We went home last night and just flopped in front of the TV - CNBC does mainly US sitcoms with Turkish subtitles. So every time we saw a word we knew Fife and I were yelling it out. And the adverts - argh, were mainly for some kind of chocolate brownie thing, and Magnums. Every single advert break. Will be off to the shops later - I'm assuming the supermarket's open, of course. It's a public holiday today.

And I'm off to be developed, in a teacherly way.

* posted by nat 7:55 AM

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Mmm. Had lovely lunch, bags of mezes, and have just finished a full day of admin foo, Turkish-learner-awareness-raising and a Turkish lesson.

We had a good bit of note-writing fun (yes, TEFL teachers do sad things in their own workshops that they'd do in classes too, I know...) earlier. Written conversation on finding-things-out went something like this:

ME: Ben, why did you want to be DoS here?
BEN: I like bossing people around.
ME: And how are you liking it so far?
BEN: It's not too bad.
ME: Pete, how are you liking being bossed around by Ben?
PETE (Senior Teacher): I just don't listen!

Yay for the working environment!

* posted by nat 4:22 PM

I have a housemate (woo!) from Australia! She brought Dark Chocolate TimTams w�th her, so I know we are going to get on just fiiiine!

On Tuesday I went out of school, walked for two minutes and got to the sea front, with the islands in front of me and the sun in my eyes, lots of little boats out on the water, and a few cormorants fishing just off the shore. Every so often you could see a fish jumping clean out of the water, and the birds weren't having any trouble whatsoever catching fish, which they then paraded up and down just in front of a small cluster of fishermen sitting on the wharf. There's a running/walking/cycle track that leads right along the coast - from there it's about two metres of rock before the sea starts properly, and it was fairly empty, apart from the odd sunbathing groups, or people messing around in boats.

The shoreline curves from bay to bay, and I just kept walking round until all of a sudden my way was blocked by a couple of tennis courts, so I had to head inland and skirt round the military zone, which was slightly unnerving - too many men in uniform waving rifles around - and hit the coast again before too long, heading into a large bay which was half marina, and full of every size of boat you could ever imagine. I worked my way round that bay and then up into Fenerbahce - full of football fans all waiting for the game to start (when kick-off was still about six hours away) and from there uphill a little until I turned the corner and could see the European side up ahead - through the polluted haze, it's still spectacular. So I stared at that a while, went and bought an ice-cream (on the grounds I was practicing Turkish in order to do it...) and then caught a dolmus back.

It wasn't until I was sitting in the dolmus and had paid it occurred to me that on Monday night I had been with people who knew how these things worked. I knew the dolmus would be going towards Bostanci so it would go through Suadiye, I just didn't know exactly where to get off, or, for that matter, how to ask the driver to stop. So once I reached a set of traffic lights I recognised, and they were on green, I just banged on the door and l�tfened politely and it seemed to work once the other passengers has worked out what I was up to and helped by yelling at the driver. I rocketed straight into school on Wednesday morning and demanded tuition - inecek var is now my friend.

The TV now works, as we have a remote that works, I've found useful things like the Post Office, and this morning I turned into a mass murderer as I happily disposed of several ants. And I also have over a million lira in coins. Disturbing.

* posted by nat 7:57 AM

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

I could quickly get used to sitting out to the balcony having breakfast...

Not so sure I can get used to the fact that the school computers are all behind a firewall. No MU*ing. No chat!
I might actually get some work done...

* posted by nat 10:45 AM

Monday, August 26, 2002

So here I am in ...

ISTANBUL

So far have seen about two dozen major car accidents... hurrah, I know I'm in Turkey!

It's 7pm here now; I arrived, a little late, about 5pm, was picked up by Pete, the Senior Teacher, plus Memet, the driver, and driven back round the main road that skirts round Istanbul, over the bridge into Asia and down here to Suadiye.

My flat's in a leafy green suburb, up on the sixth floor *gulp*, and just a five minute walk from the school. This is major affluent international stuff here... and another five minutes walk will take me down to the Sea of Marmara, and from the balcony on the school I can see the Princes Islands, it's hot, and sunny, there's a decent breeze, and a lot of mad traffic, and...

So I must do a quick bit of shopping (I took out a hundred million lira, I'm feeling - rich?!), get a shower, and then a few of us are off out for dinner. Besides, trying to write with a Turkish keyboard set to an American English keyboard is really too much for my brain right now.

* posted by nat 5:02 PM

I /still/ have way too much luggage, and I am beginning to fear the check-in staff. Gah!

Found a few Giotto left, so I have eaten them for breakfast.

* posted by nat 5:17 AM

I have way too much luggage.

I am leaving for the airport in three hours.

Aaaaaaaargh!

