Demand for visual content

Following a demand for visual content, here are some nice pictures of people from Turkey during our day trip to Antalya.

Day of Service

So IHP has been really interesting the past few days. We're finally just about done with the various orientations, and we're starting to get down to business. Yesterday was a free day and it was really nice to be able to sleep in and take a chill day. I went to brunch on the corner with Joel, one of the other guys on the trip, and brunch was way cheap. I spent some time in a used book store and then went out for Chinese with Joel and two of the remaining three guys from the trip.

Today was MLK day, so we all did a morning of service and then had our first class. I went with some other people over to the Independent Living Program, a home for 16-18 year olds, and we cleaned some closets and organized shelves for them. It was nice to get out of William Penn House (the place we're staying) and do something productive.

So far the people are awesome and I'm having a lot of fun. Now we're beginning to hunker down and get going, and I am excited to see how things go.

Chris in 360

I don't know why, but I took this video of Chris in the Tiled Kiosk in Istanbul.... I think the video is special, and it really gives you a 360 look at him.

IHP Launch

So now I'm in full IHP swing. The program began yesterday and today was our first full day. We haven't done much outside of get to know each other, but that is a rather large task... I already have a rather decent introduction to many of the people on my trip, so that's really neat and helpful. So far we've had conversations and workshops on emotional intelligence, global warming and health, group norms and policies, and a really good keynote speaker on infant health and preventing infant mortality in accordance with the MDGs. It's definitely an interesting pace, and I am really excited to see how the various components of the program interact in order to create a better educational experience. Tomorrow is the introduction to the educational components of IHP, so I'll see what to expect.

Adios amigos.

Meandering back and forth

So a couple of days ago, for the first time this trip, I actually meandered back and forth across continental lines aboard the public ferry up the Bosporus. Yay for being in two continents in rapid fire, which is kind of in line with the title of the blog.

That aside, Turkey has been a fascinating experience. We saw the sights, and at some point when I am more technologically snazzy some visual indication that I was at some neat-o places might make it up onto this thread, but for now I am content will saying that stuff was there.

But what was more interesting than the individual places was the timelessness of the city itself. There was old and new right next to each other, and the flavor of the city itself cannot easily be matched. Of course it helped that Serra Kornfilt (honorable mention!!!) was willing and able to show us around a few times, and that brought into our travels new places as well as new tastes.

For the record, in turkey there is a dessert with pulverized chicken in it. There is a different dessert that includes water buffalo cream. Both were amazing.

I'm gonna do a much better job than this starting next week, but let me just say that traveling is defined by the place, but made by the company.

I know nobody is reading this...

I know nobody is reading this because I still haven't sent out the link yet... So nobody has pondered the pun of the title of my blog, and nobody has read anything in it, and it is all my fault. I know, I know, so shoot me.

But still this is fun, so why not post?

So right now is day 1 of WUDC out rounds. Even though nobody from Swarthmore broke and it appears we, along with the rest of the tournament, have been plagued with illness, so far this has been a wonderful experience.

Aside from debate, which I assure you is very tiring even for me (and I LOVE to talk), we've met some pretty neat people and been some cool places. Our journey began adopting a judge from Singapore and an Amherst debater into our fold on the flight out from the states, then befriending the St. John's delegation, maintaining contact with some rather nifty people we already knew, and then forging yet another institutional bond with Duke's wonderful debate team. Also, the Raelis are cool, but that is always to be expected.

Location-wise, the Maritim Pine Beach Resort leaves something to be desired as I would rather be exploring Turkey. That's why our team has wandered Belek (depressing little place, though a wonderful English-speaking shop-owner did have a nice cup of tea with us) and Antalya. Antalya was gorgeous, and there are pictures I cannot currently post because they are not yet on my computer, but we'll get there.

So I'm slowly getting used to this whole blogging thing, but my computer is not at all getting used to my network connection here (or, rather, the network is totally flaking out on everyone), so I bid thee farewell, my wonderful fan base that does not yet exist.

Adios.

Welcome

Greetings y'all.

As I am leaving my element next semester to do something cool and experience new things, I figured I might as well try my hand at blogging about it all.

Spring 2010 will be one of the more interesting experiences of my life as I travel to South Africa, Vietnam, and Brazil in order to study issues of health and communities in the developing world. Between foreign lands, homestays, and fascinating learning experiences, I will be overwhelmed with amazing opportunities and moments worth sharing.

This will be my diary for all, contingent on internet access, of course.

Well, now I'm a month away from departure, so there's nothing else to say.

Signing off for now,

Yours truly.