A YEAR

I'm back, but I never really left. Let's giddy on up.

Yeni Yılınız Kutlu Olsun!

Whoops. I've been really "bad" at the internet recently, while simul being a lot better at life. Like, I've been experiencing this strange thing - I think it's called being content? Correct me if I'm wrong. I still have yet to make the Moira (& Truan!) post but I will save that for...NEXT YEAR! For now, I will leave you with a quick shot I took that I love for the fact that it really captures the lil laughing chowrita supreme (kisses).

On the way home from work right now I sat in the front seat on the minibüs, which has been on my to do list forever and a day. It was just as amazing as I had hoped - probably more, actually. Now it's time to end the year with a few of my fave things (in order of appearance): diy bang trim, friends, boat ride, balık ekmek, brewskies, and inşallah a continuation of these heck of posi vibes I've been feeling. Wish you, all of you, were here.

Smooches!,
MerhaBaby (this ingenious word is used with many thanks to Sangeeta, soon to be Dr.!)

It's Greek to me

Let's get Greece-y.

Better late than never, but I had a very important chowra to snuggle up with the past almost week - miss you already girl, times a milly. There was no time for such abstract concepts as "blogging" when apparently I live in an awesome city with a trillion places to eat slash drink slash be merry. It was glorious. But I will save that for the next post, so as to travel in a somewhat chronological blog-order.

So, Greece. My trip (which lasted from November 26th to December 1st - thanks, Kurban Bayramı!) was mostly good, and rarely bad.

Essentially I will look back fondly on this mini-vacation to Yunanistan (Greece to the Turks) as a vacation from getting hollered at. I realized while chatting with Moira (whoops already incorporating the future blogosphere into this one) that while getting hollered at definitely happens elsewhere, in the here and now I live my life just waiting for the next bout of unwanted attention. Elsewhere (read: previous living locations), the disrespecting happens far enough between for me to rather forget that it even exists, to a certain extent. Too real?

What I'm trying to say is that I romped about Athens, was chatted to in Greek on the regular, and was straight up locals-onlyed. On the train from Thessaloniki to Athens, this old woman scream-asked me the time in Greek and was shocked/offended when I could not answer. Surprise surprise, someone thought I was Greek. So that moment was definitely a preview of my Athens-experience to come, yaheard? Getting ignored has never felt so sweet, seriously so.




Above is my first view of Greece proper, as I was jolted out of the sleepzone during "PASAPORT KONTROL! PASAPORT KONTROL!" The second picture is the next morning when I woke up for real and we were cruising through the countryside, en route to Thessaloniki. It was so bright and glorious not only that morning but every day until the foggy ass day that I left! Finally in Thessaloniki - another case of "better late than never", thanks to taking FOREVER at the border (we stopped for over an hour on both the Turkish side and the Greek side) - I entered the crowded station only to learn that I could either pay 50 plus Euro for a train leaving that second or wait five more hours for a train that would cost 20 something Euro. I chose the immediate one because I had no way of communicating with Devin and I was already in go go go mode! Why was it 50 plus, you may wonder? Because of first class, yeaaaah! I got served the best coffee of my life (aaight aaight my standards are a bit lower) and some supremely delicious cake!

When I rolled up to Athens at last, I was greeted by Devin and we were essentially wearing the same thing. This twinsie-ness will maybe be even more hilar when I make the Moira Mems post. By the by, it really didn't matter that it took forever because not only was the Turkish sleeper train heck of lux, but it was also so empty soooo I got hooked up with a cabin all to myself! There was even a mini-fridge! Too bad I didn't have the insight to purchase some brews. Next time, next time. The luxuriousness of the Turkish sleeper train was sure a sharp contrast to the Greek sleeper train on the way home. The Greek ones were way older, and the cabin was so significantly smaller that the sink folded away (?) and there was a huge hole in the floor, covered by soggy carpet. Well, beggars can't be choosers but once I tasted the baller life I was a little grossed out.






