America Daze and Kurban Bayramı December 12, 2008

I am a little behind on my blogging (sorry…) but things have been a little hectic. This week was a holiday (I’ll get to that in a sec), but last week we celebrated America in school. We watched a slide show, decorated American flags, ate American food,  listened to oldies and country music, and dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls to ride horses. I think the highlight of the week was when I asked my class if they knew who the President of America was and they emphatically answered…ATATÜRK! Granted, the kids only learned who Atatürk was (the great founder of the Turkish Republic) a few weeks ago when we learned about Turkey. Since then they have decided that if we say anyone, or anything for that matter, is important he/it must be Atatürk. I think some Americans might be disappointed in the lack of excitement (not to mention confusion) I got when I explained that the new President was not Atatürk but Obama .

On Friday after school we began our holiday, Kurban Bayramı. Translated this means the Sacrifice holiday, which is not as appealing as the Sugar holiday, but just as important to Muslims. This is when they celebrate when God provided a sacrifice in place of Abraham sacrificing his own son.

On Monday evening Murat and I took a night bus down to Mersin, a city on the southern coast of Turkey. His father’s youngest sister (he has seven!:) was having her engagement party.  From the moment we arrived it was a whirlwind adventure. Murat’s father wanted to buy me a new outfit for the party and would not take no for an answer. It was incredibly sweet and generous, I was so humbled. Then I was taken to meet his grandmother, cousins, and the first aunt before getting my hair done. At the hair salon I met another aunt, Rezene, who was so cute and excited to meet me. Since I do not remember when I was very young, I can honestly say I have never been doted on, had my cheeks kissed and pinched, and been told how sweet and cute I am by so many people than in the two days I spent in Mersin. It was incredible! I finally met Figen, the bride-to-be, and we all got ready to leave. The party was held at patisserie and had live music and of course cake! There was wonderful singing, and we were serenaded at one point by an adorably off key five year old who sang a song I was not familiar with followed by a rendition of Kenan Doğulu’s Çakkıdı (a personal fav). There was also much dancing and I tried my best to dance with all the folks who seemed to have it in their genetics. It was a fun but late night, and we slept as soon as we got home.

The next day we had a family breakfast and then walked down by the sea with Murat’s cousins from Istanbul. It was beautiful and the air smelled so clean and healthy. We ended up at a lovely restaurant and stuffed our faces with Adana kebab, hummus, and salad. Then we walked all the way home so we could digest the food. When we arrived home the groom-to-be, Apo, and his family were there. We sat around in the family room and they sang songs with a borrowed guitar and we had a great time. I became fast friends with the little cousins, Figen-6 and Batin-3.  They were adorable and loved showing me the English they knew by blurting out the colors of everything they touched . We played together and it was nice to actually use my Turkish with kids. When Murat and I finally had to go I had to promise the little cousins I would be back or else they would not let me leave.  I have now met a very good portion of Murat’s family and I have found them to all be wonderful, gracious hosts, generous, fun, extremely friendly, and caring people. Murat and I had a long and uncomfortable ride back to Istanbul (a critique of bus companies in Turkey to soon follow…), but arrived safe and sound.

Me, Emirhan, Ela, & Arda

Me, Arda, Ada, & Ilke

Mersin and the Mediterranean

The fake ruins by the sea

Entrance to the culture park

FB, Venetian Carnival, and tragedy November 29, 2008

For Murat’s birthday I bought tickets to see Fenerbahçe take on Porto (of Portugal) in the qualifying round of the Euro Cup. We arrived early to get good seats and enjoy the excitement and rush you get from being around so many like minded individuals. Everyone excited for the match with sarı and lacivert (yellow and navy) running through their veins. We sat behind a very loud group of girls, with the loudest being their obvious ‘ringleader’. The team came out to practice and we had a great view of it. As the crowd did a particular player’s chant, that player would come and say thank you. I was a little sad to find out that my two favorite players, Lugano and Semih, were not going to be playing this match. The match started off well but, after two quick goals by Porto, a cloud of disappointment settled over the stadium. A goal by Kazim in the second half energized us and gave us a sliver of hope, but in the end we lost. Now our focus needs to be on just the Turkish Cup so we can be champions again!