* posted by nat 3:11 AM

Saturday, August 24, 2002

Because I haven't sorted these out at all, here are just the photos (mostly ones I took) from my mother's little digital camera in Northern Ireland. I still think 'normal' camera gets a better photo, for now, but at least these are quick to upload!

Friday 9th
Ardboe Cross
Springhill House

Beaghmore Stone CirclesOne - Two - Three - Four.

Saturday 10th
Cushendun Bay, from the caves

The Giant's Causeway: Looking east - Looking west - Looking down.

Sunday 11th
White Park Bay with a storm rolling in

Monday 12th
Mount Stewart

* posted by nat 4:34 PM

Cannot follow directions. Think I have been in every pub round the the Hippodrome this afternoon. Nevertheless, I eventually found El. And Jess. And most of the rest of the workplace, though they were doing their best to be the most drunk. I shudder to think...

Anyhow, naturally zoned in on Australian who has backpacked half the world, and exchanged notes on Siem Reap. We're such a snotty, select species when we get together. Behaviour quite awful! Only way to see the world is in poverty, catching every disease it is possible to get, avoiding near death traps and tacky souvenirs, if you can't fit it into a 65l backpack is it worth having... And of /course/ I have been to more remote uncharted waters than you have...

Ahem. Must go pack large suitcase in preparation for zooming off to large westernized metropolis. Am cushy failure.

* posted by nat 2:07 AM

Thursday, August 22, 2002

Grace and I were so busy chatting in the car about Dean moving to Bermuda (drat, I shall miss the entirely ostentatious going-away party and the chance to find out how many millions everyone's making - but on the other hand it might be a useful place to go for a holiday) that we entirely missed the Rubery turning and ended up in the housing estates. Then we got lost coming back down the road and ended up at the cinema. But we found the restaurant eventually! But we're not telling anyone that we can't remember the way to Rubery...

And I'm not sure how the conversation got onto Sharpe slash - (I think it was via Snape 'erotica' and I don't quite know what led to that either - probably my 'Aloof Unavailable' t-shirt) but I simply have to go and seek some of this stuff out now. I'm intrigued. Yes, that's the word.

More mindless tests and I'm off to get more RP in, because I'll be in withdrawal soon...

I am a Top-hat. I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades; creative, in a stylistic sort of way, a little vain, a little dark, perhaps a little archaic. I get on alright with people, but I can take them or leave them. What Sort of Hat Are You?

* posted by nat 11:55 PM

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

****

The usual surreal evening: El hit golf balls all round the garden inbetween baking a cake, then Stuart put a computer trolley in the back of the car with the boot open, obviously, and El and I sat on the back bumper to keep it from falling out while he drove it round the corner to Heather and Mike's. Mike got a glimpse of it, father arrived home just too late to witness it, El borrowed my brother's putter and 6 Iron.

I still cannot get over El playing golf. GOLF?!

* posted by nat 11:14 PM

Father phones: "I've left my briefcase at home, can you find something I've written and read me out what it says."

I oblige. After crossing and uncrossing my eyes a few times, the scrawl appears to read thus:

Meeting: 8 GRTM, 10 Muck, 1 Rwy Skigwuwiqlntry Drains _ Sewers

Father complains he doesn't know what that means and it's not helpful.

*packs faster*

* posted by nat 2:14 PM

Sometimes Mornington Crescent feels like a sea of sanity in a world gone mad.

Although more of the time it's more insane than the rest of the world put together.

I suppose that's the best of both worlds!

*runs away from the UK as fast as possibly possibly can.* UGH! Not to mention the 23kg luggage allowance. Double UGH!

I still have some Giotto left. Better do something about that.

* posted by nat 1:18 PM

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

So far:

(x) visa .........................(x) suitcase
(x) flight ticket ...............( ) clean clothes (even new clothes!)
( ) insurance .................(x) sorted out seeing friends before I leave
(x) guidebook ...............(x) learnt some Turkish
( ) GOOD guidebook ......( ) learnt some useful Turkish
( ) had my jabs .............(x) stocked up on pills
(x) told the school I'm coming.

Mother and I went and saw The Malcontent at Stratford last night. It was... interesting. Not the world's best play, and not the world's best direction, either. Anthony Sher and Joe Dixon were fantastic, of course, but what else would you expect?

* posted by nat 11:23 PM

Sunday, August 18, 2002

Friday night had its exciting moment - Jo opened the front door and we popped out to see if we could spot fireworks - we couldn't, but a rather large frog got into the dining room instead. She was very large, very pretty, and not at all interested in being picked up and helped back outside. She tried climbing the walls for a bit, hopped around in circles, and eventually Tiew managed to trap her inside a plastic bag so I went and released her back into the shrubbery as quick as I could.

And that was after dinner. We sat outside all evening, and had a barbecue. The Bangkok-dwelling branch of the family was heard to remark upon numerous occassions that it was actually warm in England! Well, these freak things happen...

