All in a Day's Work

So, that incredibly ugly face is due to the picture above. See culprit. All in a day's work, smoking ourselves out of our kitchen. Doesn't seem like much looking in the pot, but it was enough to provoke that face out of me. We spent the entire day going through our daily activities while trying to nurse a pot of Turkish red beans and rice. Finally, when our day ended about 9:30 tonight, yes that's right, we sat down to enjoy our Emeril recipe. Take that. We can do Emeril in Turkey! Okay, so after almost setting our kitchen on fire, we can do it...It was pretty tasty, especially thanks to our sausages I smuggled in from Cyprus and held hostage in our freezer for the past 4 months! Our neighbors didn't come a-knocking, so I guess the coast is clear. I've been settling back into routine with relationships since I got back from vacation. It's been nice, and I'm already looking forward to a visit from home this weekend! Heather is coming my way! That is the most exciting thing since the power went out this week and my roommate got stuck in the elevator. I'm not downplaying heather, it was pretty exciting, I have to admit. You just never know, always have candles on hand in Turkey. For the power to go off a few times in one night for no reason, well, it's not that unusual. But, I can't wait to see my friend and introduce her to my world!!! I honestly didn't think I'd get a visit from anyone but my parents (because I just knew they would be on the first flight over here nomatter and they were--so great), so it's the most fabulous surprise!

I had to run a few errands to get ready for her coming, one of which took us outside our little village this week. So, while we were at it, we ventured out to Incirlik to the base for Chinese food. This is what semi-have lived in Turkey for this long-okay Chinese food does to us once every 6 months...

I know the picture of me looks like I'm in the twilight zone... but, really it's quite fitting. It's kind of like going to the twilight zone when we go to the base. It's this weird colliding of cultures. There are Americans around, but the base is barricaded with barbed wire around it and you know there's a Taco Bell inside, but you just can't quite get to it and they can. We are Americans who have embraced the Turkish culture that we live in and they are... well, just usually not. We live in a Turkish world and if we don't see our teammates can go a whole day without seeing a single other American. We speak Turkish, we eat Turkish, we try to act Turkish. They live and breathe American in Turkey. It's just a different life than I lead. Then, all the Turks speak English, and they not only speak English, they speak slang English and it's just weird. I'm not used to it and I want to speak to them in slang Turkish! You go to a Chinese restaurant where everyone working there-- but the cook (he is Chinese, how he got to Turkey, who knows?) is Turkish and you talk to the waiter in a strange mix of Turkish and English. It's just weird and a little bit fabulous at the same time because it is the subculture that exists. But the sweet and sour chicken is delicious and it just makes the hour mini bus ride out there worth the (roughly) 90 cents you paid to get there in the stinky mini bus--no literally, it was stinky. Like, I said, we don't do it often, but it was worth it this week.