Two nights on the Bosphorus...and one on a stretcher

The Bosphorus, the waterway that separates Asia from Europe, divides this city much the way the Mississippi River divides the Twin Cities. It winds its way from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea and is the major means of transportation for everything from dinner cruises to huge freighters and cruise ships, as well as revamped World War Two fighter ships that have been converted into any number of different all-purpose ships from fishing boats to trade vessels.

On Wednesday night the new teachers and all the administrators crossed the well-traveled waves of the Bosphorus to visit the home of one of the trustees, who had invited us to dinner; a first for a trustee of Robert College. She hired a ship to pick us up and bring us to her home on the Asian side of the water, a grand and beautifully restored yali that consisted of two historically registered buildings combined with a more recently constructed third building. To give you an idea of the level of opulence to which I am referring, she has several original sketches of Istanbul by Melling on her walls. It was a fairytale night for all of us, highlighted by her invitation to explore her home and the magnificent artifacts she and her husband have collected over the years; many of us took her up on her offer but I was one of the lucky few to receive the full tour, given by her teenaged daughter.

Thursday brought a dinner cruise for all new teachers, their "sponsers" and spouses which first brought us south past several weddings, then worked its way north on the Asian side of the water. A good time was had by all, but it was somewhat anticlimactic after the dream of an evening the night before.

Then came Friday. Robert College is famous (perhaps infamous would be a better word) for the hill on which it lies, and in particular the steepness of said hill. Friday night I proved how susceptible I am to steep hills by falling on my walk to dinner at the bottom of the hill; I stepped on an uneven patch of concrete hidden by leaves, then twisted my ankle under me on the side of the path as I fell. I ended up in the hospital after a trip to the school infirmary and a seemingly endless ambulance ride; they determined after several xrays and a two-part MRI that I had not broken anything and had not ruined my back surgery, but the soft tissue damage to my ankle was severe (and extremely painful) and the rest of my body was pretty scraped and bruised. Long story short, I am back on bedrest and hobbling around on crutches with my ankle in a brace. Great way to start the school year! Luckily they took pity on me and all of my classes are on the first or second floor. I highly recommend the American Hospital (Amerikan Hostanesi) for those who find themselves in need here; their doctors are top-notch and their equipment is top of the line...and German.