Heat Wave

It was reported in our news that today was going to be the hottest day that Adana has experienced in 25 years. 50 degrees Celsius. Do you know what that translates to in Fahrenheit? Let me enlighten you. It's between 122 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit! Can you even comprehend that?? I don't know if I could have before today! It's so hot! So, what did we choose to do on the hottest day in 25 years? We had a bake-a-thon in my kitchen--five girls-- that has one fan in it that I try to place in the most advantageous spot to give maximum airflow. I am laughing now, thinking about it! The girls were practically sweating their faces off!

We had a little celebration for our university friends since school is finished. Plus, they hadn't met my cats yet and one of them was especially excited about my new children. One of our three close university friends has returned back to the east for the summer, already. But the other girls were there with bells on. Literally, well not really. But we have taught them that phrase so now, every time we plan something, they say that they'll be there with bells on! I'm waiting for the day they actually show up with bells on... I wouldn't put it past these girls! So we cooked 'chick food' to serve them and taught them how to make chocolate chip cookies and let them get the first hand experience of making the delicacy that they love so much when we serve it to them! We made them roll up their sleeves and bake some Toll house cookies minus the Toll house witha little Turkish substitute. They loved it. It was so fun. These girls are absolutely the sweetest things. I just love 'em! Upcoming events: we are going to teach one of the girls to swim this summer...at the ladies swim hour at our local pool. I just hope they don't plan to wear bells to the pool party!

"I'm Grateful."

This Sunday, our family here had a meeting by the lake in our city. A special meeting, that the likes of which, I may never get to see again while I'm living in Turkey. We celebrated new life. It was such an encouragement, but it only started the day. I realized today what I feel here in Turkey now and what I will feel when I leave here next year, summed up in three tiny words...two if you make it a conjunction. (smile). But, before I tell you that, I must tell you that while we were gathering, an entire herd of sheep decided that they would join us! Literally the whole herd, daddies, mommas, and babies all paraded right in the middle of our group and just kept going, well eventually kept going... after taking a short break in the shade of one of our cars! Tell me when was the last time that happened to you on Sunday morning where you are! Instead of 'Amen's' flying around, there was the occasional sheep's bleating...(or just a bah here, a bah there... a bah bah everywhere). I don't know if Chip or Buddy would have been able to handle it with a straight face! Unlike anything can prepare you for and we just kept on singing!

Today a couple that have lived here in Turkey for eight years said goodbye to their friends and family and what had become their home. Eight years. He shared what a friend had once shared with him, and I in turn will share with you because it will be my answer, too. He said that when asked, "Do you feel happy or sad to be leaving Turkey?"...he could only remember a friend's answer that stayed with him since: "I'm grateful." Those words just resounded in my heart today as I listened to him share his heart with us and as later I watched and heard their brothers and sisters stand around them--some Turkish--and pray and send them off with crying. There was just no other way to do it. Their lives have had too much of an impact on these people, here in this place to send them off without some tears. God brought them here, and He is taking them back now to where they came from. I couldn't help but think as the man shared today, that his answer is my answer. It's my answer today, and it will be my answer next year when I leave. Was I happy or sad to leave America and come to Turkey? Am I happy or sad to be here in Turkey now? Will I be happy or sad to leave Turkey?

I'm grateful. I am so grateful to be doing what I am doing here. I am so blessed to be here learning what I am learning, seeing God in new ways with fresh eyes, loving Him in new ways, and living richly in Him in ways that I'll take back with me and cherish, forever. So, if you ask me in a year and a half...you should know that my answer will be his sentiments exactly, it already is. I'm grateful. I will forever be grateful for Turkey.

This is A Silly Blog...

