Monday, January 26
Lacey and Maren still have school during these next two weeks while Brian and I are off. They only have half-days W-F of this week though, so missing school for our trip won't be too bad.
Brian, Aeden, and I took a Dolmus to Kizilay and then wandered about in a new direction in hopes of finding the tourist information center marked on my Ankara map. It was empty and closed. Darn it. We took in the sites of a new area--Maltepe--which looked pretty much the same as all the other areas, and then headed home. I'm almost ready to throw out my Ankara map, but I still haven't found another one to reference on-the-go (Google maps from home works, but that takes pre-planning and printing!)
Ankara/Turkey does not win any awards in providing tourist information. Canada and Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island win by far. It will be interesting to see how we do on the road with our rental car to Efes with so little information available...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25
Not much, still being lazy and not feeling so great. We all walked down to the market for some oranges and Cagdas to restock our peanut butter supply and we finally got our camera working with Skype, but no dice with Google. We chatted with my dad and Evie, but Maren had trouble after seeing them and couldn't keep talking because she was crying too hard. Weird how you can miss someone a lot in the background but not really have it come out until you see and hear them. We'll try again tomorrow...
We're planning to take a trip to Izmir and Efes (Ephesus) Wednesday through Sunday this week while Brian and I are out of school for the winter recess. The girls don't really know what to expect, but are very excited that we'll have our own car for a few days. We'll see how far into the 6 hour drive that excitement lasts :-)
Not much, still being lazy and not feeling so great. We all walked down to the market for some oranges and Cagdas to restock our peanut butter supply and we finally got our camera working with Skype, but no dice with Google. We chatted with my dad and Evie, but Maren had trouble after seeing them and couldn't keep talking because she was crying too hard. Weird how you can miss someone a lot in the background but not really have it come out until you see and hear them. We'll try again tomorrow...
We're planning to take a trip to Izmir and Efes (Ephesus) Wednesday through Sunday this week while Brian and I are out of school for the winter recess. The girls don't really know what to expect, but are very excited that we'll have our own car for a few days. We'll see how far into the 6 hour drive that excitement lasts :-)
Saturday, January 24
Nothing! I'm officially sick with a head cold and sore throat, and have been sitting around all day asleep or reading the Ataturk book I'm in the middle of. Just in time for the 2-week winter recess from school. But I was finally able to get the audio part of Google Video Chat to work and chatted with my dad, just not my webcam. I'm trying hard to use the Google option, but they're not making it easy! More research, or a bail to Skype is in the works.
Maren's finger has faded from the spotlight and seems to be just fine now. Another drama has come to a close.
Aeden was experimenting with the word "Daddy" this afternoon. Sounds pretty good, but doesn't seem to always come out on demand. He's getting closer! Maybe someday he'll actually say "Mommy" (I keep pretending he's just saying it in Turkish, because he says that all the time "Anne" pronounced ahn-neh, but I know he's not aware that that is what he's saying...). He's doing well with "please" when he wants things. Though it sounds a bit like bees, the intention is good :-).
Nothing! I'm officially sick with a head cold and sore throat, and have been sitting around all day asleep or reading the Ataturk book I'm in the middle of. Just in time for the 2-week winter recess from school. But I was finally able to get the audio part of Google Video Chat to work and chatted with my dad, just not my webcam. I'm trying hard to use the Google option, but they're not making it easy! More research, or a bail to Skype is in the works.
Maren's finger has faded from the spotlight and seems to be just fine now. Another drama has come to a close.
Aeden was experimenting with the word "Daddy" this afternoon. Sounds pretty good, but doesn't seem to always come out on demand. He's getting closer! Maybe someday he'll actually say "Mommy" (I keep pretending he's just saying it in Turkish, because he says that all the time "Anne" pronounced ahn-neh, but I know he's not aware that that is what he's saying...). He's doing well with "please" when he wants things. Though it sounds a bit like bees, the intention is good :-).
Friday, January 23
White day (wear white with all the preschoolers!) and Teddy Bear Picnic day today at the preschool, followed by rushed grocery shopping, a failed Turkish recipe for dinner followed by a rescue operation, and a night of visiting and story-telling with Daniel (New Yorker Fulbright teacher), Paul (English foreign teacher at TED), Danielle (Brazilian foreign teacher at TED) and her son Emir (he's two; no job yet!), and Rosetta (Albanian foreign teacher at TED). We watched the movie, "The Full Monty" on the big screen (not the kids...). It was quite different to watch it with an Englishman who could comment on the location and situation at the time, and to read the subtitles on the film which are in English, but at times were in a "different language" because of the phrases.
White day (wear white with all the preschoolers!) and Teddy Bear Picnic day today at the preschool, followed by rushed grocery shopping, a failed Turkish recipe for dinner followed by a rescue operation, and a night of visiting and story-telling with Daniel (New Yorker Fulbright teacher), Paul (English foreign teacher at TED), Danielle (Brazilian foreign teacher at TED) and her son Emir (he's two; no job yet!), and Rosetta (Albanian foreign teacher at TED). We watched the movie, "The Full Monty" on the big screen (not the kids...). It was quite different to watch it with an Englishman who could comment on the location and situation at the time, and to read the subtitles on the film which are in English, but at times were in a "different language" because of the phrases.
Thursday, January 22
Maren jammed her finger at school today and turned it purple. It is straight still, but very sore. She plays too hard!
At bedtime tonight (8 PM) I told Aeden it was time for bed while we were in the living room and he waved to me, said, "Byeee" and ran off to his bedroom and layed down. I thought, wow, could this be any easier and why am I so spoiled? At 8:30 he was still talking to himself in bed. Then things were quiet. But then at 9 PM he came wandering down the hall and peeked around the door into the living room. Back to bed with him crying...but only for a few minutes before he was fast asleep. What a weirdo.
Maren jammed her finger at school today and turned it purple. It is straight still, but very sore. She plays too hard!
At bedtime tonight (8 PM) I told Aeden it was time for bed while we were in the living room and he waved to me, said, "Byeee" and ran off to his bedroom and layed down. I thought, wow, could this be any easier and why am I so spoiled? At 8:30 he was still talking to himself in bed. Then things were quiet. But then at 9 PM he came wandering down the hall and peeked around the door into the living room. Back to bed with him crying...but only for a few minutes before he was fast asleep. What a weirdo.
