Miniaturk!

Miniaturk was quite the place. We all managed to get in as students. Hooray! The prices are interesting. A regular ticket is 5 TL, a student is 3, but a tourist is 10! So we saved quite a bit proving we're not foreign.
Most people took a couple of hours to wander through. There were sites from all over Turkey, specifically in Istanbul, and Ottoman sites that aren't located in modern Turkey. Blase, Carly, and I took close to four hours exploring. Imagine, if you will, all the tourist destinations you've so enjoyed as waist-high models all conveniently located in one park. It was hard to squelch the urge to pull a Calvin and imagine myself as a dinosaur/monster attacking the peaceful Galatasaray High School... but willpower prevailed and I didn't destroy anything.

This is the church in Taksim that Carly, Mattie, and I like so much.

The Blue Mosque with it's extensive gardens and the Bosphorus Bridge in the background.

The airport! Haha!

Pamukkale, the calcium cliffs I visited during the first tour.

Aspendos, where we performed our play.

Cool, eh? There were so many, but I won't bore you with my 300+ photos.. you can just visit me and go yourself!

Love,
Maeghan

Galata Tower, 5 Lira Pants, and A Hotel Rooftop

Today was the time change. Curse the world. Plus, I was ridiculously tired from staying up late for the last two nights and walking so much yesterday. Well I dragged myself out of bed to find out that instead of having two hours until I had to be in Taksim I had only one. Aka? It was impossible. So I call up Carly, who had also been struck by the time change, and we decided to just be late and make our own way. So we lazily set off for Galata Tower and the Alley of Cheap Clothing in Taksim.

Carly on the stairs half-way up. There's more than you can see...

Galata Tower was gorgeous! It's on a hill. The ferry stops at the bottom. Carly and I, being explorers and in a good mood, decided to walk. We reached the tower (hard to miss) and went inside. No student discount unfortunately, but the view was well worth it. Istanbul, as far as the eye can see!

When we were sure we'd seen all we wanted to, we headed back down and strolled to Taksim. Strolled being used only because the hill wasn't as steep. There we took advantage of the cheap clothing. Tables and tables of shirts and jeans with huge "5 TL" and "10 TL" signs. You have to check to make sure that there are no holes, stains, weird seams in whatever you're buying but it isn't hard to find things.

Doesn't mean they'll be good things... Hannah bought the pants in the end, although I think Blase left the tight shirt behind. Needless to say we were getting some pretty interresting looks from other shoppers. Both Hannah's pants and mine (which were not so vibrant) were 5 lira. That's $3.71 Canadian. Hahaha! Fabulous!

Then, since Carly's family is coming at the end of April, we wandered over to Sultan Ahmet to check out hotels. Try and find a hotel for less than 100 USD a night in a popular tourist district.. However in doing so, a hotel owner invited us up to the roof of his building where we had an amazing view of the Blue Mosque and the Ayasophia. It was the kind of hotel we were afraid to step into for fear of not matching the dress code (which in my Les Mis shirt and jeans I definitely did not), but the man seemed more than happy to show us, and we pretty much went photo crazy on the roof of this ridiculously expensive hotel.
Ayasophia
Blue Mosque

After hunting down a dozen hotels in the area we walked back to Eminonu where we caught a ferry home. And I could collapse from exhaustion. It didn't seem like it at the time, but we walked quite far. Tomorrow is Miniaturk, where I will see everything I've seen here in Turkey at waist height. I can't wait!

Love,
Maeghan

Karışık CD

I saw Avenue Q. It was hilarious! And in Turkish, which made it even funnier. Mix Tape was sung as "Karışık CD" which had me laughing hysterically. From what I was understanding (yes, I know a little Turkish) some of the content was toned down slightly, but still! Excellent. Harika. Süper!

Today I went to Carly's house and we made cookies and cinnamon buns. Her host parents came home (don't worry, we got permission before I came) to discover a kitchen full of baking. (I think they like me!) I took some cookies home and asked my host mom if Carly could come to our house next weekend so we could make more.
Have I mentioned that cinnamon buns are minorly addicting to make? Look out world! I'm taking you over with cinnamon-y goodness.

-Maeghan

Cinnamon Buns!

Nothing new has really happened in the last week, so I don't have much to say. Just thought I'd update to remind you that I'm still here. Don't forget me!
I stayed home today and did my laundry and made cinnamon buns! Hoorah! They're really, really, really good. I mean, they're cinnamon buns.
Tomorrow is Avenue Q, so I'm very excited for that. It doesn't start until 9pm though, so I'm going to go crazy waiting all day!