In school this week we studied Italy. This was great since I had just been there and had millions of pictures and experiences to share about. I made a short slide show, brought in my Italian music, and taught my kids a little Italian (buon giorno, ciao, baci, grazie, come stai?, and molto bene). We made Venetian masks and had a Carnival party. Our parents sent pizza and parmesan cheese flavored chips. We made spaghetti, painted Italian flags, and the kids danced to classical opera, Dean Martin, and Tiziano Ferro. It was so wonderful. Next week was supposed to be about Canada, but I am an expert on America so we will do it instead. With everything in red, white, and blue these kids will not know what hit them ).

I also wanted to mention something about the tragedy in India. I am sad to admit that I rarely read a newspaper these days, but when something big happens I usually hear about. My heart and prayers go out for the people who were terrorized, who were/are held hostage, and those who lost their lives. A few people have inquired as to how safe I feel here in Turkey, and the answer is very. From what I have gathered the attacks were politically related to the long lasting problems between India and Pakistan. The terrorist were asking for the release of mujahedeen being imprisoned in India. While they blatantly targeted foreigners at establishments that cater to them (three Turks were among the hostages as well), most of the dead were Indian. After two years in Turkey, I do not really frequent those kind of establishments anymore. The only place that might be dangerous is my church, but it is on the grounds of the Dutch consulate and might be difficult for folks to get into. I am not naive in thinking I am 100% safe here, but I am always alert to what is going on around me. No worries.

And finally….I have finished the final book of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King! I started listening to the audio books about four years ago. They were great time killers during my long commutes to and from work, university, and home. I had gotten to the 7th and final book before I moved to Turkey. I was half way through the audio tapes when I left. I purchased to book about six months later but only read a hundred pages before becoming bored. It was much easier to passively listen to the stories then to actively read them. I picked the book up three days ago and made the decision to finish once and for all. I finally did last night! The ending was interesting but I will only go into detail privately (in case someone cares to read it or is reading it). I usually hate this kind of ending in movies and the such because I find it pointless and a let down. This was the first and possibly only time I will agree with Stephen King that is was the only way the story could end. It was epic. It was long. It was tiring. And it is over, say thankya!

Efe making his mask

Teoman making his mask

The Magical Monkeys ;)

Eating Italian food

Esra Pınar & Emirhan

Eren & Ela

Utku & Zeynep

Eren always loves the camera!

Arda & Ela

At the match

Don’t Give Up the Fight

It Ain’t Over Yet

I am a regular Martha Stewart… November 24, 2008

Well not really, but check out the week I just had. It started with me making sütlaç, a Turkish pudding, with my classes. Our theme was Turkey and our letter of the week was ‘P’ (hence pudding). Then we decorated Turkish flags with pieces of red and white tissue paper, and painted a giant map of Turkey too. It was a fun week at school.

On Thursday I made my best batch of homemade pie crust dough (I have been practicing). I wanted to make things easier on myself the next day, and it is better to work with it as cool as possible. On Friday I made 30 hard boiled eggs for deviled eggs, a pumpkin pie, and an apple pie (from scratch). In America we are so spoiled by having the pumpkin already pureed and canned. It is so difficult taking the rind off! My arms were sore the next day from the amount of pressure I had to use. After that though it is pretty easy going. Just boil until soft, strain, and mash with a fork. Everything went great but I did not finish everything until 1 AM.

The next morning I slept in a little too late and rushed out to buy the remaining ingredients I needed for the turkey breast. I made Dried Apricot and Date Stuffed Turkey , Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes,  and Ezogelin soup. It was a little windy during the day, but while I was couped up cooking it got downright nasty outside. The wind was so terrible that ferries were canceled and a pier sank. Yes, you heard me correctly…the Karaköy pier sank. It was old (about 100 years) and was the only floating one in Istanbul. I was actually on it the night before and noticed how bad the swaying had gotten.My friends were coming from all over the city and they all still made it. They came in cars, buses, on foot, in taxis, and in makeshift dolmuses trying to take advantage of the sunken pier and canceled ferries. It was a wonderful time with wonderful company, and pretty decent food. Can you guess the favorite of the evening? My pumpkin pie! I now have requests for more . I am so thankful for all of my new friends, all my old friends who have been with me through it all, and of course my family. I hope you all have/had a great Thanksgiving yourselves!

