Holiday Week.

The week BEFORE Thanksgiving, I was out of school for an entire week! It was a big holiday week for Mslms around the world and I enjoyed the week off from school. I was hoping to take a trip with some friends, but everything was either booked or too expensive. I was disappointed, because I was really wanting/needing to get out of the city! A few teacher friends and I decided to have our own vacation right here. It was lovely. We slept in, ate out, did some shopping, watched movies, had sleepovers, visited museums and the zoo, read books, and just enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. Every day it was sunny with temperatures in the high 60's - so nice!

One of the most interesting things I did was walk down to the Bosphorus with a friend to see if we could find any sacrifices on the day of the holiday. It was so bizarre to watch, but I am really glad I did it. For the 2 weeks leading up to the holiday there were tents like this set up all over the city selling goats, sheep, and cows. Who knew Turkey had such an awesome zoo, with such cute animals?!?The Body Worlds Exhibit has been here for about 5 months and I haven't had a chance to go yet, so I took advantage of my week off and went with a friend. It was a little difficult to find. We were told it was beside Istanbul Modern and that we couldn't miss the Istanbul Modern sign because it was HUGE. Well we did miss it and walked around for about 30 minutes up and down this street. No worries, we finally found it. If you ever get the chance to see the Body Worlds Exhibit, DO IT! It is so interesting. The entire time I was in there I kept think, "How can people not believe in a creator?"

Bridge Walk

My favorite thing about the city I live in is the Bosphorus Strait. It is a strait of water that connects the Black Sea (up north) to the Marmara Sea (down south). In order to get from Asia to Europe you have to cross the Bosphorus either by boat, or by car on 1 of the 2 bridges. The main bridge is about a kilometer long and you are not allowed to walk or ride a bike across it. But every year they open up the bridge to pedestrians for a marathon. The same weekend they also allow you to participate in a fun run or a walk. Since I am not a runner and the thought of running long distance brings back painful memories of playing basketball in 9th grade with Coach Wiggans, I decided to do the leisurely walk. It was a beautiful day, especially after weeks of clouds and rain!
There were so many people that came out for the race - remember I live in a city of 17 million. At times you could feel the bridge swaying. It was a fun day, and I so enjoyed the view!

Julie :)

A few weeks ago my old roommate, Julie came to visit. The first 6 months I was in Turkey, Julie was my roommate. Together we transitioned to living overseas, cooked dinner, made friends, and fell in love with this country. Then she had to move to England. Even though I was really sad that she moved, I was also so grateful for her friendship during my first months here. We have stayed good friends, she has made a few trips back to Turkey and I was even able to make a trip out to England to see her!

Here is a picture from when we first arrived. Everything was so new and interesting and it was fun to have someone to explore the city with.

Before heading back to the states Julie came one last time to hang out. It was wonderful. The weather was gorgeous and it was so fun to be together again in this city we both love. It also caused me to reflect a lot over the last 2 years here. The Father has been so faithful and kind to me. It is been an incredible experience so far, and I am glad it is not over yet. Here we are a few days before she left for the states. I miss knowing she was on the same side of the world with me!

Domestic

We were out of school yesterday because it Turkey's Independence Day - Cumhuriyet Bayramı. I wish every weekend could be a 3 day weekend. Yesterday I was out in the city all day - Starbucks to do school work and then dinner at Chili's. Today was a very domestic day for me - I was home all day and got a lot of things done. It was so nice. I feel like so much of my life revolves around school - planning, grading, etc - that it is nice to have a day where I don't do any school work at all!

First, I used imported M&M's to make M&M cookies for House Group tomorrow. So yummy!

Then, my roommate and I cleaned out and carved a pumpkin. Some of the students at our school were selling American pumpkins to raise money for their boy scout troop. You can get pumpkins here - infact people cook with them all the time. But they are white/green and have a bunch of bumps.

After that, I switched out my summer clothes for winter clothes. I always love doing this - it's like Christmas all over again. Every year I find some shirt that I forgot I had!

Esther and Hamam

I am currently going through a study about the life of Esther with a group of ladies here. I have been so grateful for this group and the chance to study the Word with them. It has been very encouraging and edifying for me. A few weeks ago we were studying Esther chapter 2 about the ladies spending a year in beauty treatments waiting to see King Xerxes – or King Headache as Beth calls him. We thought it would be fun to visit a local hamam. A hamam is a Turkish bath, where you can go to be scrubbed and bathed. It is a very social thing; much like the Roman baths were many years ago. Now I have been several times, because I love it. It is probably in my top 5 things to do in this country. But it was so much fun to do with a group of my BS girls and to in a way identify with Esther and the other ladies. Here are a few pictures of our trip – as well as what a Hamam looks like inside. If you come visit me – a trip to the Hamam is a must! So far no one has been disappointed, and most people say we need something like this in the states. A few weeks before this my friend Su-Anne and her husband came to visit. Su-Anne and I are from the same hometown and then both moved to the same college town after High School. We have remained friends, but this was the first time in several years that we have spent decent time together. We of course went to the Hamam and she loved it. We actually went to the same one that Ally went to on the Bachelorette! Anyways as always it was a lot of fun to have visitors here. Su-Anne is an elementary teacher so she came to school with me one day and got to help out in my class. So fun!

