Bowling, Birthdays, and Byes

Mattie and Me Bowling... Got Some Odd Looks!

Do you feel like you were there now?

Today was hard. We had to say goodbye to Eve, since most of us won't see her during the week (darn Rotary and their YOU MUST GO TO SCHOOL OR ELSE policy). She's going home this week. Those Australians. Seeing her finish her year reminded me that my time here will end too, and reminded me that at some point we will all be doing that. Saying goodbye.

But to say goodbye proper, we all got together and went bowling! It was wonderfully wonderful. Originally we planned to go to Miniaturk but since the weather was gross we decided that an indoor activity would be more fun. So bowling! It was overpriced (like everything) but well worth it. First we exchanged secret santa gifts and then Eve dumped a bunch of stuff on us that she didn't want to take home. We danced and laughed and hung out and everyone sang happy birthday to Juliana and me. Mattie and I bought Juliana a minicake before we all got together, and she was very happy.

After that we all got jumbled and lost and sort of broke into two groups. The group I was with (and Eve!) went to a small restaurant-like thing and ate cheap food (woot!). Then Carly, Mattie, and I decided we wanted to see Australia (since Carly is buying me popcorn at the movies for a Christmas present) and headed to the theater.. to find the times not compatible with my "Little Apartment In The Suburbs" (I was ripping off Little House on the Prairie but it really doesn't sound the same...). So we headed to a different mall (how Turks need as many malls as they build I have no idea!) where it was playing even later. Defeated, wet, and missing Eve already, we headed our seperate ways. What a sad way to end what had been a good day.

It gets hard here. I don't really write about it (if you were talking to people you never got to saw would you complain or would you fill them in on everything that excites you?) but sometimes I just want to be somewhere else. İstanbul is a hard city to live in, especially if you live in an area like mine. The fact that a four 'o clock movie is too late really demonstrates how much time I have to put into travel. Calculating when to take busses gets really confusing. I took a 7 am bus this morning and got to Taksim by 8. The 7:20 bus usually gets me there closer to 9:15. All because of traffic. A twenty minute difference in leaving times but over an hour in arriving times! It boggles my mind. So going home I pretty much have to go at 4:30 because any later and traffic makes the trip waaay longer. When visiting friends for the day can involve up to 4 hours travel time you suddenly become more reluctant to go out.

I want to end this on a happy note, but I'm kind of sad today. Tomorrow will be better, though. I will make sure of it!

-Maeghan