It's a Wolfram Thing

How Many Camels?: Things men said to us

And now on to the ridiculous things that Turkish men said to us:

• I will not eat you 
• Where is the beauty contest? I would vote for you. 
• All I want before I die is to see you in my restaurant. 
• And if you bring you friend back, I will hand wash it with these hands.  Ask her mother how many camels for her. 
• You dropped something… my heart. 
• These have no calories for you. 
• For you, everything is free. 

Bailey and I couldn’t make it more than 10 feet before some man harassed us. One of our favorite guys was located at the restaurant right next to our hotel, and unfortunately there was no way to avoid him. Every time we walked by he would come running out and started asking us where the beauty contest was and then told us that the only thing he wanted before he died was to see us sitting in his restaurant. We tired to find another route to get to our hotel, but unfortunately they were all dead ends.

A great one was when we were fed baklava by the store owner. Then after we finished the rest of our food, the man proceeded to bite Bailey… it was really bizarre. Needless to say we did not return to that café.

Bailey also had another suitor in the Grand Bazaar. When I bought my scarf, the man told me he would give me a deal that if I brought my scarf back to him and brought Bailey with me, he would hand wash the scarf with his hands. He then asked me to talk to Bailey’s mother and see how many camels she would be worth. Lynne, I found your daughter a husband. He will even pay you camels. Camels are very nice, I suggest you take the deal.

So by the end of our trip, Bailey and I had racked up a good number of places that we can never return to… unless she wants to be married off to the scarf vendor. 

I should probably also mention that I was hit by a taxi. Happens in places where cars don’t follow the rules of the road. 

There is no turkey in Turkey: The Food.

Ohhh where to start. The first time I went to Turkey, I really only ate bread. I was an incredibly picky eater and refused to eat anything that did look like a carb. So glad I got over that because I was really missing out. Lets start with the street food.

The street food in Turkey was unbelievable. My favorite meals were all from street vendors. The first quintessential Turkish street food is a donner. Bascially this is a large, spinning kabob of meat (chicken or lamb) that they slice thing pieces off to make a sandwich. We got ours in a pita/wrap sort of thing. The condiments that come along with a donner wrap include tomatoe, cabbage, lettuce and of course French fries. The Turks weirdly put French fries in every sandwich. Its delicious, I approve.

Next up is the baked potato. Start with a giant baked potato and whip in some butter and cheese. Then add the fillings of your choice: corn, spice, yogurt, macaroni salad, potato salad, cabbage, ketchup, mayo, and so more unidentified mush. Bailey and I went with the corn, spice and yogurt… however we thought the idea of potato salad in a potato so novel!

Then there were the fish sandwiches. Go to any section of water in the city, and there will be men catching fish, grilling them right there, and placing them in a piece of bread with lettuce, onions and tomato’s. Incredible simple, but soooo good.

Then there are the carts that litter the sidewalks. Corn, chestnuts, and simiti. Simiti is like a Turkish bagel, but thinner and fluffier. Its like a round piece of bread. And as many Turkish college students would agree, it is the perfect food to find right outside the bars for only 1 Lira. I might even bring it to Georgetown. We also tried the corn because corn is usually delicious. Unfortunately, we must have had a bad batch. At least we tried.

Then there are the desserts. Every other store is a café that sells baklava, Turkish delight, cakes and tea cookies. Around 4 o’clock, Bailey and I set off for coffee and a treat. I really really liked Turkish coffee. It comes in a cup that would be for an American Girl doll, and the grounds are cooked right in the coffee so the bottom of the cup is filled with grounds. Weird but trust me it is good. Turkish coffee with some chocolate baklava…. Best combination ever.

Bailey and I also dabbled in some Turkish cooking. We took a random cooking class and learned how to make traditional Turkish dishes such as lamb stew, smoked eggplant, walnut figs, lentil soup, and zucchini pancakes.  The food we made was even served in their restaurant front, so we are basically professional Turkish chefs now. 

When in Istanbul: The sites

My trip to Turkey can be summed up into three parts: the sites, the food, and the things men said to us. Here is the first installment: The sites and experiences of Istanbul, Turkey.

Now I had been to Turkey before about 8 years ago, and it had left its mark on me. To this day it is still my favorite place in the world, and this second trip only reaffirmed this. Although it is always described this way, Istanbul truly is where East meets West. I like to say it seems like you are in a European city, but something about it is off.

The city is set up on a strait called the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia, on rolling hills. Colorful buildings cover the hills, creating narrow allies and giving it a European-village like feel. The streets and sidewalks are made up of bumpy old cobblestones. Mosques litter the city sky line, protruding out of random clusters of houses.

