merhaba family and friends!

I've been staying very busy with 3 hours of Turkish lessons every day and lectures by univerisity professors on various topics from Islam to Turkish culture to Human Development in Turkey. Here are a few things I've picked up along the way:

The walking pace here is much more leisurely compared to the states, while the driving is completely insane. Drivers always have the right away. most busy intersections have overpasses for pedestrians, while the brave may gamble a bit, dodging araba/taxis/dolmus/otobus with great skill.

Military service is required for all Turkish males. Raising your eyebrows & your chin, while making a ttttss sound means "no".

I was at a cafe with some friends on afternoon and we thought would be fun to play cards. It was of those places where board games are provided for entertainment. We began dealing the cards and a garson (waiter) comes over to our table and tells us in Turkish to put away the cards, and that we could be jailed for playing cards in a public space. We were with one of our Turkish friends and he explained to us that cards are associated with gamling, which is not something people do in public.

I'm on my way out the door to Kizilay for class...

Gurursuruz!