Istanbul...

Istanbul is a breath of fresh air. The city is always hustling and bustling, but in a good city way. People throw their trash in garbage cans and smoke outside. The weather is raining, but perfect for the fall. I love it!!

The people are very friendly and helpful (it helps when you are on crutches)- and they are all physically and visibly unique. So many different faces, shapes and sizes, a variety of hair colors, clothing styles-- most of which seem to fit on the extremely comfortable, but looking great side. I am surrounded by people that could be in fashion magazines. I can't help but gawk at all the differences-- I feel sheltered and at the same time completely inundated by heels in Azerbaijan.

I haven't been able to explore as much as I would like to-- but I have made a promise to return someday. I have so much to see and learn. The language sounds so familiar (because of Azerbaijan), but yet it is so different. Just the simple hellos, thank yous, and such are way different from Azeri. I wish I would have bought the travel book for Turkey while I was at Borders this summer-- it would have been very useful!

The few pictures I have managed to take don't really show the greatness of this city.. but I will share them anyway.


My home away from home.. Tashlik Hotel.


Apparently traffic is always terrible in Istanbul-- especially during rush hour. Needless to say, I was stuck in traffic and enjoying the sights (and the fact that I wasn't driving)-- when I noticed men selling pretzels and fire roasted corn on the cob to the people in the cars. It was great! I wished at that point I had exchanged money at the airport-- the corn looked very tasty!


This street was so inviting... I hobbled down to the end, passing a park and a playground along the way. Then I came to a sort of cliff. Although, the cobbled road didn't end, it just wound around-- quite sharply-- and continue down a steep hill. I was going to take some pictures of the sea from that point, but I was stopped by two young soldiers that were in a guard post on the edge. They were inside a make shaft metal hut, heavily loaded with military gear and weapons. They made a comment about the crutches and then kindly said no photos (which didn't turn out to be terrible because as I got closer the brush and trees blocked the view of the sea). I tried getting a picture of them, but they said I couldn't (or at least that is what I think they said). :)


The seaside is filled with picnickers, walkers, bench sitters, and fishermen. The fishermen-- casting those hefty poles-- meant one thing... clean"er" fish! Not only are there fishermen-- but there are fresh fish stands! I felt like I was at Fishermen's Wharf, in San Diego, in one section that I happened to stumble upon. It was crazy and completely fishy! If I wasn't so exhausted and sick of using the crutches on the uneven cobbled streets, I might have thought to take a picture of the scene.


I could hear the call to prayer in my hotel room. The Mosque was beautiful-- and on the sea.


The view from the front of my hotel... on a gorgeous 73 degree day.


There was a small student protest or march that I was able to bare witness to. It was very interesting. The police were relatively quiet, even as the students blocked a lot of traffic. However, there were helicopters circling the area, observing the events below.


And... I am leaving Istanbul with a not so great souvenir.

cures, advice, and answers

Complete strangers have offered words of advice and shaken their heads saying, "very bad" or "may Allah take care of you" in Azeri and Russian. Some have even offered their "tried and true" methods to cure my ankle issues... crack an egg over it and all will be healed, wrap it in warm bread dough for 2 days, and if it isn't broken just keep your shoe on. Each time I nod, smile, and chuckle inside a bit--- and then I truly consider taking their advice-- just so the darn thing will get better.

Xayyam, however, has given an analogy and answer that beats all.

He starts out with -- Aslan had a leg like your ankle and I took him to a special, but old doctor. (By the way-- Aslan is Xayyam's dog) He continues to give details about how old the doctor was and that he was a very nice neighbor of his. And then Xayyam relays the "doctor's" answers as to what will become of poor Aslan. The "doctor" says, "Well, maybe he will live, or maybe he will die."

And there you have it... Xayyam's answer to my ankle issues... "maybe you will live, or maybe you will die".

way behind..

I have been especially bad about updating this blog since my return to Baku. Things have been a bit busy-- I forget how the beginning of the year can be.

School has started, the cross country season will be coming to an end, and we all survived open house. Even though it is still September, that feeling of always being behind is lingering around me-- but I know that won't go away, even if I continue to work on weekends. It is an uphill battle until basketball season starts (November-ish)... or maybe after winter break.

The first cross country meet is this coming weekend, and then 2 weeks later we are off to Georgia. I am looking forward to visiting Tbilisi again-- especially at the beginning of fall. The train ride isn't necessarily something I look forward to-- but each time I make the trip I feel a bit more prepared.

Ramadan has ended. The fasting has stopped. Today is still a holiday -- and therefore, most places of business are closed (along with our school). The long weekend was a breath of fresh air-- even though I didn't get much accomplished... and I didn't leave Baku as I had thought I might. A day off, is a day off though.

On Saturday I dragged my feet to Ultimate, only to leave about 20 minutes later because of my inability to land correctly. It was an SOS day-- something that I wasn't quite prepared to experience. The medical facilities and personnel are a bit different from those in the United States (just pointing out the obvious)-- prices are definitely not too much different (at least-- for the first visit they aren't). Not knowing anything about the health care here was not such a good idea-- no need to worry, it is on my list of things to learn.

I just thank my lucky stars that I have FANTABULOUS friends. Friends that carried me off the field, got out their first aid kits, iced my ankle, made jokes, got me to a vehicle, drove me to the clinic, became my crutches between car/clinic and room/room, made sure that my paperwork was filled out, made phone calls on my behalf, became my chauffeurs, brought me dinner and treats, and checked on my progress throughout the last 3 days. I truly don't know what I would have done without all of them! It would have been a lonely few days of hobbling if they weren't around!

The verdict... a sprained ankle. I am going back today to have another check-up. Really wanting to ditch the crutches ASAP-- they are not the most comfortable things.