Hello friends. I am currently sitting on my very own bed in my very own apartment using my very own internet. Praise the powers that be for all those things! Internet at home is revolutionizing my life in Turkey!

So, this week I don't have any students. Not a one. Some of the showed up, but not enough for a real class. So, I am kind of wandering around aimlessly this week, doing this and that. Editing something here, researching graduate schools there, you know the like.

I had my second Turkish lesson with my Turkish teacher Ibrahim--it was a little lacklustre because I was distracted by other things. However, my Turkish is coming along (not nicely really, but it is coming along). For example, this morning I was able to negotiate paying my water bill using only Turkish and not having to draw any diagrams. How, you ask? Well, I started by explaining (roughly) that I am a dumb, but lovable, American. It turned out to be a charming exchange and he even evinced some interest in Texas. I felt pretty triumphant.

The time has changed in Amasya and it is getting dark pretty early. I am not such a big fan, I must admit. For example, by 5 o'clock today it was dark dark dark. But the daylight that we did have was pretty and pleasant. That is definitely worth something.

At the end of this week (friday morning), I am going to leave Amasya for Kırrıkale (sp?) to meet up with a friend and then continue on to Göreme to see awesome land formations, like the fairy chimneys (yes, that is what they really call them--awesome!). After Göreme may come a trip to Antalya. We shall see. Antalya is supposed to be one of the most visited or the most visited place in Turkey because so many Russian tourists come down to see some sand and sea. It should definitely be very pretty. You can expect some good photos in the coming weeks.

I wish there was more to report at this point, but there really isn't. Oh, one interest thing: I learned how this dish called çiğ köfte is made. Çiğ köfte are made from bulgar, spices, onion, and traditionally RAW meat. So, you can't get real çiğ köfte in the stores anymore, because of the RAW meat problem, which makes it a great thing for me to eat. Anyway, some research assistants from the university came over to make it at our apartment. It was quite a production. It turns out that it should be made on the floor (not literally on the floor, but you should sit on the floor and make it). So, there is this big pan that looks like a spring form, but isn't. In the pan you mix the bulgar mixture with water and over the period of like an hour or so you add in different things until the bulgar has soaked up the water and the mixture is dry enough to squeeze into köfte balls (not really balls because the shape is the inside of your fist when you squeeze the köfte together. Anyway, it was interesting to see it made. There was also some dancing. After the çiğ köfte is ready you eat it with lavaş and/or lettuce with lemon juice. You drink this thing called ayran with it, which is water and yogurt. Pretty tasty. They were also nice enough to make me some before adding in the raw meat. I'm still doubtful about whether eating raw meat "cooked" by spices is advisable, but everyone else seems to have survived.

Also, I should add that this çiğ köfte party came only one night after a rather successful Halloween party staged by yours truly and housemates. We carved melons that looked like pumpkins (because the pumpkins here are green) and were generally merry. We had candy and played pin the leaf on the pumpkin. It was cultural exchange galore!