Eczane

For about 2 years now I have lived across the street from a hospital and above an eczane (the Turkish word for pharmacy). I had never been inside this hospital, or any hospital for that matter, until a few weeks ago when I had the flu. I went to a private hospital across town that a lot of foreigners here use. It was very nice and my doctor spoke excellent English - it was comforting receiving such great medical care in this country. He fixed me up with some good medications - which caused me to have to go the pharmacy right below my apartment for the 2nd time. The first (and only other time) I went in to get cotton balls. Anyways I got some great medicine and was feeling better with several days. And even though I no longer have the flu - my allergies, or maybe even sinuses, have been acting up like crazy for the past 2 weeks. It is quite frustrating and just annoying. I am learning to really appreciate the days that I feel good and healthy, and also keep things in perspective. A little cold or allergies never killed anyone and over all I am a very healthy person. I think sometimes the Father allows us to be sick so that we don’t take our health for granted. Anyways, it is really nice living right above a pharmacy and knowing I can pop in whenever I need to and get some medicine. Prescriptions don’t exist here except for very strong medicines – like Perkoset or something. So you can easily get what you need! They know me pretty well there now. Here is a picture I took last Christmas of my apartment building. You can see the Eczane with my apartment right above it - see the Christmas tree?

Tree Houses

The week after school started we had another break - I know rough life! Honestly I would rather get into a good routine with the kids, but I won't complain about a break from school. We had a half day on Wednesday, and no school Thursday or Friday.

Before I moved here, I read different books about Turkey, and I would always see pictures like this of a beautiful place called Antalya...Antalya is located in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea. Ever since moving here, I have wanted to visit Antalya, but both my summers have been filled with language or weddings, so I haven't been able to take a trip down there. A few teachers from school I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and make a trip down south. We flew out Wednesday night and spent 3 glorious nights in a tree house. Yes, a tree house. Imagine something your dad would build for you to play in - made of wood with a ladder and everything. It was rustic, but clean and very cheap - they fed us a delicious breakfast and dinner each day. All 4 of us got to stay in one room and as you can see it was a little crowded!
It was a great trip, but after 3 days of being away from the comforts of my fan, bed, and bathroom, I was ready to get back home. Highs and lows from the trip: LOW - slicing my big toe on a rock the first day (10 seconds after getting in the water). I had to go to the Emergency Room - which was a tiny white trailer!
HIGH - spending all day on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea with friends: swimming, laying out, reading, snorkling, climbing rocks, and cliff jumping!

Pictures from School

As promised, here are some pictures of my classroom! I have 15 students from America, South Korea, Turkey, and England. Only 3 native English speakers!!
Working hard...

These boys are best buds - I had to seperate them though because they don't understand what "independent work" is.

Back to School

Well, the first few weeks of school have gone very well. We have had two short weeks. The first week was short because we started on a Wednesday. And the second week was short because we were out Thursday and Friday due to the religious holiday here. It has been nice to kinda ease back into everything, but I will be ready to finally have a full week and be able to get into a routine with my kids.

I have a great group this year and feel very blessed. I have 15 sweet kids, but after Christmas I will have 16. They are really a good group and I am enjoying them. They are much calmer than my group last year, and don't test my patience quite as much. They also listen well, which is really nice. Like I said I feel very blessed! Of course there is still the normal challenges and stresses of teaching, but my year got off to a MUCH better start than last year. Not sure if you remember, but last year was a struggle for many reasons. I definitely feel more prepared and experienced this year. I really miss my kids from last year - as challenging as they were - but they are in great hands with their new teacher.

I have several ESL students this year, and only 3 native English speakers. Much different group than my previous 2 years. But I am looking forward to working with them, they are a bright bunch. I'll try to take some pictures this week of my classroom and kids.

Summer Break is over.

And you know what? I am actually not that sad. It has been a wonderful summer - both in America and Turkey. I have been able to travel, do a lot of fun things with fun people, and rest. I am ready to start back school and see my kids. Teacher work days start tomorrow, and then the kids come back on Sept 1st. I am looking forward to several things about this school year - one being that I have done this before. So I am hoping it will be a little bit easier this time around.

A few weekends ago - right after getting back from America - I went to visit some friends from NC that live down south. It was really great to see where they live and get to spend time with them. They were such kind and gracious hosts - with some really sweet kids! Pamukkale is a beautiful place that I would definitely recommend visiting if you ever come to Turkey!Yesterday a few teachers from school went to Aqua Marine - a water park on the European Side. We had such a great time and it was a fun thing to do right before school starts back. It was an adventure finding it in this HUGE city, but we enjoyed ourselves. And since there is a month long holiday going on - entrance price was half off! It was a very fun and cheap day.

Since being back...

