christmas here?

the interesting thing about our country is that they celebrate christmas, they just don't know it!! at the beginning of the month we went to ikea to buy our christmas tree. it is located in the most western looking shopping area that we have been to yet- complete with a gap, apple computer store, and popeye's fried chicken in the food court. it is an outdoor style mall. it was completely decorated for christmas complete with christmas music playing in english. some of the music mentioning the reason for the season! we were shocked! of course hardly anyone understands the words to the music or really seemed to notice it. but we felt like we were in america. they were installing a temporary outdoor ice skating rink and everything. all the decorations, the celebrating, and the gift giving (not nearly as much as in america) look exactly like american christmas minus anything spiritual- which is what american christmas has become. but, they celebrate it as new years- complete with a visit from santa on new year's eve. so interesting! this is a newer way to celebrate our friends tell us. it is catching on quickly. a few of our friends have new years trees in their homes, and our kids even received a little new years gift from our neighbors!





callie on the carosel


noah on the carousel

can't get enough of them

on the mountain

our family looking out over the city.



at the same mountain (see the post before) there is a wonderful assortment of snacks! the kids' favorite is this candy man. he spins several colors and flavors onto the stick and it sort of hardens into a yummy sucker. you can see callie with her nose pressed impatiently against the candy cart!

our city

this is a picture (on a misty day) of our city from the top of a small mountain between the water and our side of the city. if you can't tell from the picture, it is very beautiful. the water is fantastic!

noah and callie looking out over the city. it is so huge! i feel like i have only figured out maybe four blocks surrounding our home, and a few different bus routes! it will take years to get my bearings!!!

i took this picture of the kids to get the family in the background. they are ultra conservative. they dress like this to show their piety. although the clothing throws you off a little, i have found that even "high identity" believers like these are perfectly nice and open to a foreigner like me. it is hard to understand the women when they talk, though, because their mouthes are covered.

a new park

the other day justin had to help our teammates move their office. so, i took the kids to a big new park that i had seen on the bus. this was my first time taking all three on the bus by myself. they did great- they love the bus. the park actually has grass! it also has a turf on the futbol pitch (we used to call it a soccer field- although here most of them look like basketball courts). this picture is of noah and a few other "little guys" after they had been kicked off of the pitch. he is learning the pecking order early!


this is callie doing a show for lucy and i while noah watched the big kids play futbol! she has the best imagination!

night out

we finally convinced noah to get a haircut! he had decided to grow his hair out like his friend in georgia, caleb- much to my dislike!! (no offense caleb!) but, the young boys here are quite clean cut. so, we dragged him to the barber shop. once it was all said and done with, he was so happy. the barber fixed him up just like a t-ish teenager- spikes and all. so, noah thought he was hot stuff!


after the haircut, we were ready for a taste of the west. so, we piled onto the bus and headed for a big new mall not too far from our flat. the kids got mcdonald's sundaes, so they were thrilled. i had subway, so i was thrilled!!

there are quite a few different american fast food restaurants in the malls and more western areas of our city. some of the choices include mcdonald's, burger king, kfc, pizza hut, domino's, subway, starbucks, popeye's fried chicken, arby's, scholtzky's deli, and dunkin doughnuts. we rarely eat american fast food because it is about three times more expensive than any other restaurant! not only that, but few of them really taste the same. so it ends up being more of a disappointment than a taste of home. for example: the first time we went out to the mall, we were so excited to find a pizza hut. so, we order a meat pizza. of course, we know that the meat will be beef, as pork of any type is a strict no-no! when the pizza arrived the meat on it was like small pieces of beef bologna- yuck! i have never had a bologna pizza before... well, until then! it wasn't so bad, actually. it was just different.

so cute

here is our favorite picture of the kids!

illiteracy

i have heard quite a bit about illiteracy among adults in this part of the world. to this point i have never met an adult that cannot read or write- until thursday. i found out that my neighbor (who i wrote about in the next entry) cannot read or write, only speak. i kept forgetting and would show her a word in my translation dictionary. oops! at least its not such a taboo thing here- as hardly any woman over age 45 can read or write. so, she was not offended. i cannot imagine life without being able to read and write. my friend has three children. the oldest is 20 and the youngest is in first grade. why would she not learn along with one of the kids? it must be a mindset or something- a hurdle that feels like it cannot be overcome.

