Traffic woes, here and there

Of late we have finally gotten the rain we so desperately needed to clean the air (that nasty acrid haze was really bringing me down). Unfortunately, if even the slightest moiety of whispering droplets fall from the clouds over our fair city, the traffic increases exponentially. This has made this week a tough one for me in that my commute time has ballooned. I try to read on the bus, but when the bus is stuck in what we call "dur-kalk" ("stop-go") traffic, lurching into and out of gear with the twitchings of the traffic organism, it can be tough to concentrate. Not to mention when you're stuck in a place like accursed Kadiköy where the atmosphere is approximately 75% bus exhaust. At least this week was light as far as classes go, since all I have to do is review the last 5 classes for the final exams next week. (Yep, Christmas ain't a holiday here, so we just keep going!)

But for all my curmudgeonly griping about traffic woes in Istanbul, I breathe an inner sigh of relief when I look at headlines about holiday traffic in Britain and the USA. I mean, the very thought of being cooped up with several thousand angry travellers in Heathrow or Denver airports, waiting for hours to escape on flights which then get cancelled due to the weather, makes my flesh creep. Holiday rush, indeed. It almost makes it worth it that Christmas ain't a holiday here. Almost but not quite. It is interesting, I must note again, that Istanbullers have gotten very into the whole trees-and-lights thing, although here the holiday isn't Christmas but New Year's. They even appropriated Santa, who says not "ho ho ho" but "Mutlu Yillar" (Happy New Year").

Which reminds me, Meltem and I have to put up our Christmas tree! So I'll close on that happy note (and post a picture of it when it's done).