I love how my grandma's home is so close to the seaside and the touristy areas of the city.  It makes for a lot of fun at nights and days (especially nights).  Yesterday my friend and I were unfortunately stopped by police.  We were playing basketball at the nearby high school.  By the time we were done, the gates were closed so we had to jump over them.  I still don't know how I got through that fence without a scratch (the fence had metal spikes at the top and barbed wire on top of that).  As if that wasn't enough excitement for the day, police had to cross by while I was waiting for my friend to come down (we were the last two people left while everyone else went a little ahead of us).  The police weren't that bad.  I thought the whole situation was funny at the time.  The only thing that was going through my brain was what a story this would be for my mom and if they took us to the station (cause they wouldn't take us to jail for something this small but we could've stayed at the station overnight) how the phonecall would go when I called my grandma telling her the dilemma.  Thankfully the police just played with us a little bit and let us go with a smile and warning.

To Loretta or Joe:

Can someone tell Kelly to return the movie: Running With Scissors.  She told me she was going to return it but my mom got a phone call that it's still not returned.

Just got back from my uncle's house.  ıt's amazing how much of a culture difference there is here.  It never ceases to amaze me.  Some of my own cousins since they've come of age or got marrıed (or sınce I have come of age as well) don't touch me anymore.  I'm sayıng no handshakes or kısses on the cheek for greeting.  It was stıll a great tıme.

I fınally met wıth some of my old neıghborhood frıends.  Most of them as I fıgured moved.  Hopefully I'll be seeıng Pırates 3 wıth my frıend soon.  Every evenıng I go and play basketball wıth them.  Its funny.  I barely play basketball ın the country that ıs was fırst ınvented but I play here lıke none other.  What really embarasses ıs how much more they know about the NBA then I do.  Some of the kıds lıterally know the whole roster of all the 30 teams.  It ıs hot lıke none other.  I have never sweated just by standıng around (maybe sınce the last tıme I came here).  Loretta would have a wet T-shırt contest on her own here.  My tıme ıs comıng up soon so I cant really wrıte that much.  Enjoy yourselves and talk to you later.

I wrote thıs HUGE entry and the computer deleted ıt.  I cannot wrıte tat agaın.  ı'll sum ıt up.

Turkey hasn't changed much.  A lıttle more europeanızed wıth publıc drınkıng and dısplays of affectıon.  People are stıll nosy and stare at me just lıke ths lıttle boy rıght next to me at the cafe.  If he wasnt so small and cute I would be annoyed.  ıts not lıke these people havent seen any darker people but they just dont see them ın the resıdentıal areas.  The roads ın front of my house are beıng renovated so ıt looks lıke a mess.  ı should have access to a computer where I can upload my pıctures so far.  There's some old ones that Loretta, you mıght want to screen before lettıng them out to the publıc (I'll emaıl them to you).  some of them are hılarıous.  I want to see the Pırates movıe (whıch comes 7 hours earlıer than u guys :P) but I havent met up wıth any of my neıghborhood frıends here yet so I mıght go wıth a few of my cousıns.  My grandmother ıs fıne and she's feedıng me lıke crazy whıch I dont mınd sınce I want to gaın some weıght thıs summer.  If you guys heard about the terrorıst bombıng dont be too alarmed sınce ıt was at the capıtal whıch ıs about 8 or 9 hours away from me.  The thıng that worrıes me ıs that the polıce stopped three more bomb attempts after the capıtal bombıng.  Two were ın Istanbul whıch ıs our bıggest cıty and one was ın Adana whıch ıs our 5th largest cıty.  The capıtal, Ankara ıs our 2nd largest cıty.  I lıve ın Izmir; whıch ıs the thırd largest cıty so ıf there targetıng the bıg cıtıes then thıs place ıs no exceptıon.  ı also lıve ın the busıest fınancıal and cultural sector of the cıty.  But I have confıdence that polıce force wıll stop any suspıcıous actıvıty.  I dont have much more tıme but I hope everyone ıs enjoyıng theır summer and be safe.  ı'll remember to brıng you all some gıfts.  sorry about the undotted ı's.

I NEED MY PLANNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I found my trashcan, which I somehow knew was in my roommate's friend's room.  They needed it to smuggle in some alcohol.  That's fine, I just wished they asked.  I feel like my roommate's friend has my planner as well since we can make jokes on each other.  He really says he doesn't have it but I can't bring myself to believe him.  I really hope he doesn't have it for his own sake.

I could not be in a bigger hole than I am in now.  First of all I screwed up body two nights ago by staying up till 6am (this was thanks to 2 White Chocolate Mochas from the lIbrary coffee shop) and woke up at 9:20am to get to my 8:50am class (yes, that means I got there late).  Since then trying to do any homework would be too hard because any place I sat or laid on I would literally pass out.  For an hour I basically did my homework standing, it was just getting that bad.  Somehow, I'm still on track but not for long if I don't work my ass off this weekend which will be hard since I'm going home.

In other news:

I forgot to tell you guys about the great people that came here over the past month to speak at my school.  Barack Obama was here.  Also the president of Afghanistan came here to get an honorary degree.  Bill Clinton comes and gives a speech at the university every 4 years so I'll see him sooner of later.  And best of all, last Sunday I saw my own prime minister speak.  He spoke in Turkish so all of my friends that we went, had to put on headphones that translated his speech.  It was really nice.  At times it was hard to understand him since he used a lot og big political terms that I might not even know in English, but overall it was a great experience.  And everyday I pass by our main gates there's some news station here or embassy worker.  This really is the best place for international relations.

I can't type anymore.  I'm shaking too much and I don't know why.  Is it because I can't get any sleep?  Or is it because that everytime I come into this room my roommate makes the place like an igloo?  He's not even here to feel the coldness.  Oh well, I'm leaving tonight hopefully.  I hope everything is going well for everyone else.