Lack of Posts = Craziness. Have I mentioned? Istanbul = LOVE

So it's been forever, but definitely not for lack of things to say. School is starting to happen (midterms what?), my time is visibly passing (it's halfway over, oh no!), and I'm finding my niche (I love my Istanbul peeps).

This weekend I took my first trip with a group of friends to a city in Turkey. We chose Safranbolu (a city famous for its huge collection of old Ottoman houses, and its deeelicious Saffron lokum) and Amasra (a city on the coast of the Black Sea). I went with my friends Devin, Adam, and Max, each of us looking for a break from the busy and sometimes stressful life we find in Istanbul. Now every week is great but this weekend can be described as the most laid back, silly weekend I've had in a while. We'd wander around relatively deserted towns (these are mainly Turkish holiday locales, and it's not exactly tourist season), stop randomly for tea or food or just to sit and talk. It was nice to get to really know people versus the kind of superficial meeting you do when you meet a ton of people at once. And what better place to do it than some small towns in northwest Turkey?

I came back and realized that Spring Break is coming up soon. And since Sarah and I have been planning a trip that will take up more than a week, we wanted to leave a week early. HOLY CRAP THAT IS IN 2 DAYS! So today we are going shopping for tourist backpacks -- I found a place where they are only 40 Lira. I don't know the quality, but that is a damn good deal for something that name brand can range from $120 upwards. We'll see when we actually end up leaving...

So anyways, I'm off to lunch with Miranda, my roommate in Superdorm at my favorite cafe by campus. The guy is so nice you get a huge hug when you come in. Ad I really wanted to try this Turkish drink called Salep that you usually drink in the cold of winter. When I asked for it he made it special for me the next day, and now whenever I come in they have it. Yay! Salep time!