The next day I took a ferry over to Eminönü and got to see the missing pier first hand. Karaköy looked so naked. I went to meet Cijay and go to a book exchange in SultanAhmet. I met some really great ladies and made some new friends. I got rid of 4 old books and picked up 4 new ones. These will hopefully keep me busy until the next one, but at the rate I have been devouring books I highly doubt it . Well that was just last week. I can not wait to see where this week takes me…..

Akif is just too cute :)!

I am a goof ball for sure.

Painting our map (Doğa is the poser)

Arda is always making me laugh.

Eren decorating his Turkish flag.

Starting to sink…

…almost sunk!

Nuray and Hayley

Suna and Mehmet

Monika and Cijay

Hazel and Nihat

I hope you know who we are :)

Pyjama Party and other Frou Frou November 19, 2008

After such a terrible start to the week, I was reminded by my co-teacher that Tuesday was going to be our pyjama party. I made sure to set them aside the night before so I wold not forget them. I was so happy to get to spend the day in my comfy pyjamas! It was rainy and cold outside and we were warm and in our pyjamas. We popped popcorn, watched Finding Nemo, and then danced to songs with innappropiate words (that only I really understood). It was all in good fun though.

On the way home from school I rediscovered Frou Frou (Imogen Heap). She has been one of my steady favorite artists for almost eight years now. I discovered her while working for Wet Seal, and then got to hear her play live (for free!) at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. I think the reason why she has stayed with me it that I truly like all her songs, but at different times over the years a certain song will stick out above the rest. It becomes my walking song. That song that you love to have playing on your mp3 when you want that extra confidence in your stride, or that smile on your face, as you trudge home in the rainy gray streets of your city (wherever you live). Right now that song is You Only Got One. Less for the words, but more for her sweet voice and the beautiful melody.

I also finished reading my latest book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I must say that after wanting to read it for sooooo long, and hearing such good things, I was quite disappointed. Her time in Italy was the best part because of her writing about Rome (which I love) and delicious food. Then she goes to India and sees NONE of the country. Why even go then? Oh yeah, to do yoga and meditate . Maybe it is just not my idea of travel. Then she heads to Bali and had an interesting time. I learned very interesting things about the Balinese culture such as everyone is named First, Second, Third, or Fourth (in Balinese), and after Fourth it starts over again. Nicknames are essential . This shows how important birth order and you place in a family is though. I am glad I finally read the book, but I do not think I will go on to recommend it to people. Now I am reading House of Mist by a Chilean woman who wrote it in 1938. The back cover says she was way ahead of her time. So far it is an interesting book that reminds me of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas, a bunch of fairytales, and glimpses of things that are buried deep in my memory and I can not place exactly. I think I will really either love this book or hate it by the end. I will let you know.

Ela (don’t you the the toungue out seriousness of cutting ;o)

My Ramazan

Kezban and I with our class in our pj’s

Dolmabahce and Mark of the Lion November 7, 2008

On Wednesday, the Kindergarten at my school took a trip to Dolmabahçe Palace. “Dolmabahçe Palace was the first European-style palace in Istanbul and was built by Sultan Abdulmecid between 1842 and 1853, at a cost of five million Ottoman gold pounds, the equivalent of 35 tons of gold” (taken from Wiki . I had been one time previously but did not pay the extra fee for using a camera. Since I was with a school this time, I got to take pictures for free of course. The trip was very nice and much more relaxed than trips we took last year. Maybe it had to do with smaller classes, but I think our kids are just better behaved this year as a whole. We did not do a whole tour and mainly just saw where Ataturk had lived and died. Dolmabahçe is also know for its chandeliers and has the worlds largest crystal chandelier! The trip was short and sweet and I have included pics below.