he met me

i am learning a new way to praise the lord. "praise the lord" is commanded more in the old testament than any other commandment. but what is praising the lord? is it just saying praise the lord? i think that is simply the command, no the act. a friend explained it with this story... "every year she makes a german chocolate cake for her husband. he loves it. after he savors the last crumb, he pushes back from the table and says... that was the best cake i have ever eaten, thank you so much for that cake. you are a wonderful cook! in my friend's opinion, that is thanks. praise is when her husband says you are a wonderful wife. you are wise and honest. you are full of integrity." basically the difference is that praise is lavishing on the character not the actions. this is a new thought to me. since it is such a predominant commandment, it must be important. so, i want to learn more! my friend suggested using scripture to praise god for who he is, not what he does.

so, with this new concept whirling around in my head, i decided to give it a try in my quiet time with the lord. lately the lord has really been ministering to me our of psalms 144-146. so i read this praise to him in prayer form, and elaborated on the character attributes mentioned. it was really neat. when you spend time praising this way,not only does it bolster your faith, but when you finally get to the point of bringing your requests before him, they seem so minor- like a drop in the bucket! not, the big deal that they were before!

yesterday, as i was getting ready for the day, a wave of sadness and loneliness overcame me! i decided not to waller in these feelings. instead i took it to the lord- using this praise method. again i used psalms 144-146- praying and praising the lord as i wept. it was amazing!! he really met me and comforted me! some of the psalm talks about praising him despite my circumstances and praising him with my dying breath. it ends up being such a blessing when you praise the lord even when you don't feel like it! feelings can be so deceiving! when i was done praising him, i felt like the negative feelings had been defeated, and i was completely comforted and content with my situation.

i asked the lord for comfort and a friend. this is how he answered before i even left our building to take the kids to school... as i was walking down our stairs i saw a neighbor who i have spent a tiny bit of time with. she invited me over for tea that afternoon! not only that, but as i walked past our mailbox, i saw mail! our first christmas card! it was amazing! i was so blessed and amazed at how quickly and thoroughly our father provided for my needs. after i dropped the kids at school lucy and i went to our neighbor's house. we spent the entire afternoon with them (my neighbor and her friend who is also a neighbor). we laughed and cooked and ate. it has been so long since i have gotten to laugh and joke around with girlfriends! thank you father for your loving kindness.

the LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

the LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
psalm 145-8-9

gypsies are real

did you know that gypsies are real? i didn't! i still don't know if they are a people group, a race, a sort of tribe, or even a lifestyle. anyhow, in our city this is how i know someone is a gypsy. in the 7th largest city in the world, that is completely modern, they are riding along in a cart pulled by the saddest looking horse you have ever seen! i think they collect large pieces of junk. it is still quite surprising to see the horse and cart round the corner!

making new friends

playing dress-up with the girls down stairs


noah digging in the dirt with the boys at the park


ok... so this is just us girls, but i love this picture!


this is noah and his best friend baran

making friends

this is noah with his teacher and her son at the school independance day celebration


this is at the park next to our complex. these girls live downstairs and they love lucy. they knock on our door and ask if they can bring her down to their place!



these are noah's tutor's kids. both kids go to callie's preschool. the boy is on callie's class. that is how we met them. their mom, my friend derya, is helping noah with his dictation.

thanksgiving

thanksgiving was quite different this year! on thursday, i made pizza! it wasn't mashed potatoes and gravy, but at least it was from scratch (no jars of pizza sauce here!). we did video chat with my family. it was fun, but wild. noah and callie and my niece and nephew just talked way too loud and acted crazy on the camera. it was so good to see everyone- almost like being there!

friday night we had thanksgiving dinner with our team leaders. she bought a turkey breast and had smuggled some honey baked ham into the country. boy was that an awesome surprise. i never thought that i'd be so happy about ham, but its been 3 long months... actually it ended up being quite a traditional meal minus the yeast rolls!

here is the best part of thanksgiving (even better that the ham). my mom had sent us a christmas package four weeks ago. the lady at the post office told her that it would only take 2 weeks, so mom has been stressed out! ... where is it, who has opened it, is it lost, have my grandbabies christmas presents been stolen... we had heard that it could take up to two months if it comes at all. then, we would get a slip in our mailbox that we had to take over to the big p.o. on the other side, and pay customs. all in all a huge hassle! anyhow, on thanksgiving morning our bell rings. who is it, but our mailman with mom's package!! it had a few things for now and most things to be put away for christmas. we flipped out! so, i know my mom has been so majorly stressed over it. but, i cannot help but praise the lord for his goodness. what a great day for it to get here!! the customs charge on it was tiny, it was delivered to our building, and it was unopened! can you imagine how excited we were? what a wonderful blessing!
"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." matthew 7:11 we thought that we wanted the package as soon as possible. but how much better the father knows us. he knew how to time that package perfectly. what a good gift to have a taste of home on our first holiday away!! i tell you what... our god is good!