1. Twinsies. Totally fine.
2. Always sick graffiti! - this one snapped in a, uh, poorer neighborhood that I was lost in for a lil bit.
3. Gnarly hunger strike camp!
4. Me on top of the world, or at least Athens, am I right here people?
5. Parthenon and on and on!

The first night I got a taste of some Greek beer and ate a Greek salad...I bet it wasn't called that there, huh? My memory is failing me in my old age, but anyway. The second day my expert tour guide and I peeped the Parthenon and then later I did some solo-exploring. I ended up at some mysterious camp where there were four bros hunger striking. After circling the camp for like ten minutes, I finally mustered up the courage to waltz over and see what was up. I chatted with one of them for a spell and learned his life story (he was from Iran, and had a perma-refugee status card that was now getting rejected). I think the biggest impression that whole thing had on me, aside from the dude's story of course, was the fact that there was no police supervision at all anywhere around them. And they were camped on the GD lawn of a major government building! All of my time in Greece was spent comparing my surroundings/experiences to Turkey, and this was obviously no exception.








1. What?
2. Dev Mc. I will steal this shirt from you.
3. The Parliament building and 1,000 of our closest tourist friends.
4. Feelin' your outfits, babies.
5. Graffiti for days!
6. Traipsing/tromping/etc. over some ruins.
7. No big deal, just my favorite chips in the world.

The next day, Devin and I woke up early-ish to go see the major changing of the guard at the Parliament building. Let me just say: their outfits are too cute to be believed. Totally down. Afterward, I went and hung out in a gorgeous park for a bit, and then went to a couple of more sweet museums. Somewhere during that I found and ate salt and vinegar chips (my favorite flavor of chips, obvi) until I couldn't feel my lips. Gelato! Salt and vinegar chips! Mineral water everywhere! Weird doughnut things! Dankest "apple pie" (see below)! Beer at every kiosk opened all night! Pork!: you really can have it all...in Greece.

The following morning I woke up and caught my train to Thessaloniki. But not before a parting gift from Athens: sweet mosquito bites all over my face, one of my eyelids included! As a bonus present, the bathroom light at Devin's was broken that last morning so I did not realize until I entered the elevator that it looked like I was on the losing side of a fist fight and/or a doorknob (May House reference). FYL 4 Life, mosquitos. I caught my train in time, and then had a chat with this girl who was sitting in my seat. And by had a chat I mean, she chatted at me in Greek and I stared at her and sat in a different seat, while she and this other bro played footsie for the four or five hour long trip. Vom. I started and almost finished the book Sangeeta sent me for my birthday (smooches, girl) which was way good.

I had one goal in Thessaloniki during my layover: peep Ataturk's house of birth. I stowed my bag in a locker at the train station (not before I was asked for assistance, in Greek) and got walking - in the wrong direction. I saw some crazy gorgeous churches and am now quite familiar with the industrial area of the city. Finally, I hailed a cab and am now quite thankful that I wrote the address down in Greek. With my few Euros remaining, I nervously watched the meter and got a nice little mini-tour of Thessaloniki from out the taxi window. The taxi bro abruptly stopped, and I got out and walked in the direction he pointed. Definitely not there and time was running out! Luckily, I found it finally and did a lil dance when I did. The house is now within the same gated area as the Turkish Consulate. Two for the price of one! I finally found the gate and buzzed in and had a conversation like this (in Turkish):

Bro: Welcome.
Me: Uh, hello, is the museum open?
Bro: Yes.
Me: Okay, can I come in?
Bro: Yes.
Me: ...
Bro: ...
Me: Uh, how do I go about doing that? (thinking: do I need to scale the fence or what here people?)
Bro: (5 minutes later) I'll be right out.

