Then we drove through this town, and I started to fear we were on our way to Svilengrad...

Stuff

Amer's party last night was lots of fun--we had dinner at Gani Gani, followed by drinks at our local, and then karaoke. Lars, Antoin, and I sang Bohemian Rhapsody. Today I found myself wondering what rhapsody means, because I think every time I've heard it used, it's been in the title of a song or piece of music. Turns out, rhapsody means "an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling." So now I know and I can start thinking of ways to use it in conversation. I should add, before someone comments on my limited definition of rhapsody, that it also does mean a free instrumental composition in one extended movement, or it can also refer to an epic poem, or a part of one, of a suitable length for recitation at one time.

Back to stuff, the title of my blog entry. Today I watched the Story of Stuff. If you haven't seen it, you certainly should (head on over to www.storyofstuff.org). I have started getting rid of some of my stuff-- over the course of nearly two years I seemed to have acquired an awful lot of it. Some decisions have been easy (t-shirts I bought in markets here that now have holes from moths which secretly lived somewhere in our old flat are a prime example), but I know that as moving day approaches it will become more difficult as I am determined to travel as light as possible!

In other news, I have a little trip coming up to renew my visa for the very last time. I would happily sell my right arm (it's the bad one, anyway) not to go to Bulgaria again, especially after the trip to Svilengrad (see earlier entry entitled 'Svilengrad' and you'll see what I mean). So right now, I'm trying to plan a trip with Erin and we're leaning towards either Romania or Georgia. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

Alright, I'm going to head back to my room to do more sorting and listen to some newly downloaded podcasts. As well as my favorites, "This American Life" and "Fresh Air" I have also started downloading "Grammar Girl," "One Minute Irish," and "One Minute Russian" (could be useful if we go to Georgia). I'll let you know what I think... Slainte agus tainte!

Big News

I didn't realize that it had been over a month since I last updated. February was indeed busy-- I turned 25, went ice skating, had a nice Valentine's Day, enjoyed some unusual snow, worked, slept, etc. My big news, though, is that I am going to move back to the USA at the end of April. By then, I will have spent 23 months in Turkey. I have so many mixed feelings about leaving, but I am really excited to come home and see what happens next.

February!!

I can't believe it's February. I just accepted a volunteer position/internship at Amnesty International Turkey, which I start on Monday. I'll be working there three days a week helping with fund-raising and their International Criminal Court campaign. I'm excited.

Now I'm looking for more teaching hours so that I can still live well here-- I have an interview with a language school on Tuesday and I am emailing back and forth with another one at the moment so hopefully one of them will come through. I'm really looking forward to getting settled into my new routine, whatever it may be.

In the meantime, I've been discovering just how cheaply a person CAN live in Istanbul. A loaf of bread is about $0.35, a bag of pasta $0.55, beer at the cheapest bar I've found is $1.85 for 33cl. So...I'm being as savvy as possible. Eating lots of pasta, eggs, and tuna melts.

More pictures soon, I promise! I took a lovely one the other day of the view of the Bosphorus Bridge from the top of the stairs that lead down to my street. :)

Friday is my Sunday

Youtube is back again.

I am waiting to hear back from three places at the moment, and I need to get back to one. It's been a busier week in general, though. E is back and also not working at the moment so we've been able to hang out in the afternoon. Last night was fun--a couple of girls came over and we read tarot cards and drank wine. We have vowed that our next girls night will be a clothing swap. :)

Our kombi (hot water heater) seems to be on the brink. It's been dripping for the past day (and by 'drip' I mean our kitchen trash can is half full of water) so it looks like we're going to have to shell out for a plumber. Pants. This is not what any semi-unemployed girl in her 20s wants to happen.

I will update when I have real news... I'm off to prepare for my class tomorrow-- at the moment Friday really is my Sunday.

Patience is a Virtue

I feel good about my interview, though they are interviewing a bunch of other people and I won't hear back for a week and a half. So the odds aren't great, and in the meantime I will look at other opportunities. Monday afternoon I have a job applications coffee date with Erin. Job hunting is stressful, especially in a city where I'm only qualified for such a small number of jobs because I'm a foreigner who doesn't speak the native language. Mind you, actually, if I want to keep teaching English, I could have a job today and start tomorrow. It's just that I want to do something different and here there seem to be few jobs beyond teaching.

Turkey has banned youtube again.

Progress

Today I took an editing test for the company that had replied to my e-mail, and I did well enough that they have set up an interview for Thursday! I was so excited that I called LL and my parents to tell them.

Today I went to Gani Gani for lunch with LL, Amer, Jordan, and Frank. Frank is helping a friend of a friend to open up a bar right across from the Lojman. We got to take a look-- it's a small space but filled with friends it could be really fun. We'll have to see where that venture leads... opening night is Saturday (always a bad night for my friends, most of whom work early Sunday morning) so I'll try to swing by and see how it's going.

Okay, I'm off to search for some interview advice, and spend some more time on the company's website.