Keeps Me Young

Today I took a picture of my little heroes. These are some of the kids I teach everyday at work. I work at a preschool as an English teacher. I have a program, which I follow, but I add my own flavor to the lessons. For example, the other day the children thought they were reciting random numbers as I held them up on flashcards, but really they were reciting pi. Another example is that sometimes after I've read a story, I read it again but much faster, skipping over the less important sections. Then I read it a third time, spending about a second on each page. They all laugh and we move onto something else.

What I like most about my job is the group of other teachers who work there. Many of them teach me Turkish (for lack of knowing much English) and they are all super nice. We gossip, we try to come up with creative ways of involving the children in new activities, and we are all in the same boat each day. Of course I also like the children. One of my favorites is the kid in the foreground of the picture. His name is Oktay, and he's really smart.

The most challenging things about work are: it can be very tiring, it's not easy to act enthusiastic for the times when you are not feeling that way, and it's important to give extra attention to the children who don't speak up or don't learn as quickly.

So now you know my work. I'll be teaching at this school until February, so I'll have a chance to save a little cash and plan my future beyond. On that note, I'm looking into jobs more in line with my profession and graduate school for next fall. Though it may seem like this job I have now does little for me in the long run, it does a lot more than I expected. For instance, it really challenges me in areas which I'm not well-rehearsed. Now I am more comfortable with children, human interaction, teaching, creativity and expression, but at the same time I really miss the heavy application of the left side of my brain with engineering. I can say that my life is full and that I won't be surprised if one day I learn that the true value of these experiences is much greater than I had originally considered.

I never regret cooking dinner

Today I didn't get out much, which is in stark contrast to how the last couple weekends went. In fact, the last couple weekends were probably the greatest I can remember. Anyway, when the evening came, I went out to the market during rush hour to buy some dinner. I bought 2 fresh palamut fish, some pears (for tomorrow), some zucchini, tomatoes, and a loaf of bread.

The bakery was really busy since everyone was out buying food for dinner and so they were churning out piping hot loaves by the minute. I asked for a hot loaf. The guy walked past the large cooling rack holding dozens of fresh loaves and went into the back to take one directly from the oven. While I waited, a Belgian couple was struggling to communicate with the people at the bakery. I am always shocked to see tourists on the Asian side of İstanbul (except for in the vicinity of Kız Külesi of course). Anyway after witnessing the shear inadequacy of French and English on the ears of the kind people working in the bakery and their Turkish's inability to penetrate the understanding of the Belgians, I stepped in briefly to translate. The Belgians thanked me and I felt important. Even warmer than that feeling was my loaf of bread which was almost too hot to grip even when inside its paper bag. I love fresh bread.

I walked quickly home and started the fish, veggies and some rice. I ate enough for two people. Over the evening hours, I finished off the entire loaf of bread. I regret nothing.

I guess it's ironic that I write about what I cooked for dinner rather than my new job which started a couple weeks ago, or the girl with whom I'm in love. I mean there's this wondrous lady who conjures up powerful feelings within me so effortlessly it's as if by accident. In the instant of a moment where I think about her, she speaks a word, or even in the pause between her words, she reduces (enhances?) me to a glorious, pathetic, insurmountable heap of joy and longing. She's like sleep to a tired person... Occupies all your thoughts, weakens you, carries you into a dream, makes you feel alive and gives you the energy to carry on the next day. That's only in the general sense. For me, she is also the dream. But I digress...

This is not a food blog, and I am not a cook. This is not a diary, so I won't go on about my personal things, and this is not a football blog so I won't delve into Manchester City beating the unbeatable Chelsea today. However I will say that dinner, talking on the phone with my love, and the football match today were all wonderful experiences. For being such a quiet day, it was a glorious day.

#4 - Taksim Maksim

Burgazada

Sonia's nickname, over a shop in Kadıköy not far from my apartment.

