CHS 2013 Graduation

Once  American author, Carl Sandburg said: ''Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.'' He was right, time is something that we could never exchange with anybody or we can't buy. 

You have only one chance to use it, you can use it wisely or waste it. 

And if you even want to correct your mistake there is no way back. Briefly If you do something wrong you are screwed. Btw TODAY WAS MY GRADUATION DAY !

Its been 9 months that I've been in Charlie High. I made wonderful memories and made awesome friends. Today showed me that , I made the best decision with joining this program. If I didn't get in this program, I would never have chance to met all these wonderful people. I would never know there was a town called Charleston. I  am thankful to my exchange program that they made me replace with this town. I will be happy for the next /future exchange student who will end up with Chuck town. I remember the first day I came, I was horrified and I wanted this year will be over soon. 



It looked like the longest journey that I could ever make in my life. But it wasn't right. This year was the funnest and sadly shortest year of my life. Everyday was a journey, new words, new tastes, 
new people,new experiences. It amazes me that how things have changed even in 9 months. 


When you are a newbie, you don't understand what is really happening around you. But with time you 
get into the routine and once you found people like you, it changes all. Nowadays , I am done with school and it's really anticlimactic.

 I feel like I need to do homework or I feel sad that now it's sunday because I need to be wake up for  the morning to go school. But it's over and I am leaving in thirty-six day. Thirty six day ! It's nothing ! I am sad, I don't want this to be over, I am not ready yet. Our graduation was at Lantz at EIU. 



The ceremony was almost 3 hours long. Best part was Linnea's speech and the song that we sang with choir for the last time. Linnea gave a really good speech about graduation, It was hilarious. And with choir we sang Seize The Day by Newsies Musical. Newsies was the show that we watched at Broadway when we went to choir trip in spring break. 



My plans for these following weeks are to do my workout almost everyday. I need to loose weight for summer. I gained a lot of weight during my stay in America. Because of all these fast food and grace but I will loose them again. This time I am more determined. Well thats all for now.

Love Lara 

 LAST 5 WEEKS

Living in country side 

CHS ANYTHİNG GOES MUSİCAL

"A year has passed and now we stand on the brink, of returning to a world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything and yet nothing being the same. In a couple of weeks we will reluctantly give our hugs and, fighting the tears,we will say goodbye to people who were once just names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left.We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends.

Prom

We will go back to the places we came from, and go back to the same things we did last summer and every summer before. We will come into town on that same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will seem like only yesterday. As you walk into your old bedroom, every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your life has changed and the person you have become. You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold highest now, no one at home will completely understand.

Who will you call first? What will you do your first weekend home with your friends? Where are you going to work? Who will be at the party Saturday night? What has everyone been up to in the past few months? Who from school will you keep in touch with? How long before you actually start missing people barging in without calling or knocking? Then you start to realize how much things have changed, and you realize the hardest part of being an exchange student is balancing the two completely different worlds you now live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while trying to figure out what you have to leave behind.

We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know who we have kept in touch with over the past year and who we hold dearest to our hearts. We've left our worlds to deal with the real world. We've had our hearts broken, we've fallen in love, we've helped our best friends overcome eating disorders, depression, stress, and death. We've lit candles at the grotto and we've stayed up all night on the phone just to talk to a friend in need. There have been times when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we know our families or friends needed us the most, and there are times when we know we have made a difference.

Just weeks from now we will leave. Just weeks from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random e-mails and phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer, and hopefully years to come. We will take our memories and dreams and put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world.

Just weeks from now we will arrive. Just weeks from now we will unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end. We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone calls have brought us to laughter and tears over the year. We will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away for the past year. In just weeks we will dig deep inside to find the strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each other close. And somehow, in some way, we will find our place between these two worlds.

Selfie Painting 

I don't know who wrote this. Kalin  found it this last night, and I thought thats the best way to explain whats happening and whats going to happen in next 5 weeks...  

A Vegeterian Classic in İstanbul

Mutfak maceralarıma biraz ara verip İstanbul Keşiflerime geri dönüş yapmak istiyorum!Bugün ise sizlerle İstanbul'un harika bir VEJETARYEN restoranını paylaşıcam: ZENCEFİL
Burası doğal ürünlerle yapılan sağlıklı ve bir o kadar da lezzetli yemekleriyle-özellikle sebzeleri ile- ünlü! Vejeteryan beslenme tarzını benimseyenlerin uğrak mekanı. Ancak menüsüne et sevenler de unutulmamış ve menüye leziz tavuklu yemekler de konulmuş. Dolayısıyla sadece vejetaryen arkadaşlarımıza değil, sebze seven herkese son derece öneriyorum!





I want to take a break from my kitchen adventures and come back to my İstanbul Discoveries! And today ı would like to share with you a great VEGETERIAN restaurant in this city: ZENCEFİL ( which actually means ginger in english ) Here is a famous place with its delicious and healthy dishes made with organic products. This restaurant is often visited by almost every vegeterian BUT the place also thought about meat lovers and added some yummy dishes made with chicken to its menu! Thats why ı recommend this restaurant to every one - who especially loves vegetables of course - !



Dışarıda güzel bir ziyafet çekmek ancak aynı zamanda sağlıklı olmasını istiyorsanız Zencefil bence en doğru adres. Üstelik sebze derken bildiğimiz klasik sebze yemeklerinden bahsetmiyorum. Sebzeli lazanya, pırasalı tavuk, ıspanaklı kiş gibi enfes ve son derece orijinal lezzetlere sahip burası. Hele Zencefil'in kendine has karışık salatası dışarıda yiyebileceğiniz salataların en iyilerinden olduğuna eminim.

If you want to have a nice dinner/lunch outside but also stay healthy, Zencefil is the perfect adress ! Besides ı don't mention these classic vegetable dishes which you can easily cook at home! I talk about some really different and original and of course yummyyy recipes such as : Vegetable lasagna, Chicken with leek, Spinach or Vegetable Quiche... But the very best dish they have is their special salad! So if you love salad, the one this restaurant has is probably one of the greatest you can eat outside !


Zencefili neden seviyorum?
1.Leziz yemekleri
2.Sıcak dekorasyonu
3.Çalan harika müzikleri
4. Sakin müşterileri ve
5.Yemekten evvel getirdikleri zencefilli tereyağı ve mısır ekmekleri için !

Why do ı like Zencefil?
Because of
1. Delicious dishes they have
2. Great Decoration
3. Great Music
4. Calm Customers
5. AND their great Ginger Butter with Homemade Bread they serve before your food




Kesinlikle Yemelisiniz :
Pırasalı Tavuk
Fırın Mücver
Karışık Salata
Ispanaklı Kiş
Sebzeli Lazanya

You should definitely try:
Chicken with Leek
Zencefil's Salad
Vegetable Lasagna
Spinach Quiche
Baked Zucchini Patty










Nerede?
Taksim'de İstiklal Caddesinin hemen başında bulunan Fransız Konsolosluğu'nun yanından dönerek kendinizi hemen bir arka sokağa atıyorsunuz:
Kurabiye Sokak No8


Where is this place?

Just in the center Taksim ! At the beginning of the İstiklal Street you will see the French consulate building. Right after you pass the consulate take the street on your right side which will bring you to the back street: Kurabiye Street. Turn left and walk straight , you will see the place on your right