Language Lesson

Today my language helper taught me how to make change. As in 1 kilo of tomatoes is 2.50 lira how much is a half kilo? Again, I don't speak much of the language, but I did pass the first grade!

Cute Car

This is the cute car the I got to ride in last week (see Feb 23rd post). They helped me deliver Callie's lady bug cake to her preschool! The other day I saw a Honda Jazz and thought, "that's a big car!" My, how my perspective has changed!!

It has been 6 months since I have driven a car! I wonder if I have forgotten how!

Moved...

So, now I've moved my video up here. This is fun!



Callie swinging at the park. Noah playing soccer in the empty lot. The Call to Prayer in the background.

Tidbits...

First off, Check out the video the the left! Justin has figured out how to add video, and he's going to teach me!! I know that this first video is a little random, but it is just a test. The cool thing about it is that you can hear the Call to Prayer in the background. It is broadcast from the minarets of the mosques five times a day!

Hopefully video will give you a better glimpse into our lives, and if you think Callie's quotes are funny now, you ain't seen nothing yet, baby. There are so many things that I edit because it is only hilariously funny when you hear her say it- now, you'll be able to! This could be the beginning of a beautiful thing, a very beautiful thing!!

Something else you probably have not noticed is that I have decided to start using capital letters again. Seeing as how I am the model for English grammar for my children (shock and awe, folks, shock and awe!) I have decided to break a few nasty habits!

Also, you may or may not have noticed that I am trying to post more frequently. This is because my precious mother checks my blog three times a day, and i am desperately trying to keep her entertained and her cup full of grandchildren goodness!


Aren't my girls beautiful? The weather has been fantastic, so we have been at our park a lot!!


Peek a Boo! So adorable! I made her little poncho set. Now I am working on one for Callie.


Noah has learned to tie his own shoes! Callie has learned how to pump her legs on the swing. Lucy has learned how to climb up our nightstands and onto our bed. I have learned how to use the shuttle service from our local market. Justin has learned lots of Tish.

I think that's it! I know you're excited about the video- try to contain yourself!!

Tale of a Tail

Lucy finally has enough hair to put in a pony tail. Truthfully, that may be negotiable, but I did it anyway! Take a look...






Showing us how she really feels about the ponytail!

Boy did she look cute! But, after about 30 minutes the ponytail was gone. I don't know if she yanked it out, or if the por little hairs gave up and fell out!

SIX MONTHS!!!

we have lived in a foreign country for six months!! can you believe it? i was reminded of how foreign a place we live in when a group of a bout 40 young men were dancing to a clarinet-type instrument and a drum on our side street last night. i was quite certain they were celebrating our six month anniversary, but a friend (obviously wrong) said it was more likely their last hu-rah before being shipped out for their required military service. you decide! anyhow, it was quite fun, and boy did i want to go whoop it up with them. but alas, a woman's place is in the home, over the stove or with a cleaning rag in her hand.

but i digress. anyhow... six months! so i figured that it was only fitting to finally get around to answering the questions that you left on my feb. 14th post. i know this will be riveting. as, always, please ask whatever questions come to your mind, either by comment or by email. we've been here for six months and things are not so striking anymore, so i forget to tell you about them!! also, remember that our knowledge and experience is so limited, and that whatever i say is for the part of the city where we live (if that). as you go east, things change quite dramatically!


here goes...
max asked, " do people date? do married people date?"
well, max, i have noticed that here in the city courtship is quite similar to what we experience in the states. couples seem to be out and about, on dates. but, they are not nearly as physical if you know what i mean! physical relationships, even pda is extremely rude and shames a family.

i do not think that married couples date, or care to spend time away from their kids! if we are invited to tea, the children are always included, and trips to the movies, shopping, restaurants, and other date type outings are for families. the people here REALLY value children. when they have them, they do not seem to want to drop them off for others to care for. they enjoy being together as families- even extended families! unmarried singles live with their parents until they get married. my language helper is in her mid 40s and has never been married. so, she lives with her folks!


