*spongebob narrator voice* one month later

it's been so long (again) since I've blogged god sorry I'm a MESS! School's been getting pretty crazy and traveling almost every weekend, as amazing and fun as it's been, can be a little draining... blogging has honestly been at the bottom of my list week after week but I'm pushing through tired eyes to get this out there bc I don't want to forget a single thing once I'm back home in 2 months (WTF.......ok)

SO since I've been gone..... we went on a trip to Izmir, Ephesus, and Pamukkale..... and honestly, if you ever find yourself in Turkey, definitely try and make trips out of Istanbul. It's so worth it. I mean, yes, you won't get bored of Istanbul quickly, but it's such a tiny part of Turkey as a whole that I feel like you're missing out if you don't see at least some of these other places :-) yeah so me, Kyle, Carla, and Lauren flew into Izmir on Thursday and had an interesting car rental experience that involved Lauren renting a car with her Australian learner's permit bc Kyle was still 20..... shakily driving us out of the parking lot ("Which one is the gas and brake again?") and then doing a quick in-car switcharoo with Kyle out of the Enterprise workers' line of sight so we could make a speedy getaway. completely illegal but hey! Ended up being the cheapest travel option so we made use of it

The actual town of Izmir is full of cute restaurants, surprisingly energetic nightlife, and bars for days. Also some prostitutes...maybe one would even say many.. Not as raging as Taksim, which is probably why I loved it, but it had a very similar feel to it so we felt right at home. also I'm pretty sure I had pesto spaghetti every night for the 4 days we were there but no regretz............. U gotta do u sometimes

Pamukkale was our Friday excursion and it was SO F*CKIN COOL like! Google for a better idea of how beautiful it was in real life but .....it's basically just cascading clear hot springs in salt deposits where people go to wade in the water, sometimes fully sit, bathe.... it was an experience. PLUS Kyle completely ate shit as soon as we walked onto the ground!!! it was a truly magical moment for us and the Turkish bystanders (Kyle fall count: 4) hah

We saw tons and tons of ruins in Ephesus and Pamukkale and spending time with everybody was so great (missed Karol tho)! I would probably go back to that area of Turkey in the future, maybe during the summertime? The beaches and coastal islands are supposedly gorgeous, akin to the Greek islands, and not as touristy. definitely up my alley

The day I came back, Grace arrived in Istanbul for a couple days. It was so good to see her and catch up on ~life..... just seeing another familiar Boston face was so refreshing. We did all the typical touristy things, got harassed at the Grand bazaar (lololololol love it), went to delicious restaurants with her family friend JP (who was literally the kindest human being in the world), explored Karakoy, etc......miss her already but I know it's gonna be a thousand times sweeter seeing her again in the fall when we're SENIORS omg Kill me............

After Grace left, I went on a mini trip to Bursa with Karolina, Gwen, Anna, and some other people, and it was actually super fun despite the travel troubles we ran into beforehand. Running from one ferry port to the other trying to find space was tiring, but we eventually made it to the city and while it didn't offer as much as Izmir did, traveling with new people made the whole trip worth it. We went for breakfast the next day in a quaint village that seemed very touristy but was truly just full of kind people serving delicious foods and selling their colorful handmade goods. such a nice, albeit brief, getaway

In the midst of all these visitors and weekend trips, there HAS been hella amounts of studying in the library, studying in my bed, studying in cafes.... studying until I pass out basically. 5 classes ain't so fun for a simple gal like me. However, I did manage to fit in the latest season of Broadchurch into my schedule which was nice. I always like making time for ME aka sitting in bed with a Magnum bar and Netflix..... and I do miss Chipotle every now and again. But I'm enjoying the time spent with abroad friends, Karolina and Kyle................... and my eyes are literally closing on me in Simit so I'll save my weekend trip to Budapest and my upcoming Paris trip with the GF ABBY for next time! Time abroad seems like it's coming to a close so quickly but then it's off to India for 2 weddings and maybe an internship in Boston over the summer? who knows but exciting things are happening and grades are just a number........ *she whispers to herself with shaky reassurance*

Until next tiiiime...

