Dork Visits!

Come Monday I was feeling great and ready for Mike to come visit!  He arrived on Wednesday and was welcomed by a big “DORK” sign Kate, who also goes by the name of “The Kernal”, and I had made him.  We made our way back to my place and decided to stay in and watch the football match in the comfort of home.  Greg and our friend Ben came over and we just enjoyed the match and hung out after.  We kept it a low-key night, knowing that Mike had just traveled for about a day straight and would need his rest… and rest is what he did.  Morning to him the next day was about 4 or 5, which is completely understandable.  I forced him to come into my class and the students absolutely loved it!  He came for an hour and then went with The Kernal and our friend Chad to grab some grub and a beer.  I met up with them after and we made our way over to “Heaven”, our choice of places to grab a cheap brew.  Our friend Chloe came to meet up and we all hung out there for a bit.  The next day, we slept in and then explored a bit of Kadikoy and my neck of the woods, so that he could get around while I was working the next two days.  We did that and then went across to Europe.  We walked Istiklal, the major/popular street in Taksim.  We checked out some nice rooftop bars and ran into a friend, so decided to grab a brew with him and hang out for a little bit, breaking up our journey a little.  After, we went to this bar called 360°.  It is called such for obvious reasons.  The place has an awesome view of the city and the Bosphorus.  Although their drink prices are a bit steep, they are somewhat reasonable for the place and views.  We decided that we should splurge and get one… which we all decided on a margarita- how Californian of us… but hey, “when in Istanbul…”.  After our tasty treats, we made our way back to the ferry, parted with The Kernal so she could make it back in time for her private, and slowly explored our way back.  Back in Kadikoy, we met up with Greg and another friend Jon for some food and beers at a place called Aborjin, before they were off to the Fenerbahce game.  We were joined by a Turkish student of Greg’s and some of his friends, one of which paid for everyone’s tab before he left.  Mike and I decided to stick around and watch the game there and were later joined by The Kernal, Michael, Ben, a pal Justin, and a Turkish student Ilker.  We had a good time chatting it up and watching the game.  We didn’t stay out too late because the next day we all had to work early and long hours. 

Work went slowly those two days, and poor Mike was still recovering from being jet-lagged.  I drew him a decent map of how to get back to where I worked, because that Saturday we were leaving right after work to go to one of our student’s houses for a going away party. Hulya was moving to Brighton to expand her English and live with a host family.  We finally made it to her house, after a complete tour of the neighborhood, and were absolutely amazed at this place! The décor was so nice and cute, but what really made the place was the view.  One whole side of the place was basically windows- for good reasons: they had an astonishing view of the Bosphorus and the bridge and Europe.  As the night went on, I never got used to the sights.  It must be a treat to wake up in the morning and have your coffee with that view! She ended up opening her gifts and was so lucky to receive a laptop from a handful of her friends! Whoa! It was a good night and nice to see her before she left. 

The next few days we spent our time exploring Istanbul.  We attempted to go to Dolmabahce Palace one day (Tuesday, I think), but found it was closed that day- of course! So, Mike had to go back there on one of the days that I had to work. So, we ended up walking around Besiktas area and seeing some of the sights.  There were some fake cannons in a plaza area and we thought it was the perfect photo-op to get inside and act as though we were getting shot out. The first attempt went fine, except the camera didn’t take.  So, I decided to get back in- only this time my foot got caught and my leg was stuck in there upright… it was absolutely hilarious and took a good 30+ seconds to get me out.  I think those pictures are better than the one that somehow didn’t turn out! After that, we walked for a good distance over to Ortakoy, a cute town on the water.  We spotted a MEXICAN food restaurant and decided that it was absolutely necessary to get some guacamole! We ended up with a margarita, guac and some cheese dip.  It probably wasn’t the best… but when you haven’t had these things for months, it doesn’t matter.  It was delicious!  After that, we walked around the area.  We went inside the Ortakoy Mosque (The New Mosque).  We decided it was getting late and returned to Asia. Before getting on the ferry, we decided we were going to try to be the first one’s on.  It is hilarious, because the people here have to be the first on and the first off.  They actually line up at the exit ten minutes before, just so they can get off right away- many times before the boat has even stopped.  Anyway, we raced onto the boat and Mike was actually the first on- quite an honor!!! I came in with a short-second.  It was hilarious, bc there were so many others doing the same thing, but seriously.  We did it then kinda cheered, but the natives just kept running and hurrying to get that seat! Anyway, we spent our ride joking about the scene and thinking a great way to spend a day would be to sit and bet who the first one off the boat would be.  We never got around to it when he was here. 