Of course we visited the big sites, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Tokapi Palace. All were as beautiful as I remembered. We also hit the Grand Bazaar, Pet Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. All were as crazy as I remembered. We climbed on the old city wall through a small Turkish village. It seems I have a thing with climbing walls in foreign countries.

While all these site were magnificent on their own, the most remarkable thing we I saw was the view from the top of the Galata Tower. With a 360 view of the city, I was able to see the great distance in which the city spreads. Mosques randomly scattered around. They were so big and elaborate. Most of the buildings had roof top terraces. I can only imagine how amazing it must be to have your lunch while overlooking the Istanbul skyline… it just has to be a bit warmer than freezing.

While we weren’t exploring the sites of the city, Bailey and I were very Turkish and would get tea and play backgammon. Backgammon is very popular. Random restaurants we went to would have boards to play. Lets just say the competition was heated and we spent more time than most Turkish people playing that game. 

“Authentic” Jordanian.

After a three day adventure touring Jordan, it was nice to be back in Amman and live the life of the average American studying abroad. Well actually not so average because it started off with a shooting on the University of Jordan campus. A snowball fight gone wrong. Helpful Jordanian Tip #38: be careful who you throw snowballs at because they might retaliate with a glock.

The first day in Amman I went to Chris’ gym in the city. We told them I had just moved to Jordan and wanted to try out the gym. Worked like a charm and I got a free day in one of the nicest gyms I have ever been in. I had the pleasure of working out in the ‘Women Only’ part of the gym and getting to watch Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me while I ran.

After the “authentic” Jordanian gym experience, Chris took me around to the two main sites in Jordan, the Roman Amphitheater and The Citadel. We also got the authentic Jordanian experiences of being scammed by 2 six year old girls. We then got the not-so-authentic Jordanian experience of receiving a phone call warning about an explosion in the city.  Gas cylinder explosion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo2lTTae3LI

The next day I had the authentic Jordanian experience of being woken up at 4:30 in the morning by the Call to Prayer. And then off to another free day at the gym. This time at Emily’s gym in Sports City (where the gas explosion had been the day before). If I ever move to Jordan, I will just rotate through all the gyms in the city asking for a free day trial. We continued our day with authentic Jordanian falafel from the Falafel Man, a talk on “Honor” Killings, and of course a tour of the different grocery stores in Emily’s neighborhood. Yes, I really do have an obsession with grocery stores. And with that I had to say good bye to Emily and move on to my next adventure in Turkey.

Of course I knew going to a Middle Eastern country would be a new and different adventure. I was well aware of how I would have to dress, the stares I would get, and even the occasional cat calls that would come my way. However, the experience still managed to shock. Bailey, Emily and I would be walking on the side of the road, and every car that drove by would honk, slow down, and make cat calls at us. Some of them even did a U-turn just so they could come back and harass us more. As we walked through Petra, different vendors would tell us we have nice asses, or pick out which one of us was the prettiest (Emily won the official tally). It seemed off that we were treated this way in a country that expects women to cover and uphold an image.

On a lighter note, I also discovered that the Middle East is the place for me regarding food. Staple in their diets: hummus, carrots, pita, chicken, yogurt, eggplant, tomatoes, honey, tea, cucumbers… if they only had sweet potatoes I would literally be in heaven.

The “New” 7th Wonder of the World

Petra is truly remarkable. It seems even more remarkable when you saved 49 dinar on your ticket because you happen to look like a girl in the Jordan CIE study abroad program.

You couldn’t even tell that only a day before, Petra had been covered in a couple inches of snow. The ground was covered in glorious yellow sand and the sun was shining. It was amazing to imagine the people who lived here so long ago. Petra is an entire city build into rocks. It stretches for miles, and even goes up 800 stairs to the top of one of the mountains.

And while we walked around, absorbing the beauty of the carved monuments, we were offered many a donkey ride up to the monastery. Emily had told us that the one thing her guide had warned her about was not to ride a donkey in Petra. Apparently tourist die on them every year. This doesn’t surprise me considering how steep “stairs” up to the monastery are and how small the donkeys are. 

Good Camel Friends

Many years ago, a dude named Lawrence came to a place in Southern Jordan called Wadi Rum. It was so beautiful and peaceful, he just decided to chill there.

I understand your decision Lawrence.

