Update- Last Week in Istanbul

Hello all!
Sorry for the lack of updates the past week; it's been a pretty quiet/busy couple of days. For the most part, this last week is for working on our final projects (as part of our classwork here, we're doing a oral history/research project about some aspect of Turkish cultural identity; I'm doing the tourism industry, and how Turkey markets itself to the international audience), so we've been busy with those. Still, we've found some time for fun.
Tuesday:
Got back to Istanbul on the early morning train from Ankara; didn't sleep very well, but it was infinitely more comfortable than a bus. Also, no chance of the driver hijacking us (see: first day in Ankara). Slept/laid around for the rest of the day.
Wednesday:
Most of us worked on our projects, doing research, lining up and carrying out interviews, and writing some of our papers. Edward and I also desperately needed haircuts, so we went with Yekta to Istiklal to find a little barber shop. It was a fun experience: Edward got a real Turkish haircut (lots of gel, stuck up in the back, flattened down in the front; we call it The Rooster), I got a semi-Turkish haircut. Yes, I have gel in my hair for the first time since 8 grade. Hopefully this won't last long. Kind of expensive, but it did come with a temple massage and tons of mystic Turkish ointments. Here's Edward, post-cut:

Thursday:
Big activity was going to the US consulate, which is located about 2 hours north of where we live. It's still Istanbul though. The building sits on a hill, surrounded by walls and barbed wire. The fortress:
We were lucky enough to be able to talk to several top officials for an hour and a half. We talked about the duties of the consulate (outreach mostly, as the embassy in Ankara handles policy discussions), US-Turkish relations (OK, but necessary, with lots of bumps in the road: Iraq, Armenian Genocide resolution, etc.), and foreign service (something I might want to do). We came back around 6 to keep working on our projects and our party on...
Friday:
Fourth of July! We decided while on the road that we wanted to have a party, but weren't really able to prepare for it, especially in terms of inviting people. The 30 people we invited spanned the spectrum of people we've known here: professors who've talked with us about academic topics; our local pilav and doner sellers; mystics; and fellow Americans in the city. Despite the best efforts of all the subcommittees (yes, we divided ourselves into subcommittees to prepare for the party; I was privileged to serve on the Meat-and-Cheese and Day-of-Food Subcommittees), we had all of about 2 RSVPs by the morning of the 4th. Prepared for a possible12:0 host to guest ratio, we still got ready for the party. Props to the Decorations Subcommittee for creating a real live American atmosphere on the terrace:

(there was much more food than this, also balloons and a banner). In the end, about 10 people showed up; not the group we originally intended, but it was a great time. It was especially good to meet 2 Bogazici students who are studying in the US next fall, one at UNC. They stayed later than everyone else as we compared notes about college life and got them ready for living in America. We are all really excited about welcoming the 3 Bogazici students who are coming to UNC next semester; we finally have a chance to repay these people for all the incredible hospitality we've received here.
Saturday:
A day of intense project work, on everyone's part. I had an interview set up with Gunhan Borekci (see day on Hagia Sophia), our guide for the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia; he is still a liscensed tour guide, so I figured he would be a good person to talk to about tourism. How right I was. We ended up talking for 5 hours, discussing Turkish tourism and how it relates to identity for a good 3 of them. The rest of the time we talked about academia (he's a PhD student at OSU in Ottoman history), literature, and Turkish history. It was a great time, and got my paper fairly well prepared too.
Pictures from today's Bosporus trip coming later today or tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to (and probably see) you soon!