This year our Istanbul quarters are in dorms belonging to Bilgi University.  They are nice and new, close to the breezy waterfront of Karaköy. We can walk along the Bridge and then across to the old city of Istanbul, or up hill to the medieval Galata Tower and the busy boulevard of Istiklal Caddesi, lined with shops and crowded with Istanbulites and tourists shopping, dining and strolling during the day, and even more docks to Galata crowded in the cool of evening.
At the far end of Istiklal is the central hub of Taksim Medani, and our classroom is in a building on the Istanbul Technical University campus just down hill from there. Coming to class in the morning, we walk past nargile cafes and the ancient mosque of Kiliç Ali Pasha, the only Turkish admiral to bring ships back from the galley battle of Lepanto in 1571 (also witnessed by Miguel Cervantes). An effective tram system takes us part way, followed by a short funicular ride, a small train in a tunnel that carries passengers up the hill to Taksim Square, from which we reach our class.

After class we have lunch in the cafeteria at ITU. The basic food served makes us appreciate the elaborate cafes common at American universities, but costs only 2.25 YTL (New Turkish Lira) which is about $2.00.

The dorms provide areas for journal and blog writing and study as well as emailing and Skyping friends and relatives.

Afternoons and weekends are reserved for the heart of the program - the chance to explore one of the world’s great cities.  Evenings… well Istanbul IS a city that never sleeps, so whatever your passion you can probably find it is Istanbul.  Luckily Ertu and Ozay, our  Turkish host students, are savy about  everything from cheap restaurants  to cool cafes and parks to hopping dance clubs.
Our organized field trips include many of the major tourist sites of Istanbul, and some less known wonders too. So far we have seen Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, the Mosaic Museum at the site of the former Byzantine Imperial Palace, the cisterns under the basilica, Topkapı and Dolmabahçe Palaces, and a Mevlevi (“whirling”) dervish performance, to name a few.
Our Turkish host students, Özay and Ertuğrul organize other activities. One of the joys of living in Turkey is exploring new cuisine, like kumpir (giant baked potatoes loaded with goodies), various kebaps, balik ekmek (fish sandwich), or gözleme (cheese or meat filled pancakes), and Özay and Ertuğ know all the best places. Nights on the town, a soccer game, university logistics, shopping tips, and help with the social rules of a different world are all part of their expertise. The vast Tuesday street market on the Asian shore was a particular hit with some of us, although reasons differed (bargain scarves and clothing, beer accompanied by Turkish instruction in a café, blocks of fruit and vegetable stands - why can’t US produce markets be like this?).