So I arrived safely in Istanbul a number of days ago. Kaan picked me up from the airport with my two HUGE suitcases (I think both were around 50lbs each (close to 22 or 23 kilos. The scale at the airport wasn't properly zeroed so I got away with being just over the weight limit on one bag). Together we made our way back to the apartment. I was shocked when I first walked in--it's tiny! I'll try to get some pictures later. We might be moving, so I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll try to describe it.

We have three main rooms--a bedroom and two salon type rooms. The room in the center of the apartment has access to the bathroom and kitchen. Neither are very big; the kitchen could fit four people standing front-to-back. There is hardly any counter space. I would say one could maybe fit a microwave on the open counter. We have a sink that doesn't have much water pressure and a refrigerator in the living room. It isn't so bad, because I don't need much room. Now that we've purchased a single gas powered stove top (the gas container is about a two-gallon jug size and the burner is standard sized), I feel more comfortable with the kitchen. It's certainly workable.. but the bathroom? We have a six foot wide, 2.5 foot deep bathroom. It's absolutely tiny! And there isn't an actual toilet, just a hole in the ground. Our shower head is between the sink (approx. the size of my laptop's keyboard) and the toilet, and it points almost directly toward the door. Also, I'm pretty sure there are baby cockroaches living in the bathroom. It's pretty awful!

We do have access to a small communal courtyard. It's very cute! But unfortunately, I think the neighbors use it as a workplace during the day, so it's very noisy in the morning. I'm really very satisfied with the place except for the bathroom/bugs. The neighborhood seems to be a bit poorer, which doesn't bother me. We live with a mix of poorer Turks and Kurds, which is interesting. Lots of different things to hear walking down the street! I haven't met anyone yet, but I'm sure I'm quite a sight in that part of town. Some of the children shout "hi" to me as I pass. A foreigner in their neighborhood is bound to cause a stir. Add in my extremely pale skin and long dreadlocks, I stick out like a sore thumb.

As I said, Kaan and I have been thinking about moving. We've been halfheartedly searching for a nearby, inexpensive, slightly nicer apartment. I'm set on having an actual toilet, and he's set on having multiple rooms. This presents a slight problem, as most of the inexpensive multi-roomed rentals nearby are either out of our price range, don't have a Western toilet, or won't rent to an unmarried couple. I'm content to help pay rent to have my damned toilet, but he seems reluctant to do that (oh, masculinity!). Apparently, if we find a place through a rental office, we have to pay a month's worth of rent to the agent as commission. This is making things a little difficult on top of it all.. Coming up with three months of rent on a limited salary will certainly be a pitfall to moving.

My friend from Denver has safely arrived in Istanbul and has settled into the dorms. I haven't yet met up with her. We could have met up today, but I am only able to check my email at Kaan's cafe and didn't get her message in time. We might be able to meet up tomorrow; otherwise, I'll see her at the Erasmus orientation on Tuesday.

Mostly I've been sitting around at Kaan's cafe during the day. I don't have much desire to do any shopping; since he works all day, I'm left alone for the majority of the week. As a result, I tend to just hang around his cafe. I really hate doing that, but until I make friends/meet up with some of my old friends, I'd rather be around people than not.

So, things have been sort of slow getting started. Kaan works all the time, and our apartment leaves a lot to be desired. My goals in the next week are as follows:
-buy a better outlet adapter so that I can use my computer at home
-locate a better place to live!
-meet up with my friends so I don't feel like such a burden at the cafe
-learn more about my classes and school situation.

I hope these are reasonable goals.

My sister and I did a lot of filming before I left. I'll try to edit and upload it soon! For my Turkish readers, how do I bypass the youtube block?!

I haven't been fasting here. I was traveling for two days, and the remaining 3 we haven't had enough food at home to be able to safely fast. I hope to soon, however!

Kaan only has half an hour left at work, so I suppose I'll pack up. I'm eager to leave.

More soon!