Trying New Things

...not me. I have tried enough new things. This morning while drinking coffee and eating fruit with my host mom I was telling her about a chinese-style meal and she was very interested. So interested, she laid out some chicken on the counter to thaw so that I could make this so-called "stir fry." Going about my early morning business (a.k.a reading, crocheting...) she began cleaning carrots and onions and set them out for me to use and even cleaned rice. I began the fun task of making stir fry, which I am all too used to doing in America. I cooked the chicken with a little seasoning and even less oil and then began cooking the carrots and onions in a little water, to cook them with oil. I added some squash and whipped up a sweet and sour sauce made from tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and compote. Yummy right? The rice finished up and I added all the chicken, vegetables and sauce together to simmer a bit. The finished product looked great. I showed my host mom how to eat with chopstick, she declined. She asked, "Why don't they just grab a fork and eat with that? It is a lot easier."
My host mom tasted the finished product, and after saying the chicken was too tough, finished off the bowl for me. She really enjoyed it and after hearing about Mexican food you can imagine what I will be up to soon.

Istanbul, Part Two

I am trying to think of some of the great things we did. Emily and took the first day and a half visiting the different mosques and touristy places. We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Maiden's Tower, the Obelisk, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, and everything along the way. We made friends with a Turkish man while watching a nightly light show at the Blue Mosque. He recommended places to eat, invited us to his friend's carpet shop, and answered some of our questions. We ate great Turkish food (a lot of lamb and eggplant), tea, and I (of course) indulged daily in Turkish coffee. I even broke down and ate Burger King twice. It was soooo good and I think it will hold me over for another year. I was sad to leave the place and am begin to plan for a second time. The people are extremely hospitable, in part because they hope to sell you something, but also because that is their culture. We ate at a restaurant that had a Whirling Dervish performing. Dervishes are dressed in white with big skirts and they spin with arms in the arm, calling to God. We took ferries to the Asian side of Istanbul and got a 360 degree view of the Forbidden City. Anyone want to go to Istanbul???

Istanbul, Part One

I arrived in Istanbul late Friday night and met up with my best friend, Emily, at the hostel. The hostel picked me up from the hotel and I got a fast view of the beautiful city at night. We drove by the sea coast, weaving in and out of traffic, and raced around the Blue Mosque, lit up at night. It was absolutely beautiful. During my stay I have used that word too much, I fear. My host mom sent me off with a bottle of housewine, so we drank that and ate some Ukrainian chocolate to celebrate our first evening in Istanbul and seeing each other after a year.
The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast at the hostel. Black and green olives, bread with jam or honey, goat and cow cheeses, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, coffee and tea. It was a great start to what would be a long walking day. Because we are girls, we headed to the Grand Bazaar first thing and we were in for a big adventure. The Bazaar is HUGE, I would say it is as big as two city blocks, if not more. There, you can buy anything from rugs, traditional dress, shoes, jewelry, paintings, hookahs, tea...
Immediately entering the bazaar we are attacked by venders yelling at us to come look at their shop. They are saying funny phrases to lure us in, such as "it is my turn now," "are you sisters? we're brothers and single," "did you drop something?" "do you want to buy something you don't need," and the list goes on. The venders can speak several languages and Emily was enjoying the men speaking Spanish to me, thinking I was Spanish. Silly men. Whenever necessary, I would break out my Romanian in order to avoid them.
The venders at the Bazaar are very friendly, but also very pushy. They make a living on selling things, want to make you happy, and want you to walk away with something of theirs and less money in their pocket. They constantly offer you tea and to step into their store so they can show you something. You quickly learn to be blunt, say no, and walk away if you are not interested in something. If the price isn't right, offer your own, and if they aren't down, walk away and they will more than likely head to your offer. I left a lot of money behind in Istanbul.