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.

The Nutcracker

Above is the poster for the production of The Nutcracker that I went to see last night. I love the way they translate Tchaikovsky. It was the best production I've seen so far at AKM, though, like all Nutcrackers it had its own take on a few things. Most disturbing to me, but that's because I'm a bit of a Nutcracker purist, was that one of the dancing dolls in the party seen (to the faster, darker music) was a set of devils. I don't know how I feel about devils in The Nucracker but anyway... The costumes were beautiful, the tree grew, there were mice, and a live orchestra. There was a beer stein party dance with the men in the beginning. But there was no Sugar Plum Fairy, no angels, and at the end Clara/Marie marries the Nutcracker which I suppose IS how a little Turkish girl's dream might end but I wasn't so sure about ending the ballet with a big white veil. *sigh* Still, the dancing was at times absolutely excellent-- especially the man who played the Nutcracker. It made me happy.

Today I sent my CV out to a couple of companies/organizations I'm very interested in. I went out to pay a bill and by the time I came home I had already heard back from one of them, so I suppose that's good news. And I know that the man I e-mailed for the other job is out of the office for the week so I'm not expecting an instant reply. It's uplifting to be making progress.

Soon I'm going out to meet Kerstin for a beer to catch up about the holidays. I can't wait to see her, as she's one of my best friends in this city. Onwards!

Taksim Square

I took a picture of these pigeons on my way home from work Sunday. Last night Lars and I went to Deep, a restaurant behind the French Consulate. It has such a nice atmosphere-- I think we sat there for nearly half an hour after we'd finished eating.

Today I bought myself a ticket to see The Nutcracker on Wednesday at AKM in Taksim Square, the same place I went to the opera last winter. I love that's it's cheaper to go to the opera or the ballet than the cinema here.

Tonight, apparently, some friends are getting together and we are going to play Risk. I don't think I've played since I was about 9. My male friends are on a bit of a board game kick; I think I'll roll with it...

Snow!

I took this photo this morning around 8am on my way to work. It's been snowing for the better part of the past two days, although there hasn't been much accumulation. It looked beautiful this morning, but by the time I finished work it didn't look nearly as pretty.