Turks, Tea, and Tulips

My latest and greatest adventure, and sadly the last big trip of the semester, was a weekend jaunt to Istanbul, Turkey. There was a lot of hype leading up to the trip because some friends had gone the weekend before and the city did not fail. 

Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Incredible. Peaceful, even. How a city of 17 million people can be peaceful is beyond me, yet Istanbul achieved it. We only had three days in Istanbul so we made the most of it, staying in the city center called Sultanahmet. It was the hub of all young life, tourist sites, and hidden treasures. After living in Bulgaria where most things are different, I didn't think it would be too much of a shock going to the Middle East, especially considering I'm going to spend six weeks there with my aunt and uncle. It is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was busy and quiet and a little overwhelming with all the men trying to stop me to sell me something or get me to come into their restaurant. It was mainly Keegan and I and we were not short on taking compliments. Everywhere we turned someone was there with a smile and a flattering remark. It was the hair. I'm telling you. See for yourself:

This is pre-windswept, according to Keegs

So here is my take on 5 things you should hit while on vaca in Istanbul. 

1.  Boat tour of the Bosphorus- my favorite part of the trip hands down. Especially when the weather is just fantastic, you can't help but enjoy the rocking boat, the blaring Turkish music (it really did help make the ride, trust me), and the amazing landscape laid out before you. This really gives you a perspective on how big and unique Istanbul really is.

2.  Galata Tower Cafe- undiscovered by most tourists (except now I guess, but I'm not too worried), it is found in Tacsim and very close to the actual Galata Tower, but with the same view (I'm all about the views in Istanbul), enjoy some apple tea and take in the breathtaking picture of both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. On your way there, eat a fish sandwich from a rocking boat restaurant and enjoy the ever expanding view of the city as you cross the Galata Bridge.

3. Blue Mosque- seriously amazing piece of architecture and place of religious worship. Beautiful on the inside, they do close it for prayer in the middle of the day, but it is totally worth going back to see later to just sit and enjoy the intricate painting/script; you have to wear a headscarf if you're a woman and take off your shoes. I do look pretty stylish if I do say so myself. It's a great place to appreciate the religious history of the city itself (also the Hagia Sophia) and to have a quiet moment with God. Inspiring.

4.  Grand Bazaar- it's a great experience, at least once, to be hit on and is completely overwhelming for someone who doesn't shop a lot (aka me), but it was fun to look at all the evil eyes and gold jewelry and scarves.  And, because most shop owners think you're pretty, they'll give you a discount- it worked for me! 

5. Walk everywhere. Keegs and I did a ton of walking every day and it was great because we saw the tourist-y stuff that was near our hostel, the coast, Aksaray, and the non-tourist streets around these areas. It was really great to see how normal Turks live in a massive city and to get to experience places that most visitors don't venture to see. Just walk and explore- that is what traveling is all about right? Turn down a random side street and see where that'll lead you!

Other tidbits: Tea- Drink it. Period. Don't ask questions. If you don't like tea start to because you'll want to drink it while you're here. Especially the apple tea; even if it costs a few lira more, get it. It'll be worth it, most of the time. Get pides. It's reminiscent of an open calzone, but better.  Turkish delight and baklava are house specialties and quite delish and the great thing is you can find them anywhere.

It was the Tulip Festival while we were there so the city was littered with gorgeously vibrant flowers in celebration of the tulip. It's all month long and it adds a small town feel to this monstrous metropolitan. Imagine these, in different colors spotting Istanbul. Absolutely amazing. 

As the semester winds down, Istanbul was a great last traveling hoorah as I buckle down to finish essays and readings for class and start to study for finals. Nasdrave to the next two weeks, it's going to be a crazy, amazing ride. But I'll leave you with one last picture to tide you till next time. 

Sunburns and City Views

Right now I live in Bulgaria, in a city called Blagoevgrad, shortened to Blago. And while being here in the Balkans I've had time to travel some around the area and my latest adventure was to Athens, Greece. I know immediately what went through your mind: white houses with blue roofs and shutters and clear blue waters with ships docked at the port. While that would have been the most picturesque vacation ever, that's not how mine was. BUT IT'S GREECE! So adventure of a lifetime.

