It's Raining, Hallelujah!

Ok, so not much to add, we're just getting into a regular routine of working. Remember how I said we were going to Bada St? Haha! Well it's actually Baghdad St! They pronounce it Badat St., and spell it Bagdat St here! lol! Way off!

Oh we went to this flat party the other night on the European side! The guys we went out for beers with a few nights before, one of them knows this guy that just moved into a flat and was having a welcoming party. Dude, this place is nuts! He's a yoga instructor and his company is paying him to live there, and the flat is also the studio. Only they barely use it! It's completely decked out in super contemporary decorations and everything. Not only that, but the view from the roof top is unreal. 360 view of Istanbul! You could get lost up there for days! So anyways, a few nights later, we went back to the European side (just Katie and I) to go to Taksim (the big quarter to go out in, tons and tons of bars and clubs). We went there to meet up with this Aussie we met at English Time head quarters, Mitch. He's at one of the other branches over there. We told him we hadn't been out to the Euro side yet so he invited us out. Well out of ALL places we could have ended up that night, we ran into Dylan -the guy who had the flat party! It's a small roof top bar that had amazing world music playing. It was odd because we barely even got to talk to Dylan at his party and when we ran into him, he was so stoked! He whipped me out onto the dance floor almost immediately (which was awesome except I really had to pee and really needed a beer after the loads of stairs we climbed before we finally settled on that bar -it took us 3 or 4 for Mitch and his friends to settle on a place, all of which had flights and flights of stairs to climb since they were located at the top of each building). Katie and Mitch met up with beers on the dance floor where we proceeded to dance the ENTIRE night! Perfect! Dylan is this hilarious, odd guy. He's a crack up! Anyways, he wants me to be his tango partner! Haha! Cuz you know, you go to Turkey to take a Tango class! So I told him I would! Once I get the details on it, I'll decide for sure!

Mustafa and his wife just keep getting better! The other day, maybe an hour before I had to go to work, Mustafa comes to my door with a bowl of Cusir (type of couscous dish)!! I had been hoping they were just gonna offer some of there good, authentic home cookin that we so often smell just delicously wafting about the place! I ate it in my room as I was getting ready, and then on my way up to wash the dish -right before I left - I see and thank Mustafa and he was like chai chai (turkish for tea, black tea, not like chai latte) while motioning me into their apt-like-room. I really had to go and I tried to tell him, but he just couldn't understand why I would eat a meal and not finish it without tea! So I finally gave up and went in to his apt! Which is exciting cuz it's all Turkish style furniture and stuff. His wife was sitting in the middle of the floor on a carpet and had a huge tray that they eat off of with various other items surrounded about. We started telling each other what each thing was in Turkish and then in English (since they want to learn too!) It was so cute! They make so much fun of me for not hearing or not getting a word correctly, but when it was their turn, they couldn't do it either! Haha! They were making fun of each other and blaming the other one if they couldn't remember! Ha! I love 'em!

Today it's raining SUPER hard! I love it! Finally, not soo freakin hot! Plus it's thundering and lightning out, I think one of my fave weathers! I had just gotten back from "an interview" and went up to the kitchen (top floor, where the common room is -which also has a large patio). I just finished making tea and was looking out the windows in the common room when Zabada and her 14 year-old son Ramazaan, came with tarps. At this point, it was coming down extremely hard, and they went out to go put the tarps on the floor -wearing no rain jacket or anything! I couldn't just stand there and watch them get soaked, so I ran out to help them! She was yelling at me to get back in, but I just grabbed more tarps! It was so much fun! We were laughing the whole time, she couldn't believe I went out in the rain in my nice work clothes! After we were done with the tarps we just stood there laughing at each other getting even more soaked by the rain! I would have stayed out there longer, but I didn't want to get struck by lightning -the top floor is part roof, where the patio is).