So it's been a family weekend. A weekend is about enough time for us all to stay civil with each other whilst tripping over each other. Well, almost civil.

* posted by nat 8:01 PM

Friday, August 16, 2002

The weather in London is so much better that you ever expect...

Initial forages around the flat this morning conluded that Kat was unlikely to get up without being forced. So I banged on the door and managed to raise her, then it was ironing, tea, and watching Nermal before getting into town - her to work on time and me to hospital for an eye test. I needn't have bothered to get there for 9am, as first the receptionists couldn't find the key to get into the reception room and then they couldn't find my file, so it took half an hour just to get me matched up to somebody, who then stuck me in a room and gave me an eye test. They really aren't my favourite things in the world; you kind of wish they'd vary the chart a bit, as it's always the same and once I've seen something close up my memory fills it in from further away, which does nothing for my eyesight checks. I then annoyed her on the colour tests by reading two options out for each one, and then we had great fun taking pictures of the back of my retina and seeing different coloured blobs each time. Anyhow, the Polariods turned out to be absolutely disgusting looking, but still, it's me, and they confirmed I do have a bit of a birthmark on the left one but it's to the lower left and not in the middle bit so they're not really worried. So now I can tell everyone I've got a congenital defect in my left eye, which sounds far more exciting.

Then I went to the Turkish Consulate, which was actually rather quiet, so you could hear all the conversations going on. The couple in front of me in the queue - I don't know quite exactly what kind of Visa they were after, but the woman asked if they could come in to collect it or would they like it to be posted, if they came from further away. Woman turns to man and says, "Well, we live in Romford, so it is rather a trek..." Cue my coughing fit. I have to go back tomorrow and then I should be set.

After that I walked up to Green Park, got sniffed at by a very large dog, then got lunch and went to meet Rosie, who is translating conferences in Russian for the Institue of Strategic Studies, has a rather Sexy American as an office mate and is going on a date tonight and tomorrow. Busy life these people lead. Anyway, she needs to get a job in Kazakhstan so I can go and visit her there in my holidays. Apparently flights are quite cheap from Turkey.

I was then on my way to find out about flights to Istanbul, went throught Russell Square, looked up to the fourth floor by habit and noticed the window was open, so I popped in. I didn't get too far before I was accosted by Robin (the man on the door) for a good half hour gossip session, then got upstairs for coffee and a rambling chat with David Short. Things are dire, horrid, and UCL is still totally crap to SSEES, and doing their best to plumb new depths. So no surprise there then. Sigh.

Then I got a flight quote or two, picked up my prescription, went to Kat's 80's quiz night (did abominably badly, did not know the name of the parrot from Cities of Gold or anything useful like that), trekked across town to find Jon, went for dinner, went for drinks, and am now going to curl up on his lounge floor and go to sleep.

Am in mourning for Kedir.

* posted by nat 1:10 AM

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Radio Praha - floods and more. But mostly floods, right now. You can only see the statues on the Charles Bridge above the water this morning. Not to mention the rest of the stuff going on further south, and in Morava.

Katka, meanwhile, has sent me a postcard of some llamas from Bolivia. Hurrah!

Right, I'm off to look for a bus.

* posted by nat 9:52 AM

Pictures are uploaded - now I just have to put them into some semblance of order. that is, when I'm not sulking about having been stuck in a city last night, not really thinking, and thus missing the Perseid shower.

It's been a busy day, though, what with getting back from Belfast this morning, then doing the *gasp* washing, and then trying to plan my next few days. I haven't really quite worked it all out yet, but I do seem to finally have somewhere to sleep for the next two nights, which is a start. It becomes a problem when people-who-shall-remain-nameless have bedbugs. Others, even more complicatedly, actually have lives, or even, other visitors - fancy! And yet others are homeless too, and as such are forgiven.

So I'm off tomorrow, again...

* posted by nat 1:03 AM

Monday, August 12, 2002

Two things to note:

Must readjust to life in a society where you do not down every single shot you are given. (Thursday lunchtime, brandy with coffee, case in point. Whoops. Though then we did end up having 4 brandys each and then went and did lots of good shopping. Life is good really. But I probably shouldn't be downing brandy. Oh dear.)

Also, when eating a pizza Veneziana - and yes, I know cheese is bad for me, and following it up with cheesecake, however gorgeous, is not a good idea - be prepared for surreal dreams about trying to book a last-minute holiday to a place called Veneziana, reading up on it in the guide book, persuading your mother to hire a car for you, and then realising you could probably combine it with a trip to Ljubljana, but you do have to be back in Poland within five days. It all seemed quite reasonable at the time, really it did.

The sun is out, though, so it's been worth waking up early. Earlier than I have to be awake, at least. The flat smells of fresh-baked bread, so somehow I have to be hungry again for breakfast, and the sun over the Lagan to Waterfront Hall makes a good view of a morning.

