We should have brought with us...

Things we realized we "should've" brought:
(Too long to really record, but nothing catastrophic so far)

• A good kitchen knife
  
• Vanilla
  
• School clothes for the girls (maybe if we would've received answers to my inquiries about uniforms this would've been possible...)
  
• More undershirts for Brian (hard to find clothes to fit Brian unless we went to Marks & Spencer, a British department store)
  
  Additions after our return:
  
• Dried basil, or any other spices or herbs you love and that will make you be able to prepare some "normal" meals sometimes. Pretty much could only get oregano, cumin, mint, cinnamon, hot red pepper (cayenne here), sweet red pepper (paprika here, but not the same at all), salt, black pepper, shredded dried coconut, maybe a few others. Whole nutmeg was available once at a full-size Carrefour. Fresh basil was available as plants sometimes, but that was the only time we had it.
  
• Brown sugar. The brown sugar in Turkey is hard and crystalline, not soft and melty like in the US. Brown sugar, good oatmeal (the standard is REALLY mushy like instant), vanilla extract, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice were hot items at the commisary on base since you couldn't get them in the Turkish groceries.
  
• Anything special for birthday or holiday traditions. I really wanted to make some rye bread with my grandma's recipe and had to have the anise and fennel brought from California with Mustafa's daughter after her trip and package swap with Greg.