Week 2: getting back into a rhythm

Today I got a few hours to myself and did an actually dance practice! I have several playlists saved on my iPod from the classes I used to teach in San Diego so I fall easily back into the usual warm-ups and drills. It felt so lovely! I also almost finished two costumes... and I say "almost" because I feel I'm never really done.
Here is a simple gold and black one, the skirt of which has gone through many different versions/uses:

I like how easy this one is.. just slap on some jewelry and bam, ready to go! Most of my other costumes have so many layers and weird combinations of beads, buttons, trinkets, etc. This one is just the liquid-metallic fabric and a deconstructed bead fringe scarf that I got at the Santa Cruz flea market. I'll probably make some matching armbands.

Then there is this one, the basic cream and assuit bra was made originally when I was pregnant but it still fits well and now I added a lotta stuff to it so it's all sparkly. The flowery skirt behind it is something my friend gave to me that I altered to and it has a really pretty palette of peach, brown, orange and green.

The two roses are hair clips/pins from H&M that I attached to either end of a long strand of pearls  which I can put anywhere because it can wrap around my body 1.5 times. One rose on my hip and the other on my top or wrapped around to the other hip or even both in my hair with the pearls draping long... the possibilities are endless.

Once I have an english teaching job and I have an idea of how much money I can spend I really hope to take some private lessons with Reyhan Tuzsuz who taught both my Turkish Rom 9/8 teachers, Elizabeth Strong and Jessaiah Zure. That form is definitely one of my favorite because it's so playful and energetic as well as a very personal style in which you can tune in to your own attitude and strength.

Aside from dance and costumes I have been exploring the city more with my little family, finding more delicious dishes and eating lots of them. 

I'm also still amazed by the amount of cats here and how healthy most of them are for having no owners. People put little beds in the bars outside their windows and leaving bowls of water and longs lines of food along the bricks. Not just the people, but the architecture of Istanbul takes care of the cats. All the little nooks serve as sweet chateaus for the sweet feline community.

The whole sleep thing has been getting better day by day and Szabina is starting to sleep for longer at night but it's still hard to keep her up past 7pm so even though she may sleep 10 hours, she's still waking up at 5am. It's alright though. Tonight we're going to try and go out to see some music and that should help keep her awake for a bit longer, and me too! Tonight Selim Sesler's son is supposed to play at this popular club called "Araf" which is on a street just off of Istiklal. I'm really excited and hope I have enough energy to really go out! A nap may be in order...

I have just 1 unit left of my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification and will hopefully start teaching within a week. With money coming in and hopefully our own apartment by January things will feel a little more relaxed. I have been incredibly self-controlled when it comes to shopping, knowing that I have everything I need already, if not too much, and that there's no rush to get anything; we'll be here a while.

More pictures and videos coming soon!
Xoxo


Oh, and here's a few of my favorite "random" photos from this week: