Lokma

A few weeks ago my roommates and I went to a local cafe to study Turkish. Afterwards we decided to treat ourselves to Subway. It was actually really good and the prices were very reasonable, maybe even cheaper than America. I think I paid less than $4 for a six inch turkey sub. Good deli meat and loaf bread is hard to find in here, so even though I rarely eat at Subway in the states, it was a real treat in Turkey! Oh and the chocolate chip cookies are delicious!!!
Anyways as we were sitting near the window eating, we noticed a large van drive up and begin to unload what looked like kitchen appliances. My roommates then said, "Oh it looks like they are setting up for lokma" Come to find out lokma is the Turkish word for donut and when someone passes away, the family will hire a lokma company to come and pass out lokma to the community as a way to announce the death. We watched as several people walked by, asked questions, and then waited around for the oil to be hot enough to begin frying. Within seconds a line had formed and they began making plates of donuts. We quickly finished our food and got in line.

Oh and if you want more than one or two plates, then you can take a kitchen bowl (any size) and they will fill and refill it up as many times as you want. I haven't gotten the courage to do that yet!!

Christmas only comes once a year….

….but lasts much longer!

Several weeks ago, my mom told me a few people had asked about what to get me for Christmas. I told her I didn't need anything, but would love to receive Christmas Cards. One of my favorite things about Christmas is being home and looking through the hundreds of cards that my parents receive. I especially love the ones with pictures because you can see how people have changed from year to year. Since I moved out of my parents house, I have always received a few cards each year from close friends and family. But this year I am blown away! So far I have received over 40 Christmas cards. Today when I going out, there were twenty cards propped up on the landing in the bottom of my apartment. Some were post marked Dec 5th and some Dec 27th! It seems like the post office has been collecting them, I am sure they are assuming all types of things about why I am receiving so much mail.  I don't really know why it took some cards so long to get here, but I am just happy they have arrived! It has made the holiday season last even longer. Before Christmas I had received 2 cards, but now everyday when I come home I get excited because there just might be more.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO MAIL A CARD ALL THE WAY TO TURKEY. IT MEANS SO MUCH AND SEEING YOUR PICTURES AND READING YOUR NOTES HAS MADE CHRISTMAS VERY SPECIAL FOR ME.

As I sit in my room and type this post this is my view…

Also, last week I stopped by the post office to check on a package my mom had sent and there were 3 waiting on me! I put them under the Christmas tree while I ate lunch, then I turned on some Christmas music and opened my gifts.

The fact that all my gifts, cards, packages, etc are arriving in January is not what I would have chosen. However I must say it's been nice. I really feel like December was about Christ's birth and sharing in the joy of that with others. That's all I had, and that was enough. Its made the waiting to hear from friends and family that much more special.

Small Victory.

There are several things I like about grocery shopping here. It's so nice to have grocery stores on every corner. I rarely do a "big grocery store run" I just stop in on my way home and grab what I need for dinner that night. I also love how fresh the fruits and veggies are, and the prices are amazing! However one thing I do not like is that I have to bag my own groceries. Which wouldn't be that big of a deal, except that the person behind me is always in a rush and by the time I can figure out the price in Turkish, pay for my groceries, collect my change, and begin bagging my groceries, the person behind me is now beside me bagging his/her groceries. It stresses me out. And I have started shopping with my fanny pack so I have easy access to my wallet.

Anyways last Friday I ran in real quick to pick up a few items for the sleepover and decided to purchase some Nutella. Well I got home and realized the Nutella was not in my bag. I checked my receipt, and sure enough I had paid for it. I thought, "Oh well, there goes my money." But then I realized I needed to go back and explain what happened - not because of the money, but for my own sanity. Often times here I feel like a mute child, unable to communicate like I want to. So I figured out what I needed to say, and went back to the grocery store. The lady was so helpful and I actually understood what she said, and the best part I got my jar of Nutella! This is a small victory, but I am rejoicing and thanking the Father. 

IKEA

On Tuesday, Bec and I ventured over to nearby mall to do some shopping. I ended up getting a small bookshelf for my bedroom at Ikea  Ikea is the best - it feels a little like home - which is strange since I've never even been to Ikea in the states. I've also never purchased furniture from Ikea (although it is the main thing they sell). Anyways when I got home (and after Bec had helped me lug the box up 4 flights of stairs!) I asked my roommate if we had tools and she said, "Oh all the tools that you need come in the box, but I'll help you, its gonna be challenging." I thought she was kidding. She was not. 

After dinner, she was busy doing something so I thought I would at least get started. But after opening the box and looking over the directions (which are listed in at least 20 different languages), I decided to wait for her help.

The pictures are the best. 1 - Only use these tools. 2 - Don't try to do this by yourself, it will make you happy if you have a friend. 3 - Don't break the boards (Or maybe don't put together on a hard surface). 4 - Don't have questions, but if you do call Ikea (I'm curious as to where this call center is located).

My sweet roommate was so helpful and dedicated to getting this put together. Seriously, I would have probably given up. We both almost did at one point when the boards were not lining up correctly. My solution was to cut the wooden pegs with a knife. We took the whole thing apart and started over and realized we were putting the shelves into the top boards, instead of the side boards. Anyways we finally figured it out and I am glad we didn't cut the wooden pegs or call Ikea. 

Here is the final product! It feels so good to have a place for my books, picture frames, jewelry, and some bins for organization. I love it!

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A Day Off

Today I had the day off. PTL. I didn't realize how much I needed it. Since I arrived last Wednesday, I have been going non-stop - which is good and the way I like it! However it all caught up with me today and I was very thankful for a day to rest, finally unpack, do laundry, and even go for a run. It was wonderful. There is this awesome park about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I have a feeling I will spend a good amount of time there. It did my soul a lot of good to relieve some stress (that I hadn't even realized was there). I am sleeping great, but am still very tired. It's a good tired, but I am having to learn to set some boundaries and guard my time. Plus I forgot how exhausting it is being in a city of 5 million people. Things are still going well and I am thankful to be here. Now that my room is unpacked I feel a lot more settled and at ease. Here are a few pictures of the park I ran at, and also my bedroom.

Also, saw this craziness on the ride home from dinner. Five guys in rollerblades (welcome to the 90s) holding onto a moving bus!

Here I am

Well here I am with my first blog post in two and a half years. I didn't neglect this blog on purpose. It just happened. I moved back to the states and for me the blog was no longer seemed necessary. Now there are TONS of people in the states who have great blogs...blogs I love reading. But I am not a writer, and I don't feel as though I have very profound things to say. The purpose of this blog is the update people on my life in Turkey, and every once in a while I share something from my heart.

So here I am. Back again in a country I love. Thankful for the opportunity to be here. Today was my first real day in the city. My roommates had a visitor in town, and I was able to tag along as they showed her the city. We started the day with Turkish Breakfast (something I have really missed - eggs, cheese, bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, honey, jelly, butter, and unlimited çay). 

 Then made our way by bus and then metro to the water. It was a beautiful, sunny day and great way to see the city. The day I arrived it was rainy and foggy. 

 My new roommate posed so I could get this picture of the bride and groom having their picture taken.