shana asks, "how is the health care? are you able to see a doctor whenever you need to?"
shana, so far i have nothing but positive things to say about the health care. whenever we have needed to see a doctor- school physicals, illness, etc.- it has been so quick and easy. the government does offer a medic aide type health insurance for really poor people, but of course, the care (we've heard) is not great. private insurance is also available here. although we (our family) have world wide health insurance, our visits have not exceeded the deductible, so we just pay out of pocket. i know this sounds horrifying, but is has been so inexpensive! i think we have spent maybe $250 on health care- that includes 1 school physical with lab work, 1 pediatrician visit with vaccinations, 1 dr visit with chest x ray, and an e.r. visit with treatment!! all of that with out any wait time!! so far, i am quite happy with the health care we have received!! we even have a german friend who chose to have his knee operated on here rather than in germany, the us, etc, because the health care is very good and extremely affordable.


jennie asks, "do you have mcdonalds? what do they serve? do they have bacaroni (how callie says it) and cheese?"
jennie, of course they have mcdonald's, we still live on planet earth!! they serve the exact same things, and it is heavenly!! well, except for breakfast. they do not serve breakfast. i think that's because mcdonald's breakfasts have so many pork products that once you remove that element, there's nothing worth eating! they also have the mcturk here. it is a burger patty and a chicken patty in a pita with tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and ketchup. the people here love mayo and ketchup. they use both on their fries and most sandwiches. mcdonald's is quite a bit more expensive than any other fast food style place (well, except the other american fast food places), so we don't eat there very often. but, when we do, this is what we get: 1 chicken nugget happy meal, 1 cheeseburger happy meal, 1 cheeseburger, and 2 #6 value meals- which is the double cheeseburger value meal- with a round of sprite. the kids love the happy meals here because you get to choose what toy you get!!

the only bacaroni and cheese here is the kind i make. i have two options- delve into my dwindling stash of kraft mac and cheese cheese powder or make it from scratch. of course the kids like the fake stuff so much better. here's something interesting... we can only find 1 kind of yellow cheese here. it is called burger cheese and it is sliced (but not individually wrapped). it tastes like a cross between american and cheddar cheese. it is kind of expensive, and i only buy it when i am going to make cheeseburgers or macaroni and cheese. other than that, its a zillion different types of white cheeses.


stephanie asked, "what are your favorite foods? are you able to fellowship with like minded believers?"
the food here is really good! the kids love pide- which is cheese on flat bread baked in a stone oven. i love börek- which is layers of pastry with different fillings like cheese, spinach, spicy potatoes, or spicy meat. justin loves döner- which the greeks call gyros. it is that meat that is cooked vertically on a spit. they shave it off and serve it with rice or in a sandwich. justin and i love çığ köfte. it is very fine bulgar with spices and tomato paste that is kneaded for an hour! you wrap it in lettuce and/or a very thin flat bread and squeeze a little lemon on top. We all love tish rice. it is basic white rice that is sauteed first then cooked in chicken broth. it is fantastic! the candy here is good- lots of hard candy and chocolate. the fruits and vegetables are really wonderful- fresh and sweet. oh yeah, bread. it is our staple.

we fellowship with one other family (almost) every sunday evening. they are the family that we came here to work with. we share a meal together and talk about a particular scripture lesson during the meal. then the kids play and the adults study it a little more in-depth. it is much like a small home group. i so miss corporate worship and a large fellowship, though!


heidi asked, "what do you say when people ask why you moved there?"
we tell the truth. we moved here for justin to join in a new business opportunity that exports tish handicrafts to the usa. sometimes we explain that it is a social enterprise that ventures to help poor families survive, and the we feel god opened this door for us.