I'll hopefully get round to uploading pictures sometime today. Hopefully.

* posted by nat 9:19 AM

Thursday, August 08, 2002

And when you DO fall asleep, the burglar alarm in the house over the back goes off, and continues going off, AGAIN. It was doing this earlier. It does this every summer. What is the point? No-one takes a blind bit of notice of it, and all it does is wake everyone up. Several times. ARGH! Make it stop!

* posted by nat 4:47 AM

This is what late, late nights RPing do to you... after a while you try to go to bed at a reasonable time, say, midnight, and realise after one hour that it is totally pointless. And I have to be up at 5:30am to go to the airport... still it means I should be very cheap to get plastered at tomorrow lunchtime, I just have to make sure I don't fall asleep afterwards; I have to go shopping...

* posted by nat 1:08 AM

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

I rather enjoyed the 100m men's sprint final at the European Championships. I mainly enjoyed the false starts, though. They might annoy other people, but at least it meant we got to see more of the rather nice Finnish runner in lane 8 every time they lined up on the blocks again, as he was right next to the camera. I was gunning for a few more false starts, myself.

The killer dive-bombing furry moths are back in the bedroom. Does nothing stop these creatures from continual attempts to commit hari-kiri?

* posted by nat 9:44 PM

Tuesday, August 06, 2002

Blogtree is proving to be rather a fun place to nose around. So go nose round my family tree - I'm such a proud parent! (although with a bit of looking around you'll notice a lot of incest going on... tsk!)

* posted by nat 6:01 PM

I've been meaning to post about books - more specifically, lists of books - for a while, but as a thorough search of the house has failed to turn up the book in question, I'm going to have to go on memory. (And not panic about the fact I can't find any of my books...)

Anyway. I like this story was a rather useful book I owned as a child. It was a collection of extracts from fifty different 'children's' books, just a few pages from each, and probably did the most for my reading ever. I ended up getting hold of most of the books in there, mostly from the library, some just to find out what happened on the cliffhanger of the extract, but others because after having read a few pages of the book, I knew I needed more.

This tends to be why I spend such an inordinate amount of time in bookshops, and always used to get told off for reading the books, (something which I've noticed doesn't happen any more), because reading a few pages of a book does more to decide me than any recommendation or blurb on the back cover - which tends to be offputting. The extracts were neatly picked, too, some managed to be very self-contained, others required a little introduction, but none ever spoiled the book and most left you wanting a lot more. It's been habit forming, too, when I dip into a book I'll often read the first paragraph and then have a look at a few pages about a third of the way in.

I remembered this book after I'd been round the National Portrait Gallery last time I was in London at the exhibition of photographs of children's authors, and was trying to work out who was missing, discovering someone's found and published another Rosemary Sutcliffe book since I've not been looking, and curling up in the corner of the gallery with the book box - not to mention peering down at the manuscript for Chapter 6 or so of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - all written neatly out on A4 lined paper, and looking at the crossed-out bits, as after all, I've read the rest...

* posted by nat 3:07 PM

Monday, August 05, 2002

I make it onto my fourth CD cover. Can you spot me?

(Although the other three are recordings I actually sing in - I think this one is cheating...)

* posted by nat 4:08 PM

The British Library is officially the place to meet people - I got accosted by a very surprised looking Annabelle, who was taking a break from the India Office writing things about maps, brought up to date on all International Hall people's goings ons in five minutes flat, and then met her the next day for lunch to sort out what she was doing - which turns out to be cataloguing pots in the Ashmolean. Annabelle is one of the coolest people I know, we bounced up and down on the steps for a while and caught up, filled each other in, squeaked excitedly a la Olga da Polga - everything.

Other things? Went to Giles/Al/John's gig on Wednesday which was... interesting, but fun. The band after them were called Metrocamel - I liked them more than everyone else seems to think I did, but they were rather samey after a while. Then Rosie and I caught Austin Powers 3 on Thursday, which was much better than I'd expected, so that was all right, and on Friday there was an all-girl vitriolic man-hating session, which cheered us all up tremendously. Saturday I wandered through the British Galleries at the V&A, which were also a pleasant surprise; in general I find the V&A lousily set up, but this exhibition is fun. Then I staggered over to the Proms queue, Tim turned up a while later, and we prommed. It was good.

Sunday we drove through almost incessant rain, had lunch with Grandpa (no rain), came home via the Sinclairs (no rain there either), and I arrived home late to find that father, who knows about the Timtams, has not even tried to go near the Timtams in other weeks, despite being offered one, had taken it upon himself to eat the last one while I was away. I despair. Even the fact that I need to use the chauffeur service to get to the airport on Thursday did not stop me - and I still maintain I am doing him a service with needing him then, anyway - who wants to be in Crewe on 8:30 on a Thursday morning?

* posted by nat 3:23 PM