weighing things

i have to say im a little scared of stairs i guess. i dont think i stumbled on them much more than anyone else but im a little paranoid that it would happen unless im careful. so i try to keep my hand close to the rail, sliding my hand on it, but its made me very conscious of how dirty the rails must be... im not bacteria phobic but its a little uncomfy to think of all the things that lay on that surface. although the sink in my bathroom is probably not much cleaner right now. hmm.

someone in dA asked for my opinion -pros and cons- on istanbul, she is thinking of studying abroad and istanbul is one of her 3 options. this is what i wrote;

"
pros: turkish people are lovely and warmhearted and helpful, you can count on your neighbors and the postman will want to get to know you. life is relaxed in many ways and u dont have to stress about many things so much, things happen when they happen and so on - u r allowed to be laid back. there is a lot of flexibility and a lot of things are easy and cheap. food is good and cheap. the history combined with modern lifestyle makes a nice and interesting combo. transportation options are quite good. there are many interesting areas and places to see and definitely a lot of things to do. u get a feeling of life in both east and west, it is a learning experience and eye opening in a very good way.

cons: the flexibility i mentioned goes both ways, things dont happen like u hoped sometimes, people are late and you cannot trust on quality or things in general, and nobody seems to take responsibility for anything. truth is flexible. internet is expensive. there is a lot of bureaucracy which is also pretty much random so one needs a lot of patience. if u care about such issues; womens rights, gay rights and some human rights in general are shitty and government blocks websites as they see fit. alcohol is also expensive as is heating, and some western products/brands are not available or if they are, they are expensive.

religion(s) is not an issue. "