Wadi Rum is a flat desert with sand dunes, rock formations and Bedouin camps. It stretches for miles, no sign of a city, or really even civilization. The only reminder is the one road that winds through the miles of flat sand. Tucked away in the rocks are small Bedouin villages. We stayed in one called Captains and got upgraded to the “honeymoon suite” (read bigger tent) since we were the only people there other than a Danish couple. Guess that’s what happens when it snows 4 inches in the desert; people stay inside. However the cold and the snow couldn’t stop us.

We explored the dunes, climbed rocks, watched the sunset, ate the most amazing dinner made by the Bedouins, had tea by the fire and tried to see as many stars as we could in the cloudy sky.

 The next morning we got up bright an early and took a camel ride through the desert. Not only did we each get our own camel, but mine came with a baby camel. Score. Camels are probably one of the coolest animals in the world and I never realized it. All I want in life now is a camel of my own. And a mini horse. And a panda. 

Not My Average Spring Break

Spring Break is usually when most people take off to some warm place and get a tan. For my family, we took the more unconventional route to some snowy place and got paler. This year I was on my own and wanted to go somewhere warmer, so I chose a desert: Amman, Jordan. And what do you know, it snowed 4 inches…

Friday morning 6:30a.m, I woke up in my friend Emily’s Jordanian apartment to about 2 inches of snow on the ground. Amman never sees snow. They barely see rain. It’s a desert. We had planned a weekend trip traveling around Jordan hitting up Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Petra. We hoped the snow wouldn’t ruin that plan. First stop was to see if the buses were still running. They weren’t. Luckily Emily had the number of some random driver she had met the day before and called him. So Emily, Bailey, two random Hungarians, two random Germans, the driver and I all squished into a 6-person van and set out to Aqaba (a beach town on the Red Sea).

The van, held together by tape in some places, was about 0 degrees and had us bouncing around more than a 6 year old on a sugar high. As we drove snow still covered the ground. At one point we had to turn around because the road was closed. After about 5 hours in the car our driver pulled over to call and make sure we could still get to Aqaba. At this point we were in a panic because if we couldn’t make it to Aqaba, there were be no way for us to make it back to Amman cause it is snowing even harder there (apparently up to 4 inches) and we all thought we were going to be stranded and freeze to death in that tiny, beat up van.

Luckily that didn’t happen. Two hours later we were at the Red Sea. Look straight across the water and there was Israel, a little to the left, that there is Egypt, and finally we could see our neighbor, Saudi Arabia. I could see 4 countries standing on my hotel balcony. Aqaba was beautiful; it was the beach my spring break needed. It was also a perfect spot for an LO reunion, Emily Hawley, Bailey Buchman, Chris Madden, Chase Bissett and I all together halfway across the world, in the Middle East. The Lake Oswego High School history department would be proud. 

I’m coming back.

Well so much for posting more. I swear I wanted to but this semester has been a whirlwind of crazy from the get-go. So you might be wondering what I have been up to, why I have been too busy to keep my promise of writing more. Well, currently it is 2:24am and I am sitting in the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. I have also recently become the Chief Operating Officer of a 5 million dollar company, as of March 1^st. Basically sums up my life right now in two sentences. Like I said, it has been a crazy, crazy semester so far. More to come when I am back in the states. Just thought I would pop in and say hi!

The “2011 in Review” Post

So who else fell asleep reading at 10:30 on New Years Eve, then later woken up by all the fireworks, grumble a “Happy New Years” and pass out again? Only me? That’s what happens when you are in Idaho for New Years… although according to the local Sun Valley News channel the city was “partying it up” this New Years. Maybe next year. 

In honor of the New Year, I figure I should probably start posting again. Not making any promises, and I know better than to make this my new years resolution cause I will probably fail, but I might as well try a little harder, eh? So what better want get back into the blog than the obligatory 2011 recap post. Here are just a couple cool things about 2011:

• Winter semester I actually loved 4 of my 5 classes which I never thought could happen. One class I got to read graphic novels including Watchmen (incredible). I also took a drawing (read drawling cause for some reason that is how my sisters and I say it) class and learned how to draw things.
• I declared my major and then changed it right after. Final Declaration: Double major in Finance and International Business. 
• Got on the Vittles Upper Management team as the Director of Operations with the best group of people I know. Fixed a lot of fridges and hired a lot of new babies. 
• Watched my sister graduate high school and NOT trip walking across the stage. If you know her you understand that this is a real accomplishment. Now she is at NYU doing film and artsy stuff while eating bagels and pizza and experiencing the NY hipster in all its glory. Hopefully in 2012 I can go up and visit her in NY.   
• Went to China for the summer. Took classes, learned some Chinese words, ate rice, went to Beijing, climbed the Great Wall, experienced culture shock, and had an overall incredible, eye-opening experience. 
• Also had the most amazing experience of my life in China when I climbed the forbidden part of the Great Wall. As someone who usually follows the rules, this was by far the most bad-ass thing I have ever, EVER done. 
• Went Paragliding off a mountain. It was a pretty unreal experience, and for my Opa’s 80th birthday we are going to take him paragliding. He is a huge bad-ass. He also suggested bungie jumping but no one else is brave enough to join him, so paragliding it is. 
• Interned at the US government agency, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) two days a week during my fall semester. Didn’t cause any major international scandals or catastrophes #winning. 
• Had the pleasure of living with the best roommates ever, which helped make fall semester the best yet!
• Had one of the hardest 24 hours of my life trying to move 3000 boxes across campus for Corp Storage… stupid hurricane. But it ended up being not only a great experiences but help guide me to see how I wanted to spend my last couple semesters at Georgetown. 
• Welcomed in 15 amazing new Hires in Summer and Fall to Vittles and spent the semester cashing, fixin fridges, singing Celine and Eazy E, and hanging out with my favorite people at Georgetown. 

Overall a very solid year, can’t complain at all. But now I gotta get used to writing 2012 when dating things… just when I got used to writing 2011. So here is to 2012. May you bring happiness, adventure, challenges, friendship, love, guidance and all else that is cheesy and good. 

Also, I could really do without the apocalyptic ending. Just throwing it out there. 

Memories from the Marine Corps Marathon

On this day last year, I ran and finished my first marathon. 

This was obviously at the finish because I am smiling…

and that is what I looked like during the race. 

When I first wrote about my marathon experience, I likened it to giving birth; like how the whole birth process sucks and you just want it to be over and you are like omg what was I thinking this is physically impossible *Not that I would know or anything but I get the general idea that it sucks and it is the worst pain you will ever feel*… but then once you have the baby you are thinking “Aw that was great I wanna another one OMG more babies, whats labor? I just want babies.” Well I have officially reached the “more babies” stage.  

I made the decision not to run the Marine Corps Marathon this year because after the last one I got a heel spur which basically made wearing any shoes that touched the back of my heel super painful so I was that crazy chick wearing flip flops in the middle of December. Once that started to resolve itself my knee decided to go and I was back at square one. And still kind of am, but now hopefully on the road to recover… baby steps. 

So yesterday, it started snowing… in October. So of course I decided to go on a run. I was in one of those weird moods and I knew the only way I could shake it would be to get out the door and run. It was freezing, I didn’t see a single other person out there, and yes, I am aware that I’m crazy sometimes… but it was also one of the best runs I have ever been on. The last two miles I ran through the start/finish line of the MCM and watched them set up for the race today. Nostalgia starts to sink in. 

I didn’t realize how much I missed running crazy long distances until this morning when i went to cheer on Mary Kate as she ran by Georgetown. The second I got a glimpse of the runners and heard the cheers from the crowd, I almost sprinted back to my room to put on my running shoes and jump in.

I wanted to be out there more than anything, so thats when I decided that next year, I’m gonna run it again. My knee will get better, I will train, and I will run. I’m making a comeback. Bring me more babies. 

And Congrats to Mary Kate for kicking ass at the marathon today! I’m so proud of you!

This one time, at Corp StoRage…

This post is long overdue. But considering I made this blog to document things that I might want to look back on when I am old and grey but probably can’t because computers will be obsolete and instead everyone will share memories through a computer chip that you stick in your ear… I still want to write about it. This is the story about how a group of not-so-average Corpies battle a hurricane and (spoiler alert) kicked its ass.

I arrived back to the district on a humid summer day, August the 21^st, excited to start my life as a junior in college. My plan was to come back a week early, pick up some Corp Storage shifts for the student run company I work for at school (The Corp), relax, explore D.C, maybe go to some museums, eat out at some cool restaurants, stalk Obama for a while, get arrested by the DC police for trespassing at the White House… cool stuff like that. Then the earth decided to completely ruin those plans and thought a natural disaster was what we needed instead.

So here is some background information: The set up of Corp Storage is a giant tent in the middle of campus that we fill with 3000 boxes. On the day we had finally finished moving all the boxes out of the pods they had been kept in over the summer and into the giant tent, the tent company called to inform us that there is a hurricane warning for the weekend and they would have to take down the tent due to the fact that it would blow away and destroy things in the storm.

So there we were… 10pm, 15 college students, 3000 boxes, and only 24 hours to move all of them into a weather friendly location (the only location the university could spare us happened to be on the very edge of campus, only accessible by stairs). So, we loaded up our little hand trucks and started walking them across campus, up the stairs, into a small dance studio in New South, only to turn around to get more boxes.