We were so hungry when we left the apartment we could not resist buying some dereotu poğaça, that heavenly dill and white cheese filled pastry, and gobbling them down while we waited for a dolmuş. We went to Bostancı, had Adana kebab, and climbed on a boat headed to Burgaz island.

The island has its charms: small houses, flowers everywhere, free wandering horses, a steady breeze, fields of various shrubs and small trees, etc. A couple of stray dogs decided to follow us all around the island.

They even waited for us while we took pictures.

It was about that time that I noticed a bright sundog in the sky. As we climbed higher, we got a better view and were treated to a wondrous and rare atmospheric effect.

Not only was there a sundog on the other side, there was even a well-pronounced rainbow above the Sun! It's not hard to see that it is all part of an entire halo.

From high above, we could see a beach.

So we hiked down to it, through a very narrow path in the woods. The Sun was setting when we got to the beach.

These last few days with Sonia have been unforgettable. The islands have really impressed me and I have loved spending time with Sonia in such a peaceful place. We talked and joked about many things and experienced many other beautiful moments. The sundog, the lone horse running up the street, the Sun setting while we swam, and the dogs following us everywhere were all moments out of a movie. The movie is ours and we've really enjoyed the show so far.

I hope you enjoy these tidbits and photos. Many more to come.

Kınalıada

 Since Hyde's departure, I have been posting much less often (for lack of anyone to compete with!). However, the adventures have been continuing. This weekend was my first break since starting a long week at my new job. I teach English to little kids. Anyway, Sonia and I decided to take a relaxing trip to another of the Prince Islands of İstanbul. We decided on Kınalıada since it is small. We found the place to be absolutely wonderful.

The weather was perfect, as was the swimming and the sunset.

Sonia and I talked about many things. For one, she taught me a handful of Slovak words including ostrov (island), more (sea), and lod' (ship). We also talked about Hyde. The biggest things I miss most about having Hyde around: his blue hair, his antics, his photos, his perspective on life here. Lastly, we often talk about Misa, my sister, who introduced us. It seems she thought we'd become fast friends and right she was. How did she know? Then again, if anyone else knew the two of us, I'm sure they'd have seen it too.

One night, three victories

Saturday late morning, Hyde, Sonia and I bought some groceries and made a kind of breakfast feast. We watched a little Coupling while eating. It is becoming the show that we all talk about, however, if I was familiar with True Blood we might have two shows. After breakfast we took Sonia's film to get developed. It will be ready on Tuesday. In the meantime we're stuck with Hyde's pictures! Ok I meant "blessed".

Saturday evening was unforgettable. Hidemesonia went to Taksim to meet up with friends. A little later Hyde and I broke off and went to Beşiktaş to prepare for the Beşiktaş JK (not a joke) versus MKE Ankaragücü match. Our preparations involved finding beer and groups of crazy fans. We found groups of crazy fans who were looking for beer and followed them until we found beer. We also bought some çekirdek (sunflower seeds) and paraded down Dolmabahçe Caddesi to İnönü Stadium with hundreds of boisterous fans. Finishing off another beer, we went into the stadium and found a nice place to sit.

The game itself was quite entertaining. A goal in the first half led to deafening screaming and a steady stream of chants from the crowd for the rest of the game. The second half was much more entertaining for us because we were in the yeni açık stands and Beşiktaş was scoring on the goal in front of us. And score they did. Final score: 4-0, though to be fair Ankaragücü had a certain goal come back off the post. Credit to Cenk Gönen who was very sharp, but the score could easily have been a little different. Players of the game I think were Nobre and Bobo. Nobre really hustled and played with the most heart in this one. Bobo had finesse, scoring both from the air and the ground. Highlights from Beşiktaş - Ankaragücü.

Beşiktaş's shot off the post, captured brilliantly by Hyde.

