I went to see the new Harry Potter movie with some friends after class today, and we spent the rest of the day hanging out in a local cafe. It was one of those perfect, warm summer evenings, spent outside, drinking a beer or two, and postponing the night as much as possible. I grabbed a kebab on the way to the city center, and decided to take a cab for the last portion of my trip, as it was already dark out and I was feeling pretty lazy.

I had a breakthrough moment in the cab, in which I managed to hold a conversation (with little difficulty!) for the entire 10-minute drive, somehow leaving the driver with the impression that my Turkish is actually legitimate. I even managed to talk him into a price I thought was reasonable when he realized upon arriving at my apartment that he'd forgotten to turn on the meter. It was an overall win for sure. Especially considering the fact that I'd been speaking and listening to nothing but English for the 6 hours preceding the interaction. Hurray for slow (but noticeable) language improvement!