Thoughts

I have just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you haven’t read it, you should. It is a great book and really gets you thinking. This life I live is not my own, I was bought with a price and I desperately want to live it to glorify the Father. The entire book has been convicting and good, but one chapter in particular stood out to me.

You probably know that I am in the process of packing up to leave Turkey. I am moving back to the states on June 23rd. There are many things I am looking forward to, but also many things I will miss. To say it is all “bittersweet” hardly does my feelings justice. Anyways, because I am leaving and am only allowed one 50 pound bag (I am paying extra to check 3 total!), I have been forced to go through and leave a lot of things here. At first this was a very hard process. I wanted so badly to keep all the things I have accumulated here – my skype phone, printer, picture frames, decorations from IKEA, etc. For a brief time I thought I would put these things in storage, just in case I come back. How silly!

Then I read chapter 7, in which Francis encourages us to hold our possessions lightly. They are very temporary things and they are just that – THINGS! He says “We are loaded down with too many good things, more than we could ever need, while others are desperate for a small loaf of bread. The good things we cling to are more than money; we hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, and our friends. As we begin to practice regular giving, we see how ludicrous it is to hold on to the abundance God has given us and merely repeat the words thank you.”

He also encourages us to see the connection between giving and loving. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave...” We can see right there that one of the best ways to show love is to give.

In light of all, last week my roommate and I packed up all our “random” possessions that we didn’t want to take back to the states (picture frames, candles, toiletries, lotions, American foods, etc). We took 3 big boxes to school and within a couple hours EVERYTHING was gone. And I mean everything. It was the best feeling, knowing that I was able to bless people through my giving. We could have had a garage sale and sold the items…none of it was junk. But instead we just gave it away and as a result I was blessed. In Acts it tells us it is more blessed to give than receive. I am sure many of us believe that, but do we really live like we believe it?

It has really challenged me and made me think about all the STUFF I have waiting for me when I get back to the states. I am looking forward to going through it and getting rid of a bunch of it. And not just because I don’t want it anymore or it doesn't fit, but because I can bless someone else through my giving. If you are reading this, I want you to keep me accountable. When you see me ask me, “What have you given away?”

See ya’ll soon :)

Weekend of Good-byes

This past weekend was FULL of good-byes (and some tears). Friday night I hung out with one of my Turkish friends for maybe the last time. Saturday, I had a good-bye party for a family that is moving back to the states. I went straight from the good-bye party to the Teacher Appreciation Dinner. It is always fun to see everyone outside of school - dressed up and enjoying themselves.

As a way to honor teachers that are leaving, they ask another teacher to share stories or encouragement for the leaving teacher. My sweet (and quieter) friend, Meghan, who teaches 4th grade was asked to share about me. She decided to rewrite the lyrics to "God Bless Us Everyone" and sing it in front of the entire restaurant. It was so cute and precious. I kept thinking , "I cannot BELIEVE she is doing this!!"

Sunday was the last house group before everyone dispersed for the summer. They chatted over me and sent me out well. It was a very special time - I am so grateful for the opporunity I have had to meet with this group the last two and half years. They have become my family here and I will miss them dearly.

I went straight from House Group to school for a good-bye party for two British families that are returning to the UK. They asked me a few months back if I would lead line dances for them. They didn't want their good-bye party to be sappy and sad, but happy and fun. I have enjoyed getting to know them and their families - and have especially enjoyed having British friends :)

Day in the City

Last Saturday I spent the whole day out in the city with a group of my girlfriends here. It was a day full of many "last" experiences. We caught the boat in Çengelköy and road it up the Bosphorus to a restaurant on the European side. Best Turkish breakfast ever. There are so many things I love about Sütiş:

1. The View - this restaurant sits right on the Bosphorus


2. Breakfast appetizer plates - cucumbers and tomatoes, honey and butter, kaymak (clotted cream) and honey, borek, olives and cheese, and fresh breads!


3. Sütiş Latte - INCREDIBLE! This white chocolate latte comes in a tumbler type class with 3 beautiful layers of goodness.


4. Menemen - kinda like an omelet but way better. They bring it to you in the frying pan they cook it in.


5. Eating breakfast at 11am and knowing I will not be hungry again until at least dinner.

The pictures do not do it justice, nor my descriptions, but believe me it is awesome! After breakfast we walked along the water for about an hour until we got to Bebek - which is another one of my favorite parts of this city. (Istanbul is kinda like NYC, except that it has 11 burroughs). Anyways Bebek is this really cute part of town with a Starbucks that sits right on the Bosphorus...like you can sit and dangle your feet in the water. Lovely. After sitting outside for a while reading and getting some sun, we played Phase 10 for the rest of the afternoon. We played a lot of Phase 10 my first summer here - so it felt like a walk down memory lane.We caught the boat back to Çengelköy, where we ate Kumpir (loaded baked potato) and a Waffle. Other dishes I will greatly miss! Now I know what you are thinking, "There are waffles in America." But not waffles loaded with nutella and other creams, fruits, nuts, chocolate, and whatever your heart desires. Oh. my. gosh.