Anyway, essentially Atatürk's house was the craziest "museum" I've ever been to. The dude finally came out and told me he needed my passport. I didn't feel like digging into my secret pocket for that so I handed him my Turkish ID card, which worked just fine. Simul with that, some other Turkish bro (ends up he's a captain who just got in for the night) is walking by, sees that it's okay to just provide the ID card, and joins me. Cost: free dollars. Our IDs are confiscated, our bags checked, metal detector, and then we're told to meet our guide in the garden in five minutes. A different guy comes out, unlocks the front door, and rather hastily gives us an explanation as we romp up and down the stairs. So completely unlike any museum experience I've ever had, but awesome never the less. Now I have officially been to Atatürk's place of birth (Thessaloniki), place of death (Dolmabahçe Palace), and resting place (Anıtkabir, Ankara). Things are getting wild.







1. Hello, gloomy Thessaloniki.
2. Atatürk's house!
3. & description
4. Thank you, Turkish sea captain, for this sweet picture. Note to self: buy clothes that I am not taking a swim in.
5. Atatürk was born here, mmmmk.
6. A dank as ffff way to end my Greekness.

I romped around Thessaloniki for a little bit, before finding some hole in the wall restaurant to spend my last couple Euros on dinner and, as it turned out, dessert. Dessert was wow wow wow wow WOW - the dude translated it to me as "apple pie", but it was so much more. Perhaps thanks to all of the layers of powdered sugar on it. Nom nom nom. Still dreaming about it. Essentially, I ordered it because the 500 pound Greek guy in front of me ordered it and I thought, "I bet he knows what's up". He did. Chased it with just one more brew and rolled over to the train station to head back "home".

On that note: traveling to Greece made me realize just how much Turkey does in fact feel like "home", to the extent that that's even possible. I can operate here, I can have lil conversations, and I sometimes even know my way around. I went into my Greece trip blindly - I could not, and still cannot, say even one word in Greek...that's real talk. I had no maps, no nothing. It was an adventure of the best sort (okay maybe not knowing one word of the language isn't necessarily the dream but all the other aspects were kickin'), and it offered me clarity in a major way. I came back, went straight to work (as you can imagine, the train was also 2+ hours late on the way back), and am already dreaming and scheming for the Next Big Thing.

Kisses,
!

Pasta vs. Cake

Weird: I have been getting things done the last couple of days. Like, things that have been really chillin' on a perma to do list are getting crossed off left and right. Unfortunately, one thing I did not get done is an epic Greece post so that will have to wait for post-Moira's visit. By the by, I will be picking her up at the airport as of this very afternoon. I might be typing like a sane person, but I am in fact so excited/relieved/a million other emotions that I'm just going to stop right now before I get carried away. Above is a photo of one of my birthday cakes. Yes, one of - I had three in total. It was, in fact, as delicious as it looks. For my first birthday spent away from the motherland, I'd say things turned out pretty well for me. Your Turkish lesson for the day: in Turkish, the word for cake is "pasta". A little confusing, but not really when pasta is delicious no matter where you are, know what I mean?

Nom nom nom,

Alias: Ridic hair

P.S. It's December? I've been here three and a half months? What?

XXIII

Oh dang, I almost DIYed a month-long holiday called "No-bloggin' November". But it looks like I was able to get my shit together just in time. A lot/a little has happened. Depends how you look at it. In summary, every single day is an adventure - whether that adventure be really awesome, or really nah-some. On certain days when things are aligned just right, I have simul excellent/horrible adventures (your Turkcab for the day: "MACERA!"). This paragraph needs more slashes yes/no? A couple things:

I. Dang, Devin. So, for a little bit now I've been attempting to figure out the best way to visit my friend Devin during Kurban Bayramı (note: this freakend). He is currently studying abroad in Athens. Originally, obviously, I was going to purchase a plane ticket, and I watched as every single day the prices fluctuated in a major way. Simul with that, I had just set up a bank account here and was waiting for my debit card, etc. To cut a long story short, the prices kept rising and I continued to not have my new card so, no plane ticket. After considering my other options of taking the train, the bus (cue flashbacks of my Bulgaria to Hungary bus trip), or walking, I headed down (down? over!) to the train station on the European side Sunday after work. Note: in the photo above, I had just cruised over on that ship on the left. Which is probably (nah, def) one of my favorite activities in the world.

