NSEP

L2R: Tamber, Me, Tamber's friend (ack! I forgot her name... oops)

So I got an e-mail from Tamber. I met her in DC at the NSEP scholarship orientation. She spent the last 4 or 5 months in China learning intensive Chinese. Her parents now live in Ankara, so she and her friend who was studying abroad in Spain, are visiting Turkey. They came for a day to Istanbul, where I met up with them in Sultanahmet. We had lunch and wandered through the Grand Bazaar, which was all quite splendid and fun. All NSEP's dreams of global networking seem to have a glimmer of life!

The Girls Go to England

Gate to Mrs. Somebody-very-nice's house in Lacoc. Significant because it was used as Harry Potter's parents house in the movies. Also of note: the filming crew of the HP movies treated the town so badly on the first two movies the townspeople voted to not let them come back. Take THAT Hollywood!

The town of Lacoc, all classical old town buildings (read: no satellite dishes, hanging out wires, etc.) where famous movies like Pride & Predjudice (long version) have been filmed. National Trust historic site. Cute. Bad light. Typical English.

The funny thing about Stonehenge is it looks EXACTLY the same in real life as it does in every single picture taken of it. Only in the pictures it's not cold and windy and raining and wet. Go figure the English would glorify a bunch of rocks sitting in a field. .... woo hoo....

p.s. I actually liked Stonhenge a lot but I like being sarcastic more than I like writing my entire emotional experience there. Driads don't be mad at me please.

Quick jump to: Bath Abbey! We didn't go inside or anything, it was just the only picture I took in Bath I guess.

Canal in Cambridge where punters punt. I liked the brilliantly smashed tree on the left.

A church in Cambridge that was just straight-up nifty.

I'm going to stretch my creativity and have a red phone booth shot here. Oh, wait... you mean it's the most photographed icon of a bygone era of post-Imperical countries ruling the world through landlines? Bollocks!

Just a pretty building made of brick making things feel very British and Dickens-y.

Mom and Kate looking in all directions, much like how are trip went. Milton Keynes or Leamington Spa anyone? Non-existant bus to Stratford-upon-Avon perhaps for a quick cream-tea.

One of my favorite things in England were the doors. They have no dearth of classic/quirky/eccentric or otherwise captivating doors. It's a doornucopia!

Awww.... how beautiful! The tree was interesting too...

sign caption: "Danger of Death." In small letters underneath, "Or obscenely embarassing dance moves leading to grazing pains throughout the abdominal humor muscles. Those with self-dignity please proceed with caution."

Izmir Christmas Eve

Dinner at an out of the way place owned by a family from the East, the town that Tuncay's family is from. Hakan said they made lahmacun (a flat bread with minced meat and minced tomatoes) on it just like his dad's mom. It was fun, tons of courses, and we sat around on cushions at a low table and drank ayran and finished it all off with baklava. Then we drove and paid a visit to all of the family, drank more tea, and I fell asleep to Pirates of the Carribbean - I never knew Johnny Depp spoke Turkish...

Carolers at the mall singing carols in English. HA!

We stopped by IKEA to buy some pamuk seker (cotton candy -oh, globalization)

Me posing on moose posing as reindeer

Santa's Turkish sleigh

Nur and Hakan meet Baba Noel (Father Christmas) American style!

Quick break from arduous shopping adventures at that bastion of world domination, Starbucks. It literally is taking over the world!

Izmir

Dans etmek çok seviyorum!

Hakan and Özden (his grandmother) at the end of the evening.

Me, Hakan, Nur and Tuncay (Hakan's parents who live in Izmir)

Nur and I getting ready - well - waiting for Tuncay

Hakan and his anne. Hakan went to a men's kuaför, he looked so nice!

Nur and I went to her favorite salon in Izmir to get our hair done for the engagement party of her sister's daughter this evening. It was fun - I could barely talk to my stylist but he laughed at me a lot and spent a really long time curling my hair.

This weekend I drove down to Izmir with Hakan and his Dad, and two people from his work. We left at 6 pm and after some classically hectic and nerve-wracking 90 mph driving we arrived at 2 am in Izmir. The next day, we got up and had a delicious classic Turkish breakfast, did some classic high-end Turkish shopping, went to Starbucks (ha!), went to the salon, got ready for the party and were there by 7. We left around 1 or 1:30 after several courses and lots and lots of dancing and talking (in mostly Turkish - ack hard work!).

Papatya Show

Natasha and Olivia picking up more glitter.

Finn in his tux, combing the floor for highly-prized end-of-show confetti.

Olivia and Guy after the show

Olivia and Guy's feet are on the left... I think.

Tata is in the middle - she was a gray horse in the Papatya Circus.

No one I know was in this one but it was all two and three year olds dressed up in bunny costumes - wether bunnies, bumblebees or angels this group is always a hit, and even more adorable then their ridiculous looking 5 ft + bunny helpers.

Several of the kids were drummers in this one -

The family I babysit for, two of their kids go to Papatya Preschool. Every year the preschool gives a huge annual show around Christmas time, and everyone was in it this year. I got to go see it - it was an amazingly huge production! Many very well off families send their kids to this preschool and going to this production illluminated that. It was incredible! Huge, lavish, and packed with 500 people - and the kids were amazing!

The Weekend

Tata

Finn

The playroom overlooking the Bosphorus in the morning fog

Baking cookie faces!

I spent the weekend staying with a family with four kids in Istinye and helping out with Finn's 5th birthday party since their dad had to go to Iran. We had a crazy/fun Christmasy cookie, presents and adventure filled weekend!

More Bologna

More Bologna!

The Sunday night antiques market in front of Santo Stefano basilica.

A statue of Neptune in the main Piazza.

Meet and cheese in an amazingly delecious looking Italian shop.

Freshly made pasta and gnocchi that we bought loads of (despite a complete lack of hunger) took home and cooked up and ate. It was the best pasta I've had in my life.

The main Piazza of Bologna.