lainey asked, "are grades the same? do kids go through 12th grade?"
well, lainey, they are similar. public school starts with first grade. a few public elementary schools have kindergartens. although, there are rumors that the government is about to start public kindergarten at all of the elementary schools. the elementary and middle schools share buildings, so you either go to morning or after noon school. at our school, the middle school is in the morning and the elementary school is in the afternoon. elementary school is 1st- 5th grade and middle school is 6th-8th grade. at the end of 8th grade the students have a choice to drop out or take a big placement test to see which high school they get into. there is a wide range from college prep down to apprenticeship programs. the college prep schools go through the 12th grade. the university entrance exam is quite difficult, and even students that completed the college prep high school may not get into university. we know a girl who has taken the exam 4 times and failed. now she is in a year long study course to prepare for the exam that is given every june! the pressure is intense!

grades are given numerically. 5 is the best and 0 is failing. students in our area are congratulated if they did not get any 0's!


chip asked, "does coca cola taste the same?"
chip, you are the coca cola corporate expert. maybe you could convince them to fly you over here for a little quality control! i love coke! i think that the regular tastes almost the same, but the coca cola light tastes more like coke zero than diet coke. it is not 0 calorie. i have heard that the sweetener is different, and that is why the taste is a little different.


anika asked, "what is your hardest daily task that wasn't any big deal in the sates? what ingredients do you lack for cake baking?"
talking!!! ha ha! i guess that may not count as a task, but i sure do miss flapping my gums! i would have to say that cooking is the hardest daily task. in the states you could turn it into a big deal, do something quick and easy, or go out. here you go out or you cook from scratch. since we do not have a car, i can only buy what i can carry home. which, means i am at the market about every other day. there are no frozen foods, or quick prepare (just add _______) type of things. we do have breakfast cereal. it is a little pricey, but a life saver. for breakfast and lunch we usually have yogurt, fruit, cereal, bread, and cheese. we used to have peanut butter but if you read my jif post you'll know that's a thing of the past! i try to make a decent dinner with vegetables, meat, etc. this has been quite a learning experience!! i thought that i was a from scratch cook, but every night is another story!! we have found hot dogs, so we have them about once a week! they do not compare to the yummy goodness of oscar mayer, ball park, or heaven forbid johnsonville!!! our fridge and cupboards are quite bare because you can't really stock up on perishables. the only thing that comes in a can is tomato paste and corn- which is unusually expensive. another weird thing about corn here is that although it isn't very good, it is a special treat! at the malls they have corn stands (as in plain old corn kernels in a cup) where we would have cookie stands! one small cup of corn is about 2 lira! another thing that i am not used to is that we do not import vegetables and fruits. so, what's in season is what's available. its not like in the states where you can usually get what ever you want you may just have to pay a little bit more for it or look in the frozen foods section. this summer i have got to figure out how to freeze, preserve, and can correctly!!

for cake baking i lack vanilla that tastes good (we only have a weird powder type) and baking powder. also, depending on what type of cake i want to make there may be more! i wanted to make callie a strawberry cake for her birthday. but strawberries are not in season, so no strawberries to be found! also, the sugar here is a bit more grainy so the two cakes i have made (thanks to my mom for sending cake mix!!) have had grainy frosting! i have to figure out what to do about that, or look a little harder for powdered sugar! also, i have yet to find food coloring, so no fancily decorated cakes!



my dad has some really good questions, but i am so tired of typing, and i seriously doubt that anyone has read this far. so, i will save them for another day! if in fact, you have read this far, i must apologize for my rabbit trails! once i get going about something, there is so much to tell! hopefully it is somewhat understandable!!

just so you know...

i know that i am not the smartest person in the world, but just because i cannot speak the language it does not mean that i am stupid!! in the past few days i have had people explain the expiration date on milk, teach me how to tell time, and teach me how to boil water. i do appreciate anyone's kindness and willingness to try to communicate with me. believe me, i know it is difficult, and a pain in the butt. but seriously... i know about that whole expiration date thing, and i've been boiling water for at least five years now.

callie wallie bing bang!

so the big day came and went! a warm front rolled in, and we forged our way through the slush to school! it was a great fifth birthday for my baby girl! here's the story...





this is how we have found callie the past few days. she would point at her birthday on the calendar and say, "you know what this day is? it's my birthday!!!!"












so cute opening her presents
















callie and her class at preschool. she is hugging her best friend irem. they are waiting at the table for cake and goodies.















they put sparklers on birthday cakes here...