The days came and went so quickly, and it was just so nice to hang out with him and be ourselves.  We spent a day checking out the area of Sultanahmet: the underground cistern, The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.  I had never been inside these sights, so it was a treat for me as well.  Hagia Sophia was absolutely astonishing.  The details inside and such extravagance were somewhat overwhelming.  I was taking picture after picture… until my battery died on my camera.  We decided to purchase a 17 YTL disposal camera, that was the size of a brick, to finish capturing the place.  After the attractions, we ended up at a British Pub and got some snacks.  We explored the Spice Bazaar after, which is actually small and then made our way back to Asia.  A few times we met up with some friends to watch a game and have some food… seems to kinda be a routine thing here.  We also tried to introduce the English teachers to some new drinking games from America.  Those nights were absolutely hilarious and a good time.

We were lucky to go and watch a Besiktas game with Ben, his girlfriend Ozlem, and Kate.  The stadium is in a natural pocket of the hill, making for great acoustics.  The view is also amazing, the field with the Bosphorus just past in the distance.  We watched that game one Friday night and then Saturday, Greg had bought us tickets to the Fenerbahce game.  I arranged it with my students to end a bit early and meet up with the guys, who had eaten dinner and hung out for a bit beforehand. The stadium wasn’t full, but these fans are so dedicated and full of energy it didn’t matter. The game was awesome and we had a great time. 

The next night after work, we went out to dinner with Greg and his parents (who were visiting for a few days), as well as Jeff- his friend Mark, who was visiting and Carol.  We ate at Otantik, although Mike and I had to sit across the aisle from them, bc the guys working there couldn’t get the idea that a group of 8 didn’t mean 6…. Anyway, it was a nice dinner, but I don’t think Mike and I heard half of the convo’s going on at the other table.  After dinner, we met up with Kate and Michael for a beer before going home to bed. 

We had a Halloween party at our place on the Tuesday before Mike left, because the following day was a holiday.  That way, no one had an excuse not to come!  It turned out to be really nice and lots of people showed up… including the cops.  Apparently he was driving by and saw everyone, but it really was not a big deal.  We lowered the music and a few people left.  The next day we enjoyed the tidying of the house after a big gathering, grabbed a quick bite to eat, hung around and then went over to this Mongolian BBQ place near Bagdat Street, which is the equivalent to our Rodeo Drive.  We had a huge dinner and some wine.  It was a treat and a nice end to Mike’s trip.  The restaurant offers meals or a buffet that is all you can eat and you make up your own meal.  We all decided that was the best choice and made numerous trips through the line, trying different combinations.  We indulged and stuffed our stomachs silly, then had to make the trek home.  Mike, Kate and I stayed up for a bit watching a movie and hanging out.  We caught a few hours of sleep before Mike and I grabbed a cab to the airport… no, it was over! We got him checked in and then grabbed a coffee before he had to go on his way.  It was a very short 2 weeks he was here and it meant the world to me that he came out.  I had such a good time and although we probably didn’t do everything he wanted to do, it was just nice to spend time with, bond, and show him my life here in Istanbul. 

He left on Thursday morning and I slowly made my way back to Kadikoy.  Since he left, things have been somewhat the same…