So today I went to lunch with my friend Abby because she is going home tomorrow. We went to this restaurant called Melbo. Its on the top floor of a building in Kızılay and its got lots of windows so you can people watch. So we sit down and not even two minutes later, the building starts shaking and the windows move as if a huge wind gust just blew against them. Our waitress looked very scared and almost started running out of the restaurant. My first thought was that the building was going to collapse, something which is not uncommon in Turkey. But, we decided to brave the chance and stayed there. The food was not that great, but it was good to hang out with Abby.
After lunch, I tried to take her to Hacıbaba (the best baklava place in Ankara), but it was closed thanks to the Bayram (it means holiday, but is reserved for religious holidays). So we went to another baklava place and got way too much dessert. We sat and talked for a while, then I met up with my host family for some ice skating. The girl who stayed in my house last year is also here visiting. I mentioned the shaking to her and she told me it was a 5.7 earthquake! And...it was the third of the day. The epicenter was only 50 miles or so away from Ankara. They apparently saw this on the news, but when I checked tonight there was barely a mention of it. So far there has been no damage or casualties reported. There was another earthquake in New Zealand though, and it was pretty big.
After ice skating, my family was hungry, so we tried to go to some restaurant which was also closed due to Bayram. So then my host sister made the great suggestion of going to Ankamall for dinner. So we trekked there and I ate a giant portion of some kind of kofte that looks like iskendır. Then.....Abby's family was throwing a goodbye/bayram party for her so I met up with two of our friends and we headed to Abby's house where I ate even more food and even more desserts.
The party was really neat. A lot of Abby's host family's relatives showed up just to say goodbye to her (they have never met her). But they gave her presents and one person brought a cake. Her host mom started crying. It was really cute and sad. The family started singing Turkish songs, and then my friend Margot played the guitar and sang with them. Then we tried to sing Christmas songs...but the only one we all knew the words to was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. So then we switched to Mr. Jones and assorted Beatles songs.
Anyways, I am now home after a very long and tiring day. My stomach is stuffed to capacity. I have nothing to do this weekend however and so i will be resting a lot :)
Oh and a little side note for those who dont know, the holiday that started today is called the sacrifice holiday. You are supposed to sacrifice an animal, then give some of the meat to the poor, some to your friends, and then give some to yourself. Then you eat a lot of food and desserts, as with most bayrams. And during bayrams, the buses are free :)
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