Done with school, summer is here, and it's my birthday!

I took my last final this morning at 9, turned in all my homework, and am done with school for the semester! Besides some grade grubbing ("PLEASE PLEASE PASS ME") tomorrow, I am completely finished. It's about 100 degrees out every day, so summer has definitely arrived and in full force for my last bit of time here.

Since I've gotten back from Spring Break, tons has happened... but the highlights were getting close with my roommate Miranda, summer concerts put on by Galatasaray (right on the Bosphorous) and Bogazici Universities, seeing more of Istanbul (new mosques, cool mosaics, fun shops with friendly shopkeepers), a boat party put on by my friends for all the exchange students (4 hours on a yacht with all your friends, tons of food, and an open bar!), long lunches at Arkadas cafe, laying out in the sun on campus, finding an unofficial bar owned by an Austrian man who lives there when it clears out at night, loving all my friends, figuring some stuff out about myself, and in general, LOVING my life. Obviously, my life is too full to write in my blog, haha.

Today I went out to eat at Arkadas with Miranda... and the guy who owns it is so cute... he gave us bracelets and a little cake with a candle. And I didn't think I was gonna get candles on my birthday. So crazy... I have been waiting to be 21 for a long time, but never ever did I imagine I'd spend it in this beautiful city, with such amazing people, blowing out candles at cute cafes and eating meze surrounded by Turkish people.

My friend Lizzie turns 21 on June 11, so we have a joint birthday party tomorrow night! So much cake is gonna be in my life! And then the next day I'm heading to Sofia, Bulgaria with my friend Devin. I think I'll get to Belgrade, and maybe some of Croatia before hopping back to Istanbul to catch my flight back to the good old USA. Pork products and medium rare steaks... here I come :)