I was meeting a friend who I study with at Truman in Athens, Abbi, who is studying in Northern Ireland for the semester and it just so happened that we could be in the same place at the same time. I love it when that happens!

my travel buddies: Mary in the middle, Abbi on the right

Mary and I ventured down to Athens on a 10 hour bus through the entirety of Greece and while it was a nice bus, the sleep was less than adequate. Just know that, all you out there who are going to travel in the Balkans. Bus is way better than train- it's faster and still super cheap. So do it! But you can't get comfortable sleeping. As per usual, Mary and I had a really good talk on the way down, then navigated the metro with the help of a very nice lady who could see we were disoriented at 6:30 in the morning.

The first thing we saw was the Acropolis. Holy. Cow. It was gorgeous.

from the Acropolis

up close...isn't it a beaut?!

I love history and the US doesn't really have history, not like the rest of the world. So being around ancient ruins was just fantastic- all weekend it was just amazing sight after amazing sight: Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, the beach!  I won't bore you with the details of how I finally got to see someone from home, that we had gelato twice a day, that we got soaked trying to get gelato before we left, that we wound through the crooked streets, and got to enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

The conditions were that of a perfect weekend. 23 C (70s F) and breezy. We just explored the Plaka district where we were staying and I fell in love instantly. Oh man. It was just a great time. We did all the tourist-y things that you are expected to do and we definitely had a good time doing it. One of my favorite moments was one night, after going to Palm Sunday Mass (they run on Orthodox Easter which runs a week behind Roman Catholic holidays and services) we decided to climb this hill that had a church on top. It looked really high and so as we started on a walking path up the side we were second guessing ourselves. But that doubt was wiped away by the sight that awaited us at the top. It was Athens in all its glory, glowing a light phosphorescent white as we took in the city by night. It was magical. And some random Korean kid asked to take a picture with us. I don't know why.

We also went to the beach and that was amazing. The sun was so warm and though I'm the kind of person who would rather be cold than hot, I could even appreciate it. We laid out on a pretty chill beach, the only distractions being old leathery men in speedos and one grandma who liked to let it all hang out, if you know what I mean. Soaking up all that vitamin D was wonderful...until we all got burnt. Me most of all. My back got really burnt and my legs too. But that didn't deter me from continuing the adventure; we had a great time even after all of that. Now that I am back I look really tan so I can only hope that some time spent on the Mediterranean in Lebanon will give the same results. I'll come back lookin' black! Ha. If only, right?

Our last day was rainy and we spent it going to Corinth. It was a beautiful bus ride and Corinth itself was really great. Just being where Paul preached and thinking about that was one of the coolest things of the whole trip.  The beach, also, was just incredible. I mean look at it! It was a little stormy and rained some while we were there, but we had brought a picnic of Greek bread and we stopped into this small cheese shop once we arrived and had a cute little exchange with the Greek lady who gave us some delicious white Greek cheese. Oh it was good. We ended up eating it in the bus station, but afterward we enjoyed this:

yep, I was really here.

I know, I know. B-E-A-Utiful! And we finished the day with gelato before leaving. That is when we got soaked by the flash flood in Athens. No worries though....we got our gelato! And it was yummy, like the other six times we'd had it!

As the bus pulled out from Athens and Mary and I settled into our seats, we looked back on the really awesome time we had in Greece with Abbi and the memories made and the friends met and the gelato eaten. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do this trip with anyone besides these two. They made it great. And though I am still recovering from getting in at 5:15am on Tuesday, I look forward to the next adventure: Budapest part one: Friends. Cheers.

What a Sucker

this is the second vacuum I had to use

This is the enemy.  Not the dust covered, ragged to the bone, dirt strewn floor I was trying to vacuum.  I know what you're thinking: Kelsey, it's a vacuum, they all work the same; you turn the button on and move it back and forth watching as the floor magically turns from a gross dull color to a vibrant one. Well, I thought so too. Just another cultural difference I guess, that the vacuums work differently than at home. And they are chunkier, but that is besides the point. 

This little devil, though not really little, is just difficult to use. In theory it is quite easy, like it should be, and yet I had immense trouble with it. Of course. I checked out the first vacuum and started her up only to be serenaded by a whining that only meant she was full or choking on something else she had consumed earlier today. After getting through half the floor I couldn't take it anymore, along with picking out hairballs from her mouth, so I went to get the other vacuum Skapto II had to offer. The bottom was broken. So I turn it on and it sounded like a nice purr compared to Vacuum one. 

I start and the floor attachment falls off; I finish the floor with only the metal pipe, which in the end worked better because I didn't have to wait for this one to swallow. Teo, my roommate, was on her bed and all she could really do was laugh because I was struggling. At one point, I was wrestling with the vacuum to get a Billa grocery bag from its clutches. I won, but not without embarrassment of fighting an inanimate object. I did get the floor squeaky clean, or as clean as it could have possibly gotten, and turned the little bugger in. In doing a nice thing for my room, it turned into way more than it should have been. I guess we know we are spoiled in America when you can't even use someone else's vacuum to get the floor clean. Oh the "problems" of being abroad. How lucky can you be? 

Lights, Camera, Hunger Games!

I'm kind of a movie snob and while that may not be my most redeeming quality I can't help it and here's why. My stepmom worked for AMC for a while and one of the perks was getting to see free movies. Yeah. Any, and all, within certain stipulations. I'm not going lie, in the last two years I've seen around 80 movies in the theatres. Now some of you would see this as a major waste of life but no, no it was not. It was wonderful.

I like to go to movies by myself. Some people feel bad for me and ask why? I don't try asking around and I love going whenever I want to see whatever I want. AMC has become like a third home (behind my legitimate home, Truman State, and AMC is tied with Barnes and Noble) and it's really bad when they know you and ask how you're week has been. I like to snack on Swedish Fish or Raisinets (seriously the best movie junk ever) and when I go with my parents I like to eat my Dad's cinnamon sugar popcorn. Try it, don't deny it. I always pick the seats-two or three rows up and I sit right in the middle. That is the best view of the screen, no contest. I prefer when people don't sit in front of me because then I can put my feet up on the seat in front of me, but I'm not going to get all dramatic if it doesn't work out. I can't miss the previews. That is one of the best parts of the entire movie experience because it gives you reasons to go back, and I want to go back. I'm not a big fan of people who talk during movies or are on their cell phones. Why did you come to a movie when you wanted to be social. You go with people you want to talk to before and after the movie. (Most of these are in optimal viewing situations.)

The Hunger Games. Fantastic. If you haven't read them go and buy them immediately. These books got my roommate Anna to read something fiction- she hates fiction. It is one of the hopeless battles I have with her and I will win eventually, but regardless, she loved them! They are super easy to read and it is endearing to see Katniss volunteer for Prim and then duke it out for her life. She seems tough and yet, she is very vulnerable, proving she's human and not just some robot yielding to the Capitol and to President Snow. This could lead to a very long post though so I will stop here.

Anyway, they had a midnight premiere...in Blago. Seriously?! I was flabbergasted. And ecstatic! We went to check earlier in the week and much to our surprise (Sabine and Keegan were with me) it was playing at 00:30 (military/European time still takes some time adjusting to)! Oh man! We high-fived and yes, we were out in public and it was a very exciting moment. And then the guys behind us were laughing and pointing, but hey I didn't care. I had been talking about this movie for the past 6 months. I was stoked to see it and it was in tiny town Blago! I was jittery the entire day. Class was a waste because how can you think about anything else when Hunger Games is on your mind? I don't really know either.

So as I walked out of the theatre and into the chilly Bulgaria night air at 3:00 in the morning, I was content. My friends had put up with me for so long about this and Sabine and Mary even read the book before the movie and that made my heart full. What a sacrifice for them, right?! But not only was I content, I was awake. Literally. It felt like 14:00 and I was ready to rumble. And though I had class the next morning I couldn't go to sleep so to celebrate the Games we went to Piano Bar, where it was practically empty, and we danced. And had a really really really good time. And I got back around 4:30 and went to bed only to wake up the next morning at 9:00 to edit through a paper and go to class. Oh the college life. May the odds be ever in my favor!

