Well, everyone, it seems like I've made 100 posts on this blog since its creation in Florence nearly 3 years ago. Just another reminder that I love to talk a lot.
Moving on!
Life has been crazy busy since the last time I wrote, which is funny since I'm supposed to be on a week-long vacation for Bayram, the concept of which I'm admittedly a little unclear. (It has something to do with the end of Ramazan?) But between getting my classroom organized, my lessons planned, the school rules learned, the Turkish language learned, my Internet working, my apartment cleaned and moved into, and all sorts of other seemingly little things, I've had very little time to write or even take pictures (which is the only reason you read this blog, right?). Suffice to say that in Turkey you learn of things like week-long holidays, extracurricular obligations, and housing fees at the last possible minute.
But enough whining about how hard my life is, because it's really not all that hard yet! Just wait until I'm in the classroom... which brings me to point #1 of what I want to tell you about today:
1) My Classroom Rocks! One of the semi-last minute excitements was learning that I will have my very own classroom, a luxury I definitely did not expect. And it's huge. When I first saw it I couldn't really find the words to describe how excited I was. There's basically a library in there, plus group work tables, computers for CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), a couple carpets and cushions, English learning games, and tons and tons of space. I am going to have the best drama games ever, and free time will be epic!
My giant and currently messy classroom
Of course, the space comes with responsibility, and I learned quickly that decorating it, cleaning it, and thinking about how to organize the books is going to be quite a rough time. Hence one of the reasons I've been working when I'm supposed to be on vacation. But it's all worth it. This classroom is the best. I'm very surprised they were willing to give a young native teacher like myself such a great facility.
My classroom's welcome board
2) My Cat Rocks! I've also managed to inherit a young cat from an English teacher who's leaving. His name's Socrates, and he and I have become quick friends, ie. he's become so hopelessly clingy to me, ie. he's trying to jump into my lap right now and I'm pushing him away, but, like most guys, he's a little pushy and won't give up. He's a cute little guy and he purrs so loud I can hear it through my headphones. He was rescued after he was hit by a car as a kitten, so one of his back legs doesn't work properly and he can't jump as high as you'd expect a 1-year-old cat to, and sometimes he sits weirdly on it. But now he has a home! It's really great to have someone to come home to. I just have to make sure I don't leave the windows open or he might fall. I live on the 8th floor, after all.
3) My Istanbul Friends Rock! I've done a little sight-seeing and friend-seeing to keep my mind sharp, though not as much as I'd like. A friend who came with me and NYU to Istanbul back in March, Suzanne, paid the city another visit about a week ago, and together with our mutual Istanbul friends we had a few fun times.
From left to right: Pınar, Mina, Suzanne, and Hazal
In particular we spent a weekend together that started in Kadıköy, took us to Moda, then to Üsküdar for a concert, and to the Princes Islands the next day for swimming. As is the case with Istanbul, the company was the hi-light over the sights. I got to see my friend Pınar, Hazal and her sister, and I spent the night with my Turkish brother Can, not nearly enough time. On top of that I got to finally meet Hazal's friend Elif, who I'd talked to online off and on for about a year without having actually met her face-to-face ("My Dear" is dedicated to her). Together we saw her father play a concert of traditional Ottoman 17th-century music with renovated instruments.
Top left: Hazal, Me, Suzanne. Bottom left: Elif, Mina
After spending the night with Can staying up deep into the night (4:00 am deep), watching the Emmy's, talking about love and life, and playing the guitar (I don't have any pictures, sorry), I met with Hazal, Mina, Suzanne, and Pınar on one of the Princes Islands, and we went swimming. I had a great time but got hungry because of the sea and because of not sleeping the night before, and tired and hungry Sam = grouchy Sam. We were all feeling it, though, and eventually we all stopped talking to each other until we had some food in our hands: ekmek balik (fish sandwiches). The water was kind of dirty, too, though I've heard that the island I went to, the third one, is the dirtiest of all. But I can't stress enough how wonderful it was to see my friends. It's so fulfilling to be wanting to see someone for a year and then finally being reunited, with all the time you could ask for. It really feels welcoming, like a home.
That beach be ourz
And I really need to make the time to see everyone I've missed so far and everyone I haven't missed all over again.
4) Istanbul Rocks! Today's the first day of the actual Bayram holiday, so even though I took a trek into the city I couldn't meet with any of my friends because they were busy with their families. So I did the most touristy thing you could do in Istanbul - since my friends take me to the "cool" places that tourists don't usually hear about - I went to Sultanahmet, the site of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, the beautiful underground Cistern, and Topkapı Palace.
The nearly-autumn shade of the leaves blends in well with the Hagia Sofia
However, I've seen all that, and I've seen it less crowded, less hot, and overly more enjoyable, too. I needed to see something I missed the last time I was here, and that was the Archeology Museum: Home of the Treaty of Kadesh and the Alexander Sarcophagus, which, disappointingly, isn't Alexander the Great's sarcophagus as I'd thought but instead that of some other famous ancient ruler (but it was still pretty). The Treaty of Kadesh is the oldest existing peace treaty between nations, an agreement between the Egyptians and the Hittites. It was unbelievably cool. Like the Mona Lisa, a tiny display that you'd most likely miss without being careful. But this one didn't have people swarmed around it, unlike the rest of Sultanahmet, and I got to look at its ancient lettering as close-up as I wanted for as long as I wanted.
Treaty of Kadesh
As it turned out, though, I don't like being a museum tourist as much as I used to, and I soon left knowing I'd come back on a colder, less crowded day. But I took advantage of this hot summer day and ate a special style of ice cream whose name I've forgotten, where they mash the ice cream deep into its container until it gets so condensed it's almost rubbery. So delicious!
Orientation week starts Monday, September 13. The rest of my life, here we come!
The Bahçeşehir Mosque. I walk by it very day on the way to school
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