While walking to the bus I noticed that cherries were only 5 lira a kilo (about $1.5 for a pound). I have been waiting for the price to go down, and was thrilled to purchase some. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Cooking

Well after living in Turkey for over 2 years I finally learned how to make a couple Turkish dishes. I had been telling my friend, Nildeniz, that I wanted her to teach me how to make a few things. We are both so busy with work though, that we often meet in the city between her classes or after my school. But since I am leaving in less than a month and time was running out,
we made the time last weekend for her to come over to the apartment and show me. First, we made börek (pastry filled with cheese, potato, spinach, meat, etc). So yummy! This one has spinach and beyaz peynir (like feta cheese). Then we made baklava (sweet pastry filled with chopped nuts and syrup - what I thought was honey). This is very typical Turkish dessert and dates back to the Ottoman Empire. First, we did several layers of yufka (like filo pastry) and walnuts.Next, we had to cut the pastry into nice squares - through all 20 layers. We poured melted butter along the edges/cracks and then cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. After cooking the pastry, we allowed it to cool for a few minutes before pouring the syrup (water, sugar, and fresh lemon juice) on top. What fun this was for me...I can't wait to try making these things in the states. It was a great afternoon with a sweet friend. One of the many reasons I am going to miss Nildeniz!

Natalie

When I moved to Turkey two and a half years ago, my good friend Natalie said she was definitely going to come visit. She cut it close - coming during my last month in country - but her visit was fun and memorable just the same! I was in school most of the time she was here, but she was able to make a day trip to Ephesus with a group and spent a day in the city exploring by herself. We took advantage of the weekends and she was even able to come to school with me one day. It was great to have another friend see my life here and it was great to have time with Natalie. We have been friends since 1st grade, and I thank the Father for his faithfulness to us in our friendship. A few highlights of her time here: I was glad to get in one last trip to Rumeli Hisari - such a beautiful view of the Bosphorus!

Dinner at Marco Pasa with some girlfriends - so glad Natalie got to meet my "girls" here. We went out for karaoke afterwards :)

Natalie reading Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing (we both LOVED the Fudge books by Judy Blume growing up) to my third graders.

Playing chain tag :)

Natalie was able to share at Elementary Assembly while she was here. What a blessing to me and the kids. Here she is showing the kids a few Yoga streches.

Spirit Week

A few weeks ago, Meghan (my good friend and the 4th grade teacher) and I realized we hadn't had a Spirit Week all year. So after okaying it with the principal, we decided it was time. Last week was the perfect opportunity, especially since it was a 3 day week with Field Day on Thursday! We started brain storming the normal Spirit Week ideas - Hat Day, Backwards Day, PJ Day, Stripes, Hoedown (more common in the South). Since we teach at an international school, we thought it would be fun to do a Culture Day and have the kids wear traditional clothing from their home culture - plus I knew the Koreans had some cool outfits and I really wanted to see them! Monday was Hat Day, but we forgot to take pictures. Tuesday was Culture Day!!!

Sunni (from SC), Meghan (from Alaska), and Jules (from NC)Wednesday was Pajama Day. I seriously LOVED wearing my PJs and bedroom slippers to school. And yes I did sleep in the same pajamas the night before...it was so nice to just wake up and not have to think about what the wear. I did change, though, before heading out in the city to meet my friend at the Grand Bazaar!

Daniel and Suzanne's Wedding

I had the awesome opportunity to go home during Spring Break for my brother's wedding!! It was such a great week with family and I am so thankful I was able to be around for it. I spent the first part of the week in Rose Hill helping mom, and then headed to Raleigh on Wednesday. Wednesday night Daniel, LB, and I went out - we had such a great time being together. LB and I think our brother is the funniest person ever, so we always enjoy laughing at him together!

Thursday I got to help Suzanne with a few things and then the girls went to get our nails done. Friday was the Bridesmaids Luncheon, Rehearsal, and Rehearsal Dinner. In between the Luncheon and Rehearsal we had to go by Vaughn Towers to set up for the Rehearsal Dinner. It was fun to help mom and dad. Every time I have been involved in a wedding - it has been from the perspective of the bride, so it was neat to see all that the groom's side has to do!

Wedding Day was good - we started early with hair, make up, pictures, etc. Daniel and Suzanne didn't see each other until Suzanne walked down the aisle, so it was a little tricky/fun to keep them apart all afternoon. Reception was over the top. Seriously I had such a great time - it was little bit overwhelming having so many friends and family there that I love so much. I constantly felt torn between catching up with people and dancing!!! The DJ was awesome and I had so many great dance partners. Oh and it was probably the prettiest reception I have ever been too - between the tent, flowers, and weather it was breath taking. It was such a special day for our family, and I am thrilled to have a new sister! Welcome to the family, Suzanne :) Check out facebook for more pictures.

