warm late nights

last night we were invited to a house warming barbecue thing. the text message "i have moved..."  shouldve been a sign, but upon arrival we asked where is [husband]. ops. theyd broken up. either way, we had a wonderful evening. one of the things ive learned in turkey is that when you are invited to an event, you are supposed to bring stuff, without being asked to. although people do often ask "what should i bring", and you can say "nothing", and they will still bring something. after a party or a dinner you often find your fridge is again/still full of stuff thanks to everything people brought...      for the barbecue we were smart enough to bring some meat :)

our friends terrace. 

the flat was close to the Fenerbahce stadium, and there was a game so we heard every goal and more. when the crowd got loud they were also chanting the gezi slogans like  "everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance!"

speaking of parties, our get together on friday was splendid. nice people, nobody touched the music/playlist and the punch was well liked. doctors haydari was claimed to be the best ever. it was very tasty, i agree. Uluc brought a tequila bottle and lime. i think that was kind of a highlight but it turned out to be a double edged sword to some :D i had also made vodka Haribo bears, they were super good. but i learned u need to consume them right way, sitting in the warm they start to shrink and ooze out the vodka. i had a great time but now its time to clean up the mess...

im pretty amazed at how things worked out here in turkey, i remember arriving, the airport had a long passport check queue. the next day i came to kadiköy, Volkan had kindly spotted a flat suitable for me,  and i signed the contract. i had a house warming party soon after, the flat was very "colorful" thanks to all the interesting 2nd hand furniture id bought. but already at that time i was lucky enough to have several friends joining the party. and i remember getting a set of tableware as a house warming gift. and from there on out, its been going relatively well. life is full of surprises...


another thing ive learned in my time... stuff about choosing a partner. there are some signs
one should look out for...

-if you find yourself thinking "oh, thats not good... but im sure it will get better" (for example, s/he is crazy jealous, but "its just because..."), its not good, and it never gets better...
-if your close friends do not like him/her or get along with the person...not good
-if s/he doesnt like your close friends, not good
- if your self confidence is suffering during the relationship...not good
-if you find yourself being unhappy 1/3 or more of the time, due to fights, arguments, whatever...no excuses can make it up, its not good.

im sure there are many other critical signs, but these are the ones ive come across, not necessarily through personal experience but by keeping my eyes and ears open.

interesting article on BBC: a return to the rainforest
syria explained

listening to David Bowie: Let's Dance (spotify) (youtube)