ready to go to school

here is a cute picture of the kids- all bundled up and ready to walk to school! they are standing at our front door.

futbol

this country just qualified for the eurocup! it is really cool because the people here are freaking out!! a huge group of men were parading through the street with the largest flag you have ever seen, chanting and singing! everyone was blowing their horns, hollering, and firing off their guns! we could just barely hear the fireworks from the stadium. these people are serious about futbol!!
as a side note... we are watching lord of the rings: return of the king on tv. it is dubbed over in the local language.

language

ok... so i have just finished my language lesson! this is usually two hours twice a week when i feel like my brain is being hit with a hammer! it has been a long time since i have really used my brain. it is having trouble kicking back into gear!! i have a helper come twice a week and the other days i study on my own.
here is the info on this language...
it is impossible! it is a suffix language which means that you simply have certain suffixes that you add to the words to make it plural, possessive, a preposition, conjugated, etc! you can conjugate nouns and verbs. there are at least 657 million suffixes (i counted!!). so, one entire sentence could be one very long word! in theory, the length of a word is endless! and the suffix you add changes the way the syllables are broken up which in turn changes the way the word is said!! to top it off, the vowels are incredibly short. i do think that it is physically impossible for a southern woman to make her vowels that short!
so, learning this language is proving much harder than i had thought it would be. but, i am so determined!! so by this time next year i will easily be able to say...
Çekoslovakyalılastıramadıklarımızdanmısınız?
(43 letters, 18 syllables)
...and know what it means!

our flat

here is a little bit of what our flat is like...
i am not exactly sure how many square feet we have. we have three small bedrooms. justin and i sleep in the larger one because it has a small laundry balcony off of it that i did not want the kids going out on. the kids all sleep in the other bedroom. the third bedroom is set up as our family room/ play area. it has my desk, the kids toys, and our tv. our salon is our formal room. it has couches and the dining table. tish people keep this room pristine because they are always ready to host company. that is why we have the other room to hang out in. we have a decent size foyer with coat hooks and shoe cubbies. tish people do not wear shoes in the house at all- no exceptions! so this is where we store them once we have taken them off at the door. my kitchen is tiny. it is a hallway style with everything along one wall. we do have a tiny table against the opposite wall with little stools. the kids and i eat breakfast and lunch there. off of the kitchen i have another small enclosed balcony that has our water heater and my washing machine. our bathroom is decent sized. it has the basics- no frills or counter tops!! concrete floor. the bedrooms have industrial style carpet without padding. we had it put down, and when i asked the carpet man what thickness the padding would be he had no clue what i was talking about- and it wasn't the language barrier!! the kitchen has tile floor, and the salon, foyer, and hallway are cheap laminate. we have fixed it up (with the landlord's help)- redone the floors, painted the walls and ceiling, and redone the kitchen. we have what we need, but otherwise i haven't really decorated yet. really i don't know if i will. i don't want to spend the money and i don't want more stuff to dust! our place is small, but we like it. the kids have not missed the big house with the big yard! that is an answer to yarper!!
hopefully, i'll get better at uploading pictures!

Oppression

this is my thought for the day...
if you want to minister to people who are oppressed you must also become oppressed. oppressed... not depressed!! what you do internally with the external forces put upon you is what the christian walk is all about!

A day in the life

so, i've finally getting this blog thing figured out. it is hard to get in the habit of posting things on a regular basis. and, i am having a hard time getting my pictures to upload. i know that pictures and video will be far more interesting than anything i have to say!
my friend asked me what a typical day was like. so i figured that was great blog fodder! here it goes...

we wake up whenever the kids get up. that is anywhere between 6:45 and 8:00. the kids usually watch a little tv. we have breakfast- bananas, yogurt, bread, cheese, cereal, etc. Justin usually feeds the kids breakfast while i get ready. then we switch. he leaves for work at about 9:00. he catches the bus just down the street from our apartment complex. the bus is crowded and there is quite a bit of traffic, so his commute takes about an hour. his work day consists of study, errands- shopping for things we need, meting with people, artisans lane work, and language lessons.

the kids are in after noon school. so our mornings are flexible. noah usually has homework to do. and, i have chores like laundry, dishes, etc. lucy goes down for her nap at 10:00. we have to start lunch at 11:30 because it takes forever!! after lunch, the kids have to change and get ready for school. noah wears a uniform. since the time change (daylight savings) noah's school starts earlier. we have a really hard time getting up there on time. it starts at 12:25. so we try to be out the door by 12:15. we walk to school- it is about 4 blocks up town. each day school starts with all of the children out in the blacktop area. they are lead in a chant about how they will be good citizens, good students, etc. it is quite neat. then the bell rings, and they are off to their class. noah's best friend at school is named baran.