Wednesday, January 21
Lacey lost a tooth, so the tooth fairy is vinsiting again tonight!
Finally figured out a bill paying simplification...pay electricity (on time), phone (a day late), and internet (early) all at the TEB bank across the intersection from my school. Amazing, and there's a cash machine right there, to boot! I still am not used to paying bills in cash...
Lacey lost a tooth, so the tooth fairy is vinsiting again tonight!
Finally figured out a bill paying simplification...pay electricity (on time), phone (a day late), and internet (early) all at the TEB bank across the intersection from my school. Amazing, and there's a cash machine right there, to boot! I still am not used to paying bills in cash...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18
Haircuts for the kids (at the women's salon for Lacey and Maren and at the men's salon for Aeden of course). Aeden played football (soccer for those in the US) with a stylist in the salon while Lacey and Maren were getting their 'do's!
Before haircuts (a few days earlier):
After haircuts:
The crowd on the way home after some shopping too--
full sunny day with ice cream cones in January!
Aeden in full TV mode,
mouth hanging open and all
Showing off the french braid hairdo
Aeden waking up from his nap...
Haircuts for the kids (at the women's salon for Lacey and Maren and at the men's salon for Aeden of course). Aeden played football (soccer for those in the US) with a stylist in the salon while Lacey and Maren were getting their 'do's!
Before haircuts (a few days earlier):
After haircuts:
full sunny day with ice cream cones in January!
mouth hanging open and all
Aeden waking up from his nap...
Saturday, January 17
The kids and I assembled the coffee table that has been sitting in a box propped in the computer room all this time. We put it up in Lacey's gigantic room as a play area for the rotation of Barbie, Littlest Pet Shop, Polly Pocket, and paper dolls that the girls set up their imaginary worlds with. Aeden tried out the Barbie furniture while we were upstairs today (including the TV remote in the second picture):
Lacey just finished reading, "The BFG" by Roald Dahl (The Big Friendly Giant). Aeden was like a giant in the Barbie furniture!
Brian went to Armada to meet up with some of his tenth graders and see the movie, "Twilight", based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. It was quite a hot topic among them when we first arrived since it takes place in Forks, Washington. The kids and I just stayed at home all day and had an easy day.
Maren printed her Webkinz wishlist and then cut out all the items and pasted them into a little book. She is in an "I want this" mode and informed her teacher this week that she should be in first grade. Hmm. She started a new cold sore, too, so I'm going to say that she's not feeling that great and blame illness for the grumpiness and extra attitude. Brian is sick with a new cold, so she probably is working on one too.
Lacey started on a project of making Aeden an alphabet book with magazine letters and pictures. She had told me she wanted to make an alphabet book like the one Maren is working on (we're using her worksheets from school and making them into an alphabet book) but that she was too old for that. So I suggested making one for Aeden and she loved the idea. We agreed that the picture of a dog belongs in "P" for "puppy" in Aeden's alphabet world :-)
Aeden continues to spend every available moment with the Leapster (not doing anything, just watching the demo), a little Hello Kitty play cell phone, or trying to reach off of my lap to "type" on the keyboard of my computer. When he sits down at a computer he puts both his hands right up on the home row keys, and starts clicking the mouse button. If nothing happens, the power button is next on his agenda. What a tech weenie!
The kids and I assembled the coffee table that has been sitting in a box propped in the computer room all this time. We put it up in Lacey's gigantic room as a play area for the rotation of Barbie, Littlest Pet Shop, Polly Pocket, and paper dolls that the girls set up their imaginary worlds with. Aeden tried out the Barbie furniture while we were upstairs today (including the TV remote in the second picture):
Lacey just finished reading, "The BFG" by Roald Dahl (The Big Friendly Giant). Aeden was like a giant in the Barbie furniture!
Brian went to Armada to meet up with some of his tenth graders and see the movie, "Twilight", based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. It was quite a hot topic among them when we first arrived since it takes place in Forks, Washington. The kids and I just stayed at home all day and had an easy day.
Maren printed her Webkinz wishlist and then cut out all the items and pasted them into a little book. She is in an "I want this" mode and informed her teacher this week that she should be in first grade. Hmm. She started a new cold sore, too, so I'm going to say that she's not feeling that great and blame illness for the grumpiness and extra attitude. Brian is sick with a new cold, so she probably is working on one too.
Lacey started on a project of making Aeden an alphabet book with magazine letters and pictures. She had told me she wanted to make an alphabet book like the one Maren is working on (we're using her worksheets from school and making them into an alphabet book) but that she was too old for that. So I suggested making one for Aeden and she loved the idea. We agreed that the picture of a dog belongs in "P" for "puppy" in Aeden's alphabet world :-)
Aeden continues to spend every available moment with the Leapster (not doing anything, just watching the demo), a little Hello Kitty play cell phone, or trying to reach off of my lap to "type" on the keyboard of my computer. When he sits down at a computer he puts both his hands right up on the home row keys, and starts clicking the mouse button. If nothing happens, the power button is next on his agenda. What a tech weenie!
Friday, January 16
I arrived at school and was asked if knew origami. I've done a bit and they had instructions, so I volunteered to give it a try (making roses for a get well card for another teacher who is home with pneumonia). Ms. Jo said, "Fill your boots!" For anyone who listens to KMTT and Marty Riemer in Seattle, it was all I could do to not bust out laughing once I realized what she had just said! So there's some outside corroboration that it really is a saying, and not even just from Ireland! If you want in on the joke, go to YouTube and search for "fill your boots man" and find the "Irish girl wants school destroyed" clip. Enjoy!
This evening there was a New Year's Party at the Fulbright Commission Office. The kids and I finally met some more of the Fulbright staff in Ankara and some of the other Fulbright grantees. Up until now none of them had met the girls and only a few of them had met Aeden and me. It was crowded and hot in the office space, but the munchies were tasty and the kids were well behaved and did a great job of mingling. I learned about some new places to go and hopefully even people to go there with and we all had a nice time. I like it when we do something social on Friday nights even though we're too tired to do it...it makes the weekends seem longer and keeps us from sitting around all grumpy for the evening!
