Tuesday, May 26
The realization that moving time is upon us again...and the increased rate of cleaning out drawers, gathering donations, and making piles of "have to come", "would like to come", and "maybe it will fit?"...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 25
School is good--a staffing change I wanted to suggest happened on its own without my whining about it (which is good, no whining from Cortney, and I was right, it wasn't a good match). I walked to Migros with Maren after school for some groceries...here she is with her curly hair on the freeway overpass on the way to Migros.
School is good--a staffing change I wanted to suggest happened on its own without my whining about it (which is good, no whining from Cortney, and I was right, it wasn't a good match). I walked to Migros with Maren after school for some groceries...here she is with her curly hair on the freeway overpass on the way to Migros.
Sunday, May 24
More of not much. But the girls sure have curly hair! Brian wrote and submitted his final Fulbright end of year report. We all walked down to the market and Cagdas and were refreshed with lots of new sights at the market now that new crops are coming in...fresh garlic, green plums, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, melons, much more variety than only 2-3 weeks ago when it was still pretty much tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.
Fresh artichoke hearts are sold all over, floating in water. Some are pretty darn sketchy in the smaller groceries, but these looked beautiful.
I was actually wondering if the garlic was plastic, it was so vibrant
Plums and cherries...if only I could eat some...
More of not much. But the girls sure have curly hair! Brian wrote and submitted his final Fulbright end of year report. We all walked down to the market and Cagdas and were refreshed with lots of new sights at the market now that new crops are coming in...fresh garlic, green plums, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, melons, much more variety than only 2-3 weeks ago when it was still pretty much tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.
Saturday, May 23
I know we've done a lot in one day when I go to the front door to take the garbage out after dinner and the deadbolt is still locked from the night before.
Today was a day of many little projects: Lacey's cross-stitch, Lacey's alphabet book, Brian's test grading, still more laundry, and finishing the book Birds without Wings by Louis De Bernieres, an amazing historical novel detailing rural life in southwest Turkey during the very late 1800's and early 1900's and during the World War and War of Turkish Independence.
We even tried out rag curlers in the girls' hair tonight, made from the flannel crib sheet Aeden destroyed earlier this year (I guess it had done its duty--it is a sheet that Aunt Kaye and Grandma Suzie gave me at my baby shower for Maren!):
I know we've done a lot in one day when I go to the front door to take the garbage out after dinner and the deadbolt is still locked from the night before.
Today was a day of many little projects: Lacey's cross-stitch, Lacey's alphabet book, Brian's test grading, still more laundry, and finishing the book Birds without Wings by Louis De Bernieres, an amazing historical novel detailing rural life in southwest Turkey during the very late 1800's and early 1900's and during the World War and War of Turkish Independence.
We even tried out rag curlers in the girls' hair tonight, made from the flannel crib sheet Aeden destroyed earlier this year (I guess it had done its duty--it is a sheet that Aunt Kaye and Grandma Suzie gave me at my baby shower for Maren!):
Friday, May 22
We decided today that Aeden's bumps are not bites, but chicken pox. He was immunized, so I wasn't expecting them even though someone at school had had them. The "milder case after immunization" is definitely what he has, with only 6 bumps and no real complaining. When I told Brian that it was mild he wondered, until I told him the typical case has 100-300 bumps. Then he realized just how mild it is.
There are probably plenty of kids who took home an unwanted souvenir from their Mediterranean Holiday, since Aeden would have been in his prime contagious period while swimming and playing at the resort. I never thought I'd be one of "those parents" who would spread around germs like this, but how could we know? At least we won't have to know about the cases we helped to spread. Hopefully they're only kids from the resort and not more kids at school.
I took Lacey to her school tonight for a spring music performance where her friends were perforning solo pieces. A few pictures:
Maren's friend Rae Yoon
Lacey's friend Annie
Lacey's friend Mazdack
Lacey's friend Omar and his cousin
Lacey and Annie, two ways:
We decided today that Aeden's bumps are not bites, but chicken pox. He was immunized, so I wasn't expecting them even though someone at school had had them. The "milder case after immunization" is definitely what he has, with only 6 bumps and no real complaining. When I told Brian that it was mild he wondered, until I told him the typical case has 100-300 bumps. Then he realized just how mild it is.
There are probably plenty of kids who took home an unwanted souvenir from their Mediterranean Holiday, since Aeden would have been in his prime contagious period while swimming and playing at the resort. I never thought I'd be one of "those parents" who would spread around germs like this, but how could we know? At least we won't have to know about the cases we helped to spread. Hopefully they're only kids from the resort and not more kids at school.
I took Lacey to her school tonight for a spring music performance where her friends were perforning solo pieces. A few pictures:
Thursday, May 21
Everyone back to school today, though Brian is still sounding horrible with his cough and not feeling too good. Aeden woke up this morning with bites all over his forehead, so looks real great again. One of these days his face may be clear of bumps and bruises, but I'm not holding my breath for that day.
Everyone back to school today, though Brian is still sounding horrible with his cough and not feeling too good. Aeden woke up this morning with bites all over his forehead, so looks real great again. One of these days his face may be clear of bumps and bruises, but I'm not holding my breath for that day.
Wednesday, May 20
Lacey and Maren back to school, Brian, Aeden and I at home catching up laundry, napping, grocery shopping, and readjusting to the drier air of Ankara that is now laden with pollen. Our stores of Benadryl will no doubt be depleted before we leave at this rate.
Lacey received 102.5 points (all possible) on her science fair project (we missed the fair while we were travelling on May 14th). Way to go Lacey!
Lacey and Maren back to school, Brian, Aeden and I at home catching up laundry, napping, grocery shopping, and readjusting to the drier air of Ankara that is now laden with pollen. Our stores of Benadryl will no doubt be depleted before we leave at this rate.
Lacey received 102.5 points (all possible) on her science fair project (we missed the fair while we were travelling on May 14th). Way to go Lacey!
Tuesday, May 19
Goodbye Pirate's Beach Club! We enjoyed our time, and the kids enjoyed the bunk bed while we cleared out the room.
