Here's My Card...
So, we're back in our city after a really great trip, and I am glad to be back, but i did sweat today more than i have in two weeks! But, it was nice to be missed. Our neighbors came by last night about 10:45 p.m., that is--no big thing to come around at 11 o'clock-- to invite us over tonight for dinner and tea...and other sales matters. This is the first time that they've initiated! Maybe they saw our picture on one of the million buses that drive around our city.
Don't worry, that's right, our good ole foreign faces are plastered to multiple bus windows around town--so I've been told by three people now--in an advertisement for one of the language companies we partner with here. I don't even have a comment for that. Just keeping a low profile here...
The dinner, it was not exactly a progressive re-entry in our total Turkish environment. All eight of our closest neighbors were there... all talking at the same time... as loud as they could... the whole time we were there...only in Turkish. Welcome back. (smile.) It ended up being a jewelery party as well. Thankfully, Melissa bought a few things because I'm not sure if it would have been smiled upon if we hadn't bought anything. Lest we not make a bad impression, Melissa saved the day and bought some jewelery.
There was an awkward pause at one moment where there was a bit of Turkish interaction about one lady's son taking English classes or wanting to learn English--obviously the whole of which i did not understand-- so I, of course did what i thought was appropriate and handed her a business card...to which she responded by looking around and asking in an almost offended way, 'why did she give me this?'...wrong decision clearly to give her the business card. Usually people are asking for a card, a lesson, or who we work for so it's never been an inappropriate move in the past. It was tonight. She over and over again, making the scene so much more awkward by the moment, kept saying, 'why did she give me this card'. I do not understand all of went into that interaction...making my 'study more Turkish' goal since I returned that much more imperative. Finally, after they'd already complimented our Turkish, I had to apologize and play the 'I'm so sorry, please overlook my mistake, I'm learning Turkish and apparently not very well' card. Every time, I give myself a little pat on the back because I think I've come so far...I look at where there is to go! But again, I will press on. I just won't be giving any more business cards out for awhile unless specifically asked...apparently jewelery parties have a strict no soliciting rule.
Don't worry, that's right, our good ole foreign faces are plastered to multiple bus windows around town--so I've been told by three people now--in an advertisement for one of the language companies we partner with here. I don't even have a comment for that. Just keeping a low profile here...
The dinner, it was not exactly a progressive re-entry in our total Turkish environment. All eight of our closest neighbors were there... all talking at the same time... as loud as they could... the whole time we were there...only in Turkish. Welcome back. (smile.) It ended up being a jewelery party as well. Thankfully, Melissa bought a few things because I'm not sure if it would have been smiled upon if we hadn't bought anything. Lest we not make a bad impression, Melissa saved the day and bought some jewelery.
There was an awkward pause at one moment where there was a bit of Turkish interaction about one lady's son taking English classes or wanting to learn English--obviously the whole of which i did not understand-- so I, of course did what i thought was appropriate and handed her a business card...to which she responded by looking around and asking in an almost offended way, 'why did she give me this?'...wrong decision clearly to give her the business card. Usually people are asking for a card, a lesson, or who we work for so it's never been an inappropriate move in the past. It was tonight. She over and over again, making the scene so much more awkward by the moment, kept saying, 'why did she give me this card'. I do not understand all of went into that interaction...making my 'study more Turkish' goal since I returned that much more imperative. Finally, after they'd already complimented our Turkish, I had to apologize and play the 'I'm so sorry, please overlook my mistake, I'm learning Turkish and apparently not very well' card. Every time, I give myself a little pat on the back because I think I've come so far...I look at where there is to go! But again, I will press on. I just won't be giving any more business cards out for awhile unless specifically asked...apparently jewelery parties have a strict no soliciting rule.
As I get used to the heat and confusion that I've grown to love so much, I'll leave you with a picture of where I was last week. How can you not be encouraged to see a picture like this and know that the Creator of that loves you?
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