I arrived at school and was asked if knew origami. I've done a bit and they had instructions, so I volunteered to give it a try (making roses for a get well card for another teacher who is home with pneumonia). Ms. Jo said, "Fill your boots!" For anyone who listens to KMTT and Marty Riemer in Seattle, it was all I could do to not bust out laughing once I realized what she had just said! So there's some outside corroboration that it really is a saying, and not even just from Ireland! If you want in on the joke, go to YouTube and search for "fill your boots man" and find the "Irish girl wants school destroyed" clip. Enjoy!
This evening there was a New Year's Party at the Fulbright Commission Office. The kids and I finally met some more of the Fulbright staff in Ankara and some of the other Fulbright grantees. Up until now none of them had met the girls and only a few of them had met Aeden and me. It was crowded and hot in the office space, but the munchies were tasty and the kids were well behaved and did a great job of mingling. I learned about some new places to go and hopefully even people to go there with and we all had a nice time. I like it when we do something social on Friday nights even though we're too tired to do it...it makes the weekends seem longer and keeps us from sitting around all grumpy for the evening!
Thursday, January 15
I watched a car park in the middle of the road (but put on the emergency flashers, of course) and the driver pack and unpack boxes and bags from it for 20+ minutes during morning rush hour traffic in front of our building. So the school buses and cars were zipping around it on the wrong side of the road, horns blaring, and just general craziness. Parking spaces and parking lots are so grossly underutilized it is amazing.
Maren lost her second tooth today eating an apple! She came to me looking at something in her hand and asking me if it was a seed or what...and it was her tooth! She left the window open in her bedroom so the tooth fairy could get in easily. So thoughtful of her. She already has her new teeth visible in both the empty spaces.
I watched a car park in the middle of the road (but put on the emergency flashers, of course) and the driver pack and unpack boxes and bags from it for 20+ minutes during morning rush hour traffic in front of our building. So the school buses and cars were zipping around it on the wrong side of the road, horns blaring, and just general craziness. Parking spaces and parking lots are so grossly underutilized it is amazing.
Maren lost her second tooth today eating an apple! She came to me looking at something in her hand and asking me if it was a seed or what...and it was her tooth! She left the window open in her bedroom so the tooth fairy could get in easily. So thoughtful of her. She already has her new teeth visible in both the empty spaces.
Wednesday, January 14
Before I forget to add to the list (and I'm so happy to have a list!), I've read a few more books:
Istanbullu by Buket Uzuner
This book chronicles the lives of various people at the Istanbul airport in one day. It had some twists at the end and was very eye-opening in terms of different perspectives in Istanbul, as it goes through the inner thoughts of a bathroom worker, a gay waiter, an executive assistant (with benefits, so to speak), a wealthy business man, a taxi driver, a young Muslim woman who wears a turban and headscarf, etc.
Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
Another book with a twist and very descriptive of current and recent past Istanbul and Turkey. Everyone's reading it, so why not me? From a literary review on Amazon (why re-write it?): Elif Shafak has chosen to write The Bastard of Istanbul in English, a decision to be applauded, though with mixed feelings. The novel deserves to reach a wide readership, for reasons not entirely literary. By putting into the mouths of her characters explicit reference to these events, for using the word "genocide," Shafak fell afoul of Article 301 of the Turkish penal code and was tried on a charge of "insulting Turkishness," which carries a prison sentence. It is only a few months since this charge was finally dropped. The case received wide press coverage both in the United States and in Europe and has served as a highly public -- and highly salutary -- example of the lengths to which an insensate nationalism can go in the suppression of elementary freedoms. It has also, of course, acted as an extreme example of the denial that is a central theme of the novel.
Could it be Forever?: My Story (a David Cassidy autobiography)
What could be said about a David Cassidy autobiography? He's pretty whiny, and didn't let any opportunity to say, "And I didn't make money off of that either" pass him by. Probably wouldn't have even finished it except that I have a problem leaving a book unfinished even if I don't like it!
Before I forget to add to the list (and I'm so happy to have a list!), I've read a few more books:
Istanbullu by Buket Uzuner
This book chronicles the lives of various people at the Istanbul airport in one day. It had some twists at the end and was very eye-opening in terms of different perspectives in Istanbul, as it goes through the inner thoughts of a bathroom worker, a gay waiter, an executive assistant (with benefits, so to speak), a wealthy business man, a taxi driver, a young Muslim woman who wears a turban and headscarf, etc.
Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
Another book with a twist and very descriptive of current and recent past Istanbul and Turkey. Everyone's reading it, so why not me? From a literary review on Amazon (why re-write it?): Elif Shafak has chosen to write The Bastard of Istanbul in English, a decision to be applauded, though with mixed feelings. The novel deserves to reach a wide readership, for reasons not entirely literary. By putting into the mouths of her characters explicit reference to these events, for using the word "genocide," Shafak fell afoul of Article 301 of the Turkish penal code and was tried on a charge of "insulting Turkishness," which carries a prison sentence. It is only a few months since this charge was finally dropped. The case received wide press coverage both in the United States and in Europe and has served as a highly public -- and highly salutary -- example of the lengths to which an insensate nationalism can go in the suppression of elementary freedoms. It has also, of course, acted as an extreme example of the denial that is a central theme of the novel.
Could it be Forever?: My Story (a David Cassidy autobiography)
What could be said about a David Cassidy autobiography? He's pretty whiny, and didn't let any opportunity to say, "And I didn't make money off of that either" pass him by. Probably wouldn't have even finished it except that I have a problem leaving a book unfinished even if I don't like it!
Tuesday, January 13
Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Cortney, happy birthday to me!
Started off the day with a phone call from my mom with birthday wishes...a great start! But then...
A little mishap kept me home from school today, much to my frustration, especially after missing so much last week. Let's just sum it up with forgetting to take my medicine last night and then taking it this morning...including the sleeping pill. No wonder I didn't sleep all night. I got the girls off to their bus (somehow) and then was a zombie for the morning. I couldn't believe it. It finally wore off and Aeden and I spent the afternoon hanging out...waiting for carrot cake time!
Carrot cake, presents, and singing for me by my family. A great birthday!
Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Cortney, happy birthday to me!