11:30
Arrival at Kemer Otogar after fueling up the rental car
11:31
Call rental agent to find him and hand off keys. No receipt (fis) or ID of the man who comes to take the keys; Brian wonders alound whether we just bought ourselves a Renault Clio.
12:00
Kamil Koc loads and departs for Ankara.
Four seats and 5 people (we had a fifth seat half of a bus length away, for a female, so it was not ideal--we never used it). 2 of them were entranced in Nintendo DS games literally the ENTIRE ride. One of them was miserable with a snotty nose and bad coughing on top of sore abs from water sliding so much. The other two shared the remaining seat and tried not to drive each other crazy between snoozes, playing with the baby in the seat in front of us, and snacking.
12:30
Arrives at Antalya Otogar for more passengers. The bus stops, we're settled already and just started the journey so we don't need bathroom breaks. We wait onboard. The temperature starts to rise. 23 degrees. 24 degrees. 25 degrees. I'm too hot. But I'm sure we'll be leaving soon. 26 degrees. 27 degrees. Wow, we really need to leave soon and get the air conditioning going again. 28 degrees. I'm finally ready to wake up Aeden just to get off the bus and breathe again when the driver comes on board and starts up the A/C. I made it, and Aeden is still sleeping. Awesome.
12:30-5:30
A blur of digital clock numbers, thermometer readings between 21 and 23 degrees, snoozing, and snacking. Only one beverage service and two water services from the bus line. This is not the "Royal Class" that Brian and Rob used to Istanbul. No TV distraction for Aeden either.
5:30
We stop for fuel. I think the photo of the pump speaks for itself:
6:00
We stop at a cafeteria/bus station for dinner break. The food is not looking good, but the kids eat some rice and baked chicken. I'm not hungry, but I know I haven't eaten anything all day and can feel the grumpies and shakiness coming on, so I eat some rice with beans and down some coke. A stop in the bathroom reveals only squat toilets, so I decide to wait until the next stop.
6:30
Back on the road. The sun is down and the A/C was turned off. But now the temperature keeps climbing. 23 degrees. 24 degrees. I'm too hot and grumpy and so ready to be done with this trip. 25 degrees. Come on with the A/C!
6:30-9:30
Aeden's wound up and I'm out of patience. 25 degrees. Only 3 more hours. 24 degrees. Only 2.5 more hours. 24 degrees. Still.
9:30
We stop just outside of Ankara to let off some passengers. We can see the city in the distance and it feels wonderful to know that the trip is almost over. But still 24 degrees.
10:00
Arrival at the Ankara Otogar. The happiest time of the 10-hour ride? Those precious minutes of having the temperature below 23 degrees Celsius. Yes, I know this is ridiculously cool for me to be complaining about the heat.
The bus is parked so close to the next one that people can only go in between to get luggage in single file. It is warm and stuffy even outside. I'm feeling rather doomed that the next 6 weeks are going to be miserably hot and wonder how we're going to cope.
We load up a taxi and arrive at our apartment. It is not hot, but not cool either, and is covered inside with a fine dust and sprinkling of pollen blown in from outside while we were away. I put the kids to bed and take a cold shower to cool off before heading to bed for sleep. What a day.
Goodbye Pirate's Beach Club! We enjoyed our time, and the kids enjoyed the bunk bed while we cleared out the room.
11:30
Arrival at Kemer Otogar after fueling up the rental car
11:31
Call rental agent to find him and hand off keys. No receipt (fis) or ID of the man who comes to take the keys; Brian wonders alound whether we just bought ourselves a Renault Clio.
12:00
Kamil Koc loads and departs for Ankara.
Four seats and 5 people (we had a fifth seat half of a bus length away, for a female, so it was not ideal--we never used it). 2 of them were entranced in Nintendo DS games literally the ENTIRE ride. One of them was miserable with a snotty nose and bad coughing on top of sore abs from water sliding so much. The other two shared the remaining seat and tried not to drive each other crazy between snoozes, playing with the baby in the seat in front of us, and snacking.
12:30
Arrives at Antalya Otogar for more passengers. The bus stops, we're settled already and just started the journey so we don't need bathroom breaks. We wait onboard. The temperature starts to rise. 23 degrees. 24 degrees. 25 degrees. I'm too hot. But I'm sure we'll be leaving soon. 26 degrees. 27 degrees. Wow, we really need to leave soon and get the air conditioning going again. 28 degrees. I'm finally ready to wake up Aeden just to get off the bus and breathe again when the driver comes on board and starts up the A/C. I made it, and Aeden is still sleeping. Awesome.
12:30-5:30
A blur of digital clock numbers, thermometer readings between 21 and 23 degrees, snoozing, and snacking. Only one beverage service and two water services from the bus line. This is not the "Royal Class" that Brian and Rob used to Istanbul. No TV distraction for Aeden either.
5:30
We stop for fuel. I think the photo of the pump speaks for itself:
6:00
We stop at a cafeteria/bus station for dinner break. The food is not looking good, but the kids eat some rice and baked chicken. I'm not hungry, but I know I haven't eaten anything all day and can feel the grumpies and shakiness coming on, so I eat some rice with beans and down some coke. A stop in the bathroom reveals only squat toilets, so I decide to wait until the next stop.
6:30
Back on the road. The sun is down and the A/C was turned off. But now the temperature keeps climbing. 23 degrees. 24 degrees. I'm too hot and grumpy and so ready to be done with this trip. 25 degrees. Come on with the A/C!
6:30-9:30
Aeden's wound up and I'm out of patience. 25 degrees. Only 3 more hours. 24 degrees. Only 2.5 more hours. 24 degrees. Still.
9:30
We stop just outside of Ankara to let off some passengers. We can see the city in the distance and it feels wonderful to know that the trip is almost over. But still 24 degrees.
10:00
Arrival at the Ankara Otogar. The happiest time of the 10-hour ride? Those precious minutes of having the temperature below 23 degrees Celsius. Yes, I know this is ridiculously cool for me to be complaining about the heat.
The bus is parked so close to the next one that people can only go in between to get luggage in single file. It is warm and stuffy even outside. I'm feeling rather doomed that the next 6 weeks are going to be miserably hot and wonder how we're going to cope.
