It's amazing how slow time can pass and how incredibly it can fly, at the same time. Another year. Another Ramadan here in Turkey. I took this picture very discreetly at the mall yesterday. That's right. At Burger King, you really can have it your way... Is that even their motto? I haven't watched television commercials in 2 years...(i'm a bit behind the times). If it's not their motto, it really should be! You can come to Turkey, observe Ramadan by fasting all day, and break fast at Burger King with their special holiday menu. It comes complete with a date (of the dried fruit variety)--which is one of the foods that they break fast with and then a special dessert. It's called the Sultan Menu. Does not look appealing to me at all, but isn't something in you just temped to order the 'Sultan Menu'? You even have to say it with a certain inflection in your voice. The 'Sultan Menu'. I passed up the 'Sultan Menu' for a just plain delicious Whopper Jr. +cheese. I don't know why, but Burger King is a haven for me here. It ranks right up there with Little Caesar's for a treat, but I'm banned from ordering Little Caesar's for awhile. Possibly until I leave...how sad is that. I really wasn't planning on it, but I guess I'll indulge you and tell you my crazy embarrassing story. The one which has henceforth unspokenly added me to the Little Caesar's blacklist. (Before I share my little story, let me share that when I come home, the first places that I will want to eat are NOT going to be Little Caesar's, Burger King, or who knows what my mother was thinking when she excitedly told me they had found a lamb kebab place near our house! Mercy. No, my first weeks back I will be substituting these nonetheless appreciated Turkey staples, for well, ...the good stuff.)
Ugh. Okay, so I'll share my Little Caesar's story. It was a sad moment for me and you have to put yourself in my shoes for the moment while you read and realize that while I realize that Little Caesar's food is not the most wonderful pizza in the world...it's not only a food group here, it's a symbol. It is a piece of home. It's one of 3 familiar restaurants that have made an effort to travel across the globe to greet me in my Turkish neighborhood. It's exactly the way it is in America. And it has helped shape my experience here. Okay, I'm exaggerating now, but I love it and it's nice to have something familiar and easy every now and then or sadly sometimes way too often. But, I digress.
We ordered pizza one night. We were leaving town the next day, didn't want leftovers. Love us some pizza. I ordered the usual 'Caesars Caesars' pizza. It comes with extra cheese, some beef but very delicious substitute pepperoni, black olives and pizza sauce. (This may seem like a minute detail to you, but most pizza here does not come with tomato sauce on it.) I have placed many an order through the phone to my beloved team manning the Little Caesar's phone. Usually no problems understanding. Not so that night. Apparently the operator thought incorrectly that Melissa had said 'Caesar's Caesar's Ekstra'. Well, we didn't realize this until the driver brought our pizzas and mine had some type of meat on it. Some type of chopped up marinated meat on it. Now, it might have been beef, but you just never know! I did not want this pizza. By now, my hopes had risen, I'd had a long week, and I was waiting on my Caesar's Caesar's goodness. (It's the little things in life). Open box. Utter disappointment. Melissa runs to the balcony to shout at the delivery man getting on his motor bike (I had ordered her to do this, very uncharacter-like for her). I am running down the stairs pizza in hand (4 flights mind you) to try in hopes of catching delivery man. He is very speedy and I miss him. He apparently has poor hearing and Melissa misses him also.
What to do? On another day, I might have eaten the pizza. I probably would have. Not that day though. In America the customer is always right. I am not in America, what am I thinking? I call back the pizza place and I inform them that my order was wrong. They disagree. We disagree for some moments, until I give in to my insane-ness and inform them...that yes I am a foreigner and I do have a strange accent, but it has never hindered my pizza ordering abilities before. I want a new pizza. Yes, I'd like the pizza I wanted. I'll give them back the pizza at my house that I don't want. Silence.
Do I want to pay cash or credit for this new pizza, operator man asks. I want to pay neither. I don't want to pay for it. It will be free, I insist. Long story, still a long story...I got the pizza that I wanted. It was free. I got a very dirty look from the delivery man who I wouldn't have blamed had he spit in my pizza that I devoured anyways. So, what has living overseas turned me into? Apparently a rude person. I hope not. It can take me up to an hour on the bus to get places that you could drive in 10 minutes. People misunderstand me and I misunderstand them on an almost daily basis. I feel helpless alot. I miss home alot. No one does things the way I would do them, alot. In spite of all this, I love living here. I normally pride myself on trying to fit in, going with the flow, being uber patient because living in another culture is never easy. But, pride does come before the fall So, I had a bad night. It cost me some pride and possibly Little Caesar's delivery until I leave. What had I become that I was willing to be crazy person over a pizza??? I am quite sure, it was a new and foreign experience for them. But, it was a good lesson. A good point to step back and check myself and re-evaluate the value I place on a pizza or what it represents: all things convenient and the way I think they should be. My purpose for being here is bigger than all those things combined to eternity.
So, for some reason, these last days, I find myself craving Chick-fil-a and Sonic and Outback...and etc. But, I am keeping on trying to let Him use the mundane things in my life like pizza delivery gone bad to refine me and give me perspective that leads to joy in this place. I'm spending time like crazy with neighbors and friends and soaking up all that He wants to teach me during the rest of my time here and trying to be moldable into a usable worthy vessel. Embarrassing pizza story, but I'm a work in progress. But, it turns out Burger King is not the only place in town where you can have it 'your way'!
One month. I have a ticket. One month. People have started to say to me things like: let's make sure and do this before you leave ...and make sure to make good last 'scenes' to look back on and remember..., and when shall we have your goodbye party?... One month. I went to put on a pair of shoes the other day only to realize those shoes that one week ago were stored under my bed, are now in America. My team leader for the summer was gracious enough to take home 2 of my 4 1/2...possibly 5 suitcases with him on his way to his sister's wedding. One month. 