Love,
Maeghan

PS. I hope you've been making yourself cookies Dad. If I come home and find that there's dough still in the freezer I'll be sad.

A Castle!

Today I visited a castle. Just because I can. There were only four of us who went to the castle, but it was fun. The view was amazing! I want to go back on a non-rainy day. Although the rain meant that there was no one else there except us, which I always like.

The Ferry.

The Second Bridge.
Note the fact where my camera got rained on.. Again. The poor thing is on it's last leg, I'm afraid. It pretty much gives up on me at the first sign of dampness.A castle wall!

Juliana (Brazil) and I by the seaside.

Random Photos

Turkish Monopoly! Look.. Tarabya is my Rotary Club. I was super excited when I realised the board was covered in places here in Istanbul.

See those flowers and that grass and the Hos Geldin? All Emily and me. There's more, but a photo only holds so much. Note the wilted flower? That was a joke. But they put it up anyways.

Our own personal raincloud...

Dolphins, Waiters, and the Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Dolphins! We have dolphins in the Bosphorus! Who knew? I sure didn't... until I saw them this morning on my way to school! How cool is that? I saw about half a dozen, it was amazing. So, with something like that to start my day off, how could it not be good?
Exactly.

I went out to eat with my host family tonight and the entire way there my younger sister went on about how she was the most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most beautiful! We made fun of her the whole way...

At the restaurant, I suppose I looked ridiculous because the waiter came over and showed me how I was supposed to eat my food... what's wrong with a little creativity? I mean, his way was easier, but still...

Maeghan

Ps. Dad? There is no Q in Turkish... We hop straight from the p to the r. Le gasp!

Avenue Q

So.. guess what's playing in Istanbul at the end of the month? Guess who got tickets to go see it? YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I am seeing Avenue Q on March 27 with Blase (Michigan) and Carly (Kansas). *takes a moment to grin at the tickets in her lap*

Minor adventure trying to find the ticket place. But you all know how these stories go. Let's just say I spend an extra hour and a half riding buses too far. But I got my tickets, so who cares?

Beyond Thrilled,
Maeghan

Ps. It's in Turkish... this could be interesting...

Transcontinental Life

Gah. Okay. Going to school on another continent may sound sweet, but it is a MAJOR pain in the butt. Let's see. It took two hours to get to school. It would take me that long to go to school in Lethbridge back home... Anyways. I walked, took a minibus, two metrobuses, and a taxi to get there. On the way home? A train, a ferry, and a minibus (and more walking, of course). Talk about a loong way to go.

School itself was uneventful. I did nothing all day. As usual. Everyone thinks I should change schools. There's another Istek school near my house (that my sister goes to). My friends at school, my family, my sister's friends, even my principal (!) thinks that I should switch schools. It's crazy. But I carry a little bit of school spirit, something you don't see in Turkey. I can't just abandon my school! My friends are there, and it's my school.

But I signed up for this, so I'll stick with it.. at least for a while. I'll leave you with a photo of the "giant yellow ball" in Kadikoy.

Important exchange student note #273:
When trying to figure out where you are, always look for important landmarks.. like mysteriously suspended round yellow things that you can sort of see over the tops of those buildings over there...

This is the first time I've ever been close to it.. It is really large. It doesn't look like it from the photo, but I swear it is! I think it might be a weather balloon.. who knows?

-Maeghan

Chicken Dessert and Canadian Breakfast

My host family took me out for doner last night (!) and for dessert we ate this pudding thing that is made of really thin strings of chicken.. I know, right? Weird. It's actually pretty good, but I only ate a little bit.
This morning I made pancakes, since, well, what else is Canadian? I probably could have eaten all of them. They were delicious (if I do say so myself)! We're off to do.. something this afternoon. I just wanted to tell you about the odd chicken thing..

Love
Maeghan

My New Family

I'm writing you now from Asia. I am living on a new continent. How cool is that?!
So anyways. Life is good. I got unpacked in record time, and my new family is great. My host mother is going to teach me how to cook Turkish food, which I'm really excited for. I have a little sister, and I've always wanted a little sister (not that I don't love my little brother too...) and I have another big sister (yes, I'm counting Sophie).

I share a room with my older sister Gorkem (and I'm using my laptop again which means no Turkish letters for you!). Our apartments have a swimming pool, which I'm excited for. Our internet is really fast which has me over the moon happy. I forgot that internet could be this fast!

Can't think of anything else right now, we'll see how things go.

