Monthly Archives: October 2013

What do you use carpets for? To wipe your feet on, cover ugly scratches on the floor, or cushion a hard surface?  I used to think so.  Yesterday I found out that I was wrong.  Carpets can have bigger dreams … Continue reading →

How to register your foreign phone in Turkey forBoUn exchange student You should really just get a shitty phone for the four months you’re here. It’s much easier – I promise. But if you want the full copy/paste/integrated texting-browsing experience of your … Continue reading →

1) Don’t make eye contact 2) Gracefully refuse any and all marriage proposals 3) Appreciate that this is the only time in your life you will be compared to Shakira, Angelina Jolie, or one of Charlie’s Angels 4) Just say … Continue reading →

Our weekends are always packed with exciting activities, and this past weekend was no exception. I’m loving this whole no classes Friday business; it’ll be hard to let go of at Duke. We wandered İstiklal Avenue in the Beyoğlu district, … Continue reading →

This past weekend, the program went on an excursion to the Prince’s Islands. These islands are located off of the coast of the city of Istanbul, about a one-hour ferry ride away. There are no cars allowed on the islands, … Continue reading →

So it’s all happening. I’m in Istanbul for the long haul, which is of course only actually until December 20th. Have I have any huge epiphanies? Is life here like a different planet? I mean after spending the summer in … Continue reading →

Yesterday, we visited the Princes’ Islands, about an hour-long ferry ride away from Istanbul. We began with a small hike to the Halki Seminary, a Greek Orthodox Seminary that was shut down in 1971 when Turkey ruled that all private … Continue reading →

On our many adventures through Istanbul and Eastern Turkey, I decided to capitalize upon the opportunity of spending time with such attractive people in such beautiful places. I’m an eager amateur photographer fiddling around with my camera and taking so … Continue reading →

Seventh grade History of Ancient and Modern Global Empires class was where I first learned about the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). While discussing the Ottoman conquest of the city of Constantinope, our teacher showed us pictures of this indescribable architectural masterpiece. … Continue reading →

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I left my pedometer at home, but I think it’s safe to say we definitely got our recommended 10,000 daily steps this past Saturday and Sunday as … Continue reading →