I was reading some friends' blog recently and they had a top five list. I love a top five list. These may not be my tops, but here are a few of my favorite make me laugh/make me happy moments of the past week:

1. Well...The confusion started when Chris purposely infiltrated our cook-out last Friday night with lamb-burgers...(everyone was suppose to bring their own meat)...the chaos that ensued once Jared mixed the semi ground beef with the lamb patties was hilarious! None of us girls wanted a lamb burger! Even mid-burger, one of us had to make an exchange once we convinced Katie that she was eating the lamb burger! It's the little things in life, you just gotta laugh. The song that followed was somewhat of a mixture of the song...'I called the witch doctor, he told me what to do, he told me...ooh eeh, ooh ah ah, ching chang wala wala bing bang' and the song that goes 'Rama lama ding dong', only our song went...something like: 'lamba lamba ding dong' in honor of the lamb burger. Don't worry, while revising this blog, I became convinced that there really was a song that inspired our lamba song...which inspired a Google hunt of large proportions that provided our kitchen music today while making lunch. Have you ever heard the song...'I Know a Girl Named Rama Lama Ding Dong' by Rocky Sharpe & the Replays...?(which I now know by heart). The kitchen scene today was almost as funny as the original serenade at the cook out and if you'd seen or heard our kitchen today, you'd be convinced it should have made it onto this list.

2. I got a package on Tuesday. I love a package. I love you heather.( I do have to put in here that so many people have sent letters lately and that has been fabulous, too. If you're reading this, then that's you and THANK YOU!) The best part was that when I walked out the door to go to Bible study, the post man was pulling up to my apartment. I had never seen him before and he looked at me (I am not Turkish) and said that he had a package for me. There had been no exchange before this. We'd never met before (hence i'd never seen him before)...but sure enough, he asked me my name and lo and behold, he had a package for me! I am absolutely never inconspicuous and this would never happen in America, mind you. We just don't quite fit in over here, much as we may try. I might as well walk around with a sign on my forehead saying that I'm a foreigner and don't worry, i probably do. (smile). I guess that it's especially nice for delivery times. Usually no questions as to whether there is a delivery for us or not. I think I'm the only Jessica in my city. That's never happened before.

3. We had a sleep-over last night. No, we are not in the eight grade anymore, but we are always up for some fun! Our Turkish teacher came and we watched 'One Night with the King'. It's a movie based on Esther's story. The movie was really good and I was so proud of T. for being able to understand it all without any Turkish subtitles. She is so smart. We should have been watching it in Turkish, but it's not out here at my d.v.d. store and since the owner is one of my friend's, I refuse to go elsewhere to look. Anyways , we knew she'd like a good love story...even one from the Bible. But my favorite part of the movie had to be when she first saw the king...a greasy Fabio-looking character and she pumped her fists in the air and said, 'ooh, one night with the king'! We all just died laughing! Needless to say, she liked the movie. The Fabio-like-actor may have moved up the rank on her list of favorites right up there with Denzel. I don't know if she liked the king or the story better. But we had a really fun night, we ate some good food, and got to spend some quality time with her which is always good.

4. We called to order water today(we don't drink the water or cook with it here...) and this is the side of the conversation that I heard from Melissa's side of the phone (in Turkish):

"Hello. I need two large water bottles. Yes. Okay. Click. "

Now, I don't think that they have caller i.d., but without even giving a name, half an hour later our water was delivered to our door. We just couldn't keep from laughing. Does our accent give us away that bad??

5. We went to the beach last week and beach attire is just different here...I was coveting their swim attire once I got home and had the sunburn of my year on my back. Me and my roommate bonded with Aloe Vera, but it's tanning now, so I guess I'll stick with the one piece, but they did not let their attire stop them from having a good time. The beach is a little different here, but I love it anywhere.

Amazing Grace.

