Home is where the Döner is

Dear all, today’s post is on a wonderful topic that probably belongs on a blunt card: domesticity. Today, I started down the path of truly living in Istanbul. I purchased an Istanbul kart – the public transit card that you use when you are going to be in Istanbul for a while (as opposed to the single use tickets that are also available). Also, I did today what is, perhaps, my favorite thing to do in a foreign country – that is, visiting a supermarket. I love seeing what brands are there and what products are in stock. I made some key discoveries, one of which is cherry juice. I bought a little juice box of it for a half lira and was quite pleased. I also found a little bookshop, which, to my great surprise, was having a DVD sale. I was completely shocked by the selection - I found a great looking Turkish film, and a Chinese film by Zhang Yimou (The director of Raise the Red Lantern and several other very famous Chinese films) each for 5 lira (a wee bit over 3 USD). Needless to say, those are now in my possession as well as a tiny pocket-sized English-Turkish Turkish-English dictionary that cost an additional 5 lira that has proven to be quite useful.

Also, I want to give you an idea of where I’m living is Istanbul. If you will look at the blow map, cast your attention to the green park in the bottom left. That is roughly the area I am living in. Also, below are a few pictures of the area.