I lived in Istanbul for over a year.

I moved there for 6 months as a student at Beloit College for study abroad.

After graduating and working for a year I moved back for 7 months and ran out of money and had to come home.

Istanbul to me will always be a magical place made perfect by the friendships formed there.

The best way to describe my life in Istanbul is from a page I created while living there, But first, a poem:

In a leaving Day
By Umit (Turkish Poet)
Translated by Ragip
What a strange day, these leaving days..
you even leave from a friend or an enemy
it somehow makes you feel strange…

Deep hurt comes inside
while looking at streets for the last time
shops, houses, cafes…

Memory loaded caravans are passing
full..just before your eyes
is it the last memory from a leaving day?

So unforgettable days are ending,
slowly…as we are not aware
while the sky is blue and the leaf is green

As much as you can claim
that it is unforgettable
this last moment, this unexpected rain
it is forgettable, dear

What can be done in such a day?
just closed suitcase, nailed box
then just a simple “Good Bye”…

Istanbul [Post from 2007]:

There are many great things about Istanbul. One is that You Tube is banned. It forces me to find other ways to occupy my time rather than watching countless hours of dance offs between teenage booty shakers or becoming enthralled with cute kittens and grammatically incorrect sayings to emphasize their cuteness; such as “I are Kitten”. Anyway, now it’s back to staring blankly at a Turkish Soap Opera and trying to understand what the hell is going on.

A Bit of Funny News:
One day Ragip, Samet, and I found ourselves in a tangle. We were on a mission to buy Tiramisu from the bakery down the road and Samet was looking for his credit card. He offered to pay and I promptly refused, considering I was the one who suggested the Tiramisu run. He insisted telling me that he like spending money on his Du card with hopes of winning FREE MONEY….

Strawberries.
It was a serious love affair between my flat mate and the small box of strawberries. It is often said that we do not know love until we think we have lost it. The same is true for my flat mate. After consuming a plate full of strawberries and chocolate (that I had prepared) he started pacing around. Confused, in a small panic. I could not understand him. We had just eaten the most heavenly strawberries in all of Istanbul…and now he was panicked. I saw him proceed to our front door, put on shoes and grab his keys. Curious, I asked “where are you going?” He responded in a daze “I must get strawberries.” His heart was broken on the floor and the only thing that could repair it was the sweet aroma and juicy taste of strawberries. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen, opened the door, and showed him a basket full of strawberries that I had just bought this morning, unbeknownst to him. He leaped with great strength into the kitchen, grabbed the strawberries from me, and embraced them in a way I had never seen him embrace a woman before. And then…I understood love…

While I was discovering the reality of loving another person, Samet was discovering love for oneself. While getting ready for a night out on town he sang this song “Till there was you. By Rachel Star. For a moment…there was nothing but Rachel, the beats, Samet, and this camera.

Thoughts on Istanbul- April 15th 2010

Uskudar                                          Sile- Black Sea                                   Bozcadda

Do you realize how precious this moment is that we are together. I can be anywhere in the world, but right now, I’m with you.I can not help but try to connect the dots that lead me to this wonderful country and after connecting such  dots, I can not stop thinking in bewildered amazement, how strange it is that I ended up here, in my home, with my friends, so far from my family…all because I tried to break dance and broke my foot and ended up staying in Beloit for the fall of my freshman year.

On the way to Sile…………

Ok, so you have seen pictures of the blue mosque, Sultanahmet, and Taksim. The pictures that scream city center and tourism. But there’s more to Istanbul than the endless skyscrapers, great party life, mixed with a touch of ancient enthusiasm. Rather, Istanbul is a mixture of climates, lifestyles, and a true merger between East and West. 

The Train Station
I dreamed today that I could write about you and express why you have been such an important part of my life. You, the station, as insignificant to modern times as your were important 100 years ago, embraced me with timeless love. I can sense the history surrounding you and love the silence you give. An all too welcomed escape from the busy streets of Istanbul. From the cat walk of Bagdat Caddesi, from the strange and curious stares of strangers. You embrace me in everything I yearn for and remind me of living.

FLOWERS!

One Day Ragip picked me up from work on a Sunday and presented me with one of the most beautiful flowers that have ever been given to me (outside of flowers my mother has given me). It was so sweet and a simple gesture. He didn’t know that flowers were my favorite gifts. There have only been two men who have ever bought me flowers. One guy I dated three years ago and one is my best friend. So here’s a picture of some simple and thoughtful joy. Thanks Ragip!