...this was callie's reaction!!










callie with her ladybug cake
i dropped callie off at preschool at 12:30. i was to return at 3:00 for her party. when i showed up at the bakery (hoping that i had correctly communicated what we wanted and when we wanted it) they were mortified that i was walking. the cake was big and a bit cumbersome, and i had lucy in the stroller and a bag with some other goodies. anyhow, they showed me the beautiful cake... relief! then, they asked me to sit and have a tea. they were going to call someone to take me to callie's school. in my old life i would never have accepted a ride from a stranger. but... things are different now! anyhow, the bakery car arrived. i think they use it to deliver cakes in. it was so cute. it was tiny and on the door it had a graphic to look like the baker was stepping out holding a big, beautiful wedding cake. i can't describe it, but it really looked real! they took me to school, and i felt a little embarrassed- like here comes the american and her entourage. oh well, did i mention i got to ride in a cute car?









callie's class made her the cutest card. she was thrilled!

the beautiful birthday girl




we invited a few friends over for dinner and another family dropped by to surprise callie. for dinner, callie chose to have pizza, spaghetti, and ice cream. the sweet family who dropped by brought this cake. callie, dressed in her new princess leia dress, wasn't so afraid of the sparklers this time! the family that dropped by is so sweet. they have a little girl that is the same age as callie. they love to play together!







this is her.













these are her parents on the left and our canadian friend on the right.













lucy liked the cake!





our unexpected guests stayed until 11:00. since callie had gotten up at 6:00 am and woke noah up in the process, we were all quite tired. but, it was a great day for her! i can't believe she's five!

JIF

oh my word... let me just tell you what... justin came home with some jif peanut butter and we freaked!! i think that our country has halted making all peanut butter. you see, we have been subsisting on white bread, rice, and cheese for six months. our major source of protein was peanut butter. in the past we had been able to find peanut butter made in the country. but, for the past month there has not been any pb, anywhere!! can you imagine our delight when justin came home with peanut butter, and jif no less?!?! it has been six months since we tasted the velvety goodness that choosy moms choose! yum! too bad he didn't buy a case of it. it was only 14 lira for a small jar (about $11)!!! guess that's why we only got one!

whoops.... was this entire post about peanut butter? sorry! but, it's good stuff!

again...

read the post before (or after, depending on how you think about it) this one. the one from feb. 19th.

...waiting...

well, they came again and dropped off some literature. i love it! finally... after six months, a spiritual dialogue. this is interesting, my friends... very interesting!

you will never believe this...

so... last friday my upstairs neighbor knocks on my door and asks if she can come for a visit (as in right now). so she and her friend came in, and i began to prepare tea. as we sat they began to share with me some wonderful news... about jehovah! it turns out they are some of the very few jehovah's wittnesses in our country! can you imagine that? i could not believe what was happening. it was so neat to get to open up the scriptures with them. i listened to what believe and pointed out where what i believed was different, and we looked at the scriptures together. although they were not like-minded believers, it was so wonderful to get to open up the scriptures with someone and study! i know the lord is giving me this experience to ease me into sharing with the majority believers here (even less like-minded). funny how things happen...isn't it?

by the way, i am getting around to answering the questions left on my blog the other day. sorry, it's taking me a few days!

4 days and counting

it has snowed for four days now, and we have about a foot of the stuff!. for a moment our city was crisp white and beautiful! now, it's brown ice and snow! justin worked from home yesterday. so, while lucy napped, i took noah and callie out to play in the snow. every one was out- old and young. it was so fun. the snowballs were flying!


if you were a fly on our wall today this is the song you'd hear on repeat...
please don't touch him
please don't touch her
i'm sorry (my response to tattling)


lucy is a human not a toy, put her down
no!
who raised you?
what would make you think that is a good idea?
please stop fighting
this is the last time i am going to tell you...
put that up higher where lucy can't reach it
gentle
stop running
no yelling, it is disrespectful to our neighbors
don't torture your sister
yes, i'm watching
take a chill pill
...over and over again!

