If ya'll ever want to see what I've been seeing/doing here in the big city you can go to this website and watch some segments of these candid street cameras that record daily life happenings in different areas of Istanbul. I've been to most of these places too so it will be a true "in her shoes" experience for you...
http://tks.ibb.gov.tr/
(the website is in Turkish but if you can get Google Chrome to "google translate the page" for you then you can choose which sites you want to watch by name.)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Forest Life
I go to school in a forest... for 9 more days at least.
If I could re-do my study abroad experience the only thing I would change is the university I chose, not the city of Istanbul, just the particular university because it's isolated location is very limiting. It takes an average of an 1:30 to get into Taksim and if you journey back during rush hour it can take upwards of 3 hours to return back to campus. Additionally, all of the Turkish students at Koc aren't very welcoming. One for the language barrier but also because a lot of them are stuck up snooty-pants. Before arriving I thought Koc was known as the most prestigious Turkish university but turns out it is better known as the most expensive Turkish university that the students buy their way into rather than earning their way.
However Koc is the only Turkish university with CIEE... so the perfect solution would be to transfer CIEE to Boğaziçi University (which is in Bebek) because it is closer to the city center and actually known for its academics. Bebek is a nice area on the coast of the Bosphorus with cute shops and an alternative liberal crowd unlike Sariyer where Koc is located which is a landlocked small village with an extremely conservative population. Yes Sariyer is close to the Black Sea which is beautiful but it still takes 30 minutes to get there and you can't even go swimming.
Whenever I told Turkish strangers, such as store clerks, that I went to Koc they would respond with "ohh expensive" and nod and smile gleefully and then UPCHARGE me because they assumed I was a rich snotty Koc student.
If I could re-do my study abroad experience the only thing I would change is the university I chose, not the city of Istanbul, just the particular university because it's isolated location is very limiting. It takes an average of an 1:30 to get into Taksim and if you journey back during rush hour it can take upwards of 3 hours to return back to campus. Additionally, all of the Turkish students at Koc aren't very welcoming. One for the language barrier but also because a lot of them are stuck up snooty-pants. Before arriving I thought Koc was known as the most prestigious Turkish university but turns out it is better known as the most expensive Turkish university that the students buy their way into rather than earning their way.
However Koc is the only Turkish university with CIEE... so the perfect solution would be to transfer CIEE to Boğaziçi University (which is in Bebek) because it is closer to the city center and actually known for its academics. Bebek is a nice area on the coast of the Bosphorus with cute shops and an alternative liberal crowd unlike Sariyer where Koc is located which is a landlocked small village with an extremely conservative population. Yes Sariyer is close to the Black Sea which is beautiful but it still takes 30 minutes to get there and you can't even go swimming.
Whenever I told Turkish strangers, such as store clerks, that I went to Koc they would respond with "ohh expensive" and nod and smile gleefully and then UPCHARGE me because they assumed I was a rich snotty Koc student.
"Darüşşafaka"
Darüşşafaka is the name of one of the stops along the metro line we always use. Darüşşafaka is pronounced Da-roosh-shah-fah-kah.
Stuffed.
Lol. I'm really good at packing.
I bought too many souvenirs so now I have to mail a bunch of my winter clothes home so that everything can fit into my suitcase. And since I'm stuck on this isolated campus I had to make due with the supplies I could get a hold of.... a giant over-sized box that I had to cut down with a box cutter I found in the art room and a roll of masking tape I bought for my final drawing project. Hopefully the post office doesn't laugh at me and hopefully they have some stronger tape they will reinforce my box with or else I fear my package won't make it all the way back to the United States.
Also, now I have to carry this giant embarrassing box alllllll the way across campus to the post office.
UPDATE:
I got my friend to help my carry the box all the way across campus and when we got to the post office they had to cut open my beautiful tape job to check the box's contents. My heart broke. But then I helped the post office lady re-tape it and we ended up covering the entire box with tape. It reminded me of my childhood when my parents would buy me Costco-sized giant packs of tape for Christmas because I loved it so much.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Hello Again
I keep wanting to go on a long rant about Turkey and America and my complex emotions but then I realize I would have to do some serious soul searching and exert a significant amount of brain energy in order to accomplish this goal. So I have been putting it off and putting it off and subsequently not blogging at all. Well now I have finally mustered up the courage to metaphorically slap myself and finally get these thoughts down.
But where to start?
