since first posting, i have done a number of things, which have largely included studying turkish grammar. but ive found time to do some other things....a friend and i went to check out the domabahçe palace, which was apparently built as the Empire was in decline. it was very....ottoman rococo, if you can imagine such a thing. i had mixed feelings about the actual palace itself, but it had interesting chandaliers, a crystal staircase, and sweet things made out of animals. the highlight of the tour for me was when the tour guide started her discussion on Mustafa Kemal by saying how much she owed him as a turkish woman.

the following day, i went to istanbul pride. it was really fun and interesting. pride in american cities is very much a commercial thing, and despite the religious wackos who turn up, it has little of a protest feel to it. istanbul pride did not have the spectacular floats and outfits that you see at an american city, just a bunch of people marching with signs, saying chants which i tried to pick up on. apparently a politician had recently made homophobic comments, so much of the chants and signs were aimed at that person. one of my favorite things was that the signs Lamba distributed were written in turkish, kurdish, and armenian. also, i saw a smithie, a uw professor, and a seattle friend all at gay pride. what?