My Mission: 16 Countries in 6 Months

Today was, yet again, another fast-paced day filled with marble-paper demonstrations, tours of a medresi (school) built by the famous architect Sinan, class in one of the rooms, and a delicious lahmajuhn (Turkish pizza/burrito). I also boldly decided to try the drink, Ayran (a Turkish yogurt drink) without having sipped or tasted one before. I imagined a sweet drink, perhaps with some sort of fruit flavor. Little did I know that the drink was going to be salty, reminding me of curdled milk. Here is a picture of Ayran:
After that we returned to the room and lounged around for a few hours. Kristina and I both noticed the lack of overt exercise in the city. We were used to being at Chapel Hill and seeing runners every 5 minutes, and scores of people heading in and out of the gym. This reminded me of our discussion in class about what Turkey has to do in order to Westernize. Now that they have Starbucks and McDonald's encroaching upon their lands, I think they will realize that they have fully Westernized when they build corporate gyms and fitness facilities. However, this may be a very American thing, and not necessarily Western ideal. The conversation was short, and it reminded us of the large role exercise had in our lives. But complaining is not our motto, so we quickly segued into another conversation. After a few hours we decided to go eat on Istaklul Street. I had a simit (bread with sesame seeds) sandwich. It was filled with cheese and 'spicy sausage,' otherwise known as sucuk. The food here is something that I am going to miss greatly when I return to the States.
After dinner we decided to return to our daily routine and visit our companions on the terrace. Ugur and Ugel were not present, but Marat, the resident, was as usual--cigarette in one hand and an Efes (beer) in another. Clayton and I realized that because we did not have a translator, we learned the language much quicker. We had to learn Turkish quick in order to continue communication between the Americans and Turks. Some of my favorite moments are when we spend time on the terrace overlooking the blue mosque, Hagia Sofia, along with all of the other awe-striking monuments while having stimulating conversations with our Turkish friends. Tomorrow we are planning on going to a nearby club where they play Turkish music. I cannot wait to move my feet to the Turkish beats!