calie is having a pool party in the tub. desperate times call for desperate measures!

oh... my in-laws left for the bahamas this morning! they won this trip by putting their names in a box at a restaurant. did you know that they really give anything away (well... besides trial memberships and starter kits)? they deserve it, but i'm still jealous!!

never fear, the forecast is calling for more snow this evening!! heaven help me!!

a little of this a little of that

it has been snowing for two days. it is beautiful but a mess! our street is by no means an important one and our city has too few plows and salt trucks. so, it may be days until we see the asphalt. it is so cold and windy i think we'd give chicago a run for the money. justin, noah, and callie went out in it for about 30 minutes. when they came inside they were completely red and partially frozen! but at least they had gotten some of their energy out! we've been basically homebound in our flat (i like to call it jail). school is canceled tomorrow.

callie's 5th birthday is on wednesday! i haven't found all the ingredients i would need to make a birthday cake from scratch so i have to order one from our local pastane (bakery). buying cakes has proven interesting as they are absolutely beautiful, but you never know what you are going to get. we've stuck with chocolate because... well, chocolate is good. the cake part is more like bread than american cake (which is moist and yummy). the few cakes we have bought have had such interesting things as bananas, pistachios, and raspberries. one time i swear i found a tooth! no kidding.. you can ask my mom. i was talking to her the phone when i bit into something hard. i examined it and decided it was a tooth. justin assures me that it was only a rock. either way, not my favorite cake ingredient! anyhow, it ought to be an adventure- it always is!

what else is going on...

we had a small bout with the plague. justin went to the doctor and the hospital with an official diagnosis of the flu. so far we have found the healthcare here fantastic and affordable. justin was able to walk right in to the doctor's office, get a chest xray, diagnosis, etc. for 40 lira. he picked up his medicines and was home in an hour. throughout the course of the day he was barfing so badly taht we had a friend take him to the er. i figured he would be gone for hours! when he was back in less than an hour i was shocked. like with the doctor, you just walk right in and are taken care of. i think that visit only cost 50 lira, and worked like a charm! he was up and on the road to healthy by morning! fantastic!! we've heard that orthodontics are even better- quality care at an inexpensive price. send your adolescents with crooked teeth to us.

that's all for now!

help

i am coming up on a deadline to send out our quarterly newsletter. i thought that it might be fun to answer some questions you may have about our life here. would you take a few minutes to leave me a comment with some of your questions, and i'll do my best to answer them in our newsletter or on my blog. thanks a million!!

side effects

here is one of the side effects of being the only people that your kids hear english from... they speak a rather adult version of english. none of that kid talk. here is an example...
callie: i would like some, as well, mommy!
as well, what 4 year old says as well? it is so cute!

i'm a pot

have you ever made a decision with all confidence that it was the right one, but when it came time to live out you found yourself saying, "what in the heck was i thinking?!?!".

that is where i am at right now, to be perfectly honest. not just with this whole other side of the world move, but the details of it as well. it has been so different than i thought it would be. not all bad, some better, but everything different!

from the start, i want to get this straight... i know that this is where god wants me to be. this is his plan for me, and no matter what, in my life, i want god's first and best- even if i don't like it or understand it sometimes. i know that he is soverign and loving. i trust him.

if nothing else, this adventure is revealing the truth of who i am to me. it is kind of funny that we can pretend and mask and ineveitably fool ourselves into thinking we are what in reality we are not. so i am in this intense time of self discovery. it is ugly and beautiful. because, god made me, he formed me and knit me. yet, i am full of sin. it is nasty, and i hate it! i love the scripture that talks about god as the potter and we are the clay. one time in college chapel, the art prof had his potters wheel up on stage and spoke about these verses while forming a pot. he went over the different steps- the process of turning the clay into someting beautiful. it was a memorable illustration. i would say that i am in the kiln right now, and it is hot, baby!! i have been formed and molded (spoon-fed, if you will) for so many years. now it is time to throw me in the fire and see what becomes of me.

