31.january.2010.//31.ocak.2010. [31].

31.january.2010.//31.ocak.2010. [31]. 

yep, it's the end of the month. this is what organizing my life looks like currently: 2 planners, a journal, a folder, and a notebook.

30.january.2010.//30.ocak.2010. [30].

30.january.2010.//30.ocak.2010. [30]. 

i think due to lack of sleep and constant changing weather, my immune system is down. so i am a little allergy-ish..... this stuff is either really strong or i just need more sleep. or both.

29.january.2010.//29.ocak.2010. [29].

29.january.2010.//29.ocak.2010. [29]. 

today, we threw emily a surprise birthday party. her family does themed bowling parties and she loves Galatasaray, a popular soccer team here, so we did that and she was SO surprised.. fun night! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, em!

28.january.2010.//28.ocak.2010. [28].

28.january.2010.//28.ocak.2010. [28]. 

leaving Egypt, the most welcoming country in the world.

27.january.2010.//27.ocak.2010. [27].

27.january.2010.//27.ocak.2010. [27]. 

today, we took a train into Alexandria, Egypt today. we saw the library, the Catacombs, a fortress, the Mediterranean, Qite Bay (pictured here), & ate fantastic Chinese!

26.january.2010.//26.ocak.2010. [26].

26.january.2010.//26.ocak.2010. [26]. 

today, we went to the Pyramids and the Sphinx!!!! :) Then on to Garbage City. wonderful day in Egypt!

i also went on a cruise on the Nile and to Outback for a delicious dinner!

25.january.2010.//25.ocak.2010. [25].

25.january.2010.//25.ocak.2010. [25]. 

Khan el Khalili (market) in Cairo. this is where we ended our day, which was complete with the Egyptian & Coptic museums & many other adventures.

see other blog for story or facebook after my trip for more pictures!

24.january.2010.//24.ocak.2010. [24].

24.january.2010.//24.ocak.2010. [24]. 

our flight to cairo was postponed 3 hours due to snow in istanbul. when checking in, they gave us free dinner vouchers.. so, i didn't feel so bad splurging on gloria jean's... i definitely got my money's worth in whipped cream alone..april & i did a crossword puzzle to pass time.

I'M IN EGYPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am sooooo giddy. but i need sleep.

23.january.2010.//23.ocak.2010. [23].

23.january.2010.//23.ocak.2010. [23]. 

today, it snowed. a lot. it doesn't typically do that. but it was beautiful & fun. this is a street i walk down often, but i usually don't see snow on it.

22.january.2010.//22.ocak.2010. [22].

22.january.2010.//22.ocak.2010. [22]. 

today, it rained. a lot. but i LOVE hearing the rain on my metal fire escape. which happens to be RIGHT outside of my bedroom window. which makes getting out of bed in the morning even harder.

21.january.2010.//21.ocak.2010.

21.january.2010.//21.ocak.2010. 

oil & milk. what later became part of zucchini chocolate chip muffins. my favorite.

20.january.2010.//20.ocak.2010.

20.january.2010.//20.ocak.2010. 

tonight, since most of our students were in the middle of exams, we played charades at ETT. the team pictured above dominated, mostly thanks to ryan's mad guessing skills. except for the last part, which we won.

19.january.2010.//19.ocak.2010.

19.january.2010.//19.ocak.2010. 

it snowed today.. you can't see it in this picture, though. thanks april for standing in the snow for a couple of minutes with me. (:

i went to a cafe to get some work done this afternoon and walked outside to a bunch of snow.. it was not cold enough to stick, but it was nice.

18.january.2010.//18.ocak.2010.

18.january.2010.//18.ocak.2010. 

another rainy winter day in the city. waiting on some friends to take a boat to the european side.

we went to the grand bazar, back to this side for dinner, and to a friend's for spades. twas a great night.

17.january.2010.//17.ocak.2010.

17.january.2010.//17.ocak.2010. 

cold & rainy day in the neighborhood.

16.january.2010.//16.ocak.2010.

16.january.2010.//16.ocak.2010. 

today, i babysat stazy and was rewarded with chocolate baklava.. yum!

15.january.2010.//15.ocak.2010.