day 7 + 8: *insert clever bazaar/bizarre pun here*

it was finally beautiful outside yesterday so we decided to head to Taksim for a little stroll and trip to the Grand Bazaar with some new friends. doorknob got left behind because he slept in late so that's completely his own fault and I take 0 responsibility. but he was sorely missed for the first part of our day.... I suppose

it rained lightly for about an hour once we got to Taksim after an hour-long bus ride so we took shelter in an extremely fancy Starbucks located 2 shops down from another fancy Starbucks...... ah, the sweet sweet smell of Home

After strolling around for a bit, and purchasing some postcards, we decided to eat lunch at a local restaurant that was on the more expensive side but totally worth it! I forget the name of the place lol sorry I'm the worst at this blogging thing

then we headed over to the Grand Bazaar to meet up with some other people and although it was a bit confusing at first to find them sans communication, we ended up together. the bazaar itself is pretty crazy, and at first expensive, but if you play your cards right, you can walk away with a beautiful print for just 10 lira, dropped down from 85. I should have bought it when I had the chance but I'm sure this isn't our last trip to the bazaar!

getting home from the Grand Bazaar was quite the adventure. took us one metro, two buses, and two long hours.... *side eye* but we made it back safe! Kyle cooked up a huge ass pot of pesto pasta which we scarfed down quickly so that we could head over to To Stage for beer pong with the other exchange students... I didn't win so I brought great shame to my country but neither did Karolina, Kyle, or Durant, so it's F I N E

selcuk also joined us at the bar and he was a big HIT amongst the locals! he also took us (emily, durant, kyle, emily's roomie) to a restaurant afterward and made us order a hot dog thing stuffed with questionable meat and pickles....... and then we passed out at around 2 am : - )

I didn't take a lot of good pictures today / I'm lazy and don't want to upload any / but we went to the Blue Mosque today and it was absolutely stunning. I feel like this won't be my last time there either so there will be more on that later (or on durant, kyle, karolina's posts). Anyway, after the blue mosque, we came home and cooked up a nice dinner with new friends Lorenzo and Chris..... and watched Kill Bill over bottles of shitty wine.... I loved every minute

BYE

days 5 + 6: baklava is my sweetest downfall

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

days 3 + 4: welcome to boğaziçi kids

as the days pass by in Istanbul, it's getting more and more difficult to remember what we've actually done. I only remember lots of delicious food (which is the only important part let's be real) and faintly recall a blur of new faces... yesterday we had a tour of the beautiful boğaziçi campus and became slightly more familiar with the winding stone staircases, the super cheap .40 cent/meal dining halls, and the incredibly abnormal abundance of dogs and cats that live on the grounds. following that, they gave us a little (very very long) orientation which was p useful..... I guess

afterwards, we found ourselves famished but thankfully had a traditional turkish dinner to attend complete with a rice pudding for dessert and the company of other foreign exchange students. turkish food is truly one of the best cuisines I've ever tried 10/10 would highly recommend

after dinner, we went on a pub crawl and it was prettttyyyyy wild. hundreds of foreign exchange students being ushered from bar to bar to bar to nightclub through taksim... god bless our souls for staying together and having a great time (kyle and his 5+ tequila shots were the hit of the night... ok just kidding it was the bar they kept lighting on fire... or mayhaps it was watching people down whole glasses of beer to keep up with the crowd?) anyway, we got back at 4 am and passed out so hard, it was blissful. side note: we should probably build a room for karolina at every nightclub so she'll never have to leave. we nearly had to pry her from the grips of the suspender-clad bartenders

we ended up sleeping for around 8 hours and then woke up around 11 to spend some time with our turkish roommate! he took us to a wonderful breakfast place where we each ordered a typically turkish plate spread of vegetables, cheese, jam, honey, nuts, butter, egg, and bread. we also got two plates of a flaky savory dish, one filled with cheese and the other with spinach. they also served us cup after cup of tea (which I don't really care for but everybody else went IN) and bread out the butt (my fav). after, they even brought us some eclairs?? and baklava?? and sekarpare (I only know the name because I stalked karolina's latest post a bit)??? I literally was about to fall asleep on the street, I was so content. we then walked over to a vegetable market and picked up some things for dinner. everything was so fresh (one of the vendors let each of us try a tomato so I bought some eggplant from him. bless his soul) and lively, it's definitely somewhere we'll frequent on a weekly basis.