My first week back in Istanbul was busy seeing friends and hanging out. One of my really good friends here moved back to America 5 days after I landed, so I tried to spend as much time with her as possible before she left. The day after I arrived we went to the beach and then on Wednesday we went to the kuafor to get her hair straightened. I decided to take a risk and get my hair cut and styled here! I figured worse case senario - I get a bad haircut in Turkey. I let him cut about 8 inches off and give me a little bob. I really like it and it is much cooler with this hot weather. Oh and the guy cutting my hair was wearing a shirt that had some English writing on it. Once he realized I was an English teacher he wanted me to read his shirt. It said: "Together for the Gospel" HAHA WHAT! I started dying laughing and asking him where in the world he got it. His sister bought it at one of the local markets. Based on my reaction he was worried it said something bad, but I assured him it was a great message.BEFOREAFTER
A few friends also went out the Maiden's Tower to celebrate a friend's birthday. I had never been there before and was glad to visit, especially after watching the Bachelorette while I was in the states. On their trip to Istanbul, Ally and Craig had a date at the Maiden's Tower. My roommate and I sat in the same table and took a picture.

Number 6 and 7

I now own 7 bridesmaids dresses. While I was home I had the opportunity to be in weddings #6 and #7. People often ask if I am tired of being in weddings. I don’t hesitate when I tell them, “No way!” I seriously love every minute of the wedding weekend – from the bachelorette party to the wedding day. And even though I have missed many showers and parties while living overseas, I am beyond thankful that I have been able to go home for the actual wedding day. There is nothing quite like watching a dear friend fall in love with a godly man. And so it brings me great joy and honor to stand with her as she gets married. It is honestly such a privilege to me. I have loved every wedding I have been in and look forward to being in 2 more next year – my brother, Daniel and my cousin, Lainey are both getting married. Obviously not to each other!
Kelly and I grew up together and have known each other our entire lives – we are like sisters. I was thrilled when she met and started dating Jeremy. He is perfect for her in so many ways and I am excited to see what the future holds for them in the Air Force. It was very surreal standing beside my life long friend in our home church as she and Jeremy said, “I do”
Lauren and I went to China together one summer and have been good friends since then. She is the most genuinely kind person I have ever met - I don’t know that I have ever heard her say something mean about someone. Although we were at different colleges we stayed in touch and I would go down to Topsail Beach with her family. I did not met her husband until the weekend of the wedding, but I instantly loved him and am delighted for them!

I AM BACK!

I know it has been quite a while since I posted on here. For those of you that don't know I was in America for 5 weeks. It was wonderful and I had such a great time with family and friends.

The month flew by and even though I wish it could have been a little longer, I was ready to come back. As you can imagine the month wasn't very relaxing - every few days I was repacking my suitcase to go somewhere else. It was the way it had to be if I was going to fit in everything I wanted to in 1 month. It was crazy busy, but so fun - there are pictures on facebook if you are interested. I was able to connect with so many different people, take a few trips, and be a bridesmaid in 2 weddings. Besides the wedding weekends - the 2 highlights from my time at home would have be to my trip to Washington DC and the Washburn Beach Week. The trip to DC was a birthday present from my really good friend, Katherine. Seven girls from college went up to go to the Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw concert and a Nationals Baseball game. It was a great get-a-way and just a fun time with college friends - we had a blast together with many laughs.

Washburn Beach Week is something my grandparents graciously do for our family every year. My entire family (26 including soon to be spouses) go down to Topsail Beach for a week. It is always a lot of fun and I was really sad last year to miss it. It was definitely the most relaxing week of my entire time in the states - my agenda each day was to be with family and lay out on the beach.

Last Day of School

June 18th was a very good day. It was the day I finished my 1st full year of teaching. And it felt so good! The last week of school was full of fun things – making a memory book, watching a movie, pizza party, cleaning the classroom, awards assembly, and just fun times with my kids. We have both worked hard this year and I feel so good about the way things ended. It was a good end to a very good year. Here is a picture of my kids. I will miss them over the summer, but am also glad for the break!
This is a picture of my roommate (5th grade teacher) and me. We both had the opportunity to teach these cute sisters. At least once a week we would have some conversation at dinner about how much we love “The Waters Sisters.'”
After a fun day at school (and a 2 hour nap) a few teachers headed to Istiklal for dinner and karaoke. Istiklal is a street on the European side that has really fun restaurants and a good night life. As we were walking from dinner to karaoke, we noticed at the there was a lot of music coming from the Tram that runs along Istiklal. Turns out that they had cleared out the passengers and seats, taken out the windows, and set up a band inside the Tram. They would stop and play a song, and then ride about 50 yards up the street and stop again to play another song. As it traveled we ran along side it and sang and danced. It was so fun.

As of lately...

The last few weekends have been busy with really, fun things! The weekend before school finished a few friends and I went to see Lord of the Dance. It was a great show and fun evening. It made me miss taking Tap when I was younger.

The next day we had our staff appreciation banquet at a lovely restaurant on the Bosphorus. It was a bittersweet time, as several teachers are leaving to go back to their home country. Since moving here, goodbyes have become a normal part of life. It is hard, but makes me grateful for all I have been given.
This is a picture of me and the 4th grade teacher. Her and her family are moving to another part of Turkey. I will miss her friendship and guidance so much next year.