When the game ended, nothing happened. The players went to the locker room, and the fans remained in the stands. On the big screen, they were showing the last minute of the Turkey vs. Serbia basketball game. Everyone was captivated. Even some of the players and crew of Beşiktaş looked on. As one of the Turkish players was taking foul shots, the crowd went nuts for the first one after it went in. He missed the second and 30,000 people let out an exasperated "ha- si&t^r!..." in unison. I never heard so many mouths utter a swear at once. Hyde and I left the stadium but I was still listening to the game on the radio as we walked briskly up the hill to Taksim. Then a thunderous roar was emitted from the stadium behind us. At that same moment the announcer was yelling some stuff on my headphones. Short version of the story: Turkey had won its place in the final match of the world basketball championships against the USA.

Hyde and I continued to hurry uphill towards Taksim although now the sound of the traffic was adorned with frequent car horns and people celebrating the Turkish victory and their first FIBA final. We arrived much sooner than I had hoped at my new favorite bar on the European side, whose name I still don't know. On the top floor, Jana and Sonia were waiting. It really was the perfect way to end the day. In fact, it felt like a victory of its own.

One night, three victories. Though pictured above, a possible fourth victory :)

Ortaköy

Finally, a picture with all three of us!

I should say a bit more about the three of us, actually. We have a routine.

I wake up first, and check the internets. Then Hyde gets up and sits next to me on the couch, also checking the internets. A while later, Sonia emerges talking about how much she slept. She turns on her computer and there is always a loud voice that says "Virus database has been updated!" We chuckle about this. After a while of typing in blogs and stalking each other on Facebook, we get hungry and leave the apartment in search of food. Then we get on a bus or a boat and crisscross the city. I try not to look stupid in case Hyde is taking a picture. Let me just say, oops!

To be fair, it's hard to keep a straight face when there's a large cat behind you.

Hyde and Sonia try new foods and see new places. I explain a lot of the subtleties about life here in Turkey. At some point, we usually talk about how jealous our mutual friends are of us.

When we return home in the evening, we look at all of Hyde's pictures. Sonia and I make threats about what we will do to him if he posts certain pictures to his blog. Then we split a delicious beer, fix some snacks and watch Coupling.

Heybeliada

 

Our team of three needs a nickname. Hyde-emy-sonia? Sounds more like a desperate request for Sonia to hide me. Well ok.

Hydeemysonia went for a trip to Heybeliada, the second largest of the Prince Islands (which for some reason people frequently call in English the "Princes' Islands" ...I thought the possessive was already implied). Anyway, the weather was hot and we wanted to swim. We found a beach but they charged an admission fee, which I talked down to half price. It was worth any price to swim and relax in the sun. Heybeliada, like the other islands, forbid the use of cars. Hence the whole place is very quiet save for the occasional cloppity-clop of horse-drawn carriages tours of the island. Heybeliada struck me as being very similar to Büyükada, which I've been to twice. They both have people fishing and jumping on trampolines at the docks (not the same people, at the same time, obviously). They both have those carriage tours, a large plaza slightly uphill from the docks, flowers everywhere, cafes along the water, a healthy dose of tourism, etc.

We will counter all that relaxation with some crazy European-side adventures this weekend. Count on more pictures and sarcasm from Hyde, as well as some notes from me. We'll develop some of Sonia's pictures and try to post them soon.

Out on the town with Hyde and Sonia

What a day.
Hyde, Sonia and myself payed a visit to the Hagia Sophia, aka the Ayasofya, which is in 'Tourist Central', Sultanahmet.

It's sometimes hard to get a picture of two photographers, especially when you don't have a camera on you. I convinced Hyde to relinquish his and had a lot of fun shooting my companions in front of the Hagia Sophia.

Hyde found the same enjoyment in this brief photo-shoot called "Making Jeremy's Sister Jealous". My sister, being the only person to know well both of the subjects in foreground and a great admirer of the ancient structure in the background, is doubtlessly captivated by the photo above.

In shots such as these, it is important to look at the people walking around for scale. This place is enormous.

I credit Hyde with every photo in this post. He's brilliant with the camera, though he takes maniacal pride in getting awkward shots of me when I'm not paying attention:

After a long and thorough inspection of the Hagia Sophia, we went to the Galata Tower an hour before sunset when the light was best for pictures. It was a wonderful time had by all. The weather couldn't have been better. The air was refreshing but not cold, and there was a steady breeze.

