Ankara

Huh...this actually makes it sound like an interesting place.

Safranbolu

Another great weekend out of Ankara was exactly what I needed to remind me of just how fortunate I am to be living abroad. We drank lots of cay and walked around the market. I had my first experience with a hamam (Turkish bath) that left me in tears I was laughing so hard. As I lay there (after an argument with the hamam lady so that she would let me keep my bathing suit on) I couldn't help but giggle at this old tradition and how unsanitary it felt. They scrub you down until there is but one very thin layer of skin left and then dump buckets of water to rinse you off. Keep in mind that this is simply done in a community room and that the lady scrubbing was wearing very little at all.  I've been told that in the old days, Turkish women would use the hamam as a place to scout out potential wives for their sons. I was thinking about this while losing layer upon layer of skin and what it would've been like to know that everyone was watching you.

The next day we hired a driver to take us to a tiny village not far from Safranbolu. Here we had just enough time to be welcomed into an old Ottoman style house where I was pinched and groped by an elderly Turkish lady. I tried to say a few things to her in my broken Turkish and she just thought that it was amazing. She was very sweet and we ended up enjoying some cay and baclava in her house. The whole weekend was quite the experience and I am looking forward to doing more weekends away this year.

Istanbul (take 1 & 2)

After a year in Turkey, I finally made it out to Istanbul! And what a city! Its so busy and alive. The first weekend was for the Red Hot Chili Pepper Concert and the second was to watch a swing dance competition. I have yet to follow the guide book, but figure I've still got plenty of time. Both trips were wonderful weekends and I'm looking forward to getting to know this complex but exciting city!

Hoşgeldiniz

Welcome to my new Kindergarten classroom! It's been a busy couple of months but I feel like I am finally falling into a routine. I've been blessed with an incredible group of students this year and can't wait to watch them grow and learn.

Çay İstiyorum

This was a video my principal shared at a staff meeting this year. I feel like it really gives you a sense of Turkey!

Aviano, sweet Aviano

I actually became very anxious before heading back to Aviano this time. I started to worry that my friends wouldn't have time to see me, that I would get bored being alone, or that it just wouldn't be the same. And yes, of course it's not the same as when I was there for student teacher. I've changed and grown over the past year, probably more so than during any other time in my life. I enjoyed my days of walking around the city and simply drinking my macchiatos and reading for hours on end. I took naps and just enjoyed my beautiful surroundings. Then meeting up with friends after they all got off work was wonderful. I forgot how much they became like a family to me and how much I really miss them. I tagged along with old and new friends to the beach for a weekend and had an absolute blast!

the view of Aviano from one of my many walks :)

Meeting up with Susan and spending the day at Aviano Elementary reminded me (again) of how I desperately hope I will end up in the DoDDS system. Someday. Hopefully soon! Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a daydreamer. I could get so much done if I wasn't dreaming of what my perfect future would look like! Speaking of...I found my dream house while walking around Aviano. Here it is!

High on Summertime

Good news...I survived my first year! yay! Holy Moly its been a while! I’ve obviously been enjoying my much needed summer vacation. This is my first summer since I was 16 that I haven’t had at least one job! “What’ve you been doing with your life?” , you may wonder. Well, I’m glad you asked! Take a look:

Fethiye and Kas

A beautiful week down on the Mediterranean Sea on the south coast of Turkey. I ate lots of fresh sea food, enjoyed splashing in the water, and even went paragliding (a risky behavior according to my mother)!

U.S. of A!

Yes, I went back to the states for the first time in almost a year, and I must say,  it was wonderful! Its all of those little things that make it home. Oh and one of the best parts.... MEXICAN FOOD! Almost every meal :) I went camping up in Colorado with my dad and brother and then over to San Diego with my mom, sister and brother. I’ve missed my family so much, and it meant a lot that they made this past month so special. I saw friends and family and basically just tried to stay out of the heat! 

I’m back in Ankara now, and I must admit that its nice to be back and in my own lojman. I’m so excited to start school, that I even went in the last two days to try to help sort the book orders. My classroom is a wreck, but we’ve got so many new resources that I can’t help but to feel hopeful about this year. 

Up next: Italy! I leave bright and early in the morning for my first real solo trip :)   

Trabzon

Another beautiful weekend away with friends! We jumped on a plane Saturday morning and soared up to the Black Sea. A teacher at our school has a house in Trabzon and had her driver pick us up and drive us around for the whole weekend.

the teacher's house with a beautiful view!

 

our group with the driver and house caretakers

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." - Isak Dinesen

Konya

This was the trip I had been waiting for! The birthplace of the whirling dervishes and a place of pilgrimage to see Rumi's shrine. After reading "The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi" by Elif Shafak I knew that this city would be a magical place.

"Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be so shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full."

"Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?"

“A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western.… Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. “Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! “The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”

On Sunday, we jumped on a bus and hopped off in a tiny village called Sille. It was a beautiful place with the kindest people. Aya Elenia Church was being restored and was therefore closed to the public...but that didn't stop us. I was lucky to have a Turkish friend with me, as when she explained that we were teachers and had really been looking forward to seeing it, the man rushed us quickly inside and gave us beautiful books on the history of the church. Wandering around under the scaffolding and lifting sheets of plastic was an unbelievable experience.

“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.”

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.”

-Rumi

Bursaspor v. Fenerbahçe 2

Alright. Wednesday night I went to the Bursaspor v. Fenerbahçe game for another wonderful experience with Turkish football! The game was crazy but so much fun!

Bursaspor v. Fenerbahçe

Amasya

This weekend I went for a wonderful get-a-way to...Amasya! A few friends and I hopped on a bus Friday night for a six hour bus ride to the north east. We simply walked around the city, climbed a mountain to see a castle, and ate some maraş dondurma. But I have to say one of the highlights was watching the Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray football game on the big screen T.V. at the hotel. There were a ton of people there to watch the game and they were separated: Fenerbahçe fans in one room, and Galatasaray fans in another. It was so intense. When Galatasaray won everybody ran out onto the street and I felt like all of the men from the city gathered with flares and flags to celebrate. People were driving up and down the street for hours, just honking their horns and yelling. It was quite the experience. The next day we hit the museums and had lunch by the river. It was so beautiful and exactly what I needed to recharge for the long week this week!

Duman Concert and Cino de Mardi Gras Ball

Duman concert at Mayfest on the Hacettepe University campus last Wednesday night! It was so nice to get off campus and go to a concert...even if I didn't know a single word!

I almost forgot! Last weekend the U.S. Embassy put on their annual Mardi Gras Ball, but it just so happened to be on Cinco de Mayo! So much fun. A great night with friends, good food, and lots of dancing!