I'm laying here on my uncomfortable purple twin mattress wishing it was my Princess and the Pea style bed back at home. Back at home where I will be frighteningly soon. I leave Istanbul in 10 days. 10 days left in this city that has been my home since January. Almost FIVE MONTHS I've been here in Turkey living, studying, enjoying, learning, experiencing, growing, adventuring, making friends, making memories, being homesick, and wishing this time abroad would never end. As of late, when I casually think of returning home, I picture my uncomfortable purple twin mattress, my four white walls, and my very limited closet selection. However I realize that soon I will be returning to my real home in Sturbridge with my parents and my sister and my dog Bailey. I can't help but tear up when I think about seeing them in person again and getting to give them all big bear hugs! UGH I am so excited to be reunited. But then I think about leaving the CIEE family I've formed here and the tears really start to build up. (Just to re-cap, CIEE is the program through which me and 35 other American students enrolled to Koc). I've come to love each and everyone of my CIEE crew here and a bunch of direct-enroll exchange students as well. We all embrace one another unconditionally. We know all of each other's triumphs and weaknesses. We share every bit of juicy gossip, crazy stories, brilliant ideas, and insider tips. At the beginning it seemed as if some cliques were forming within but they all faded out quickly when everyone realized how awesome everyone is. I can honestly say I've spent significant time with each and everyone of the students in my program and I cherish all of them.
Some of my friends have already flown back to the States. Henry was the first to leave last Saturday morning and Maddie left later that afternoon. Morgan and Stuart both leave tomorrow. Some people have three days left, some have a week, I have 10 days, and some are staying here deep into the summer.
This is a photo I took of the impromptu group that gathered for Maddie's goodbye brunch...
**CLICK HERE** (and then click play) AND WATCH A CHEESY VIDEO SHOWING TURKEY'S BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT
However the biggest downfall to Turkey is their government. Free speech still isn't a reality. Their "democracy" is rigged. They gas peaceful protesters. And their priorities are all out of wack, spending billions building a third Bosphorus bridge when their country still doesn't have potable tap water.
This is an image I stole from my mentor's facebook. The crowd gathered in Taksim on May 1st in demonstration for the Turkish national holiday "Labor and Solidarity Day" got tear gassed by the police. This holiday is supposed to celebrate the middle working class... it is known for protests. "They may demand better conditions for skilled laborers and union workers, or protest the government's policies. If the demonstrators gather in unsanctioned places, the police may try to disperse the crowd."
On a better note though this is Taksim on any other day of the year! Bright, happy, and full of life...
But where to start?
I'm laying here on my uncomfortable purple twin mattress wishing it was my Princess and the Pea style bed back at home. Back at home where I will be frighteningly soon. I leave Istanbul in 10 days. 10 days left in this city that has been my home since January. Almost FIVE MONTHS I've been here in Turkey living, studying, enjoying, learning, experiencing, growing, adventuring, making friends, making memories, being homesick, and wishing this time abroad would never end. As of late, when I casually think of returning home, I picture my uncomfortable purple twin mattress, my four white walls, and my very limited closet selection. However I realize that soon I will be returning to my real home in Sturbridge with my parents and my sister and my dog Bailey. I can't help but tear up when I think about seeing them in person again and getting to give them all big bear hugs! UGH I am so excited to be reunited. But then I think about leaving the CIEE family I've formed here and the tears really start to build up. (Just to re-cap, CIEE is the program through which me and 35 other American students enrolled to Koc). I've come to love each and everyone of my CIEE crew here and a bunch of direct-enroll exchange students as well. We all embrace one another unconditionally. We know all of each other's triumphs and weaknesses. We share every bit of juicy gossip, crazy stories, brilliant ideas, and insider tips. At the beginning it seemed as if some cliques were forming within but they all faded out quickly when everyone realized how awesome everyone is. I can honestly say I've spent significant time with each and everyone of the students in my program and I cherish all of them.
Some of my friends have already flown back to the States. Henry was the first to leave last Saturday morning and Maddie left later that afternoon. Morgan and Stuart both leave tomorrow. Some people have three days left, some have a week, I have 10 days, and some are staying here deep into the summer.
This is a photo I took of the impromptu group that gathered for Maddie's goodbye brunch...
...so now to change the subject so I actually don't start crying. This photo reminds me of something else I wanted to rant about: WATER. (You see all those empty plastic water bottles on the tables?) I am so thirsty all the time especially since the sun has decided to come out and blaze us all because there is no where to find water on campus anymore. At the beginning of the semester there were tons of water coolers scattered around campus, my favorites were the one in S dorm and the one near my classroom in CAS. There was at least one water cooler on each floor of each academic building and they were all usually full. However by the end of the semester they have all either been removed, broken, or abandoned. Sometimes you can find a water cooler but there is hardly ever any water in it. The worst thing is that there is this fancy water cooler in the STD center (aka Student Center) which is hooked up directly to the water main with a built-in filter but about a month ago this broke and was never fixed (or I think it was turned off due to lack of water bottle sales). So now I am forced to buy these plastic bottles of water daily. And those are also hard to find. They have vending machines all around campus but since the "drought" oftentimes there is no water bottles left in them to buy (or sometimes the machines just steal your money and don't give you any product). I find myself resorting to the non-potable tap water more and more frequently these days. It tastes like chlorine.