Spring Break

For spring break I got to go to the states for a week! I went home for my brother's wedding (I'll post a seperate blog about that later), but was able to do a few other things while I was home. As always, it was great to connect with friends and family and eat some yummy American food. I enjoyed meals at the Rose Hill Restaurant, Moe's, Chickfila, Outback (which I hadn't had in almost 3 years), and Mom's kitchen!

It was a great trip home, and I think that is mainly because the first part of the week was very low key, filled with quality time with people. I flew in on Saturday and spent the night with my dear friend Quinn. I got to attend Providence on Sunday and see lots of familir faces. Afterwards I ate lunch and spent the afternoon with these fun girls...

Sunday evening, Katherine met me in Rose Hill. We had a fun time doing nothing but watching movies and talking. Then on Monday Kelly flew from Arizona! It was really fun to be in Rose Hill together - we got our driver's license renewed, went to the dentist, slept over at each other's houses, and went to dinner with our parents - it was almost like we were back in high school or something.

I went back up to Raleigh on Wednesday for an interview and then to start the wedding festivities. Needless to say the rest of the week was not so much "low-key" BUT it was a ton of fun. The day after my brother's wedding was Easter Sunday. It was really special to attend the Easter Service at Providence with my family :)

Roman Banquet

Last week was a BUSY week with the field trip on Wednesday and our Roman Banquet on Friday. Lots of fun things to celebrate the end of our Social Studies unit on the Roman Empire! We dressed in togas, reclined on the floor to eat, discussed Roman government and religion, and participated in some Roman games. It was a very fun and exciting afternoon, for the kids and for me! I had some awesome parents come in and help - they called themselves my "slaves." Ha, but seriously they served us all afternoon and even cleaned the classroom while we were outside playing games. Overall the banquet was a success, and a great way to make it more real for the kids and hopefully cement in their minds a little more what they learned about Ancient Rome. It was quite a feast!

A toast to Rome!

Ready for the games...Javelin Throw Chariot Racing

Field Trip

This quarter in Social Studies we have been studying the Roman Empire. To wrap up the unit we headed to the Archaeological Museum here. It is full of great statues, mosaics, and artifacts from this city and surrounding areas. It was a fun-filled day, even though the weather was less than to be desired. The kids seemed to really enjoy the museum. And let me just say that I have learned SO MUCH about the Romans (and world history) since teaching this unit. Anyways, after the museum we ate a picnic lunch beside the Hagia Sophia (biggest tourist trap ever). We attracted quite a bit of attention, but it was worth it to have such an awesome teaching opportunity. How many teachers can take their students to places like Hagia Sophia or the Hippodrome (old chariot racing arena) while learning about them! It was very cool. We ended the day with a tour of the Krispy Kreme factory. Our current Language Arts Unit is called "What's Cooking" and includes stories about how food is made. So I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have some yummy treats, as well as learn something! Here are some pictures from our day. I am going to miss taking fields in such an awesome city, but it will be nice to be able to communicate with the bus driver and museum workers once I get back to America!

April Fool's Day

This stretch of classes between winter break and spring break is a long one!! So, the 4th grade teacher (Meghan) and I decided it was time for a little fun. I have always loved practical jokes, but haven't done any since college. So April Fool's Day was the perfect opportunity! The kids were great sports, and very forgiving :) First thing we did was switch the 4th and 3rd grade baskets. Each morning the kids have to turn in their HW folder, but on Friday the 4th grade basket was in the 3rd grade classroom and the 3rd grade basket was in the 4th grade classroom. The kids kept coming in and asking "Where is the yellow basket?" My response? "In Ms. Bennett's classroom, now go..." We also switched out all the pencils for colored pencils! The kids didn't like not being able to erase. My solution, "Don't make mistakes!" I was able to convince all the kids that it was March 32nd. We have been studing about the Roman Empire and the Julian Calendar. The kids knew that March was named after Mars the god of war, so I just told them that Mars wanted his month to have an extra day, so they could fight wars longer. They believed me :)My favorite "trick" was removing all the chairs from the classroom. We told the kids they were being inspected for the day. They complained at first, but then seemed to not mind standing or sitting on the floor. We did a bunch of activities at the carpet :)

I also made up words for the spelling test, set the clock back an hour, moved all the kids name to red (for behavior), and gave them a word search with NONE of the words in it. They worked on this for at least 20 minutes. hehe. Meghan and I kept sending kids back and forth to each others classroom, just to add a little more confusion in there! Overall it was a great day, and a much needed break from the normalcy of life and school.