I’ve finally succeeded in obtaining my residence permit. After several weeks of stress and failed attempts to procure this little blue booklet, I know have it in my possession and have grand plans of framing it or something to that extent.
Some friends and I traveled to Goreme in central Turkey to the region of Cappadocia. This place has the most obscure landscape I have ever seen. Homes are built into the soft rock have housed people for centuries. We visited an ancient seminary where some of the most beautiful biblical frescos have been perfectly preserved for 10 centuries. Due to the fact that the churches, where the frescos where painted, are vacant of window and as there is only one ground level entrance the elements where kept at bay.
Turkey has troop standing by at the Iraqi border waiting for a command to invade and put an end to PKK attacks. There have been several rallies and public demonstrations in the streets of Istanbul. A few small scale riots have broken out but nothing serious.
I am amazed at the integrity of the Turks. More often than not busses and trams are so crammed with people it’s difficult to even move as people consume every vacant place on the bus including 12 people in font of the little yellow line at the front of the bus which you aren’t supposed to cross. I know this because I was one of these people a few days ago and obtained a small piece of floor while I braced myself over the back of the driver. Anyway back to integrity, no matter how easy it would be to skip out of paying a the bus fair when the thing is totally loaded with people always are passing money, tokens, and passes from all over the bus to the front to pay for their ride. I’ve never experience this before, but it’s great.
Katie is coming on the 23 of this month and I couldn’t be more excited. There is so much I want to show her. Istanbul really is a romantic city and for the three days that she will be here I want her to get a full does of it. I’ve got a lot planned between touring and experiencing some of the local culture.
I’ve really cut back my eating habits, trying only to buy one meal a day (dinner) in order to budget some money. Typically for breakfast I am eating bread I’ve stolen from the baskets at dinner, with some jam and oatmeal I purchase at a local store. I don’t usually eat lunch save for a snack of some fruit or something else lying around. I consume so much white bread (as does everyone here) it’s almost disturbing. For a while my system couldn’t handle the carbo. load and simply shot off making for days with out a bowel movement…..lol. Back to regularity though and am doing what I can to keep weight on.
There are a couple on going t.v. series going on around Istanbul and one of them often films on campus. Today as we where sitting eating in the restaurant/hang-out on campus, the filming entourage rolled in and started setting up shop with their lights and cameras etc. Some of the “actors” where quite hilarious, w/ their gaudy dress and egos hardly fitting in the room, it made for a good time people watching.
I am allergic to dairy. In the sense that it has been the root cause of my poor complexion. I've done a little research on it and have found that their is a hormone in milk which my body is reacting to, like many dairy allergies. I've stopped eating dariy, which sucks, and my complexion has cleared up considerably. Soy products here I come...