each day i have a choice. we all do. as we learn and grow, have new experiences, and find out new things about ourselves; we have the choice to turn it over to the lord and see what he is doing, or grab hold of it tightly and try to make our own way. to be honest, in a lot of things, i still grab on tight and try to manipulate the outcome. i know this shows a lack of faith on my part. you think, given my current occupation that i'd be past this, but i'm not. as with this whole walk, it is a process. i am further along than i was last month and next month hope to be even further. i love that my walk with the lord is a relationship. it is truly amazing that i can walk in relationship with god! god!! the creator of the universe wants to know me. he cares for me. this is amazing! here is a cool verse that spoke to me this week...

"You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you."
exodus 34:14

i love it! the god of the univese is jealous over his relationship with me! me! so, here i am, greatly loved yet still struggling with loving greatly. you would think that going to the extremes we've gone to would be enough. but, no. not for god. i am sure he appreciates the jesture, but he is jealous over my heart! i can give it all up, but if i cling to my heart, then it is a waste.

that is where i am. (have i made any since, so far?) i am attempting to give more of myself to the lord. more of my heart, my actions, my dreams. the blessing is that i am in the pressure cooker right now, and new things to give over are being revealed constantly. the difficulty is constantly giving over things- funny isn't it! sometimes even the ugly stuff is comfortable! so as i walk and grow and trust, i am changing. won't it be fun to see what i look like out of the kiln? although i am sure that will be just the beginning, there is much more work to be done- i know i'll see that kiln a lot more, not to mention sitting on the potters wheel.

ode to my man

so, i am sick. second day of this- headache, chills then sweats, hit by a truck feeling. so i am resting. i have been asleep for what seems like two entire days! in that time, justin has weathered the storm. he is just coming off being sick. and, he was much more sick than i am. so he is not 100% either. but he has taken care of everything.

if you haven't met justin, you may not know that he is the most wonderful man on the planet!! if you've met me, you probably figure that he'd have to be something wonderful in order to put up with me! he is patient and gentle and serves our family without any complaint all the while listening to my complaints. he loves us as much as anyone could. always faulting on the side of playing too much with the kids instead of too little. he's the kind of guy who hugs me from behind while i'm cooking, and needs a kiss every time he walks out the door and of course when he enters back through it. he is funny and loves sports. but, he is more than willing to watch a romantic comedy with me and tear up at the end- but just a little bit! i am not quite sure that a better man has ever been born. we bicker like children, but it is good natured nagging. we love to laugh and just be together. i'd rather spend the day with him than anyone on this planet. he loves to tease and try to get a rise out of anyone, but is always surprised when he does.

he has been steady and forged ahead during this time of great uneasiness and trial of moving to a new place and starting over. he has been patient and compassionate while i have been all over the map. he blesses our family with his love for the lord and his love for us. he guides us deeper into the father. he is a great man, and i just wanted to make sure that you knew that!!

what's going on here

do you ever feel like perhaps the lord was confused when he called you. that the deep burning passion that he zapped into your heart was really an arrow headed for someone else. you just happened to step in front of it at just the wrong time? i am sitting here wondering what in the world he saw in me that would be useful here. i have no skills or abilities that are worth a darn here. maybe its just the willingness to be here. in all reality, he is god... this is his job. so i get to be used by him, and that is cool- although overwhelming! i have nothing to offer this place, yet he has everything, and he is willing to allow me to be a part of his big plan. i am glad he is soverign and just and in control of this world. use me, lord, for your good and perfect plan!

the highlight of my week

the other day we were at our friend's flat for tea. he loves futbol so justin told him that i used to play. he said that he had seen me play vs china in the women's world cup finals. although highly flattered, i did have to tell him that i wasn't on that team- just barely missed the cut (ha ha!). that's a long way from mhs blue devils!! maybe callie will live that dream. oh wait.. she's going to be in the nfl. ...lucy?