Mutlu Yıllar!

Happy New Year from Turkey!  The last couple of weeks have been kind of a blur, but I'll try to summarize.  Christmas was wonderful - we celebrated with a great party on Christmas Eve, a service at the Union Church on Istiklal, pancakes on Christmas morning, and dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant in Sultanahmet.  Plus classes, of course (strange but fine).  Here are a few pictures...

It is possible to cook breakfast for 12 on a single-burner hotplate (with help from friends)!  We even had a little Christmas tree and decorations courtesy of my wonderful aunt and cousin!

Christmas dinner with the Hagia Sophia (photo courtesy of Adrienne)

Chestnuts roasting over an open fire on Istiklal Caddesi

New Year's decorations for sale near the New Mosque
Almost no one celebrates Christmas, but New Year's is a big deal.  The decorations look very much like those found in the US (or Western Europe).  I guess since Saint Nicholas is supposedly from Turkey, this is appropriate!

New Year's Eve was also a fun night spent with friends.  Now it's on to finals (starting on Monday)!  I hope to post more throughout this next week as I should have plenty of time outside of studying (okay, mostly procrastinating) to share some more observations about this wonderful city and the experiences I've had over the course of the semester.  It's so strange to think that classes are over and I will be traveling back to the States in a month!