We load up a taxi and arrive at our apartment. It is not hot, but not cool either, and is covered inside with a fine dust and sprinkling of pollen blown in from outside while we were away. I put the kids to bed and take a cold shower to cool off before heading to bed for sleep. What a day.
Monday, May 18 Pirate's Beach Club
Brian's sick! He's all sneezy, feverish, and achy. Not fun for him or for us. He stayed in bed most of the day, but we did get him out for the archery contest this afternoon (more on that later...).
Today may have been just what the girls were wanting anyway: another day lounging about in our room and playing at the Pirate's Beach Club. I think they're kind of tired of ruins-walking, though they seem to have a great time once we get them out to the sites despite their protestations.
Of course we gave up our second room on Sunday morning when the bill turned to ours instead of Fulbright's, so we only have the one room today, when the two rooms could have been most useful. That's the way things work, right?
First off the kids and I walked outside the resort into the Tekirova shopping area to find a pharmacy for some Tylenol (paracetamol here, though, not even acetaminophen. This naming confusion is exactly why IUPAC exists, but I know that only a few know what the heck IUPAC is anyway...). You can buy just about everything over the counter here, but you have to go to a pharmacy for everything, there is no drug section in regular markets. The first woman I asked for directions pantomimed to go right at the traffic circle, so we did. But I asked some men out playing backgammon, and they motioned back the other way (left at the circle), so we went back. But we found the red E sign (pharmacy = Eczane in Turkish), the standardized sign you can see a few times every few blocks in many areas of Ankara. The signs are even complete with "Apotheke" in Greek in the coastal towns, too. I did some pantomiming to get paracetamol and expectorant, and then we continued our explorations.
The tourist community in Tekirova is heavily Russian, so many of the signs were in Russian, and some of the shopkeepers spoke only Russian and Turkish. I'm pretty sure that every single one of the other guests at Pirate's Beach Club were Russian as well--the night time entertainment was in Russian, the poolside DJ spoke Russian, the archery instructor reported scores in Russian. Finally some of the Russian words that pop into my head (from high school Russian) when I'm thinking of non-English words to use were useful!
I took some photos of Tekirova's sights (shopping strips, empty waterway, and a nice view of the mountain) and their Ataturk statue. Lacey or Maren asked if he really was that big, and I had to laugh since it seems he may have really been larger than life way he is revered here.
We visited "Ali Baba's Zoo" back at the resort on the way back in and said hello to the animals in their tiny cages. I'm sure the animals must love the nighttime dances complete with disco balls, directly in front of their cages. Aeden was asleep in his stroller, so we dropped him off with Brian, donned our bathing suits, and headed out to the water slides again.
I don't remember playing on the water slides being so much work, but after two runs I let the girls know we were only going to go 5 more times so none of us would get hurt or too sunburned. Climbing the stairs, grabbing the girls on their rafts, navigating my own way through the pools...tired me out! We went back to the room to get Aeden and wandered off to lunch and more wading and splashing in the kiddie pool.
Later on, we went back to the room to get dressed before going to watch the archery competition (the girls wanted to see archery in real life for the first time), and Brian was feeling better enough to come out with us and give the old bow and arrow a try again. After waiting while bodies of all shapes and sizes, often in bikinis, gave it their best shot (so to speak), Brian was up and we quietly rooted him on. He was frustrated with his score (even though it was a 46 out of 50!), but at least he wasn't in bed still!
The kids jumped in the trampoline for a bit, we showed Brian the "zoo", and then he headed back to bed and the kids and I went for afternoon snacks, photos of the pools and favorite spots at the resort, and then some time on the beach. I will admit that they had to drag me there (we were already dressed and I didn't want to have to deal with sand again before dinner), but it was nice. We stayed in the dry sand and Aeden played on the play structure while Lacey and Maren dug in the sand and buried their feet. Quiet beach time sure is nice. And Aeden sure is growing up--he was solo on the play structure, climbing up, sliding down the twisty slide with no reservations, and running from the other kids with their play guns. I just wish Brian had been feeling better to come and enjoy the time too.
There were no empty tables at dinner for us. So we moved one bar area over to the dining area (a full 3 feet over!). The waiter: "I'm sorry, friend, but this is not possible." Didn't he know not to say that to Brian after a day in bed not feeling well? It worked fine, and the waiter hovered until we were finished so that the table could be whisked back before anyone else had a chance to use it. Can you imagine the crazy American tourists that just drag their tables wherever they want? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Brian's sick! He's all sneezy, feverish, and achy. Not fun for him or for us. He stayed in bed most of the day, but we did get him out for the archery contest this afternoon (more on that later...).
Today may have been just what the girls were wanting anyway: another day lounging about in our room and playing at the Pirate's Beach Club. I think they're kind of tired of ruins-walking, though they seem to have a great time once we get them out to the sites despite their protestations.
Of course we gave up our second room on Sunday morning when the bill turned to ours instead of Fulbright's, so we only have the one room today, when the two rooms could have been most useful. That's the way things work, right?
First off the kids and I walked outside the resort into the Tekirova shopping area to find a pharmacy for some Tylenol (paracetamol here, though, not even acetaminophen. This naming confusion is exactly why IUPAC exists, but I know that only a few know what the heck IUPAC is anyway...). You can buy just about everything over the counter here, but you have to go to a pharmacy for everything, there is no drug section in regular markets. The first woman I asked for directions pantomimed to go right at the traffic circle, so we did. But I asked some men out playing backgammon, and they motioned back the other way (left at the circle), so we went back. But we found the red E sign (pharmacy = Eczane in Turkish), the standardized sign you can see a few times every few blocks in many areas of Ankara. The signs are even complete with "Apotheke" in Greek in the coastal towns, too. I did some pantomiming to get paracetamol and expectorant, and then we continued our explorations.
The tourist community in Tekirova is heavily Russian, so many of the signs were in Russian, and some of the shopkeepers spoke only Russian and Turkish. I'm pretty sure that every single one of the other guests at Pirate's Beach Club were Russian as well--the night time entertainment was in Russian, the poolside DJ spoke Russian, the archery instructor reported scores in Russian. Finally some of the Russian words that pop into my head (from high school Russian) when I'm thinking of non-English words to use were useful!