I found the international ticket office easily enough, and was surprised and delighted at the adorable old man working the desk. I told him that I wanted to buy a ticket to Greece for Wednesday night, to which he informed me that there is currently a problem with the Wednesday train but that it should be resolved and that I could simply call on Wednesday and be placed on the reservation list, NO PROBLEM, then come in Wednesday night and giddy on up. He then writes down the "direct" phone number for me. I was a tad skeptical, which I think he could tell. "No, don't worry, we'll wait for you," he says. Oh.

Today, Tuesday, I reflected back on the helpful gentleman and decided it was probably worth double checking on everything. I decided, given my aaaaight Turkish skills, that I would have one of the super nice teachers at my school help me. So, she went ahead and called the "direct" number I was given on Sunday only to be met with recording after recording after recording. I found the teacher that helped me in an office I had never been in before, and was introduced to two new teachers in the process. By the time she finally got through to someone, the other two teachers were also helping by writing down numbers, offering suggestions, etc. The train station informed her that the broken Wednesday train was still broken, and that the Thursday train was full. FML.

So, what then? The bus? She finally got through to one of the two bus companies that serves Athens and we learned that the next bus leaves Friday morning and gets in Saturday morning - like, REALLY morning, like 4:30 in the morning kind of morning. Nah uh. "Well, I guess you're here for the holiday," one of the teachers says to me. Then we get to talking as I stumble along in Turkish, and she asks me what train station the train leaves from. She assumed Haydarpaşa (azn side). I informed her that no, in fact it only leaves from Sirkeci, in Europa Europa. "Really? I have an uncle that is in charge there," she tells me, and before we know it we're off. She calls her uncle, who gives her another number, and another then another, and she's making calls and receiving calls. As it turns out, they reserve a cabin for people high up at the train station, and before I knew it I got a seat on the "full" Thursday train. REALLY. Now, I have to go tomorrow and buy my ticket which is under some dude I have never met in my life's name, who is a big shot at the train station.

ABRIDGED VERSION: Today three teachers total were helping me try to get to Greece, two of whom I had never met before. One of those two ends up having an uncle that works at the train station and hooks me up with a ticket on an otherwise full train. Mind: blown. Knowing people here is really actually crucial/helpful, something which becomes extremely apparent on days like today.

So, if everything goes according to plan, I will be kickin' it with D. Mc in no time! Haven't seen his face since August, and this time our faces are about to be hell of Greek together for a couple of days. The bro to the left to the left:



II. Moira Memories. I am super excited about my brief holler @ Devin/Athens, and on top of that I will be reunited with lil Chowrita Supreme only a few days after I return! I may not have seen Devin since August (it's been three months already? Seems like 1,000 years more than that) but I haven't seen Moira since last August, like August 2008. Which is insane. So, essentially, after the last few months of rather self-imposed solitary confinement (some exceptions of course) I am about to take some sweet friends to the dome. Moira will be in my arms for almost a week !!! Of course, I will have to work a bunch of those days, but we will have the nights. OH, we will have the nights.

I had a hard time choosing the sweetest picture of just the two of us (we can make it if we try) so I selected perhaps one of the most hilarious. Do you remember this gem? Of course you do:


Thanks, Glenn P.

III. Today was Teachers' Day which involved a lot of sweets, flowers, and amazing notes from students. One student wrote me a long card which told me that I was as beautiful like her mom. What. The school gave me a really nice white scarf. Perhaps they are trying to introduce something non-black into my wardrobe, since apparently according to one of my favorite second graders that's all I wear. Direct quote: "Is your favorite color black? Every time I see you you're wearing black." Little kids...real talk.