Who knew that my solo career was going to take off in Turkey? I certainly didn't! We had dinner with our university neighbors last night. They made alot of food...and it was all good. We taught them a few idioms. And all night, our friend kept saying things like: "I'm as hungry as a horse" and then every now and again, she would get confused and say in Turkish that she was really full and she had been hungry because, (now she would continue in English) she ate a horse! Very funny. It was really fun. I'm sad that our neighbors will be moving out soon. They are all university age. Here, everyone has the opportunity to go to college for free. Students go to school in the morning and then in the afternoons go to what is called a 'dershanesi'. It's an extra place where they are prepared and study for the O.S.S. They must pay for these classes. The O.S.S. is a test that all students have to take before they are allowed to go to university. If they pass the test, their grades will determine where they can go to school and what they might be able to do occupationally. Pretty interesting, huh? But, if they do pass and go to university, most of their college education is free, (but they have already paid for extra classes to study for the college entrance test which can be very expensive). I guess there are ups and downs to this. We know someone from church who took this test again this year for maybe the fourth time hoping for entrance to college. You may only take the test once a year. Thought you might like a little tidbit of information from this culture I'm living in.
So, several of our university girls took the O.S.S. last Sunday before they had us over for dinner and are now waiting...waiting...waiting for their results. Graduation is Friday, and then they'll be moving out. We're hoping some of them will come back to our floor next year, but we're not sure. They have been really sweet to befriend us and help us with our Turkish. At some point after dinner, we were talking about what we believe and somehow I ended up getting volunteered to sing a solo for the girls...What to sing? I chose 'Amazing Grace.' It fit. I sang my best and just closed my eyes and sang to the God who I later shared had done all the things I sang about. This is the state of my life. Loving people and daily, desperately hoping for and wanting more for them.

Lunch with a View

Today we had lunch with the university girls. One of our sweet friends is going back home to the east for the summer. We will miss her, but she wanted to host us at her house before she left. She made a famous Bulgar dish for her first time for us! I love these girls. They are absolutely precious. They did an English play for their class yesterday and Katie and I read their play. It was great, but it was a bit funny, too. I kept trying not to laugh as i wondered, 'Are these the types of things we say to our Turkish teacher? And is she constantly having to hold back laughter at our very best efforts?'...The play was great and so is their English. With them, we usually get a mixture of 'Engilizce'...which is something of a mixture of 'Turkce' and 'Engilizce'.

They're all three very different. One is Turkish, one is Kurdish, and one is Arabic. We always learn lots of different things about their culture and religion. As i was leaving today, the grandmother gave me some homemade jam. Just like a good grandmother...made me think of mine. My mom reads my e-mails to them and tells them it's like a telegraph to them. The Internet is a bit beyond them, but If I had friends over, it would be just like my grandmother to send them home with a homemade treat or piece of candy...which I did go home with several of, also.

Thought you might enjoy the view of one part of my city. Adana is absolutely huge, so this is only a little piece of the newer part by our lake. But, it's beautiful.

And, just for fun...today as i was coming in from the visit, two of the little boys in our apartment building were greeting me and I'm not sure what I heard. They either said, 'hello kanki' (kon-kee) (which I'm pretty sure means like: buddy or friend in Turkish) or they might have said, 'hello donkey'...I'm not sure. I either got a 'hey buddy' which I smiled in response to, or I got a 'hello donkey' in which i also smiled in response to. You just never know...you just have to smile. And i do.

You Can Say that Again...or Can You?