I took some photos of Tekirova's sights (shopping strips, empty waterway, and a nice view of the mountain) and their Ataturk statue. Lacey or Maren asked if he really was that big, and I had to laugh since it seems he may have really been larger than life way he is revered here.
We visited "Ali Baba's Zoo" back at the resort on the way back in and said hello to the animals in their tiny cages. I'm sure the animals must love the nighttime dances complete with disco balls, directly in front of their cages. Aeden was asleep in his stroller, so we dropped him off with Brian, donned our bathing suits, and headed out to the water slides again.
I don't remember playing on the water slides being so much work, but after two runs I let the girls know we were only going to go 5 more times so none of us would get hurt or too sunburned. Climbing the stairs, grabbing the girls on their rafts, navigating my own way through the pools...tired me out! We went back to the room to get Aeden and wandered off to lunch and more wading and splashing in the kiddie pool.
Later on, we went back to the room to get dressed before going to watch the archery competition (the girls wanted to see archery in real life for the first time), and Brian was feeling better enough to come out with us and give the old bow and arrow a try again. After waiting while bodies of all shapes and sizes, often in bikinis, gave it their best shot (so to speak), Brian was up and we quietly rooted him on. He was frustrated with his score (even though it was a 46 out of 50!), but at least he wasn't in bed still!
The kids jumped in the trampoline for a bit, we showed Brian the "zoo", and then he headed back to bed and the kids and I went for afternoon snacks, photos of the pools and favorite spots at the resort, and then some time on the beach. I will admit that they had to drag me there (we were already dressed and I didn't want to have to deal with sand again before dinner), but it was nice. We stayed in the dry sand and Aeden played on the play structure while Lacey and Maren dug in the sand and buried their feet. Quiet beach time sure is nice. And Aeden sure is growing up--he was solo on the play structure, climbing up, sliding down the twisty slide with no reservations, and running from the other kids with their play guns. I just wish Brian had been feeling better to come and enjoy the time too.
There were no empty tables at dinner for us. So we moved one bar area over to the dining area (a full 3 feet over!). The waiter: "I'm sorry, friend, but this is not possible." Didn't he know not to say that to Brian after a day in bed not feeling well? It worked fine, and the waiter hovered until we were finished so that the table could be whisked back before anyone else had a chance to use it. Can you imagine the crazy American tourists that just drag their tables wherever they want? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sunday, May 17 Dolmus to Antalya Otogar, Aspendos, Antalya, Pirate's Beach Club
Today we woke up to tearful girls who didn't want to see the other Fulbrighters leave. We're staying on til Tuesday morning, but the group is leaving today. Lacey and Maren didn't want their new friends to go!
We set out a bit behind schedule for a dolmus ride to the Antalya Otogar to pick up our rental car. We finally made it out of the resort after many goodbyes and trying to put together last minute plans. We got onto the dolmus without incident, and then soon realized that we were on the slowest dolmus ever, and had a long way to go (80 km to Antalya). So much for meeting our car at 10 AM.
At 9:59 Brian mentioned that I should be getting a call soon from the rental car rep. I pulled out my cell phone and at exactly 10:00 it rang. "Yes, we are on our way. We are stopped in Kemer, watching other dolmuses come and go. Why is our dolmus not leaving yet? The sign on ours is identical to the others...we are still 30 minutes away. I will call you back at this number when we arrive at the otogar."
At 10:30 it rang again. "Yes, we are on our way. We just passed the Antalya Migros. No, I don't know how far away that is. Yes, we will call as soon as we arrive."
Finally, at 11:00, we arrived at the Antalya otogar and called the magic number back. Gray Renault Clio, near the taxis, OK. A lady is hovering and chatting up our rental rep repeatedly, "No lady, you can't steal our car out from under us, stop talking to the rep!" Car seat strapped in already, but with the belt from the seat next to it. Hmm. Rethread the car seat, load up our stuff, and off onto the open road for us.
First stop: snacks. The pickings were slim and we ended up with bad simit, even worse cinnamon flatbread, and some regular goodies from the Bim store I spotted on a side road. And we're off to Aspendos to see the largest Roman amphitheatre ruins (on Turkey's southern coast). Funny how the tour books tout the "largest" this and the "oldest" that, only to add the parenthetical, under your breath disclaimer. I guess every place needs to have a claim to something.
Almost immediately after getting out of the car in the dusty, windy parking lot I started sneezing and my eyes were all itchy and scratchy. I thought it would clear, but it just kept on. Lacey started itching too. So either we're WAY allergic to camels (there were some to pose with in the parking lot), or (more likely) something was blooming that just did not agree with our immune systems. We all went into the main theatre and looked around, and yes, it is huge. I mostly ended up tourist watching between rubbing my eyes and wondering what to do to make things more tolerable for me.
After we inspected the theatre, Brian headed up the hill to see the rest of the city's ruins, and the kids and I took a trip to the toilets to wash hands and faces and then plopped down on the stairway in the shade to rest and wait for Brian. That lasted a while, but then we were back to itching and scratching. We were going to go make a few purchases in the gift shop and then go back to the car where the Benadryl was awaiting us, but of course by this particular moment the gift shop was closed for lunch. Of course. You would think that places were closed all day, not just for an hour, the way I have a knack of hitting them at lunch time.
We sat in the cool shade of the entry near the gift shop, made our purchases, and went back out to the car. Relief so soon once we had taken the Benadryl, thank goodness.
Brian came back hot, thirsty, and with socks covered with nasty grass seeds that you had to pick off from the inside. He said there was good stuff up there, but the grass was attacking him and he almost fell into an overgrown cistern. Maybe it wasn't the best place for the kids and me after all...
On the way out of the main area we stopped to see the remains of the aqueduct and snap a few pictures of the water tower. I am so glad I was not in charge of moving the water around for these towns way back when. It is so amazing what they were able to accomplish with so little compared to what we have at our disposal today. Amazing.
