Well, I had a small glimpse of hope with a night of internet access at my place, but that was short lived. Anyway, back at the cafe and hoping that one of these days we will get it set up in our apartment... until then though.
On a different note, it sure has been a while since I last talked to you all. A lot of time has passed and have been pretty busy.
I last left off before going on vacation in Cesme. Before leaving, one of my classes got really excited and searched online for cheap transportation for me. They found me busses, times, and even walked me over to the station and showed me exactly where to go.
It took a little while for this class to really warm up to me, but after that they were awesome. This is on our last day of class.
So, the next day Kate and I were off to Cesme. We had a very early flight and had to be at the airport at about 6a.m. and at the bus station at about 4. So, I had the great idea to just stay up all night. After the hour sleeping on the bus ride, hour sleeping at the airport and half hour sleeping on the flight, we arrive in Izmir. Now, the second journey begins. We grab a taxi to the "bus station", which we have to remind the driver that we are going there and not all the way to Cesme. It turns out to be expensive, but oh well. We grab a bus and immediately pass out- again! We arrive in Cesme, but still need to find a way to get to our hotel. Can't we just be there?!? We finally find the Dolmus, after asking a few different people, and are on our way- the last leg of the trip. Well, after a long journey we arrive at the hotel. This place was amazing and worth the trek there. It was a five-star hotel (which could only be affordable here) with a private beach, numerous pools- with water slides, sauna, mineral baths, private spas, a bar, and much more... but the best thing about this place was that breakfast and dinner buffets were included. Well, if I said that we did not take advantage of this I would be lying. We stuffed our faces, because we couldn't not try something. The food was really good and there was such a variety of dishes. It was actually pathetic how much we indulged, because after each meal we only wanted to sleep. We turned our vacation, which we thought would be full of nights out on the town and trips to nearby cities to explore the historic sites, into a few days of pure rest and relaxation.
Below is a view of the private beach. To the left of it is a dock covered in huge pillows that you can just lounge on and waste away hours.
Our room was nice and had a private balcony. We were on the side of the hotel, but still had a really nice view. This is the sunset from our balcony. You can see an island on the horizon... which we had "thought about" going to, but us leaving the hotel was just a foreign concept.
I think this picture just about sums up how we felt...
So, after our little getaway, we return to Istanbul just in time for our friend's birthday party. It turns out very nice and it is actually a few people's last chance to be "free" as far as food and beverage intake goes. The next day was the start of Ramazan, a religious holiday here where participants fast from sunrise to sundown. They are not allowed anything past the lips, including water... I think it is a true test of discipline and also something I have no intentions of partaking in. Good for all you doing it... for whatever reasons they may be!
Anyway, here are a few pictures of the birthday bash. Below is Michael (roomie), Ben- another British teacher, and Kate.
Here we are hanging out on the balcony. The crazy one to the left is Jeff, the birthday boy.
Beside the birthday bashes and days of teaching, we also like to get out and support the local football teams... specifically Fenerbache. We went to one of the games at the stadium, and let me tell you- these fans are dedicated and absolutely hilarious! They were sometimes more entertaining than the actual game. Anyway, it was a good game and a fun experience. I see a few more attendances in our future...
Our trip to Germany is slowly creeping up on us. It should be absolutely amazing!
Other than the norm, nothing else is really worthy of sharing. The usual outings and days come and go. We have really taken a liking to this bar/cafe off the beaten path, called Sicak Cafe & Bar- "Hot" Cafe & Bar, but we like to call it "heaven". Why? you ask, well bc we can go there every time and get our seats by the window, not run into students or other foreigners, and just hang out for hours with cheap beers. It is nice and has become a ritual for a few of us here. Our number has also grown and the last time we rounded up about 12 or so people to come. The guy who works there has started bringing us free snacks (veggie plates and nuts) and said it is because we are bringing them in business. There are many other places I want to check out, but it is hard to do when you are so comfortable and get good service like that.
The weather is changing and has gone from sweltering heat to the comforting "autumn" feel. The air is cooler and very soothing. I cannot wait to see a true change of season. It will snow here too, so that will be interesting for me to endure. I am excited though to experience life in a city that has various weather conditions. I do feel that I (being the wimp I am with the changing of weather) will pay the price and catch something. The weather has been random lately, going from really hot and humid to crazy lightning/thunder storms to just brisk and breezy. I hope my body can deal with it, as it is different than the Southern Cali hot or warm weather.
School is going well. I have found that the books are a complete joke and so have my students, so that makes my work load a lot heavier when I have to create new lessons and make up exercises and what not. I enjoy it though, but sometimes it gets a bit tiring. Oh well, if I do it now and get it all out of the way I will have no planning for other classes.
Tonight's agenda looks like some prep, dinner and maybe a movie. Tomorrow after classes, a group of us are going to another Fenerbache game. No other plans, besides our routine dinner night at various houses (this time it is a Mexican food theme- you know I am stoked on this one) and a probable trip to "heaven".
I hope all is well and let me know of anything exciting going on!
Take care over there,
Gorusuruz (See you later),
Katie