(3) You know you're in Bulgaria when...

Restaurant style:

-  you point to order and you usually stick to things that have pictures on the menu. And they shake their head like they are saying no, a little bob, but in reality they are saying "ok"; so don't be fooled, although I still haven't gotten used to it.
-  they use plastic cups for everything. And these are thin cups, like the hot drink being poured into it could probably burn a hole through it and then you'd really be in trouble. And it's not very environmentally friendly, all this plastic.
-  main dishes on every menu: pizza, pasta, potatoes, cheese. Always. You will never be without meat and taters and that is a fact.
-  restaurants have TVs and they either play VH1 or a runway show. The music of the place usually doesn't match the TV so as you sit trying to eat, you listen to overly loud music, watching a runway show, and shout in a futile attempt to talk to friends.
-  a lot of places have a ton of options on the menu, but be wise in choosing because not everything advertised is served on any given night. So make sure to have at least a plan B, even a plan C.
-  Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper have become really good friends. The food is kind of bland because they don't use a lot of seasoning when cooking so everywhere you go there is salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar on the table. Always.
-  food never comes out all together and though we've gotten used to it over the past few months, it is a tad bit odd because you know when you eat and other people don't have their food so they watch you eat yours? That happens constantly here.
-  you can't split checks. Everything comes on one and they expect you to take care of it amongst yourselves. Big groups are horrible for this and even in small groups of 3-5, it's still difficult. It is a special skill to split a check when everyone has 10s and 20s. Let's just say you start a money lending circle with certain people and it's a regular thing to pay people back and to be paid back.  

It's the Normal Life...

Every day I get to see mountains. I get to witness their snowy caps reaching for the cloudless blue skies in an effort to look majestic and beautiful. And they do not fail. They stretch to seize the sky and look to dominate the scene. And they do. They are utterly captivating. You can't help but stop to look at them. The weather has been so nice here lately: sun shining, clear skies, green grass, a rushing river, and NO snow. But that isn't the only thing that has changed. The attitudes of people, the atmosphere of the day, and the view toward life has morphed into something else. Everything seems positive and bright. It radiates and people bask in it.

What is normal? I think it's what we make it to be, how we see things. It's stereotypes and personalities and opinions and events and traditions and rites of passage. It's about perspective. But is anything really normal? I'm not so sure anymore; I don't think normal is the right word. Seeing mountains every day is normal here, and seeing the luscious, tree clad Quad is normal when I'm in Kirksville, but I'm staying in both of these places for only a certain period of time- for Blagoevgrad it's four months and in Kirksville it's four years. Being in Ukraine a couple weeks ago made me realize that normal is temporary. People in Kiev, or really anywhere besides the States' East Coast, get to live in history [we have a very short national history and not many places showcase that outside of the east. I'm also biased and don't have full knowledge of other places in similarity to the States' situation]. They get to walk by famous monuments and churches and museums and amazingly intricate architecture and that is normal for them. And millions of people all over the world flock to these places to see what these locals see everyday.

Not to be morbid, but life is temporary. I don't think I'm saying anything new when I point this out, I have just come to see it in a different light. Being away from home and realizing all the places I want to see and all the possibilities this life offers and seeing that the world really isn't that big once you step out to explore it, it's exciting. It's good that things don't stay "normal". I won't be living in Bulgaria in about a month and a half and I will be off to Beirut and then back to the U.S. and then to school. But what is after that? I don't know exactly and for right now I'm okay with not knowing. All I do know is that in this moment, I just want to be here with these people, in this place, having these experiences because in three or four months they won't be normal, they will just be remnants of a normal I fell in love with.

