Istanbul Taxi Drivers Don't Get Lost

Today was fun. We took our placement test today and then had our interviews. In between, we took a campus tour. It felt good being back in the class building, with its worn marble steps and heavy reliance on the sun for lighting. The program group was bigger than I had thought, and has a whole cast of characters, some of which I am sure will prove to be hilarious. The cats were out in force on campus today, and a tiny street kitten sidled up to me and sat on my lap. I want to get some food for them and keep it in my bag, so that I can make them follow me, and eventually train them to attack aggressive salesmen. The view on the way into campus remains incredible (the Bosphorus didn't get filled in while I was gone!), and it takes the edge off the uphill battle to get back to my dorm. Lunch today was with a group of people I had just met, which was fun. I am sticking to lahmacun and mercimek çorbası (lentil soup) for lunch, I think. It fills me up just long enough to get to dinner, and is relatively light and healthy, especially with the parsley and tomatoes and lemon. Riveting stuff, I know.

This afternoon we made the journey to the ARIT office in Arnavütköy, which is where we walked along the water the other night. We took two cabs because we were running short on time, and I showed one cabbie the address and even told him in clear, concise Turkish that it was after the Tevfikiye Mosque and before the Children's park. I got into the second cab (there were 6 of us) and told the driver to follow the first guy. The first guy got it completely wrong, and we ended up almost two miles past it. I kept telling my guy that something was wrong and that I was sure we missed it, and he ignored me. So then I finally said that we absolutely missed it, and that he needed to call the other driver. We got dropped off and paid twice what we should have had to pay. It was frustrating. My friend in the other cab told her driver that she was worried they had missed it, and flat out asked if he was lost. His reply: "Cab drivers from Istanbul cannot get lost." He is right. They don't get lost, they just give you the run around. It was totally his fault, too. Turns out, he was thinking of a mosque with a similar name and misheard me, even though I spoke and showed him the name. Boom. Roasted. 

We had a brief orientation at ARIT and were informed we would have to go to the consulate for yet another orientation later this week. Hurray. But the highlight of the day came shortly afterward, when we went to Bodrum Mantı & Cafe. Mantı is essentially Turkish lasagna, small dough slices wrapped around filling and steamed, usually, but this place served them fried, too. I got a mix of spinach-filled and cheese-filled fried mantı, and while eating tried to identify the famous Turks whose pictures were on the wall. Each featured them sitting awkwardly at a table in the restaurant, looking surprised to see a camera. Many of the women and men looked like they had serious sunglass-tans, to the point where the must have been trying to get one. The more I learn about this place, the less I understand. Meanwhile, I am still coping with my v-neck burn. Aloe vera here costs 28TL per bottle, so that falls under the "no fucking way" category. Grin and bear it.

Just got back from a nearby hookah bar called Balkon that was really cheap, largely because the staff liked the girls I was with. They kept giving us free stuff: melon, tea, discounted hookah. We played backgammon and dama, which is apparently Turkish checkers, and fought off some monstrous insects. Does anyone know what an earwig actually does? One of the girls had cooked up a hilariously deadpan lie about them, and how they eat your brain, but can only burrow in a straight line, and the only cause for concern is if their eggs hatch in the middle. 

I'd be curious to know just how loud I have to shout "what the shit" the next time I see one on me. As I headed back toward my dorm, the otopark attendant, Hakan, came out to chat for a minute. We were talking about where I had been, and then out of nowhere he said "Bush used to be president. Now Obama. Most young Americans, I mean, college aged kids, they are now Democrats, and like Obama." I told him that was probably true, and that we should talk more about that Friday, when he works again. He said okay, so I think I will try and see what he thinks of Obama, as a Turkish nationalist. My guess is he doesn't know yet, but from what I have heard, most preferred Hillary Clinton or McCain to him. Hakan is hilarious. He gave me an "Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Carl Weathers' reunion in Predator-style" high five tonight, and only stopped chatting when he noticed the group of girls waiting for me. MORE AS IT DEVELOPS!

Tomorrow we get our test results (again, hopefully not embarrassing) and begin classes in earnest. Still no alarm clock. Tomorrow I will wake up by the good graces of my friends here gently rapping at my chamber door. 

This post was admittedly subpar. I am not feeling particularly inspired right now for some reason. Maybe it's the hookah, maybe it's the fact that I'm miffed by a first impression I made tonight, or rather, that was made on me, by a girl here. Just awful. But I will only expand on that if it becomes an issue later. I'll give her a second chance not to fuck it up. TTYL OMFG!