15.january.2010.//15.ocak.2010.
my first trip to topkapı sarayı (Topkapı Palace). it's a beautiful palace in istanbul and i went with some students who were visiting and some new Turkish friends! The group met the Turkish girls on Marmara's campus this week and they are really sweet. I'm hoping to continue the friendships... And, best thing: they want to speak in TURKISH, not ENGLISH! 

14.january.2010.//14.ocak.2010.

14.january.2010.//14.ocak.2010. after an already LONG day, we decided to go to see AVATAR in 3D... there were 8 of us, otherwise......

13.january.2010.//13.ocak.2010.

13.january.2010.//13.ocak.2010.

an intense game/activity at English Tea Time..

12.january.2010.//12.ocak.2010.

12.january.2010.//12.ocak.2010.

We went to Marmara University today to tour and meet students. The group was awesome at approaching groups of strangers and meeting new people. Two of the girls they met today met up with us tonight at Optimum Outlet (a mall) and we (they) went ice skating. fun times.

11.january.2010.//11.ocak.2010.

11.january.2010.//11.ocak.2010.
we have a group of students in town, so i took them down to moda.... beautiful day. beautiful.

10.january.2010.//10.ocak.2010.

10.january.2010.//10.ocak.2010. My dear friends and their 11-day-old daughter, Elif Ece. She is my Turkish niece. :)

Fatih and Fisun are two of my dearest friends here, and I was honored to be able to spend the afternoon/evening with them taking photos of their newborn. She's such a beautiful little girl!

09.january.2010.//09.ocak.2010.

09.january.2010.//09.ocak.2010.

i spent the afternoon with some turkish friends and the evening with a team that's in town and some new and old friends eating some amazing turkish food.

08.january.2010.//08.ocak.2010

beautiful musicians. beautiful truth.

tonight, at the church i go to on Friday nights, there was a (surprise--to me at least) talent show. it was really awesome. there are people from russia, siberia, madagascar, america, canada, south africa, congo, slovakia, east africa, sweden, and more who shared song, guitar, piano, verses, etc. it was really neat to hear what they all had to share. these two were my favorites, a girl from sweden and a guy from michigan.

07.january.2010.//07.ocak.2010.

part of what would later go in the stuffed eggplant i cooked for dinner.

i think this is the first day of the year i've actually cooked a meal. i have eaten at people's homes for a few meals, gone to chili's and eaten partial meals the rest of the time.. haha... i also baked zucchini muffins for the first time this year. my breakfast on most days, along with the necessary coffee. 

06.january.2010//06.ocak.2010

today, English Tea Time started meeting again after a 2 week break for Christmas and New Years. It was nice to have a break, but I missed it.

05.january.2010//05.ocak.2010

today was robyn's birthday!!! so, naturally, we all took this as an opportunity to celebrate at CHILI'S!!! :) Happy Birthday Robyn (1st one as a mommy!)...

04.january.2010//04.ocak.2010

today, i received THREE packages! before today, i have only received one package (in a box) in the 14 months i've been here, so 3 in one day was AWESOME! i have gotten some letters/cards/small envelope packages, but these 3 boxes all came today! :) i got lots of goodies & Christmas gifts.

03.january.2010//03.ocak.2010

if i haven't said this already, i did not decide to do Project 365 until the 7th, so I did the best with what i had taken already. today, i took down my wall of pictures and replaced it with these 6, from Lisbon, Macedonia, and Paris. It was kind of a symbolic action because the first day I got here, October 17, 2008, I felt the most homesick I have felt since I got here. While I was out to dinner with friends, I had the thought "My bags are still packed, I could just go right back to the airport and go home." So, that night, I unpacked EVERYTHING i brought and put up a wall of pictures from home. I am (and have been for a while) at a point where this is more like home and i have so many other memories.

02.january.2010//02.ocak.2010

today, i spent the morning and early afternoon with jules. we met at one of my favorite places in the city, a Starbucks in Bebek. Bebek is an area of the city on the European side near the second bridge. the starbucks sits right against the water and is beautiful. jules' mom gave me this.

"It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free.

Stand FIRM, then and do not let yourselves

be burdened again by the yoke of slavery"

-galatians 5:1

01.january.2010//01.ocak.2010

today, i spent a few hours at rindy & anna's eating and hanging out. a great meal to start the new year off right. yum!