We packed up and drove back into Antalya to see the sites and stop for a bite to eat, but couldn't find our way. A scooter rider stopped to "help" us when he saw us stopped and looking at a map, but then it seemed he was taking us to the wrong place so we ditched him before he could charge us for his services. We got stuck in loops of one way streets and crowds of cars and people so much so that we gave up and headed back to Tekirova and the easy known patterns of life at the Pirate's Beach. I guess the guide book is right:
Most of Antalya's sights lie within or close to the old town (Kaleici). You can easily take them in by walking, but they are in a bewildering tangle of narrow and sloping lanes, making them difficult to find on first attempt. No town plan [map] can give a truly accurate picture of these chaotic lanes, which are partly an inheritance from the Greeks.
If only it could say, "Ditch your car here and proceed on foot" on some signs, we would have been good to go. But onward to Tekirova. Maybe tomorrow we can try again with a fresh start.
Back to the pools, water slides, and snack bar for the later afternoon, then off to dinner with the masses (no more separate fancy group dinner with the Fulbrighters!). We found the only empty table left, right in the walkway, and started to munch.
Photos from today:
Today we woke up to tearful girls who didn't want to see the other Fulbrighters leave. We're staying on til Tuesday morning, but the group is leaving today. Lacey and Maren didn't want their new friends to go!
We set out a bit behind schedule for a dolmus ride to the Antalya Otogar to pick up our rental car. We finally made it out of the resort after many goodbyes and trying to put together last minute plans. We got onto the dolmus without incident, and then soon realized that we were on the slowest dolmus ever, and had a long way to go (80 km to Antalya). So much for meeting our car at 10 AM.
At 9:59 Brian mentioned that I should be getting a call soon from the rental car rep. I pulled out my cell phone and at exactly 10:00 it rang. "Yes, we are on our way. We are stopped in Kemer, watching other dolmuses come and go. Why is our dolmus not leaving yet? The sign on ours is identical to the others...we are still 30 minutes away. I will call you back at this number when we arrive at the otogar."
At 10:30 it rang again. "Yes, we are on our way. We just passed the Antalya Migros. No, I don't know how far away that is. Yes, we will call as soon as we arrive."
Finally, at 11:00, we arrived at the Antalya otogar and called the magic number back. Gray Renault Clio, near the taxis, OK. A lady is hovering and chatting up our rental rep repeatedly, "No lady, you can't steal our car out from under us, stop talking to the rep!" Car seat strapped in already, but with the belt from the seat next to it. Hmm. Rethread the car seat, load up our stuff, and off onto the open road for us.
First stop: snacks. The pickings were slim and we ended up with bad simit, even worse cinnamon flatbread, and some regular goodies from the Bim store I spotted on a side road. And we're off to Aspendos to see the largest Roman amphitheatre ruins (on Turkey's southern coast). Funny how the tour books tout the "largest" this and the "oldest" that, only to add the parenthetical, under your breath disclaimer. I guess every place needs to have a claim to something.
Almost immediately after getting out of the car in the dusty, windy parking lot I started sneezing and my eyes were all itchy and scratchy. I thought it would clear, but it just kept on. Lacey started itching too. So either we're WAY allergic to camels (there were some to pose with in the parking lot), or (more likely) something was blooming that just did not agree with our immune systems. We all went into the main theatre and looked around, and yes, it is huge. I mostly ended up tourist watching between rubbing my eyes and wondering what to do to make things more tolerable for me.
After we inspected the theatre, Brian headed up the hill to see the rest of the city's ruins, and the kids and I took a trip to the toilets to wash hands and faces and then plopped down on the stairway in the shade to rest and wait for Brian. That lasted a while, but then we were back to itching and scratching. We were going to go make a few purchases in the gift shop and then go back to the car where the Benadryl was awaiting us, but of course by this particular moment the gift shop was closed for lunch. Of course. You would think that places were closed all day, not just for an hour, the way I have a knack of hitting them at lunch time.
We sat in the cool shade of the entry near the gift shop, made our purchases, and went back out to the car. Relief so soon once we had taken the Benadryl, thank goodness.
Brian came back hot, thirsty, and with socks covered with nasty grass seeds that you had to pick off from the inside. He said there was good stuff up there, but the grass was attacking him and he almost fell into an overgrown cistern. Maybe it wasn't the best place for the kids and me after all...
On the way out of the main area we stopped to see the remains of the aqueduct and snap a few pictures of the water tower. I am so glad I was not in charge of moving the water around for these towns way back when. It is so amazing what they were able to accomplish with so little compared to what we have at our disposal today. Amazing.
We packed up and drove back into Antalya to see the sites and stop for a bite to eat, but couldn't find our way. A scooter rider stopped to "help" us when he saw us stopped and looking at a map, but then it seemed he was taking us to the wrong place so we ditched him before he could charge us for his services. We got stuck in loops of one way streets and crowds of cars and people so much so that we gave up and headed back to Tekirova and the easy known patterns of life at the Pirate's Beach. I guess the guide book is right:
Most of Antalya's sights lie within or close to the old town (Kaleici). You can easily take them in by walking, but they are in a bewildering tangle of narrow and sloping lanes, making them difficult to find on first attempt. No town plan [map] can give a truly accurate picture of these chaotic lanes, which are partly an inheritance from the Greeks.
If only it could say, "Ditch your car here and proceed on foot" on some signs, we would have been good to go. But onward to Tekirova. Maybe tomorrow we can try again with a fresh start.
Back to the pools, water slides, and snack bar for the later afternoon, then off to dinner with the masses (no more separate fancy group dinner with the Fulbrighters!). We found the only empty table left, right in the walkway, and started to munch.
Photos from today:
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| 2009-05-17Aspendos |
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 16 Phaselis, boat ride, Pirate's Beach Club, Olympos Milli Parki (Yanartus)
For having no plan as of the night before, the day really turned out to be a great one! We started off the morning heading to the dolmus stop for a quick ride to go explore Phaselis with George, Joan, Tom, Candice, and some other Fulbrighters. George negotiated a taxi fair down to a reasonable range and we piled in. At the gate to the park (Olympos National Park) the taxi driver negotiated our entrance to be only 4 adults, even though our car had 8 people in it, and he dropped us off right at the beginning of the ruins.
