American Goodies

My mom sent me a bag of stuff from America. This picture represents my favorite things.

Starting at the top we have my new class ring! I'm allergic to the nickel in white gold so I had to get it redone in silver. It came back a few weeks after I left (my right ring finger has been sad since I got here). Below that we have the most perfect gray nail polish - my mom found it. Next to that is the moisturizer that I cannot make it through a winter without. It's really expensive in Turkey so I had to have it imported (that sounds so serious). There's also my favorite chapstick. Above that we have awesome office supplies: index cards, post-it notes (expensive unless you buy off-brands), and my favorite pens and mechanical pencils. New shoes (and old shoes not pictured), two novels (English books are really expensive here), makeup and razor blades that can't be found here. And finally, the hottest commodity of them all: tampons.

Yes, my friends, the ones with plastic applicators are impossible to find here. For me, this is not okay. I think that an import business based on these puppies alone would allow me to retire by 30. If I put them on the black market, maybe 25. Any friend who visits me is required to bring at least one box. That's my price, and I'm not ashamed to say it.