Started off the day with a phone call from my mom with birthday wishes...a great start! But then...
A little mishap kept me home from school today, much to my frustration, especially after missing so much last week. Let's just sum it up with forgetting to take my medicine last night and then taking it this morning...including the sleeping pill. No wonder I didn't sleep all night. I got the girls off to their bus (somehow) and then was a zombie for the morning. I couldn't believe it. It finally wore off and Aeden and I spent the afternoon hanging out...waiting for carrot cake time!
Carrot cake, presents, and singing for me by my family. A great birthday!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Monday, January 12
Off to school this morning, and, as usual for Mondays, Lacey and Maren's bus was here and waiting for them when we got downstairs. Aeden and I had a bus today, too! But then I was unsure about what I was supposed to do once at the school, as some old teachers returned and they rearranged all the class assignments last week while I was gone. Today I helped in the pre-K class and it sounds like I'll be helping in that class now, but I'm just trying to stay flexible and help where I'm told to when I'm told to. It is both relaxing and frustrating to not know what is going on or what the overall plan is and I'm still adjusting to just going with the flow. I got to cut our mittens and mount them on purple paper today, and then file the students' letter worksheets in their portfolio folders. I actually love that kind of work and am glad to get to do it for a while.
Brian came home early from school today to make my birthday cake! I decided on a carrot cake recipe that he picked up from a science camp participant in Tulsa last summer. It is drowned in glaze while still hot and then iced with cream cheese frosting on top of that and it is good and gooey, and we found all the ingredients we needed. Smelled so good today I can hardly wait until tomorrow!
We went out to dinner for my birthday a day early since today's schedule is much easier for Brian and we could go earlier in the evening (which also has the benefit of missing most of the cigarette smoke). Besides, I didn't want to cook tonight! We went to Arjantin Kebap for dinner and then stopped at Deniz Ati bakery on the way home. This time our freebie was little cups of salep, a milk-based drink that is similar to rice pudding liquid and served with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I like the taste of it while drinking it, but it has a strange aftertaste that I just haven't been able to come around to. The drink is based on ground salep powder, which comes from orchid tubers. There are envelopes of instant salep drink mix in the grocery store, too, which we tried, but this version was much tastier.
Off to school this morning, and, as usual for Mondays, Lacey and Maren's bus was here and waiting for them when we got downstairs. Aeden and I had a bus today, too! But then I was unsure about what I was supposed to do once at the school, as some old teachers returned and they rearranged all the class assignments last week while I was gone. Today I helped in the pre-K class and it sounds like I'll be helping in that class now, but I'm just trying to stay flexible and help where I'm told to when I'm told to. It is both relaxing and frustrating to not know what is going on or what the overall plan is and I'm still adjusting to just going with the flow. I got to cut our mittens and mount them on purple paper today, and then file the students' letter worksheets in their portfolio folders. I actually love that kind of work and am glad to get to do it for a while.
Brian came home early from school today to make my birthday cake! I decided on a carrot cake recipe that he picked up from a science camp participant in Tulsa last summer. It is drowned in glaze while still hot and then iced with cream cheese frosting on top of that and it is good and gooey, and we found all the ingredients we needed. Smelled so good today I can hardly wait until tomorrow!
We went out to dinner for my birthday a day early since today's schedule is much easier for Brian and we could go earlier in the evening (which also has the benefit of missing most of the cigarette smoke). Besides, I didn't want to cook tonight! We went to Arjantin Kebap for dinner and then stopped at Deniz Ati bakery on the way home. This time our freebie was little cups of salep, a milk-based drink that is similar to rice pudding liquid and served with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I like the taste of it while drinking it, but it has a strange aftertaste that I just haven't been able to come around to. The drink is based on ground salep powder, which comes from orchid tubers. There are envelopes of instant salep drink mix in the grocery store, too, which we tried, but this version was much tastier.
Sunday, January 11
The first time I woke up this morning the clock said 9:11! I don't think I've slept in that long uninterrupted in forever, except maybe my trip to Chicago last June. It was nice. I guess Aeden was tired out from the dinner and movie last night and gave us all a respite from an earlier wake up (Lacey and Maren still wake up earlier, but they know not to wake up Mommy and Daddy!).
Just a regular Sunday, Aeden, Maren and I went to the market, we did our grocery shopping, a little cleaning, and a little playing.
The first time I woke up this morning the clock said 9:11! I don't think I've slept in that long uninterrupted in forever, except maybe my trip to Chicago last June. It was nice. I guess Aeden was tired out from the dinner and movie last night and gave us all a respite from an earlier wake up (Lacey and Maren still wake up earlier, but they know not to wake up Mommy and Daddy!).
Just a regular Sunday, Aeden, Maren and I went to the market, we did our grocery shopping, a little cleaning, and a little playing.
Saturday, January 10
Hauled the whole family on a walk to Armada. The weather was sunny and beautiful, and not too cold so it was a good day for a walk. We did the usual rounds of cell phone card/minutes at Turk Cell, books at Remzi Kitabevi, and groceries at Carrefour, plus added in a McD's trip for some Kung Fu Panda Happy Meal figures (How many times have I seen this movie now? Sometimes even twice per day in the last week while Aeden was sick!) and got Lacey's boots fixed at the shoe repair store (she lost a buckle earlier this week). On the walk there an older man came up to us and started to point and gesture at Aeden (who was asleep in his stroller), and then he reached down and pulled Aeden's blanket up over his face and sent us on our way. They are so serious about keeping kids bundled up here!
We had dinner at Paul and Becky's and met another American expat who has been here for a few years. He is from the Bay Area. Becky made some excellent home-cooked lasagna: I ate mine, then Aeden's, then Maren's...
We watched Saving Private Ryan projected on the wall over at Paul's. I had never watched it before, just heard it playing in the living room while drifting off to sleep at home. The opening scene serves as Brian's example piece for showing off our surround sound system at home, as you can hear the bullets and splashes and screams from all directions once the beach attack starts. I don't need to watch it again, that's for sure--I'll have the pictures still emblazened in my brain.
When Brian got home, the full moon was shining through the skylight at the top of our stairwell. With Lacey as his photographer's assistant to help turn the automatic lights on and off in the hallway, he captured some cool photos:
Hauled the whole family on a walk to Armada. The weather was sunny and beautiful, and not too cold so it was a good day for a walk. We did the usual rounds of cell phone card/minutes at Turk Cell, books at Remzi Kitabevi, and groceries at Carrefour, plus added in a McD's trip for some Kung Fu Panda Happy Meal figures (How many times have I seen this movie now? Sometimes even twice per day in the last week while Aeden was sick!) and got Lacey's boots fixed at the shoe repair store (she lost a buckle earlier this week). On the walk there an older man came up to us and started to point and gesture at Aeden (who was asleep in his stroller), and then he reached down and pulled Aeden's blanket up over his face and sent us on our way. They are so serious about keeping kids bundled up here!
We had dinner at Paul and Becky's and met another American expat who has been here for a few years. He is from the Bay Area. Becky made some excellent home-cooked lasagna: I ate mine, then Aeden's, then Maren's...
We watched Saving Private Ryan projected on the wall over at Paul's. I had never watched it before, just heard it playing in the living room while drifting off to sleep at home. The opening scene serves as Brian's example piece for showing off our surround sound system at home, as you can hear the bullets and splashes and screams from all directions once the beach attack starts. I don't need to watch it again, that's for sure--I'll have the pictures still emblazened in my brain.
When Brian got home, the full moon was shining through the skylight at the top of our stairwell. With Lacey as his photographer's assistant to help turn the automatic lights on and off in the hallway, he captured some cool photos:
Friday, January 9
Finally back to school today...false alarm. I even ironed my shirt this morning, but no bus came to pick us up! I guess the driver got tired of us not coming and gave up. I called to make sure he would come on Monday and just didn't feel like pushing to get back to school today AND paying for a taxi to get there. I guess I'm just lazy now that I'm not the boss :-)
Finally back to school today...false alarm. I even ironed my shirt this morning, but no bus came to pick us up! I guess the driver got tired of us not coming and gave up. I called to make sure he would come on Monday and just didn't feel like pushing to get back to school today AND paying for a taxi to get there. I guess I'm just lazy now that I'm not the boss :-)
Tuesday, January 6
Aeden and I stayed home sick from school today. Aeden had a fever in the morning so we just hung around the house all day and were lazy. About 5 or 6 PM his fever started going up and up though, and it wasn't responding to Tylenol (known as paracetamol in these parts). I called Olympia Pediatrics to check in on how high it could go before I needed to take him in to the hospital and did all the mom-worrying I could do. He was getting even hotter, so I called Nuray to see what she thought about driving us to the hospital, but she came over with some Ibuprofen (Ibufen here) and we gave Aeden a shower to help cool him off. He finally started to cool down after we were wetting his hair and generally making him mad (he just wanted to sleep!). It was like a movie scene, with me yelling into the other room to Brian the temperature in Fahrenheit and him telling Nuray what it was in Celsius. And I just worried that I had been having so much fun with Aeden recently and now he was so sick and scaring me...I'm always one to look at the bright side (or, rather, to think up all the disasterous outcomes that could happen but then somehow believe that they won't).
So I got up every few hours to check on him overnight and laid there worrying in between, and kept his dosages up at maximum for the Tylenol and Ibuprofen. He didn't completely overheat again, but of course we were both completely exhausted the next morning...
Aeden and I stayed home sick from school today. Aeden had a fever in the morning so we just hung around the house all day and were lazy. About 5 or 6 PM his fever started going up and up though, and it wasn't responding to Tylenol (known as paracetamol in these parts). I called Olympia Pediatrics to check in on how high it could go before I needed to take him in to the hospital and did all the mom-worrying I could do. He was getting even hotter, so I called Nuray to see what she thought about driving us to the hospital, but she came over with some Ibuprofen (Ibufen here) and we gave Aeden a shower to help cool him off. He finally started to cool down after we were wetting his hair and generally making him mad (he just wanted to sleep!). It was like a movie scene, with me yelling into the other room to Brian the temperature in Fahrenheit and him telling Nuray what it was in Celsius. And I just worried that I had been having so much fun with Aeden recently and now he was so sick and scaring me...I'm always one to look at the bright side (or, rather, to think up all the disasterous outcomes that could happen but then somehow believe that they won't).
So I got up every few hours to check on him overnight and laid there worrying in between, and kept his dosages up at maximum for the Tylenol and Ibuprofen. He didn't completely overheat again, but of course we were both completely exhausted the next morning...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Goodbye Tekzen...
Shortly before the new year, the hardware store in the ODC Center (the shopping center across the street from our apartment) packed up everything and closed. We had hypotheses about what was going on, starting with just unpacking a new shipment of imports from China, to doing a re-set of the floor plan, to oh my gosh they're closing. No clearance sale or announcements, just packed up and closed over about a week. At night we had sparks shows from the parking lot as they were cutting down the metal shelving and fixtures to load them onto trucks and drive them away. This is the store where we stocked quite a bit of our apartment, a few little things at a time. Also the store where the security guard would buy Aeden little checkout counter gifts and always take off his hat to rub his hair and kiss his cheek.
A few days after they were gone, Brian noticed the marble flooring down the center of the space had popped up and was breaking. It is a geology lesson running down the middle of the floor! Best we can guess is that the weight of the fixtures and inventory was keeping the marble down, and now that it is gone, the building owners have a mess on their hands. Flashbacks to Town Center Foods once again.
Shortly before the new year, the hardware store in the ODC Center (the shopping center across the street from our apartment) packed up everything and closed. We had hypotheses about what was going on, starting with just unpacking a new shipment of imports from China, to doing a re-set of the floor plan, to oh my gosh they're closing. No clearance sale or announcements, just packed up and closed over about a week. At night we had sparks shows from the parking lot as they were cutting down the metal shelving and fixtures to load them onto trucks and drive them away. This is the store where we stocked quite a bit of our apartment, a few little things at a time. Also the store where the security guard would buy Aeden little checkout counter gifts and always take off his hat to rub his hair and kiss his cheek.
A few days after they were gone, Brian noticed the marble flooring down the center of the space had popped up and was breaking. It is a geology lesson running down the middle of the floor! Best we can guess is that the weight of the fixtures and inventory was keeping the marble down, and now that it is gone, the building owners have a mess on their hands. Flashbacks to Town Center Foods once again.
Monday, January 5
We all went off to our different schools today, if you can believe it! Lacey and Maren were finally back to school at Oasis and came home pretty tired out. They hadn't been to their school since December 5! Maren's teacher is transitioning to be the school librarian and a new kindergarten teacher, Ms. Snyder, started today with her class.
Aeden has his own school bag he carries to the elevator in the morning (that's about how long his interest in carrying it lasts each day). On the weekends he also brings home his other bag that has naptime blanket and pillow in it for washing, complete with name tags printed onto the bags with the school logo.
We received a Christmas card today from Garrett, Yauna, Ethan, and Kaiya and it was such a great surprise with photos from this summer inside! I didn't even recognize Kaiya in her school picture this year, and did a double-take when I saw Ethan in his glasses, looking just like Garrett circa 3rd or 4th grade. Oh my!
I got a nice big bruise on my arm today when my school bus stopped suddenly and I went tumbling. Aeden and I are fine (Aeden didn't get hurt at all), but it served as a good reminder to pay attention to the ride and to put on the seatbelts even if nobody around you does. The students all wear seatbelts on the bus, but generally speaking nobody wears seatbelts here, and carseats are few and far between. I look forward to returning home and strapping Aeden into the car (safer, and easier than juggling him on my lap, too!).
And we received news from home today from Andy Nydam, a friend and fellow teacher at Olympia High School. My mom had emailed that the gutter had fallen from the back of our house and was damaged and in need of repair. Brian called Andy and kept missing him at home, so he left a voice mail. And next thing we know, Brian has these before and after photos in his In-Box:
Andy's our hero! T H A N K Y O U ! !
And now the dirty gutters and siding-in-need-of-cleaning-and-painting have been published for all the world to see...plenty of housework awaits us on our return...
We all went off to our different schools today, if you can believe it! Lacey and Maren were finally back to school at Oasis and came home pretty tired out. They hadn't been to their school since December 5! Maren's teacher is transitioning to be the school librarian and a new kindergarten teacher, Ms. Snyder, started today with her class.
Aeden has his own school bag he carries to the elevator in the morning (that's about how long his interest in carrying it lasts each day). On the weekends he also brings home his other bag that has naptime blanket and pillow in it for washing, complete with name tags printed onto the bags with the school logo.
We received a Christmas card today from Garrett, Yauna, Ethan, and Kaiya and it was such a great surprise with photos from this summer inside! I didn't even recognize Kaiya in her school picture this year, and did a double-take when I saw Ethan in his glasses, looking just like Garrett circa 3rd or 4th grade. Oh my!
I got a nice big bruise on my arm today when my school bus stopped suddenly and I went tumbling. Aeden and I are fine (Aeden didn't get hurt at all), but it served as a good reminder to pay attention to the ride and to put on the seatbelts even if nobody around you does. The students all wear seatbelts on the bus, but generally speaking nobody wears seatbelts here, and carseats are few and far between. I look forward to returning home and strapping Aeden into the car (safer, and easier than juggling him on my lap, too!).
And we received news from home today from Andy Nydam, a friend and fellow teacher at Olympia High School. My mom had emailed that the gutter had fallen from the back of our house and was damaged and in need of repair. Brian called Andy and kept missing him at home, so he left a voice mail. And next thing we know, Brian has these before and after photos in his In-Box:
Andy's our hero! T H A N K Y O U ! !
And now the dirty gutters and siding-in-need-of-cleaning-and-painting have been published for all the world to see...plenty of housework awaits us on our return...
Sunday, January 4
We headed to Bilkent in search of a sled today, and found one at Real, along with some new dress boots for the girls, which they've been eyeing for quite some time (including the pair I tried to buy for Lacey for Christmas that had previously disappeared into thin air). Once home, the snow was waiting for sled tracks and Brian and the girls obliged. Aeden woke from his nap and could hear them screaming and laughing outside, so he and I joined the fun for a bit.
Aeden: "I'm not really going that fast,
mommy's camera just sucks at action shots!"
Maren: "I'm going a little faster than I like too,
so I'll just close my eyes and then giggle uncontrollably at the end..."
Aeden: "I actually like to pull the sled
more than ride on it today...me and Daddy!"
Lacey: "Never mind waiting for my turn on the sled,
I'll just use a shopping bag, thank you!"
Our "All American Menu Weekend" continued with blueberry pankcakes for breakfast, complete with maple syrup and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. For dinner, burritos with ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso taco seasoning. We don't even eat that at home (usually just refried beans, no meat), but it sure smelled good (and tasted good, too!).
We headed to Bilkent in search of a sled today, and found one at Real, along with some new dress boots for the girls, which they've been eyeing for quite some time (including the pair I tried to buy for Lacey for Christmas that had previously disappeared into thin air). Once home, the snow was waiting for sled tracks and Brian and the girls obliged. Aeden woke from his nap and could hear them screaming and laughing outside, so he and I joined the fun for a bit.
mommy's camera just sucks at action shots!"
so I'll just close my eyes and then giggle uncontrollably at the end..."
more than ride on it today...me and Daddy!"
I'll just use a shopping bag, thank you!"
Our "All American Menu Weekend" continued with blueberry pankcakes for breakfast, complete with maple syrup and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. For dinner, burritos with ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso taco seasoning. We don't even eat that at home (usually just refried beans, no meat), but it sure smelled good (and tasted good, too!).
Saturday, January 3
I went to the American Base today with Rozetta to shop the BX (yes, it is a "B" here) and commisary (her husband is US Army). I've never been shopping on a base even in the US, so it was a new experience all around. I had to show my passport at 3 different gates walking in (they only allow taxis up to the entrance gate, not on base), and then at the front door to the commisary again. But I did find some treasures to bring home, including brown sugar, Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, Spagetti-Oh's ravioli (Lacey's favorite), fruit roll-ups and yogos, frozen blueberries, sausage, non-cured turkey breast slices, Nerds candy ropes, gallon Ziploc freezer bags, the list goes on.
I felt like I was cheating and was glad that I don't have easy access to the freezer full of convenience foods (they do have Pillsbury toaster strudels though...) and many of the other usual things we eat. Doesn't seem very Turkish to me. But I wasn't really complaining when we sat down to smoked sausage and rice pilaf for dinner, nor will I complain when we cook up the breakfast sausage in the freezer and have biscuits and gravy! :-)
Oh, and complimentary Millstone hazelnut coffee to sip. Rozetta said they offer that in the commisaries in the states she's been to, but that the coffee pot is always empty.
I went to the American Base today with Rozetta to shop the BX (yes, it is a "B" here) and commisary (her husband is US Army). I've never been shopping on a base even in the US, so it was a new experience all around. I had to show my passport at 3 different gates walking in (they only allow taxis up to the entrance gate, not on base), and then at the front door to the commisary again. But I did find some treasures to bring home, including brown sugar, Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, Spagetti-Oh's ravioli (Lacey's favorite), fruit roll-ups and yogos, frozen blueberries, sausage, non-cured turkey breast slices, Nerds candy ropes, gallon Ziploc freezer bags, the list goes on.
I felt like I was cheating and was glad that I don't have easy access to the freezer full of convenience foods (they do have Pillsbury toaster strudels though...) and many of the other usual things we eat. Doesn't seem very Turkish to me. But I wasn't really complaining when we sat down to smoked sausage and rice pilaf for dinner, nor will I complain when we cook up the breakfast sausage in the freezer and have biscuits and gravy! :-)
Oh, and complimentary Millstone hazelnut coffee to sip. Rozetta said they offer that in the commisaries in the states she's been to, but that the coffee pot is always empty.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009!
Not much! Brian played World of Warcraft for his day off from school, and Maren and I took a walk to the market and Cagdas to see what her tooth fairy money might buy for her. She decided to wait for a trip to the bookstore, but we did find these cute little ear muffs at the market today.
Self-portrait in the snow at the park
Not much! Brian played World of Warcraft for his day off from school, and Maren and I took a walk to the market and Cagdas to see what her tooth fairy money might buy for her. She decided to wait for a trip to the bookstore, but we did find these cute little ear muffs at the market today.
Wednesday, December 31 New Year's Eve
Half day at the preschool, only 8 students out of 16! The bus was so empty Aeden got a seat to himself and was pretty pleased. And check out those new shoes, complete with some snow on the toe! Second pair I've ever bought for him, thanks to Alex hand-me-downs.
We came home for naps before the long night and then had a family trip to Carrefour for last minute supplies for our get-together tonight. Paul and Tim are bringing their families for a low-key New Year's, no turkey dinner at our house, which is the new tradition here for New Year's (many of the Christmas traditions, like turkey dinner, gift exchanges, decorated trees, strings of lights, etc. are transferred to New Year's celebrations here).
After eating a tasty meal of spaghetti and red sauce, garlic bread, and the mercimek kofte (lentil balls) and su boregi (water pastry) that Nuray made, we sat around and chatted until midnight. I am really enjoying getting to know Tim, Nuray, Paul, and Becky and just sitting around chatting with them. We snagged a picture of Aeden's new "camera grin" before he went off to bed...
And at some point someone snuck a picture of me...with a watch on, even! I haven't worn a watch since I was in college, before I always had a cell phone in my pocket. It is taking some getting used to, but I'm happy to not have a cell phone ringing all the time!
The girls watched movies upstairs in Lacey's bedroom, but at some point Maren climbed into bed with her jeans still on and was totally asleep when midnight rolled around. Lacey, Meggie, and Lizzie all came downstairs, dressed in their hats and masks, and burst into the living room at midnight...except they were five minutes early! Gave us a chance to get a camera ready for the real thing the next time around, though! No joke, we all stood in a circle with arms crossed to sing (or listen to the others sing) Auld Lang Syne. I didn't know that song even had more verses! There were a few fireworks to watch out the window, and then it was time for bed. But it was still 2008 back home, for 10 more hours even!
Half day at the preschool, only 8 students out of 16! The bus was so empty Aeden got a seat to himself and was pretty pleased. And check out those new shoes, complete with some snow on the toe! Second pair I've ever bought for him, thanks to Alex hand-me-downs.
We came home for naps before the long night and then had a family trip to Carrefour for last minute supplies for our get-together tonight. Paul and Tim are bringing their families for a low-key New Year's, no turkey dinner at our house, which is the new tradition here for New Year's (many of the Christmas traditions, like turkey dinner, gift exchanges, decorated trees, strings of lights, etc. are transferred to New Year's celebrations here).
After eating a tasty meal of spaghetti and red sauce, garlic bread, and the mercimek kofte (lentil balls) and su boregi (water pastry) that Nuray made, we sat around and chatted until midnight. I am really enjoying getting to know Tim, Nuray, Paul, and Becky and just sitting around chatting with them. We snagged a picture of Aeden's new "camera grin" before he went off to bed...
And at some point someone snuck a picture of me...with a watch on, even! I haven't worn a watch since I was in college, before I always had a cell phone in my pocket. It is taking some getting used to, but I'm happy to not have a cell phone ringing all the time!
The girls watched movies upstairs in Lacey's bedroom, but at some point Maren climbed into bed with her jeans still on and was totally asleep when midnight rolled around. Lacey, Meggie, and Lizzie all came downstairs, dressed in their hats and masks, and burst into the living room at midnight...except they were five minutes early! Gave us a chance to get a camera ready for the real thing the next time around, though! No joke, we all stood in a circle with arms crossed to sing (or listen to the others sing) Auld Lang Syne. I didn't know that song even had more verses! There were a few fireworks to watch out the window, and then it was time for bed. But it was still 2008 back home, for 10 more hours even!
Tuesday, December 30
Maren lost her first tooth!
She wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy asking to keep her tooth and I assured her that would work just fine. As she was heading to bed, she mentioned she wished the Tooth Fairy could give her Euros for her tooth. I wasn't expecting that one! I brought a little blue tooth box from home for her to use for her tooth assuming the big day would come while we were here, so we stowed the tooth, put the little box into one of our specially delivered snack ziplocs from my mom, and attached it all to the note. What a nice little package for the Tooth Fairy! There's no Turkish Tooth Fairy equivalent, so we're hoping the same magic that brought Santa will work for the Tooth Fairy, too.
Lacey had a ball with the fresh stock of dress-up clothes at the preschool and couldn't quite choose...so she wore them all. The students decided to help her and kept bringing her more and more...it was pretty silly. And every day at "Big Room" time (free play in the big room, what else?!), Bugra, one of the kindergarten students, puts on the Mr. Incredible suit and lifts up the toy kitchens, doll cribs, all the big plastic toys and is super-strong. What a cutie!
Maren lost her first tooth!
She wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy asking to keep her tooth and I assured her that would work just fine. As she was heading to bed, she mentioned she wished the Tooth Fairy could give her Euros for her tooth. I wasn't expecting that one! I brought a little blue tooth box from home for her to use for her tooth assuming the big day would come while we were here, so we stowed the tooth, put the little box into one of our specially delivered snack ziplocs from my mom, and attached it all to the note. What a nice little package for the Tooth Fairy! There's no Turkish Tooth Fairy equivalent, so we're hoping the same magic that brought Santa will work for the Tooth Fairy, too.
Lacey had a ball with the fresh stock of dress-up clothes at the preschool and couldn't quite choose...so she wore them all. The students decided to help her and kept bringing her more and more...it was pretty silly. And every day at "Big Room" time (free play in the big room, what else?!), Bugra, one of the kindergarten students, puts on the Mr. Incredible suit and lifts up the toy kitchens, doll cribs, all the big plastic toys and is super-strong. What a cutie!
Monday, December 29
Back to school, full day for the kids and me. Ms. Jo is on vacation this week, so I have the kindergarten for 2 1/2 days solo. Maren brought her Pokemon book to school and enamored all the boys with it, letting them choose a character and then reading the page to the group during free play time.
After we got home and warmed up with some hot chocolate, we opened the Play-Doh Aeden got for Christmas from Cousin Alex and had a pretty good time. We made a tray (the lid to the jar) of simit and Lacey wandered the house selling it, yelling, "simit!" just like the simit men. While Maren practiced her angry face...
Back to school, full day for the kids and me. Ms. Jo is on vacation this week, so I have the kindergarten for 2 1/2 days solo. Maren brought her Pokemon book to school and enamored all the boys with it, letting them choose a character and then reading the page to the group during free play time.
After we got home and warmed up with some hot chocolate, we opened the Play-Doh Aeden got for Christmas from Cousin Alex and had a pretty good time. We made a tray (the lid to the jar) of simit and Lacey wandered the house selling it, yelling, "simit!" just like the simit men. While Maren practiced her angry face...
Sunday, December 28
Grocery shopping and laundry and cleanup from Christmas to be ready for going back to work this week. Finding new homes for new toys and books in bedrooms and new boxes to organize Pollys, Littlest Pet Shop, and Barbie things is a whole separate endeavor after having them spread around the entire living room since Christmas morning.
Grocery shopping and laundry and cleanup from Christmas to be ready for going back to work this week. Finding new homes for new toys and books in bedrooms and new boxes to organize Pollys, Littlest Pet Shop, and Barbie things is a whole separate endeavor after having them spread around the entire living room since Christmas morning.
Saturday, December 27
We had lunch at Tapas on Tunali Hilme with Daniel (the other Fulbright teacher in Ankara this year, but not at TED), Paul, Becky and their family from England visiting for Christmas. I very much enjoyed my yogurt meatballs, and Maren announced that she always wanted to go to Tapas for meals and have their breaded fish, but order two next time, because it was only like a side!
We stopped at Marks & Spencer (an English department store much like Macy's) in hopes of finding a sale and an overcoat to fit Brian, and ended up leaving with 6 bags of stuff! We found a beautiful black wool coat for Brian, then when we were checking out they explained that we'd get M&S gift checks for 50% of what we purchased, so I did another round of shopping for some basics for everyone I'd been missing (more undershirts for Brian, socks and underwear for Maren, etc.), and some new clothes for Aeden to grow into. I waited in line to check out again, but I had added up our stuff incorrectly so went over the check amount. But then they said I'd get more checks again for 50% of the total, so I just moved a few items over to the next transaction. Macy's doesn't allow that kind of double-dipping, probably for good reason! This all sounds somewhat neat and tidy when I explain it this way, but it leaves out that they had to get a different clerk to speak to me in English each time, that the "buy 3 for the price of 2" specials kept haunting me, so I'd have 2 of something and then have to leave the line and go pick out a 3rd (I guess I didn't HAVE to), and that I was all bundled up to be outside, except it was super overheated in the store so I was dying to be done. At one point a clerk came by and tried to explain that I could get more socks on the special and I just said, "No thank you, I need to be done shopping now." Shopping fatigue had definitely set in.
The cameras stayed put away today.
We had lunch at Tapas on Tunali Hilme with Daniel (the other Fulbright teacher in Ankara this year, but not at TED), Paul, Becky and their family from England visiting for Christmas. I very much enjoyed my yogurt meatballs, and Maren announced that she always wanted to go to Tapas for meals and have their breaded fish, but order two next time, because it was only like a side!
We stopped at Marks & Spencer (an English department store much like Macy's) in hopes of finding a sale and an overcoat to fit Brian, and ended up leaving with 6 bags of stuff! We found a beautiful black wool coat for Brian, then when we were checking out they explained that we'd get M&S gift checks for 50% of what we purchased, so I did another round of shopping for some basics for everyone I'd been missing (more undershirts for Brian, socks and underwear for Maren, etc.), and some new clothes for Aeden to grow into. I waited in line to check out again, but I had added up our stuff incorrectly so went over the check amount. But then they said I'd get more checks again for 50% of the total, so I just moved a few items over to the next transaction. Macy's doesn't allow that kind of double-dipping, probably for good reason! This all sounds somewhat neat and tidy when I explain it this way, but it leaves out that they had to get a different clerk to speak to me in English each time, that the "buy 3 for the price of 2" specials kept haunting me, so I'd have 2 of something and then have to leave the line and go pick out a 3rd (I guess I didn't HAVE to), and that I was all bundled up to be outside, except it was super overheated in the store so I was dying to be done. At one point a clerk came by and tried to explain that I could get more socks on the special and I just said, "No thank you, I need to be done shopping now." Shopping fatigue had definitely set in.
The cameras stayed put away today.
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