Whenever you leave a restaurant in Turkey, they send you away with clean hands and freshly scented hands. They always offer you little wet wipes to clean your hands. But, they don't just stop at that...they also offer you cologne to put on your hands to leave you feeling well scented. Today, my roommate and I cracked up as we opened the bag that came with our pizza we ordered and inside, there were not only wet wipes but yes...a little mini bottle of cologne. Our pizza came with perfume. Life here is always interesting.
This morning, i went to visit my D.V.D. friend (post wedding) to deliver a semi-late gift and chat. I also had to apologize to one of her family members who instead of telling I was sorry for my ride being late at the wedding, I told them that I was very tired...of waiting? They sound alike, and sometimes my brain fails me and I end up saying silly things at totally inappropriate times. "Kusura bakma"...(overlook my mistake). I say this...alot. I'm never quite intending to say everything that I do and I don't always get out what I want to . Today, i was going to ask someone on the park bench next to me which bus they were waiting for and how long they had been waiting. They just wrinkled up their nose at me and laughed, saying, 'I don't understand you.' Now, I know my Turkish can stand some improvement, but give me a break here. I totally knew what I was saying at least was intelligible.
And then sometimes, being a foreigner pays off. Yesterday as my roomie and I were waiting for the bus, we befriended a lady on the bench next to us. She asked which bus we were waiting for and how long we'd been waiting. I told her. Then, when the bus came she helped direct us where to go--even though i was quite aware of where to go (I have been riding that particular route for 5 months), but we graciously accepted her help and when we started loading...she made sure to usher us to the front elbowing teenagers out of the way right and left, whispering, 'they're foreigners'. Are we that obvious?
So, then today my friend at the D.V.D. store told me that she liked me more than her Turkish friends! How sweet is that. Too bad my reply was, 'can you repeat that, slower?' Welcome to my mind. But, we did chat quite a bit today and she affirmed today that she almost always understands almost all of what I say...well, it was affirming for me anyways. I may not be a linguist...but I am a learner...and I'm not giving up Turkey! I am pressing on!

My First Turkish Wedding

I went to a Turkish wedding last night. I could not have felt more honored. This is only the second time since I've been here that one of my Turkish friends has invited me to do something and not the other way around. Mind you, that i was invited three days before the wedding, but that didn't seem to matter. I got to sit at the table next to the bride and groom's table, get dance lessons from the bride, and was the last guest to leave. I partied hard. Let me start at the beginning.

So, my friend from the D.V.D./Perfume store invited me to her sister's wedding this weekend. I have never met the bride--well that's not true actually. We met over the web cam once while my friend was talking to her during one of her shifts while I was visiting. Any who, she remembered me when she saw me, so I was terribly flattered. So, to start with, I had terrible directions. My other friend who would not even be accompanying me gave me the very bad directions. I ended up in a place I was very familiar with, but nowhere near the wedding bliss. Here i am, I have just taken the bus and walked for almost 15 minutes in my heels and dress pants and received quite a few looks...so I did what I felt was safest. I asked a police man for directions. The wedding was at the 'Bacardi Club.' That's right, The Bacardi Club. This particular wedding only served water and sparkling...Coke, despite it's location.

Back to the cop...he does not know where this place is, so he asks his cop friend on the phone. Too many directions, he tells me. (Obviously, he sees that my comprehension is limited.) He directs me to a waiting police car with two police men inside and says that they will take me to my wedding. Now, I have never thought i would ride in a police car in America, much less Turkey...but I did. A very well marked police car with two officers inside. I got an actual police escort to the wedding. Now, I generally in life, try to keep a low profile. It was take the Po-Po up on a ride, or not make it to the wedding, so I was careful and I was much obliged. Will try not to make a habit out of it though...

So, I get to the wedding, and of course my friend is not even there yet. I entertain myself after I am seated at a table near the bride and groom's table to be. It is an outside courtyard and all the tables are decorated with candles and lace. Lots of it. When my friend arrives, she is wearing what appears to be a prom dress like outfit. I am a bit under dressed looking at her, but a bit over dressed looking at some of the other guests. We chat and she assigns someone to take care of me--her yabanci friend--while she is busy and apologizes to me. I 'm just glad to be there. It is not an actual wedding. It is a big party, but at one point, the bride and groom did exchange something like vows in front of the crowd.

When the bride and groom entered, something akin to 'Chariots of Fire' began to play and they entered through a red carpet lined with sparklers that went off as they were walking. It was pretty grandiose. She greeted every table of guests during the party and people took turns pinning pieces of gold to a red sash that she wore. This is what people generally give for a wedding gift. The bride and groom both wore these red sashes and by the time they left, they were sparkling with gold pendants.

After much greeting, the dancing began. Don't worry, I could not be present and not dance. Everyone gathered into a big circle clapping and the bride danced in the middle of the circle with people alternating in and out of the circle with her. I got to be that esteemed person a choice few times and was mortified both times. None of the functions I attended in college prepared me for doing a Turkish belly dance like motion in the middle of a circle of Turks clapping...as I write, I'm struck by how absolutely ridiculously interesting my life has gotten.