Barriers and Будьмо

Can you feel it? That hum? That pulse? It runs not in your veins but in the streets, through neighborhoods and shops, into people as they go about their daily lives. As they walk briskly to work or stroll the City Center during rush hour. And as I sat in the underground mall or walked the streets of Kiev, Ukraine, and watched people go about their lives I realized this is normal. For them. Yet for me, it's one grand adventure- of seeing a new place and experiencing a new culture, a new language. And to think that people walk by St. Sophia's Cathedral or Independence Square every day and don't really see it is incredible. Every city has a heartbeat, and I was lucky enough to feel Kiev's.

In our society today do we take the time to stop and truly listen or see or feel something? I would say no. We are rushing constantly trying to make appointments and lunches and we let the little things slip past us as we "live life". Going to Ukraine and living in Bulgaria for two months, I have come to the realization that we take many things for granted and we don't even acknowledge it. We get hung up on when homework is due or what we should do over the summer or how we are going to make money for next semester. All are valid things, but did you notice the gorgeous mountains with snowy caps set to a clear blue backdrop? Did you take the time to see how your friend is doing or eat lunch slowly and really taste the food you are eating?

Ukraine was a wonderful experience. I set off last Friday with two amazing friends- Mary and Sabine- full of adrenaline and excitement as we left Blago to set our scene in Kiev and L'viv for a week. We saw so much and walked even more (we literally walked the entire city, at least that is how it felt anyway), but of course what would an adventure be without its barriers. Keeps things interesting, right? That's what I think too.  Language would be the biggest and most foreseeable thing, of course, and every other obstacle we had stemmed from the fact that we couldn't speak the language. Being in a Bulgarian language class really helped in knowing the Cyrillic Alphabet, yet even then there were little differences. Example: Ukrainians use the "И" and "ї" for the same sound. So some words would you the first, some the second. In Kiev you would use Russian and in L'viv you used Ukrainian. It's little things like that. 

This is one of the smoothest trips I've ever been on. Mary, the courageous one who asked people for help, Sabine, the decision-maker, and I, the navigator (for those of you who know me, what were those two thinking, right?!), we made the perfect traveling team. There was cohesion and we talked things out instead of getting heated with one another, and we approached things with a positive attitude. How I could get so lucky to have these two ladies was mindblowing really. And they are just a blast to be with. We had this thing throughout the week, one of my favorite parts, where when we had just done something really awesome or a situation that could have gone really badly turned out fantastically, we would group hug. Right there wherever we were. That's right, in the middle of Kiev, crowded streets and all.

One of the coolest things we saw was the Chernobyl Museum. It is about the nuclear plant outside of Kiev that in 1986 blew up because of high radiation levels. It devastated people's lives, killed many, and forever altered Ukraine. And yet, when did we learn about it? Never. I hadn't heard of it and we aren't taught it in school, at least not in the U.S. It was amazing to see these people and the aid they received and what they had to go through and to know that it was mostly covered up at the time is astounding. To think that there is stuff that happens that is never revealed to the public is kind of scary. To think that people have the power to alter history and we (the public) never really knew what happened- wow. The world is all about striving to gain power in any way possible and once they have it they will do anything to keep it...think about that for a minute.

On a happier note, the food and beer was really good. Ukrainians know their light beer and sausage. We had some amazing meals and those are some of the times I will remember the most. The good company, the easy conversation that flowed between us, the delectable food placed before us. If you are ever in L'viv, go to Kumpel- a brewery with in-house beer and homemade sausage- and Bunker- set in a 1940s bunker from WWII it has great food and a lively atmosphere. Get the half meter sausage. So yummy.

After being in Bulgaria and going out with many different nationalities, we have a new cheers to add to the list. Nasdrave for Bulgaria, Prost for the Dutch, ¡Salud for the Spaniards, Lechaim just because, and now Budmo for Ukraine. So despite all the obstacles we faced throughout the trip (which were few in number) at the end of each day there was always a drink and a cheers waiting for us in order to celebrate. To celebrate life and new friends and a new city and a new perspective on the life that God gave me. And now settled back into life in Blago, with a new appreciation for the surrogate home I have made here, I raise a glass to you, to living life and risking what you know to gain even more than you expected to receive.

Будьмо!