The water situation really makes me appreciate America. America where we have free water, free speech, sarcasm, and can laugh at ourselves when we screw up. America where people hold the doors open for you, have personal space bubbles, know how to wait in lines properly, and aren't afraid to speak up for themselves. Before studying abroad I was not patriotic at all but now I love my country, I love my people. Everything makes sense when you get to take an outside perspective. Thus, I CANT WAIT FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY. I'm gonna buy so much red white & blue stuff its ridiculous... I've been eyeing this pair of American flag high-top Converse.
Where are you from?
AMURIKAH!
Oh, but where is your lineage traced from?
Honey I'm as American as they get, you can trace my roots back to the Mayflower fleet.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here talking all about the USA when I am still fully a resident of Turkey. A country to which I have grown a deep connection. The other day I realized that for however large and diverse Turkey feels it is actually only the size of Texas. The entire land mass of Turkey (783562 km²) is only 1.13x the size of Texas (696200 km²). Turkey is beautiful. There are mountains such as Uludağ, there are beautiful coasts such as ones surrounding the Mediterranean, there are crazy strange rocky landscapes, rolling hills, rivers, lakes, fields of wild flowers, and the list goes on and on. Turkey has so much history, too much to mention. Turkey has a rich and semi-modernized culture. Turkey has insane national pride. The language is funky and cool. The people are trustworthy and conservative. I can brag about Turkey all day long.
**CLICK HERE** (and then click play) AND WATCH A CHEESY VIDEO SHOWING TURKEY'S BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT
However the biggest downfall to Turkey is their government. Free speech still isn't a reality. Their "democracy" is rigged. They gas peaceful protesters. And their priorities are all out of wack, spending billions building a third Bosphorus bridge when their country still doesn't have potable tap water.
This is an image I stole from my mentor's facebook. The crowd gathered in Taksim on May 1st in demonstration for the Turkish national holiday "Labor and Solidarity Day" got tear gassed by the police. This holiday is supposed to celebrate the middle working class... it is known for protests. "They may demand better conditions for skilled laborers and union workers, or protest the government's policies. If the demonstrators gather in unsanctioned places, the police may try to disperse the crowd."
On a better note though this is Taksim on any other day of the year! Bright, happy, and full of life...
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Nom Nom Noms
Mmmmm being home in one month makes me think of alll the wonderful American food I am going to eat. The fact that all the food on this list is extremely unhealthy really says something about America....
- Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese
- Grilled hotdogs with relish and mustard
- PEANUT BUTTER
- Pancakes with butter and maple syrup
- Milk with sugary cereal (preferably Rice Crispies with honey on top)
- (^ That just also made me really want homemade Rice Crispy Treats)
- BACON
- Breakfast buiscuits with butter and strawberry jam
- Denny's Grand Slam (so basically all American style breakfast foods)
- Fudge brownies
- Peaches
- Ice cold lemonade
- Rita's Gelati (frozen custard and flavored ice)
- BAGELS! (most frequently I order an Everything Bagel toasted with Onion and Chive Shmear)
- Nachos
- Hard shell beef tacos with extra cheese, olives, lettuce, tomato, and onions
- Queso dip and Chips & Salsa
- Lays Ruffles with sour cream and onion dip
- Flaming Hot Cheetos
- Sour Patch Kids
- Subway Itailian BMT toasted on Itailian Herb and Cheese Bread with Chipotle dressing, pepper jack cheese, onions, spinach, green peppers, tomato, and S&P
- My family's famous homemade hummus with pita bread
- My famous homemade seasoned Whirly Pop popcorn
- Auntie Anne's salted pretzel with one of those fake cheese dipping sauces
- Old Bay and Butter chicken wings
- Celery with Hidden Valley low-fat Ranch dressing (and also cherry tomatoes and carrots)
- PEANUT BUTTER & BACON GET A SECOND SHOUT OUT
- RAISE THE ROOF FOR PB & BACON
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Progress
So this is why I havn't been sharing very many stories on the blog lately... My drawing class final project has consumed my life (along with all my other final projects) I can't wait to see these all put together and complete!
It's crazy to think tomorrow is my last day of classes for the semester!!!!
It's crazy to think tomorrow is my last day of classes for the semester!!!!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
MOM.
"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing."
I love you Momma, Happy Mother's Day!
I couldn't have made it nearly as far in life as I have without your tender love and care. Thank you for being the best I could ask for and more. Thank you for always being there for me even when I didn't deserve it. Thank you for listening to me through the screams and the silence. Thank you for understanding even when words didn't make sense. You know me best and you know what's best for me. So thank you for always showing me the way. You're a rock star. I wish I could be there with you today! All my love, Stephanie
Fenerbahçe
Game day! Heading over to the Asian side soon to catch the big fenerbahçe vs. galatasaray soccer match tonight. Unfortunately our seats are way in a corner of the stadium despite the fact we bought our tickets at 10:02 and they went on sale at 10:00. These fans are legit. I'm more excited to see the fan base than the actual game. Should be a "ballin" time... (hah get it?)
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