Phaselis was founded in 690 BCE and is birthplace to famous poets, Alexander the Great stayed a winter here, and pirates even lived here later on. Too much history in this country called Turkey!
Just a few minutes into our visit Maren needed to use the toilet, so off we went in search of someplace that would work. I didn't have my hopes up, but was pleasantly surprised with very nice pedestal toilets complete with toilet paper, just quite a walk from the ruins. It was a beautiful day and not too hot, so it was a nice walk with Maren anyway.
Amazing aqueduct ruins, supposedly one of the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire.
We explored the site quite a bit and followed the old road right down to the beach, where there was no stopping the kids from taking a dip. Aeden didn't even wait for an answer or help taking off his shoes, just headed right in. First the girls had their pants rolled up, then no pants, then shirts tied up, then no shirts...luckily the underwear stuck around.
We watched ships come into the little harbor (the South Port) and laughed that this is probably the "secluded harbor" that the pirate ship from Pirate's Beach Club comes to on their morning 3-hour tour. There was a tender at the dock, so we thought we'd check about a boat ride back to the resort. Candice negotiated a price and we rounded up everyone onto the boat and headed off...only to stop at one of the larger ships and pick up more passengers and bring them back to shore. It was a little weird, but we had fun joking about how they were pirates and we were being boarded, watch out!
It was a short ride back to the resort, but wonderful to be out on the Sea and just relaxing. Aeden was nice and tired, so he just sat back and chilled for the ride, so I didn't have to worry about wrangling him while we were on board, and we had a great trip back. I couldn't help but notice our barefoot captain's raggedy toenails...almost gave me flashbacks to the nightmares I had as a kid after watching "That's Incredible". The water was crystal clear and bright blue, nothing at all like Puget Sound or the Pacific. It was beautiful, but in a boring sort of way, no jellyfish, seaweed, or crabs to watch and dodge.
All this and it was only getting to be lunch time when we returned to the resort!
After lunch we repeated our afternoon of naps and quiet time, Brian and the girls on the water slides, Aeden and me in the kiddie pool, showers and rest time, then dinner with the Fulbrighters. Tonight's dinner may have been titled, "Turkish Seafood Extraordinaire" with a few giant sea bass and every other seafood you could imagine. I think the main course had a choice of about 6 different fish, and the earlier courses included a fancy shrimp salad, cured fish of all kinds, seafood rolls, and calamari (two rounds!).
Aeden had a birthday cake and a round of Happy Birthday from the group (finally!). He didn't seem to complain that his dinner mainly consisted of chocolate banana cake.
After dinner there was a Turkish language and culture contest between the Western Turkey grantees and the Eastern Turkey grantees. The tensions ran high and the juding fell to Ersin Bey, the head of the Fulbright Commission in Turkey. He very clearly stated that "TV Turkish" would not be acceptable, only proper Turkish. Lacey, in particular, had a great time being one of the group and hanging out with the big kids, while Brian took the opportunity to chat with Ambassador Jeffrey.
After all this, Brian headed off with a group of Fulbrighters and Embassy staff to Olympos National Park to see the Yanartas (burning stone). Unfortunately, there is a nightclub called Chimaera that is nearby, and the colmus driver was sure that this group of young hooligans must be wanting to go there, not possibly to the national park at 10:30 at night. So it took some detours to get them to the right place finally.
Natural gas escaping from the volcanic outcrops is permanently aflame and this mountain is where Bellerophon and Pegasus killed the Chimaera by pouring molten lead into its mouth. Brian and Tom covered a hole to put out the flame, but as soon as it is uncovered it lights itself again and continues to burn. The flames were once larger and were guided upwards to serve as a lighthouse in ancient times.
The kids and I were already fast asleep by the time Brian got back.
The photos from today:
For having no plan as of the night before, the day really turned out to be a great one! We started off the morning heading to the dolmus stop for a quick ride to go explore Phaselis with George, Joan, Tom, Candice, and some other Fulbrighters. George negotiated a taxi fair down to a reasonable range and we piled in. At the gate to the park (Olympos National Park) the taxi driver negotiated our entrance to be only 4 adults, even though our car had 8 people in it, and he dropped us off right at the beginning of the ruins.
Phaselis was founded in 690 BCE and is birthplace to famous poets, Alexander the Great stayed a winter here, and pirates even lived here later on. Too much history in this country called Turkey!
Just a few minutes into our visit Maren needed to use the toilet, so off we went in search of someplace that would work. I didn't have my hopes up, but was pleasantly surprised with very nice pedestal toilets complete with toilet paper, just quite a walk from the ruins. It was a beautiful day and not too hot, so it was a nice walk with Maren anyway.
Amazing aqueduct ruins, supposedly one of the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire.
We explored the site quite a bit and followed the old road right down to the beach, where there was no stopping the kids from taking a dip. Aeden didn't even wait for an answer or help taking off his shoes, just headed right in. First the girls had their pants rolled up, then no pants, then shirts tied up, then no shirts...luckily the underwear stuck around.
We watched ships come into the little harbor (the South Port) and laughed that this is probably the "secluded harbor" that the pirate ship from Pirate's Beach Club comes to on their morning 3-hour tour. There was a tender at the dock, so we thought we'd check about a boat ride back to the resort. Candice negotiated a price and we rounded up everyone onto the boat and headed off...only to stop at one of the larger ships and pick up more passengers and bring them back to shore. It was a little weird, but we had fun joking about how they were pirates and we were being boarded, watch out!
It was a short ride back to the resort, but wonderful to be out on the Sea and just relaxing. Aeden was nice and tired, so he just sat back and chilled for the ride, so I didn't have to worry about wrangling him while we were on board, and we had a great trip back. I couldn't help but notice our barefoot captain's raggedy toenails...almost gave me flashbacks to the nightmares I had as a kid after watching "That's Incredible". The water was crystal clear and bright blue, nothing at all like Puget Sound or the Pacific. It was beautiful, but in a boring sort of way, no jellyfish, seaweed, or crabs to watch and dodge.
All this and it was only getting to be lunch time when we returned to the resort!
After lunch we repeated our afternoon of naps and quiet time, Brian and the girls on the water slides, Aeden and me in the kiddie pool, showers and rest time, then dinner with the Fulbrighters. Tonight's dinner may have been titled, "Turkish Seafood Extraordinaire" with a few giant sea bass and every other seafood you could imagine. I think the main course had a choice of about 6 different fish, and the earlier courses included a fancy shrimp salad, cured fish of all kinds, seafood rolls, and calamari (two rounds!).
Aeden had a birthday cake and a round of Happy Birthday from the group (finally!). He didn't seem to complain that his dinner mainly consisted of chocolate banana cake.
After dinner there was a Turkish language and culture contest between the Western Turkey grantees and the Eastern Turkey grantees. The tensions ran high and the juding fell to Ersin Bey, the head of the Fulbright Commission in Turkey. He very clearly stated that "TV Turkish" would not be acceptable, only proper Turkish. Lacey, in particular, had a great time being one of the group and hanging out with the big kids, while Brian took the opportunity to chat with Ambassador Jeffrey.
After all this, Brian headed off with a group of Fulbrighters and Embassy staff to Olympos National Park to see the Yanartas (burning stone). Unfortunately, there is a nightclub called Chimaera that is nearby, and the colmus driver was sure that this group of young hooligans must be wanting to go there, not possibly to the national park at 10:30 at night. So it took some detours to get them to the right place finally.
Natural gas escaping from the volcanic outcrops is permanently aflame and this mountain is where Bellerophon and Pegasus killed the Chimaera by pouring molten lead into its mouth. Brian and Tom covered a hole to put out the flame, but as soon as it is uncovered it lights itself again and continues to burn. The flames were once larger and were guided upwards to serve as a lighthouse in ancient times.
The kids and I were already fast asleep by the time Brian got back.
The photos from today:
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| 2009-05-16Phaselis |
Friday, May 15 Pirate's Beach Club
Brian had meetings most of the day today with the Fulbright and Embassy staff and other grantees, but the kids and I got to just play at the resort. We spent the morning at the kiddie pool where Aeden cycled round and round and round on the rainbow water slide and didn't feel the need to do anything else. Over and over he climbed the steps, slid down into a splash, climbed out, and started again. We took a break for a while and stopped at the bar for drinks to sip while we lounged on the pool deck chairs. Lacey and Maren looked like pros all stretched out on the chaise lounge sipping their Shirley Temples and chatting. Aeden was tired enough he plopped down next to me for a bit, too, and we did some people watching. More swimming, and then Brian was already out for lunch!
During the afternoon meetings Aeden and I took naps and the girls played in our rooms. But then Daddy was done with his meeting and he came and got the girls for some water slide fun before dinner and they had a great time. The raft water slide was literally right outside our door, so I could hear them sometimes laughing and screaming. But then they got too tired and Maren was delivered back to the room in tears from a bad bonk, then Lacey and Daddy came back a while later comparing their injuries. Just in time to rest a bit, shower, and head off to a group dinner with the Fulbrighters.
Pictures from the day's meetings and dinner:
Brian had meetings most of the day today with the Fulbright and Embassy staff and other grantees, but the kids and I got to just play at the resort. We spent the morning at the kiddie pool where Aeden cycled round and round and round on the rainbow water slide and didn't feel the need to do anything else. Over and over he climbed the steps, slid down into a splash, climbed out, and started again. We took a break for a while and stopped at the bar for drinks to sip while we lounged on the pool deck chairs. Lacey and Maren looked like pros all stretched out on the chaise lounge sipping their Shirley Temples and chatting. Aeden was tired enough he plopped down next to me for a bit, too, and we did some people watching. More swimming, and then Brian was already out for lunch!
During the afternoon meetings Aeden and I took naps and the girls played in our rooms. But then Daddy was done with his meeting and he came and got the girls for some water slide fun before dinner and they had a great time. The raft water slide was literally right outside our door, so I could hear them sometimes laughing and screaming. But then they got too tired and Maren was delivered back to the room in tears from a bad bonk, then Lacey and Daddy came back a while later comparing their injuries. Just in time to rest a bit, shower, and head off to a group dinner with the Fulbrighters.
Pictures from the day's meetings and dinner:
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| 2009-05-15PiratesBeach |
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 14 Happy Birthday Aeden!
We're heading to Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey and the main area to go to the beach for a holiday, on a bus with all the Ankara Fulbright grantees for the end-of-year wrap up meeting and some relaxation.
Today was a travel day:
Taxi to ASTI (Ankara Otogar/Main Bus station), Kamil Koc Bus to Antalya at 10:30, arrival at Pirate's Beach Club in Tekirova (80 km southwest of Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey and right on the Mediterranean Sea beach) at 7:30, straight to poolside dinner and bed. We made it through the 9.5 hour bus ride!
Some photos from the bus and our rest stops:
The kids were all tucked in and we hear from Lacey, "Mommy, Aeden is in my bed." Aeden likes to wander around, but Lacey was sleeping in the top bunk of a bunk bed and Aeden just popped up there for a visit! We grabbed him back down and told him no more climbing and put him back to bed in his own bed (a queen-size to himself!), and then he fell asleep. We had 2 family rooms, each with a Queen and two bunk beds, so the girls each got a bunk and Aeden the big bed in one room and we had the other room. I felt pretty spoiled. The beds were even somewhat soft and the linens were smooth and cool. Very nice.
Aeden's birthday was today on the calendar, but we didn't celebrate it yet. The beauty of children young enough not to know how to read a calendar!
We're heading to Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey and the main area to go to the beach for a holiday, on a bus with all the Ankara Fulbright grantees for the end-of-year wrap up meeting and some relaxation.
Today was a travel day:
Taxi to ASTI (Ankara Otogar/Main Bus station), Kamil Koc Bus to Antalya at 10:30, arrival at Pirate's Beach Club in Tekirova (80 km southwest of Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey and right on the Mediterranean Sea beach) at 7:30, straight to poolside dinner and bed. We made it through the 9.5 hour bus ride!