once we drop noah off, callie, lucy and i walk another block over to callie's preschool. we drop her off. sometimes, her best friend, irem, is waiting at the window for her. after we drop callie off, lucy and i usually go to the supermarket on the way home. since we don't have a car, i can only get as much as i can carry. on thursdays the pazar- the big traveling market that has everything- is on our neighborhood. i love to go there! anyhow, lucy and i run our errands then we head home. i play with her for a little bit, and then she goes down for a nap. two days a week my language helper comes from 2:30 to 4:30. otherwise i study on my own. also, i usually try to start dinner. lucy and i go back out to get the kids at 4:50. i have to pick callie up at 5:00. noah's school gets out at 5:40. so, either the girls and i hang around to get noah, or justin leaves a little early from work and picks him up. now that the time has changed it gets dark pretty early. but, if its nice out, we try to play at the park either before or after dinner. we eat dinner, then play or do whatever. we try to put the kids down by 8:30. then, justin and i study, watch tv, or work on our computers.

our weekends are flexible. we usually try to get out as much as possible. we meet as a team for dinner and worship on sunday nights. it is not the type of church we are used to, but basically we have a topic and scripture for the night. we discuss it with the kids over dinner. then the kids play, and the adults study the bible and discuss it further and pray.

so... there it is. not too exciting really! other than we are in a huge city on an amazing adventure.

Lucy Turns One

I cannot believe that my baby is already one year old (don't mothers always say that?).  Here are some pictures from her birthday.  Not the big she-bang that I usually go for, but it was a fun time nonetheless!  Our team leader happened to be working in the states a week before Lucy's birthday, so the grandparents were able to send presents to his hotel, and he delivered them to us.  She was quite interested in the whole present thing.  Unfortunately, her big brother and sister were a little too helpful!  We had to fight them back from opening the presents, and they had to help "break-in" the new toys!  We had some friends over for an American feast- including cheeseburgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, and birthday cake!  It was fun.  Although, the cake didn't turn out so great.  My frosting turned out quite runny, so the cake looked ugly.  Oh well, I'm learning all over again!  Now we have to learn how to tell people that Lucy is one year old... and I had just figured out how to say 11 months!  

Happy Birthday, my sweet little princess!  We adore you!

Independence Day

Today is Independence Day here!  The kids are out of school and Justin only went into the office for his language lesson.  We have been looking forward to the fireworks over the Bosphorus for a few days now.  So, this afternoon, when it clouded up and began to rain Noah, Callie, and I cried.  The weather, we are learning, changes so quickly here.  Easy come, easy go.  By 6 or so the rain was gone and we set out for the very tall hill (not quite a mountain) in our part of the city.  So did half of the asian side!  It was busy and confusing but wonderful.  At the top of the hill there is lovely park with lots of big old trees with little white lights up in the branches, and tables with little tea stools.  The best thing by far about this place is the view.  It is amazing!  You can see two continents from there.  The city lights, the water, the skyscrapers, the mosques.... it is absolutely beautiful!  The big bridges had special lights on them to make them red.  Patriotic music was playing and there was a festive attitude despite the damp air.  People here are far more patriotic than any other nationality I've ever run into.  The fireworks were beautiful.  They were shot off along the water from several locations on both sides as well as from one of the big bridges!  Fantastic.  Next year we may venture down near the water.  I love to be "under" fireworks.  You really get the awe factor!  Looking down on them was pretty, but not heart-stopping.

Also, today Noah a a patriotic program at his school.  We did not know what to expect, but sort of thought it would be "bad".  We were right.  It was out in the baçe (the black-top area within the school walls were the kids have recess and line up each day before school).  The kids were in a semi-circle, lined up with their classes- including the middle school students that use the school building in the morning (Noah goes to school from 12:50 to 6:00).  Lots of kids, families, and flags!  EACH class had prepared something to celebrate independence day- songs, readings, skits, etc.  So, it was long and boring.  But I am glad we went.  I am happy for any taste of the culture that I can get!  Luckily, Noah did not have to preform.  His teacher had selected 5 students to recite something- who knows what it was.  Obviously, he was not chosen!!

