Moda gunler iki (Day two in Moda)

Ahh, day two of our apartment adventures in Moda. After sleeping in until 11:00, we got lunch with the girls at a restaurant near the Bosphorus. Et doner pide, a shaved lamb sandwich with potato salad ("American salad") and French fries—not as side dishes, but on the sandwich—was most of our lunch of choice, accompanied by Fanta. Much of the day's remainder was comprised of purchasing items for our apartment. From now on, I will refer to the apartment as our house, because that's what everyone calls them here, because no one owns separate homes in this city.

Some things of note: (1) Because it's not really safe for us as foreigners to drink the local tap water, we have to pay for a water service, where large jugs of water are brought to our house. It's cheap: $3.75 for two 15-gallon jugs plus delivery. (2) Carrefour. This is a like a French version of a Super Walmart here in Kadiköy. It was great because we were able to speak almost no Turkish and yet purchase everything we needed for our apartment. (3) The Rice Man. There is a cheerful elderly gentleman who peddles the most amazing dishes of rice, chicken, and vegetables you'll ever have. Absolutely delicious! We ate our fill tonight for 1.250 YTL—about 90 cents.