we came home and relaxed for a bit (made some freshly squeezed orange juice, karolina and i finally made our room presentable, etc) and invited durant over for dinner. kyle made something decent and I made the best bulgur (rice-like grain) in the entire world like seriously you guys a restaurant may hire me for my skills...

everybody is out at a bar right now but I decided to take a night in for myself. maybe read a little, watch some netflix, get my life in order... it's been a hectic couple of days but we're starting to form a nice routine and I'm so excited for everything that's to come

peace out girl scouts..........

day 2: rolling turds and metro card struggles

day 2 in istanbul started off sunny and bright, but slowly turned into another day 1.... slightly rainy, cloudy, and pretty brisk :-( but it was still a grand old time trekking up and down hills with the crew (karolina kyle and a new bff), with me trailing a fair distance behind as always. I obviously haven't prepared myself for these spontaneous mini hikes but I'll get used to it eventually (or I'll hop on karolina's back ok perfect)

we started our day off with a delicious breakfast made by our very own in-house chef, kyle...fruit salad and eggs with some questionable orange juice on the side that may or may not have gone bad? who knows, we're still alive and kicking so it must have been fine. but I may just stick to the apple juice while we're here. r.i.p. prat + orange juice

after breakfast, we made our way back onto campus and walked along the river, stopping at a cafe for a short coffee break (ok so only karolina drank coffee but she is a working woman and she damn well deserves it). then before we traveled to taksim, karolina and I grabbed something to eat at a nearby restaurant for lunch (we get hungry nearly every hour or so). we both got the vegetable special which came with rice and yogurt and it was honestly one of the best meals I've had in my life... very authentically turkish and filling, only for around $4??? what a dealio

then we hopped onto a bus followed by the metro which took us to taksim where we had to get our student metro cards. but instead of taking around a half hour (which it should have), it took us around 2 hour...... language barriers and many other complications later, we finally managed to get our cards, which is going to make traveling around istanbul a million times cheaper and easier #bless

then a group of us found ourselves in the middle of taksim, amidst a slight drizzle, with nothing to do. we walked up a hill along lines and lines of cute shops to a pretty empty bar and spent a little time in there, just talking and drinking... kyle went a little wild with a 6 shots for 20 lira deal while karolina and I enjoyed breathing in some niiiiice air! ya!

we came home around 8 and decided to eat at a nearby burgerhouse that served craft beers and played a lot of the killers, muse, etc... aka me in middle school... it was quaint. after stuffing ourselves with vegetarian burgers (I'm pretty sure they just stuck mozzarella sticks in the middle and called it a day but it was pretty wonderful anyway) we came home, drank some red wine + coke (what a combo!) and watched fight club and fargo. and we decided to silently murder kyle halfway through the semester because he didn't like fight club. what a huge dweeb

the end....xoxo.... gossip prat

day 1: gooey pistachio men

after karolina and I enjoyed a tear-filled reunion in the toronto terminal surrounded by an army of ipads, we finally boarded our much anticipated flight to istanbul. ended up drinking a little wine, watched a little gone girl, and arrived to this rainy, beautiful country. aka we finally joined kyle in istanbul so he would stop being such a lonely loser and finally have some friends to talk to......... and we've been up for more than 24 hours so we're a little tired and going a bit crazy

but seeing karolina and kyle again has been so nice!!! I've missed them dearly over the horribly long winter break... cooking skills, snl sketch impressions, everything. PLUS the very little food I've had so far has been so delicious and I'm looking forward to eating so much more..... THE STUDY ABROAD 50 tbh

 but we walked a hell of a lot so I'm not too worried about eating bread for nearly every meal of the day. all of those steep hills and winding roads really do work on you... but the views were definitely worth it and we're excited to go back on a non-rainy day...

and at the end of the day, we managed to do a little grocery shopping so kyle and karolina could cook a nice dinner for me because they are my white slaves. the end, more to come...