karolina went on a run and found herself caught in a terrible rainstorm (lightning and all haha loser)...... stressed about classes a bit more..... also little fun fact for you....Kyle likes to sing along to every song dramatically so I had to put him in the silent corner for a bit....
that's all for today, folks! catch you on the flippy flop
prateebs
prateebs
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