Orientation, Valentines Day, Dave's 21st
We had international student orientation last Tuesday. Unfortunately, it was pretty pointless. We've heard from other students that we're still going to be lost for the first month. There were students from the US, Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, and Greece. This is a picture of some of us at orientation dinner.
The woman with red hair sitting across from Dave is an Austrian woman named Sylvia during international student orientation. She's a graduate student studying Ottoman literature. She's learning Turkish, Arabic, and Ottoman. She has a crazy cool life. She moved to Los Angeles after high school and moved in with a gay man and became a stunt pilot. She later moved back to Austria where she became an English and Russian translator, and after that a tour guide. She's married to a medieval historian, and every now and then, goes to Turkey to study "Turkology" (or Turkish studies)- her main love in life.
For Valentines Day, Dave cooked me dinner at home. Such an Italian. The bottle opener in my room broke while trying to open the bottle- these are the remenants of the cork.
Our tour leader showed us a nice look out spot to go on campus "if you ever feel depressed". Dave and I sat one day in front of this sign which my friend Başak translated to something like "I adore you Peline, now the birds sing".
This was our orientation guide (I forget his name). He's an engineering studing so he "isn't social and doesn't know many of the buildings on campus". He was a great guy.
Some students from our group.
Our guide took us to the top of the engineering building, which has a great view of the Bospherus. Ayesha, Dave, Carrie, Katie, and Swedish/Turkish girl posed for a hot picture.
Me petting my favorite stray dog Dave and I named Köpek ("dog" in Turkish and "cents" in Russian). A school girl decided to join in on the fun.
Stray cats begging for food in the school cafeteria. They later jumped on our table and tried to steal Dave's food.
Dave turns 21! We all went out to Ortaköy to celebrate.
He's such a tough guy.
Dave looking across the Bospherus with a mosque and the Bospherus bridge in the background. This is a memorable 21st.
My Albanian roommate Rita got a haircut!
Our school forms wanted to know our religion