First week

So I've been here a week now. It's been a week of firsts, and Sorting Shit Out. In the latter category falls the boring but necessaries - getting keys, akbil (oyster card equivalent - makes a more pleasing doodly-doo sound on use), registration on turkish course, etc etc.

In the former, and more photogenic category, there was the following...





First morning - this is the view from my window. Not bad eh? That's Heybeli below, and suburbs of the asian side of Istanbul opposite. There's snow on the hills there - that morning was also the first snow of the year here. Seems I brought the weather with me. (Not quite in the same league as what y'all have been having in UK, I gather, but there you go.)





First meze and rakı supper, on the first evening I think.

This fetching one of me was taken at our first houseparty. This being on the day after I arrived, with S's mum and friends in attendance. They were incredibly kind - both our landlady and one other guy I'd met just once before actually bought me proper wrapped gifts, which was genuinely touching.

So all very lovely but bordering on A Bit Much for a second day - you will notice, for instance, that I have adopted the "Yeah, I'm too cool for school" pose. This is very closely related to the "I'm skulking in the doorway in an attempt not to be rude but not to actually have to participate in the conversation, because whilst my incredible ability to say 'One tea please' in turkish may get me reasonably far in cafés, it doesn't quite cut the ice in party style ratatat-tat style banter" pose.




This is the view to my house (top left) from 5 minutes down the hill, taken on one of my first explorations of the island.


And finally - more rakı.



The view across the Bosphorus again. We're sat outside our gaff, having just had our first outdoor barbeque of the year. A rather pleasant way of spending a January evening - picture me blowing a raspberry in the UK's general direction.