Love
Maeghan

Children, Mexican Food, and Anticipation

Yesterday in gym class we played this odd game that's a little like dodgeball but not.. It's kind of hard to explain. But really fun for a small number of people. We played outside, since the sun was shining!
When our classmates got bored Emily and I passed a volleyball back and forth. Which was fun. Until a small child decided to steal the ball. So I chased after him, caught him and he was freaked out and dropped the ball. I told him not to steal our ball and Emily and I went back to playing. All was good until the kid came back and stole it again. This time he ran into the elementary school and disappeared. ARGH. So we lost one of the school's balls to a kid half my height. Do we honestly look that foreign?
So I hate children. When you don't speak the same language as them they get really annoying really quickly. I noticed this on the bus as well. Whereas usually I would love kids, I find myself wishing they could just turn around, sit straight, and be quiet on the way to school.

Yesterday I also went to a Rotary meeting. Usually they're on Mondays but this week was a joint meeting. It was kind of boring. And I felt like a bad exchange student because here I am, 6 months into the exchange, and I still don't speak enough Turkish to follow everything. So there I was, wallowing in self-pity (I know, bad Maeghan!) and this one guy decided to talk to me. He told me what was going on and summed up what the speaker was saying. It was very nice of him. I really appreciated it.

After the meeting my Rotary club president and her husband drove me home. Somehow the conversation ended up on Mexican food and our mutual love for it (maybe we passed a restaraunt?). So Aslı has invited me for a sleepover at her house and we can eat Mexican. I'm going to make fajitas again. Hopefully they turn out as well as last time!

Tomorrow morning my new host family is picking me up. I'm very excited but also nervous. I know it will be good, it's just that I'm really lucky to have such a great host family already. Lots of students here have had problems with families so I'm extra greatful to Melek and Güner for taking such good care of me. Here's to a new chapter in my exchange- my next blog will be written on a different continent!

Love,
-Maeghan

The Bus Blues

I would like to offer a sincere thanks to the junior high boys on my service bus, from the bottom of my sarcastic little heart. Because I mean, nothing's more fun than making fun of a foreigner. Especially if you happen to be that foreigner. With a major headache. I know being laughed at sure make my day!

Usually I don't let it get to me, but today I found their laughter upsetting. It seems like when they get bored they think "Hmm.. I know! Let's play 20 questions with the foreigner. Hopefully we can make her feel like an idiot. Maybe she'll use the wrong word again!" When I speak in English they give me heck for not knowing Turkish, and when I speak in Turkish they say "We know English, hocam." And no matter what I say or do, they laugh. Talk to them, ignore them, try to explain in English, look up words in Turkish... Because I'm just sooo funny. Some days it seems like they're really just curious, some days (like today) it seems like they just feel like getting a laugh. Congrats! You laughed. As did everyone else sitting around me. Can you just leave me alone to listen to Thoroughly Modern Mille in peace?

At least I have two more days before I never have to ride that bus again.
Who needs a hat? Who needs a shoe? And who needs you, Mr. Whoever-You-Are?!
-Maeghan

PS. The name of this blog entry comes from a song my friends and I wrote while waiting for our (very) late bus once upon a time in The Hat.

Photo Expedition!

School ended with me feeling decidedly pleasant. I had finished a chapter in my book (and annoyed my classmates in the process, I'm sure!) and the sun was shining in a beautifully blue sky.
Deeming the light "nice", I went on a photo-taking rampage of my neighbourhood, having been partially guilted into it by Brennan. Here are some of the "better" ones.

The small store by my house. I would have taken a closer photo, but the guy was definitely giving me a "What do you think you're doing?" look..

A mosque, a taxi, and political banners.
(it's election time!)

Hey look! A random hole in my sidewalk. How surprisingly normal in İstanbul.

Apartments! Imagine that.

Bilboards and empty space!

Airplane!

Let's see.. sky and concrete buildings. Note the pastel-coloured balconies.

More apartments.

Aren't these pretty?! Okay, I actually have nicer photos but the cool thing about this one is the ladybug near the top who I didn't even notice until I looked through these. This is the first ladybug I've seen in Turkey!

This is the same bush as outside of my house (in Canada). The same cursed bush that gives you nice rashes on your arms when you have to reach in to fetch a stray soccer ball... small world.

Carly loves the sky here. She says "It has so much character!" Since her photos are so nice I decided to attempt photos of the clouds...

That fancy design on the buildings? Tiles. Like the size you would use to tile a shower wall.. If you would ever tile your shower wall.. It's crazy!

It was out a bus window- be nice.

Hope you're happy... Enjoy the photos- I move this weekend!

-Maeghan

İdil İçin

This is a mini dedication to İdil, who was immediatly attacked when she signed on msn.
What does this mean? This? This, this, this, this?
And she patiently put up with all the words my dictionary didn't have (user error, as usual) that I came across reading today.
O kız seviyorum. Çok. (I love that girl. Lots.)