A view back across the Bosporus toward Kadıköy.

That eye!

Those eyes!

We capped the adventure with a trip to nearby Güllüoğlu. They are a really famous maker of baklava and people in İstanbul know that the best you can get is at their shop in Karaköy. We got two plates with a variety of baklava and kadayıf and of course healthy scoops of kaymak. It was awesome. We were sugar-buzzed and delighted for the rest of the evening.

At night, we all went out for some beer in Kadıköy with friends. We stayed out later than we planned, but that's just because we were having such a great time.

Football in Kadıköy

This picture about sums up football yesterday... Me walking toward Şükrü Saracoğlu with a Turkish national team jersey on. The sounds of the crowd winning a battle with the traffic. Hyde and I decided not to get a ticket because our friends were waiting for us elsewhere. Turkey won 3-2 against Belgium. It was an epic and excellent result.

In other news, a wonderful friend of my sister named Sonia has come to visit and the three of us have started visiting the sights of İstanbul together. Next post is coming soon and will be loading with anecdotes and pictures.

A Rare Trip to Sultanahmet

I took Hyde to Tourist Central where I gained an appreciation for touristy looking shops which are actually quite impressive and interesting. The best example is a porcelain shop we went into where the manager (and maker of most of the wares) took us on a private tour of the place after I spoke a little Turkish with him. He seemed surprised and impressed and told me that he would sell us things at "the Turkish price". I was not able to confirm this, but we will likely return at some point to further investigate.
Ayasofya was closed but Hyde got to go into Sultanahmet. I would have gone, but the sign said not to enter if you are wearing shorts. I didn't mind touring the outside of it because of course I've been inside before. I enjoyed observing tourist-Turk interactions in the court yard. A dutch woman asking for directions, an Asian couple asking someone to take their picture, a young Turkish guy striking up conversations with only the attractive female tourists his age. Çapkın! He would say hello and ask where they were from. Some of them ignored him, some answered gleefully "I'm from Romania!", as they walked on by. I noticed then that the man had a friend on the opposite side of the courtyard with whom he frequently exchanged glances. At first I was very wary of the guy and I listened to his short conversations to see where he left them. Though his motives were doubtlessly impure, I was relieved to observe him to be quite casual; he was non-aggressive, patient, and friendly overall. I'm sure some of the women he meets really go for a local who takes an interest. Anyway, his behavior distracted and entertained me while Hyde toured the inside of the mosque. At this point, I will change the subject slightly by listing some of the highlights of the day.

- Turks taking a great interest in Hyde's blue hair. He even got a couple of positive remarks about it from strangers. That's a lot more than I can get!

- Introducing Hyde to new foods. Today he tried mantı (mini raviolis), ayran (yogurt drink), Türk kahvesi (Turkish coffee). When I have him try something new, I think this is probably the first time in his life that he has ever consumed this thing. I am always soliciting his reviews and opinions about the foods, and the experiences of eating them in the places we go.

- Meeting up briefly with Ece in Üsküdar. Hyde likes that her name is also his major at WPI (ECE: Electrical and Computer Engineering), though pronunciation-wise they're nowhere close.

- Eating an İftar meal (breaking the Ramadan fast) at a place for such things. We found a small cafe-like place with traditional place settings and Ramadan foods. We were quite hungry, but we waited like everyone else for the prayer to sound from the surrounding mosques. Starting with a date (of course), we quickly ate our soup, kavurma, rice, bread, and then kadayıf for dessert. By the way, I always confuse that stuff with künefe.

- Thinking all day about how unbelievable it is that I am hanging out with Hyde in İstanbul.

- Getting ready for the arrival of Sonia, soon to be the third member of our tearing-up-İstanbul team. We were a crew of two, now we will be a crew of few. Not too few!

As always, more pictures and personal accounts from Hyde, at: http://corvik.blogspot.com/