Celebrating Two Months

 We have been here for two months now.  This is the longest that I have ever gone without driving a car (since age 15).  I totally love the public transportation.  It is anything but convenient, but it is fascinating.  I go to a language class on Saturday mornings- the only thing that I do by myself- down by the water.  To get there I have to ride the busiest bus on the planet.  I still holler "wait" when the driver starts to pull away and all the people have not managed to shove themselves on... what a rookie.   The drivers are amazing.  They can drive the big 'ol thing (one of those double kind that looks like two buses hooked together with a dryer vent hose), talk on their cell phone, make change for passengers, and navigate the absurd traffic.  I love being stuck up front right by the windshield where I can see everything.  We manage to get so close to cars and people.  What fun. Sorry... enough of that rabbit trail ( I am bad about that).

Anyhow, we've been here two months, and seeing as how I have just managed to get this thing up and running I felt the need to reminisce on what I've learned...

1. cobblestones are beautiful but quite bumpy

2. seat belts and traffic rules are over-rated

3. Americans should be glad that there is a $500 fine for littering

4. learning and functioning in a new language is way hard

5. people here are wonderful, regardless of what the media says

6. downsizing is a great thing

7. the kids don't miss a bit of their stuff

8. there is so much to discover in the world

9. roasted sheep heads are really gross looking, especially because they have crazy looking teeth

10. futbol is life

11. the weekly market is so fun

12. it is hard to help your child do their homework when it takes you forever to translate the simple directions with your giant translation dictionary

13. it is hard to make friends when you can't say much

14. it is fun to laugh at yourself

15. my neighbor is a fenerbache fan- it is one of the futbol teams here, and he screams during their games

16. women have it very hard here

17. joy is possible anywhere

18. kids are very flexible

19. it really is great to be where the Lord wants you to be

20. 40Lira of groceries is too much to carry home a mile and up 4 flights of stairs- especially when I have Lucy and the stroller, too

21. meat, fruits, and vegetables are really fresh here

22. the "building guy" (for lack of a better word- he is sort of the handy man) sells piping hot fresh bread daily, door to door, and it is fantastic

23. a headscarf is a great way to hide hair that does not like this humid climate

24. the call to prayer is broadcast from the minarets at every mosque five times a day- it sounds like nothing you have ever heard before- eerie but beautiful 

25. old ladies will not so gently rap you with their umbrellas and tell you to properly bundle your baby if she is not dressed for arctic weather despite what the weather really is

26. your baby is public property

27. pedestrians or the smaller car have no rights and must be on the defense at all times (even on the sidewalk)

28. you must really keep up with the laundry if your kids wear a uniform and you only bought a few

29. "vat is your name?" said repeatedly by local kids is amazing annoying

30. whoever chose white button down shirts for Noah's uniform should be beaten

31. bread is the most essential part of the diet here- Dr. Adkins would be flogged

 

Truly I could go on.  The past two months have been nothing but learning, and it feels like we've just made a drop in the ocean.  The most exciting thing that I have learned is how to work my washing machine.  After two months with the translation dictionary, the machine, and the manual, I think I've got it figured out.  (ok, maybe no the most exciting thing, but it is up there on the list).  Laundry and acquiring and preparing food are major parts of my day now.  Come to think of it... they were before, too.  I guess we're not that different after all.

A Glimpse at the Possibility

You know how in romantic comedies, which I love, everything ends up great in the end?  The plot is always the same no matter how different the setting is.  The girl shows up to something new, she doesn't look or act her best, and she can't function appropriately.  But, by the end of the movie everything is perfect.  She's figured it all out, and got the great looking guy to boot!  All of this is just two hours!  

Well, I've been in this new place a lot more than two hours, and I've got relatively nothing figured out!!  I can say, "ekmek var mı?"  See, I can even type it properly with this awesome computer (i love apple!!).  Notice that the ı does not have a dot!  The question, "ekmek var mı?" means is there bread?  It is the first thing our curriculum teaches us.

So, anyhow, I can say it, and a few other things.  My point is that in the movie that is my life (and as Donald Miller says, yes, you are in my movie, you play a wonderful supporting role, thank you!) two hours have passed and I haven't gotten things all figured out!  But, you know how in the movie, they show quick little glimpses of the process the girl goes through to get it all together.  In my movie, I had my first few glimpses last week.  I thought of and spoke my very first sentence!!  Not, the sentences and phrases that I've been taught.  But, my very own!  It had the subject and verb of my choosing and was conjugated correctly.  Not only that, but the person I was speaking to understood me and answered!!  Also, last week, we got our first piece of mail!  I cannot tell you how wonderful it was.  It was a birthday card for Lucy from my mom, but our entire family devoured it!!  You have to remember that we have not seen or spoken to a real live American (other than our team leaders) in two months, so we are easily excitable.

So... it's a start- a glimpse at the possibility.  I'll get there, it will just take a lot longer than two stinkin hours!!!