-Maeghan

The Lion, The Witch, and the Headache

75 minutes later and I proudly announce to my host family "I finished 3 pages!"
I know.. it's really, really hard. One sentence will be really easy and I'll think "Hey, I'm doing it! I'm understanding!" and then the next will have me saying "There's no way I'll get through this." then back to the positive with the next sentence, only to be followed by a never-in-a-million-years feeling with the next.

The first three pages of my book are now covered in my mad scribbles. And my head hurts.
I figure that I can finish this book in a month if I work on it every day. So there's my goal. I plan to finish this book by April 8.

My host mother had to put up with my questions all morning, since some words go together and that means I can't find the second one in the dictionary and I get all worried and read her the sentence and then she has to explain to me in Turkish. This is good because I'm learning the words as ideas and not as translations. At least, I think it's good. I'm remembering those ones better. I'm finding it difficult to figure out who is the subject of the sentences sometimes, because of the sentence structure. (I must sound ridiculous. Translation- "After saying good night to the professor, the boys went up the stairs. Did the boys go up or did the professor go up?") But overall, I'm feeling optimistic about this.

-The Little Foreigner That Could
(I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.)

Rain. Surpirse, surprise.

Yup. It rained again today. I went to Bahçeşehir to hang out with Emily. We were going to walk around buuuut the weather hates us. So we just went to her house and watched a movie instead.

My host mother (living up to her name yet again) was an angel and drove me to Bahçeşehir. This means that instead of 2 hours on various busses (since there is no direct route from my house, I have to travel 45 minutes in the opposite direction to find a bus to Emily's city) I just hopped in the car and was there in 15 minutes.

I did pass through a book store on my way (funny how these things happen...) and bought "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" in Turkish. High expectations, but I really wanted to try to read a book and for some reason this one stood out in my mind. We'll see how it goes.

-Maeghan

Freak Snowstorm? Hit me!

Yup, so it went back to overcast. Can't get to greedy apparently. The world likes to torture me. I just need something that isn't rain and clouds. Clouds and rain.
I am going nuts.

Oh yeah. Reason for blogging today. Life is always interresting being a native English speaker. You get asked things like "Sorry, Maeghan are you busy? No? What is a human cannonball?"
Yup, it really happened. And all I want to know is:
Why do these kids need to know what a human cannonball is? Are they recruiting for the circus? Will this be on the ÖSS? The TOEFL?
Because it wasn't a student who asked me this, oh no. It was one of the teachers.

*shakes head*
-Maeghan

Ps. Actually? I wouldn't put it past the TOEFL. They kind of seem evil. You should see their vocabulary list. I couldn't define all of them.

Sunshine!

There is something about 14 degree weather and beautiful blue skies that just lifts the spirits. I was more or less blissful on the way home from school, sun shining down on me, no need for a sweater, and English music on the radio. I felt at home.
BUUUT. Little boy on the bus decided to sit beside me. This would be fine if:
a) he knew how to sit still for like, 30 seconds
b) he didn't insist on closing the curtain on my beautiful sun
c) he could stop letting out screeches at even intervals
Gaaaaaah. Anyways. European music- sweet! All the singers had these subtle accents that screamed of coolness that I, as a North American, will never truly be able to reach.
So all in all, a good day. Hello Mr. Sun!

-Maeghan

Learning

Today was a day to explore. I spent the day reading wikipedia and encyclopedias and looking at pictures in Turkish books and (wait for it..) working through an entire chapter on genetics in a science book (in English, silly!). Aren't you proud of me?
So today I read about Sigmund Freud, Florence Nightingale, Colorado, Turkish artifacts, and genetics. (Fun stuff!)
Then I got home and found a message from Blase (Michigan). He has been so kind as to share with us all a piece of his Turkish Grammar book (where can I get one of those?!):

Turkish Lesson #307

Verb Modification - Causative Tense

ölmek = "to die"

öldürmek = "to kill"

öldürtmek = "to have someone killed"

Higher-order causation is grammatically possible, but stilted:

öldürttürmek = "to get someone to have someone killed",

Or to get someone else to hire a hitman.

öldürttürtmek = "to get someone to get someone to have someone killed",

or to get someone else to contact an agency to have them hire the hitman.

Yeah. The gray is where Blase felt inclined to add his translation, I think.

I am going to die. Türkçe beni öldürecek. (Turkish is going to kill me.)

So that's all for today. Now that I'm done probably breaking a copywrite I'll leave before the authorities catch me!

-Maeghan