In other news, I am so happy it is the weekend! It has been a very long and tiring week. I wish we had been paid today, but was told we will on Monday. I have been reading voraciously (4 books in 2 weeks). I said I would say more about the series I started by Francine Rivers and I shall. Terri and Dad gave me the books for Christmas before I moved and I brought them with me. I had started reading them before but they have a very violent beginning. After finishing Rumo though, I figured I could stomach anything now . The first book in her trilogy is A Voice in the Wind. I really do not want to give anything away about the storyline, but I will say this: I was completely engrossed and fell in love with the characters. I have not read something this good in years if ever. It challenged me, uplifted me, and taught me many things. The story takes place in ancient Rome and Ephesus. By the end I was crying and had to run to grab the second book, An Echo in the Darkness, of my bookcase. It was such a fulfilling and wonderful end to the story of characters I have grown to love. I also have decided that if I have a girl child, I will name her after the heroine, Hadassah. I think it is a beautiful name. I am starting the third book, As Sure as the Dawn, tonight. It is an offshoot of one of the characters from the first two. I am so excited to see what happens to him. Sorry my writing may seem mysterious, but i want you all to be intrigued enough to read the books .

I am not sure what adventures this weekend may have in store but I am sure you will hear about it soon. Hope you are all well and miss you!

Entering the gates…

Doğa Kindergarten

Looking to the Bosphorus

Front of palace

The Dolmabahçe guards and Sultan’s Gate

Magical Monkeys and Ela

another nice chandelier…

Ataturk’s bedroom

The biggest chandelier

Calypso Cats and Kezban

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring… October 26, 2008

It has been raining all day long today. Needless to say I have stayed inside and enjoyed the warmth of my apartment. I am feeling healthier today than I have felt in a month. I am still coughing and do not have 100% of my strength back yet, but better is better. While it may be cold and dreary outside, I am quite content and happy inside. The only thing to make this a perfect day would be some hot cocoa with marshmallows on top. Alas, I have neither so I make do with my Kış Çay or “Winter Tea”. It is quite delicious though an contain Echinacea, rose hip, hibiscus, ginger root, cinnamon, black pepper corns, and licorice root. Good stuff.

I have just started a new book called The Last Testament by Sam Bourne. I enjoyed his first novel (The Righteous Men), and this one has started out pretty good as well. It is a murder, international mystery, suspense, etc… bringing in the Israel and Palestine conflict. I needed something a little lighter (literally) than the one I just finished, Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers is a 700 page brick of a book. I was super excited to have found that one here in Turkey. I loved Moers first book as well, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. Rumo, from the very beginning, was a far more gruesome and dark tale, but I loved it nonetheless. I would not recommend it to the faint of heart  or to young adults (unlike Captain Bluebear which I highly recommend to everyone!).

By this time you may be asking yourself “why did Charlotte start yet another blog?” The answer is quite simple my dear friends and family, my freedom of speech is being suppressed by the government of the country I currently reside in.  It is not just me though, but everyone living here. I woke up the other morning to find this message when I went to access my blog:

Blogspot has now been added to the list of websites (along with YouTube) that I can not access without a cloaking website . This is quite easy for Turkey to do since there is only one internet provider for the whole country. The reason remains a mystery but usually have to do with one of three things: bad-mouthing Ataturk, Armenian genocide, or PKK (Kurdish terrorists). I love Turkey, and living here is on a whole wonderful, but sometimes I wish they would worry about bigger issues like the overcrowding of schools and the poverty in the east instead of shutting off access to blogspot. Let’s hope I may have better luck with this new site.

In other news, Murat is great and work is going well. I had to miss a couple days last week due to being ill but I am looking forward to being back. I miss my kids. I am afraid I gave them quite a scare last week. Kezban, my afternoon partner, was ill and did not come to school on Wednesday. I was alone all day with the kids. They were great but having to speak all day did a real number on my throat and cough.  By the end of the day I was pretty bad. I started coughing so hard it was difficult to breathe and it made my eyes water. That evening a parent called my principal to ask why Kezban had quit. My principal informed them that Kezban was just ill and had not quit. The parent then said that her daughter told her Miss Charlotte was crying, so she assumed Kezban was gone . My poor traumatized kids!  I will make it up to them this week by being extra happy . Not much else new and exciting here. I hope all is well and will be using this website from now on. You can check out my old blogs at: turkishliving.blogspot.com , charbar137.blogspot.com , and blog.myspace.com/charbar137.