I owed them, literally. Had they not had this coffee, certainly, I would not have graduated. I am talking about Mehmet Efendi’s Turkish coffees. This coffee keeps me alert. While studying for my senior project, my mom always brewed me a fresh cup. As I needed to toil very late, I had to drink something, eating also Turkish delight. The sketch was from a picture taken from the Ground Bazaar. Getting in Istanbul, purchasing fresh coffee and feeling its aromatic smell, brought me back to my old days in Turkey. Now, I should learn how to make my own coffee. If I could just manage the foam...

Finally, I got a ticket to go to Turkey due to my unexpected illness. I need to say that you should not be sick on this continent. Thanks to the U.S.’s prices for medical care (nearly the same amount as airfare) I could see my family and country. I refused the treatment which the doctors recommended. At any rate, while wandering in Istanbul, I saw the U.S. president’s towers, our “Trump Towers.” they are located in the most desirable zone, of course. Money talks. The Turkish government wanted to remove the name of the tower on the building after the U.S. travel ban on Muslim countries. But it is still there! The sketch was from a metrobus station. I got lucky and not too many people were there at the time.

Time to graduate for those who complete all requirements at the BAC. A part of a beauty of studying at the BAC is graduation as it is held in a gothic church in the Back Bay, that is, at Old South Church. It is a historic United Church of Christ congregation first organized in 1669 and it is home to one of the older religious communities in the U.S., at least, according to Wikipedia. Trying to transfer, I hope that my turn will not come -but It seems unlikely. It would be a transcendent atmosphere to attempt this kind of event in this space. The sketch was from inside the church.

I was perusing a book on Turkish architecture and found a famous architect’s building. I remembered having taken a picture of that building. The architect is Vedat Tek. I have known his work as he holds a very important place in architecture and also he gave many lectures in my university. But, what shocked me was that the postoffice in Sirkeci is his first building. The facade is curved stone and marble. The building is truly astonishing as it has so many details. The sketch was from the picture that I had taken earlier. I will certainly visit the next time I am in Istanbul!

I go to the best English learning program in Boston. I think James, who is the owner, is the most patient teacher I have ever seen. I know this from personal observation. Regardless, thanks to James, he, his students and I have attended opera performances at Longy, a music school in Boston, to see his students’ performances, and not only one time, but several times. This sketch was from one of his lovely students’ final performances. I was upset as, perhaps, we can not come again, but do not worry, James has a great deal of organization to support people who would like to learn this damned English!

I was looking for my old sketchbook and found this quick sketch. It was from a City Lab assignment. The instructor showed us MGH and revealed the design process of the new building. We discovered many spaces within it, as you can see from my previous sketches. During this trip, we sketched extensively. In an entrance to a floor, we had only 5 minutes to draw an interior space. I got my place and started to draw. At the end of the day, everyone did a good job. This sketch was one of them.

The best place in the U.S is Boston! At least, according to one of my friends. Although I have seen many places in Europe and beyond, I have not yet formed an opinion of Boston as I have not yet seen many places in the U.S. However, I need to heed my friend as she wandered the world, including the Americas. She is a real globe trotter. This week’s sketch is from a picture taken from John Hancock Tower during my City Lab class. It was greatly beneficial for understanding Boston as a city as we looked out over it. After 3 years, I can not say it is the best place, and yet it has potential -it is still Istanbul for me!