IV. More random things. Before my birthday, I was pretty not looking forward to it, to be honest. But, it ended up just perfect. I ate two OUTRAGEOUSLY dank cakes, received lots of posi hollers, got a new BLACK shirt (take that, second grader) from the aforementioned super nice teacher, epic video chattin' with the most wild haired boy in all the world, and topped it all off with a huge beer and double rakı, courtesy of DRL.

I've got more, like always, but I'm forgetting what, like always. Hopefully I'll update this business sooner rather than later, but no promises. I think I'll end with this fantastic observation from a teacher at my school a couple of days ago: "Have you ever been to Long Island? It's really long. Too long!" Too true.




A. Taken from upstairs at the "brewery" Dan and I hollered at a few weeks back, where I was lucky enough to give the award for Worst Poured Beer In History. Aside from that, just hustlin' hustlin' in Taksim.
B. Galata Tower, etc.

Kisses/misses, obvi,

Happy Hollerween

First and foremost, happy one year anniversary to my laptop and I. A year ago today I carried home this little baby as well as the bonus printer on the bus. Totally awkward, totally worth it.

One of the first flicks I took on Photobooth was obvi of my Halloween costume. Let this be a Halloween review.



WI WI. 2008. Totally last minute costume I almost did not need to buy anything for. Went to a party where there was a costume contest - how did Sangeeta not win? It was so so cold for my California blood. Draaaaaanks.




MAY HOUSE, Halloween 2007. From left: Sophie's cat, my Wutang, Moira's sad horns. AND THEN the May house circus, of course. There was wizardry, a party, and downtown Santa Cruz where we ran into an inferior circus. Obvi. Did we go to Taco Bell? I would imagine that we did, but I can't be sure. EDIT: Just found some more flicks, T-bell deeeef involved. Also, was this the night Moira tried to steal a bunch of napkins from T-bell? Confirm/deny.



LA BAHIA, 2006. The most last minute of all last minute costumes. Catalina's sweet ass costume, Curtis's bee (or was he a Wutang killer bee? I don't remember), 2.2 sec Rosie da Riveter. Riveting. Downtown Santa Cruz, probably/possibly Taco Bell, an almost-fight (I was almost down, as usual).

I wish I had flicks of the year before, RECESS!!! with Richard and Jake. Where those pics be? I think maybe on my old laptop R.I.P.

This year I'm dressed up as a girl that's been kickin' it inside all day reading books and watching movies because it is pouring. All that's missing is a 40, or two. Speaking of books, I finished another one and am halfway through my last GD I hope Dan and I book exchange ASAP and/or I get paid. I also hope this lack of books is a topic I stop talking about pretty much really soon.

MEM
O
RIES

Books books books books books,

New "haus"

Well, shoot. I am writing this from the warmth of my new room slash apartment slash etc. YES, for the first time in two months I put my tooth brush in a bathroom sans dinosaur protector. I am now about to join the book a DAY club so I want to keep this short & sweet in order to make that dream into a reality. A few things: the owner of this apartment speaks Turkish and German, and is essentially the sassiest and sweetest woman I've met in a spell. She also has the raspiest smoker's voice of all time. This house feels like a home. It is across the street from a park where there is a cafe, dog park, jogging lane, etc. (!!!) The room is so tiny but yet everything I have FITS. I am amazed. Also amazing is how my family came into the living room and said, "Okay let's move you into your new place" and I was like "Oh shit I haven't packed" and packing all of my things took approximately 10 minutes. Let's compare that with all other recent moves...no let's not. Now I'm just thinking: how am I even going to begin to thank this family that I hadn't seen in over TEN years that made me a part of their home for so long? As I was leaving to spend my first night here tonight, I was handed a bag of groceries they had bought for me. Words can not describe. After everything they've done, honestly? WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE. I am in no place to be writing this bullshit right now, so here's some flicks of my new surroundings.

Times, they are a changin'

Like, literally. This morning I woke up and got on my computer for a second and noticed a discrepancy between my bedside clock and my computer clock. Honestly didn't think twice about it, and as half my mind was still in Zonkistan, I reset my bedside clock and went about my day. Fast forward like twelve hours later and I get a call from my dad, so I open up my computer to peep the world clocks. WHAT THE!!! All of a sudden there was an hour less of a time difference between Ballerfornia and Türki-YAAAY. So, basically, it took me talking to my dad who is halfway around the world to realize/consider the fact that we "fell back". We (America & me) just got a lil closer in time and space! For one week only! Bonus round!

Am I drunk right now? Did that last paragraph even make sense? I don't even know. Whatever, it was funny at time time (i.e. when my dad and I were talking and I realized that I was a Hugh Idiot).

Some boring shit talking re: work: I got a text message telling me to let them know the hours I worked for the last bit of September. I promptly emailed the number of classes I taught, along with the one B.S. meeting I had to go to. I received an email back immediately telling me, "As it says in your contract, you do not get paid for meeting hours." I replied back instantly, "Okay on my contract it also says I will get paid on the last day of the month, is that true?" I sent it off with a chuckle knowing I would get no response. And then...No response. Five hours later still no response. Why no response, you wonder? Well, because I won't be getting paid on the last day of the month but some unknown date later. That is to say, they (the MAN, if I may be so bold) picks and chooses what part of the contract they want to acknowledge. Cool. For some reason I find the email interaction today mildly hilar on the hilarscale. I guess I'm just getting my laughs where I can nowadays, yaheard?

This coming week I only work Monday, Tuesday, and a half day Wednesday. But my half day Wednesday is actually only one 40 minute class. Originally only the half day Wednesday and Thursday were a holiday, but then the governor of Istanbul announced that all schools would be closed Friday, too because of the swine flu. Article here.

I have a bunch of random shit to say - what else is new? - but I think I'll just leave you with some flicks instead and bother each and every one of you individually with my random stories. Yesterday's adventure with my aunt, etc. was really seriously awesome, and my hooversteins were all sorts of tired by the end of it. We went to the Spice Bazaar, the Grand Bazaar, got lost in some wild back streets that reminded me way more of eastern Turkey than Istanbul, and sapped brewskies in Sultanahmet. Unfort it was not the clearest day when we headed over on the ferry in the morning so the first flick below isn't as crisp as it is some days. Either way, it's tough stuff to capture. I would just highly recommend you come over and do it up right. Dare I say: click to enlarge?!







1. Asia to Europe. The. ultimate.
2. Shit I need to trim my bangs and de-dread ASAP.
3. "Maşallah"! Could mean a milly things, but perhaps: magnificent! wonderful!
4. Turk ponchos...needless to say, I need that in my life. Collect 'em all yes/no?
5. Lil side alleys with hidden treasures absolutely everywhere.

I am resubmitting my membership application to the book a week club, as I have almost finished the book I started a couple days ago. Oh daaaang and tomorrow I'm going to peep another potential living spot. Wish me luck.

Smoochily yours,

Come, come on clear minds

After the mostly shit-talking of my previous post I just want to say that things are getting increasingly awesome starting today. Or yesterday. Or every day. I saw my other aunt for the first time in over a year (!!!) and got books and magazines and &c., had a quality chat with both aunts (as they discussed that they both got married when they were my age - woah), talked to my cousin for days about interior design, listened to sweet jams, took some flicks, and unexpectedly vid chatted with Catalina. A fantastic surprise if you ask me. Tomorrow I don't have to be at work until later and I have a mini-adventure planned for the afternoon. Fingers crossed that it works out. Finally, next weekend I'll be headed to the Grand Bazaar with my aunt (from U$A) and others. Stoked, stoked, stoked.




#1: reunion!, #2: grumpy bb cat, #3, my favorite sweatshirt of all time? Def.

Smooches times a milly a milly a milly a milly.