I could not totally find the wedding or communicate with people while their as much as I would like,but I am learning and in spite of my weaknesses, I am making friends and I am sharing who I am with them. My friend invited me to her sister's wedding! And that made my day and I would not have missed it for the world, police escort and all. Sometimes I feel just helpless, but He always brings me help and He constantly is my Help. If you ever need a date to a Turkish wedding, you should call me. I'm already looking forward to the next one! We will take the bus and not the police car, if you would like.

My Mediterranean Day

So, yesterday, me, my roommate, one of our American friends who lives out east, and one of our Turkish friends went to the Mediterranean. That's right, just call us Club Med. I'm warning you before you read, that my life is not always like this...but since it's right there and we needed a way to beat the heat, we adventured to the beach yesterday. When I say adventured, i mean it in the literal context. Let me give you a brief account of our beach trip...Turkey style.
We left our house at 6:45 (that's a.m.) and caught the 7:30 train to Mersin. From Mersin, we walked to the bus station and then we caught a mini-bus to the beach. We were on the beach by about 10:15. Now, I am the first to tell you that it was worth it, but that is a long trip to go somewhere that is about an hour and a half away by car! Our Turkish friend told us that she doesn't usually go to the beach unless she can go by car. We told her we did not have the luxury of a car at our disposal this particular Saturday and she could rough it like the foreigners and take the bus! She had just as much fun as any of us and I think she'd take the bus again!


We saw all kinds of folks sunning in the sand. This lady actually did eventually take off her head cover and her outer garments, but not until she was ready to dive into the sand. Our friend told us that they believe that the sand is good for your health. I'm telling you, everybody was burying everybody in the sand! I was not buried, nor did I bury my friends, but we definitely did get in the water. Very salty, but pretty great to say that I've swam in the Mediterranean! I confided in my Turkish friend that I was very very afraid of sharks and she told me not to worry. There are no sharks, only 'sea monsters.' Thank you for that assurance of safety. So, beware of sea monsters...otherwise referred to as jelly fish in English! We had to very quickly work through that translation seeing as how at that point, I was already shoulder deep in the sea...
We refreshed ourselves with cold water when we got too hot, but don't worry, there was a man running around with a tray and hot tea and coffee if you'd prefer that to refresh you, which most of the Turks did!

We rented a paddle boat...(see our lovely chariot below) and cycled out to the castle in the sea. Isn't that just like something you'd read about in a fairy tale. "The young princess lived in a castle in the sea..." There is a tale about this one, if you're curious, you'll have to ask me about it at a later date.

So, we rode the dolphin paddle boat out to the island--which was a little workout...let me tell you--and then explored. On the way back we got a little side tracked and found ourselves trying to return our boat further down shore than we had rented it--only because our boat had been 'borrowed' at the castle, so we 'borrowed' someone else's. Once we had gotten to the shallow area and realized we had to go all the way down to the other end of the shore, we couldn't get the boat turned around! So we all four had to get out and push the paddle boat down the shore stopping at every rental station to ask if this particular dolphin belonged to them! It was hilarious and don't think for a minute that passersby on the shore missed out on the laughter. We were quite a spectacle, as we were also on our way home. I definitely got us lost inMersin wet pants, beach chair and bags in hand. We do try to blend generally, but it was a day for beach attire and beach gear...just didn't count on getting too far off course from the actual beach. Never fear, we asked for directions and found our way back to the train station. It was a really fun day getting to see our friend from the east and getting to have some laid back fun with our Turkish friend. But, being at the beach was such an awesome reminder to me as I looked out on something so big that my God created and was reminded that just as He pulls the tide in, He draws men to Himself. He does the work and we are merely clay pots, but Praise Him that we bear a treasure--His Son--and that He desires to draw us, make Himself known to us, and use us to share that hope with others.