Since getting back

I went to Balıkesir with friends Kuthan and Ozan to visit Hazal and his family for a day. On the way down, we stopped in Bursa for İskender. Of course, it was really great. It was also really great to see Ozan again after a long time. At one point he asked me if I know Michael Hyde. Hyde! One of my best roommates of days passed. The two of them work at the same company back in Boston. I like these small world moments. For a moment I felt physically much closer to the friends and folks back home.It was good to see Hazal and his family again, if only briefly. His aunt and cousin, whom I had met last year, were there as well.Since returning from the East, I haven't seen too many of the folks I usually hang out with because I was sick and busy for a while. I played football once with the guys, but my performance was terrible. I wasn't yet fully recovered at that time, and so after the game I felt even worse. Anyway, I've been trying to reunite with the İstanbul crew. For the first time in a month or more, I met up with Pınar. We went to Caddebostan, bought some beer at the Migros, and sat in the shade of a tree near the water. Derya, Pelin, and Başak joined us for a bite to eat. Later, I went to a party at Özlem's. It was cool to meet her friends from work. I sat in a comfy chair and struggled to understand their gossiping. I have really learned patience with regard to this trying to understand Turkish thing.

In the evening I went to Taksim to watch the World Cup Final. I was dressed in orange, in support of Holland. I met some new friends who had plans to go together to a bar in Galata. When we got there, I stopped. The name of the bar was "Vente del Torro". The place was swarming with Spaniards. Granted, it was lively, but I really wished I could be around some Dutch supporters. For the second half, I went to the SumoCat Hostel nearby, hoping to find some orange. There were people from all over the world there, but for some reason they too were supporting Spain. I suppose the upside is that I was surrounded by happy people all night. I don't like this subject because I still feel bad about the result. However, I will say this:
Football resumes this week with Brøndby and Beşiktaş playing in the Europa League. About the same time as the start of the group stages of the Champions and Europa Leagues, the Euro qualifiers begin. Holland, Spain, Turkey, and the others, will all get to start over and fight for dominance and a chance to win the Euro 2012. So life goes on, is my point.