I can see Asia from my house!

I really can, and it's awesome. Things have been excellent since I last posted, except for the mosquito bites. On my first night here I acquired 15 bites, and most of them are still very swollen and itchy. They feel very different from American mosquito bites, but I may just be having an allergic reaction to the new species. They hurt, and they actually make it kind of hard to move my hands and ankles due to the swelling. But hey, if some uncomfortable bites are all I have to complain about, life is good. No more open windows at night, though.

Yesterday was unfortunately rainy and cloudy, but I ventured out for a bit anyway to find food. I couldn't find any places in my vicinity that had English signs or seemed particularly foreigner-friendly, so I went into a döner kebab place that seemed promising. The cook was incredibly nice and asked me about myself in very broken English. I speak very little Turkish, so the conversation was a confusing mix of Turkish, English, and French, the other language that he speaks. The food was phenomenal. It consists of cooked lamb strips in pita, topped with tomatoes, french fries, and pickles. I was skeptical as he was making it, but it tastes fantastic. I went back there today to get more, and he remembered my name and was very happy to see me again. He told me that I am very beautiful, in a nice non-creepy way. I suspect I'll be back there quite often for the cheap and delicious food.

Once it finally cleared up, I spent quite a while walking around the area and trying to learn my way around. I got kind of lost in the winding residential streets, but always felt very safe due to the families and small children running around everywhere. Eventually I found the main street and stopped by a grocery store to pick up some food (Cocoa puffs, my comfort food). The milk comes in boxes that don't need refrigeration, but tastes pretty much like the milk I'm used to. Afterward I stopped in the park near my apartment, which overlooks the strait and the Rumelihisarı Fortress. The view is spectacular, but the cloudiness prevented me from taking any pictures that would do it justice. I took some better ones today, but I need to borrow my roommate's computer to upload them until I fix my stupid memory card fail.

I spent the evening hanging out with my roommates, drinking wine and Turkish coffee and having good conversations about politics, religion, love, and music. They were surprised and saddened to hear that America generally has negative feelings toward the Middle East, and that my family was very scared that I was going to Turkey. My roommate recently went to Iran and said it was lovely and not at all like the Western world says it is.

Today was spent exploring the university and trying to get a feel for the campus, though the oppressive heat made this a difficult task. This evening I will hopefully go out with my roommates and explore the Istanbul nightlife. Right now there is a man measuring the windows in the apartment to put screens in them. My roommate was appalled by the swollen bites all over my body and called the guy as soon as she could. I told her that I can deal with it, but she says they had been considering it anyway. I'm excited, because making the decision between sweating all night or being miserably itchy all day is not fun.

I apologize for the lack of pictures. I'll upload them all this weekend. For now here's a picture of one of our cats, Maya (the other is Inca):