Beşiktaş (chokes) vs. Gençlerbirliği, 2-2

I rode the boat from Kadıköy to Beşiktaş with plans to meet an American friend, Michael, for beer and then take him to his first Turkish football match: Beşiktaş-Gençlerbirliği. The game had more riding on it than just being entertainment. Hanging in the balance were BJK's chances of qualifying for a European slot in the Lig, Gençler's potential total escape from the threat of relegation, and perhaps some momentum going into the Turkish Cup Final in May, as both teams are favored to play each other there.  

All of that did not seem like enough to excite either side very much before the game.

The Beşiktaş market area was buzzing with fans, but it was not that raucous madhouse I had experienced on earlier occasions before other (less-important) matches. Was it that the weather had cooled off since the afternoon? Was it the result of high expectations for victory against a weaker Gençlerbirliği side? Or was it the collective sigh of the Beşiktaş community having already had every hope for success shattered this season? Some combination of them all perhaps.

I can't say anything much for the Gençler fans either. They were a rather motionless group of 30 who didn't seem to want to be there. Even after the game had been equalized, there wasn't much activity coming from their corner of the stands. They left the stadium just as quickly as everyone else, not really interested in reveling in what should have felt like victory for them.

As for the game, you've already seen the highlights. 2-2. But what jumped out at me and the fans around me during the game were Simao's solid performance throughout, Hilbert's excellent support in the first half yet blunder-ridden second half, and Ismail Köybaşı's struggles near the end of the game. Up 2-0, the atmosphere in the stands felt more like a baseball game than a Beşiktaş match. People were conversing quietly, taking their bathroom breaks, and munching on sunflower seeds. That lackadaisical attitude reflected onto the field, and Beşiktaş were punished for it.

All in all, my friend and I had a great time at the game. Sure it was quiet for a Beşiktaş match, but it had everything else I had hoped for: a couple of excellent goals, a close game, few cards and decent weather. Beşiktaş controlled the game and played much better overall, but two big mistakes is usually all it takes to ruin a party.

As for the teams, Beşiktaş still stands a chance of getting that 4th place slot in the Süper Lig, but it looks like they'll have to direct their energies toward getting to Europe via the Turkish Cup. If Beşiktaş make it to the final (as they are fully expected to at this point), it will be a tough and close game no matter who they play. Should that opponent be Gençler, from last night's result I think we can expect it to be a close and unpredictable game.

Gençlerbirliği is safe from relegation. They were safe even before their Ankaragücü brethren picked apart Bucaspor in the highest scoring match of the season. At this point, for Gençler to be relegated, Bucaspor would have to win 4 of their next 5 matches, with Gençler losing all the rest of their games. Of course, Galatasaray and Sivaspor would have to do better than that as well. At the time of this writing, Bucaspor has the 4th-toughest remaining schedule of any team in the Lig, and Gençler has the 2nd-easiest.

Though this match didn't start a rivalry, it might later be revealed to have been the onset of a long and deeply felt grudge between these two clubs. For while Beşiktaş may come to greatly regret this 2-2 draw, it might not be the last of the bitterness and defeat in store for them, suffered at the hands, or shall I say the feet, of Gençlerbirliği.

My birthday weekend in a few pictures

A surprise birthday party in the office on Friday! Another surprise party was thrown for me and Tuba (left) today. Lots of April birthdays at my school. 

Saturday night/Sunday morning in Taksim with 4 awesome people: Kerem, Jeremy, Gizem, and Alper. The night was especially awesome because as we moved around the city, everyone in the group got to experience a venue they had never been to before, and we all had a great time. I wanted my birthday weekend to have a night just like this one. I am still really happy from that experience. 

Sunday, walking to a place to enjoy aniseed flavored drinks and fish with Stewart, while he shared his experiences from the past week in Scotland. Rakı+balık in Kadıköy is about as relaxing a setting as it gets. 

In the evening, I took the boat to Beşiktaş for a quick visit to the European side. On the boat I saw Nayat, whom I congratulated on her recent engagement.  

All in all, I had an awesome weekend. I got to see lots of friends, and I did not spend much time in my apartment. I thank everyone for their birthday wishes. They came true :)

Hazel and Philissa in İstanbul

On the fırst day of spring, Hazel arrived in İstanbul with her friend, Philissa, for a visit. Hazel was the first member of my family to visit me in İstanbul. It was strange and awesome to see her. We set their bags at my place and then started on a tour of the city. I loved them around and not just because I had taken the day off work. One thing that became quickly apparent was that despite the weather being a bit gray that first day, they both seemed to absolutely love the city.

It was impossible to walk very far in the city without seeing pastries! One thing about a visit to İstanbul is that there is almost never enough time to try all the food. 

I took them to the modern part of the city, to Europe's biggest shopping mall. In the upper left of the photo, you can see the "3" of the world's largest mechanical clock which makes up the ceiling of the mall. In the lower right is a stage sitting next to a small pond.

One evening I got to introduce Hazel and Philissa to my friends, Pınar and Kerem. We met up in a part of town with which Pınar is very familiar. She took us to a couple of different cafes/pubs. On the way back from dinner and coffee, we stopped in a pastry shop to buy some delights for the following morning. Somehow we got to talking with a couple that was in the shop. They were getting a cake for a birthday party and invited us along. We agreed and followed them to a pub where there was live music and the birthday boy (just turned 21), sitting with a group of friends. The whole experience of that evening with them was really quite excellent. We were all pleased with our luck.

We spent the last full day together exploring some touristic places such as Dolmabahçe Palace. It had been years since I was there. Somehow I had forgotten the sheer impressiveness of the Ceremonial Hall with its 4.5 ton chandelier.

We also went to the Büyük Mecidiye Mosque in Ortaköy. There are scarfs just inside the entrance for women who don't have one and wish to enter. Sporting them gave Hazel and Philissa a noticeably different look.

Hazel and Philissa's visit was short, but it was packed full of fun and adventures for all three of us. I was glad to have had their company, and hope to see them both again sometime soon.

Rizespor, Friends and Turkish

A few weeks ago, I went to see Freddy Adu and Çaykur Rizespor play in Güngören. Güngören! Has a nice literal meaning, but is otherwise a very bland outpost far from the center of İstanbul. I'm not here to rag on Güngören, though. It was a actually kind of liberating to ride outside the city and see a different place. The fans of Rizespor were my people. I really need to get back to Rize sometime, but that's a different topic. I guess the second to last thing I'll say about this is I rather enjoy being at football matches of smaller teams. It feels more personal. And the last thing I'll say about this is that a strange emotion came over me when I thought the following: I live in İstanbul and now I have just traveled to the outskirts of that city, where  I am standing in a stadium and watching Freddy Adu of all people playing for a team from a city in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. I guess I just never expected to find myself in that particular situation!

More recently, I started meeting new people again. I find I'm speaking more Turkish as new friends of mine are in various stages of learning English. The language is growing on me very quickly these days. I feel its effects on my mind like a drug almost. Some nights it keeps me awake and other nights it helps me sleep. The feelings that come while forging new interpersonal and linguistic connections are enchantment and delight.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures. Irony is getting my camera cleaned and then forgetting it at work on a Friday. So these were from my phone. More pictures to come as the weather is improving here and I'm getting out more.

Enchanted and delighted,
Jeremy