This was one of those situations, where you knew it was impossible, and you knew that it couldn’t be done, but at the same time you couldn’t stop. No matter how tired you were, or how sore and bruised your arms were, stopping wasn’t an option because if we did fail it would mean that some student that stored their entire college life in these boxes, would lose everything. So we moved on…  braving the occasional sudden downpours and absurd humidity.

I really cannot describe to you how this whole thing felt. I feel like after the first couple hours, we all just became numb, almost zombie like. It was as if we were watching ourselves from above, thinking “damn these people are absolutely bat-shit crazy if they think this is actually going to work.” And no matter how many boxes you felt like you were moving, when you would be back to the tent to get more you would have the horrible realization that there is still over half a tent of boxes and fridges and tubs to move. And the entire time you are thinking, “someone has gotta come replace me soon…” but there was no one, we were our own replacements.

At one particularly low point in the day, we were all lying in the fetal position inside of New South. One person chimed in “I have this theory, that yesterday, we all died, and this is hell.” It was true though, the monotonous task of moving box after box, with no end point and no hope… pretty hellish hell if I say so myself.

Around 10 pm that night, we had a glimmer of hope, all of the Corpie OA’s (orientation advisors) took their break and came to help us… a beautiful, shiny new, blue shirted army swooped in and gave us the finally burst of energy we needed to finish the task. At this point I am pretty sure delirium had set in for the 15 of us that had been their all day, so the last couple hours was a little hazy in my memory. But I do remember the feeling of throwing the last box into the room at 11:45 at night, 26 hours after we had moved the first box across campus. We had done the impossible. We had prevailed against all odds. We had conquered over nature. We had won in our race against the Hurricane. Corp Storage: 3000 Hurricane: 0.

I had said at one point in the middle of this ordeal with tears in my eyes, “In a couple weeks we will be looking back on this and joking about that time we there was a hurricane…” Well its been much longer than a couple weeks, and we are now able to have a chuckle over what we went through. And looking back, even though those 24 hours were some of the most miserable hours I have ever lived through, I can honestly say I am so glad I was a part of this. Not only did I get to help accomplish a nearly impossible task, but I also had the chance to get to know amazing new people within the Corp. 

It even inspired my new hire initiation party costume. The theme: Vitacolypse/Apocalypse. But that is a post for another time…

See now… you get it? 

Remember that time I actually kept up with my blog?

Hi there friends and adoring fans (aka my little sister). I am alive I promise. Since I have gotten back to Georgetown I have been hit by a hurricane of work… literally. But that story will come around eventually. 

Free time has become almost non existent this semester. My time has been spread between my 4 classes, interning at OPIC two days a week, and Ops’ing things at Vittles. So yeah, I have to sacrifice sleep and sometimes even my sanity to do everything, but so far I am happier then I have ever been at Georgetown. 

With the long weekend and the fact that I only have 3 classes next week, I plan to catch up a bit on my blogging, because its a lot more fun to write about my exciting (read: average) life then it is to actually try and get ahead and study for my classes.

So I’ll be back soon… I promise. 

Saying Good Bye to Oregon.

Summer is now over. Time to haul my butt back over to the District and start my THIRD year at Georgetown. Still kind of freaks me out to know I am over half way done until real life starts. I am just starting to get used to this whole “fake life” part… 

My summer has been pretty eventful. From trying to survive in a foreign country, to climbing mountains, to jumping off a mountain, I have basically covered all my bases. The only thing that had been missing was a beach. And that is where the past two days were.

In Oregon, beaches are different. The coast is definitely a more appropriate label. The water is freezing, the air is cold, there are trees that aren’t palm trees growing in the sand, people do not come equipped with umbrellas and towels… and it is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Our beach of choice is Pacific City. No crowds, no tourists, basically no civilization. Just beach. Beachy beach. 

These beach trips have become a tradition for my group of friends from high school, including the curly haired Bailey, the crazy girl Arianna, the “I dont like to wear clothes” Emily, the pasta loving Amy, and finally, last but certainly not least, the ass shaking Maura. For the past 6 years we have gone to Maura’s beach house and spent the hours frolicking on the beach, playing pounce (the best card game ever), and catching up on everyone busy lives. But this year, the trip was even more important, because it was the first time we were all reunited in over 8 months, and might be the last time we are all together until god knows when. Even though we only had about 19 hours all together, we made them count doing what we do best… 

Bailey, Maura, Emily, Amy and Arianna <3