Some photos from the bus and our rest stops:
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| 2009-05-14BusRide |
The kids were all tucked in and we hear from Lacey, "Mommy, Aeden is in my bed." Aeden likes to wander around, but Lacey was sleeping in the top bunk of a bunk bed and Aeden just popped up there for a visit! We grabbed him back down and told him no more climbing and put him back to bed in his own bed (a queen-size to himself!), and then he fell asleep. We had 2 family rooms, each with a Queen and two bunk beds, so the girls each got a bunk and Aeden the big bed in one room and we had the other room. I felt pretty spoiled. The beds were even somewhat soft and the linens were smooth and cool. Very nice.
Aeden's birthday was today on the calendar, but we didn't celebrate it yet. The beauty of children young enough not to know how to read a calendar!
Wednesday, May 13
Aeden got bit again at school today, right in the same place again and by the same girl. She has two strikes now, and I've asked for them to be separated and am hopeful that after the vacation she'll forget how tasty Aeden's cheek is.
Paul, Becky, Emma, Katherine, and Meggie came over to watch Bolt on the big screen after dinner. We're all packed and ready to leave for Antalya tomorrow morning!
Aeden got bit again at school today, right in the same place again and by the same girl. She has two strikes now, and I've asked for them to be separated and am hopeful that after the vacation she'll forget how tasty Aeden's cheek is.
Paul, Becky, Emma, Katherine, and Meggie came over to watch Bolt on the big screen after dinner. We're all packed and ready to leave for Antalya tomorrow morning!
Tuesday, May 12
I finished Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle the other day. Enjoyed it much the same as the Anne of Green Gables books and it made me quite homesick and wishing to go live in the country of Vermont or North Carolina. It is one of the books Kaye and Myron gave to Lacey for her birthday.
A normal school day today, plus packing for our trip to Antalya and cleaning up the house for our return.
"If you stand and look where the ocean laps over the curve of the earth and gets lost in the sky, you can't stay cross or tired for very long."
-Madeleine L'Engle in Meet the Austins
I finished Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle the other day. Enjoyed it much the same as the Anne of Green Gables books and it made me quite homesick and wishing to go live in the country of Vermont or North Carolina. It is one of the books Kaye and Myron gave to Lacey for her birthday.
A normal school day today, plus packing for our trip to Antalya and cleaning up the house for our return.
"If you stand and look where the ocean laps over the curve of the earth and gets lost in the sky, you can't stay cross or tired for very long."
-Madeleine L'Engle in Meet the Austins
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday, May 11
Time to bring the science project board to school. Drom roll...here it is:
Booming music all day from the shopping center across the road...a new bazaar has opened on Mondays and Thursdays in the old Tekzen hardware store space. Amazing to see it filled with people again, shoulder to shoulder, perusing the goods out on tables. Sparkly glittery frog sculptures, sunglasses, scarfes, skirts, plastic bowls, weird silver jewelry, cheesy kid clothes and grandma-style pajamas, and more. These little bazaars get such a strange assortment of things together it is hard to know what to expect.
The kids enjoyed the balloons and music outside and didn't want to come home:
Time to bring the science project board to school. Drom roll...here it is:
Booming music all day from the shopping center across the road...a new bazaar has opened on Mondays and Thursdays in the old Tekzen hardware store space. Amazing to see it filled with people again, shoulder to shoulder, perusing the goods out on tables. Sparkly glittery frog sculptures, sunglasses, scarfes, skirts, plastic bowls, weird silver jewelry, cheesy kid clothes and grandma-style pajamas, and more. These little bazaars get such a strange assortment of things together it is hard to know what to expect.
The kids enjoyed the balloons and music outside and didn't want to come home:
Sunday, May 10 Mother's Day
The girls (with some help from daddy) brought me breakfast in bed and delivered all their "mom" projects from school. It was so early though I wasn't really ready to wake up! I went back to sleep for a while and then got up to enjoy my family. And how beautiful and fun they truly are. I feel so lucky to have them and to have had all this extra time with them this year.
Aeden needed a haircut again, so we headed down to the salon (the one for boys though, not the one I went to yesterday). He didn't want to sit down in the chair, but the barber sat with him on his lap and calmed him down, gave him a lollipop, and just sat with him for a while and watched cartoons (Star Wars in Turkish, Maren observed). It was really nice. Aeden was so good, he got all the treatments this time and a very nice trim; I'm surprised he didn't get an ear and nose wax like the other man that was there! This time he got green and blue sprayed in his hair and it was pretty racy.
We had lunch today with Daniel and met some other Fulbrighters (who we'll be seeing again in Antalya in just a few short days!): Zoe (living in Trabzon this year), Jana (living in a rural town outside Ankara), and Sarah (not a Fulbrighter, but living here in Ankara this year--but from Hendersonville, North Carolina!! For those not familiar with NC geography, that is literally just down the road from our college, Warren Wilson, and she went to Univeristy of North Carolina at Asheville). We ate in the atrium at Karum and it was very nice. Aeden and Maren spent most of the time watching the fish and turtles in the fountain.
The turtles made Lacey pretty sad...Yertle died a few days ago. He never did eat very well, and I don't think he ever adjusted to living with us.
We ran into friends of Daniel's on the walk to the restaurant, and afterward when we were walking Tunali we ran into a group of Brian's students. You wouldn't think there were 5 million people in Ankara the way we always run into people we know when we go out.
Grandma Teri chatted with us online, too, so we could wish her a happy mother's day and get some updates on life in Washington. We hear that the beach cabin has hot water and we're so ready to try it out this summer!
The girls (with some help from daddy) brought me breakfast in bed and delivered all their "mom" projects from school. It was so early though I wasn't really ready to wake up! I went back to sleep for a while and then got up to enjoy my family. And how beautiful and fun they truly are. I feel so lucky to have them and to have had all this extra time with them this year.
Aeden needed a haircut again, so we headed down to the salon (the one for boys though, not the one I went to yesterday). He didn't want to sit down in the chair, but the barber sat with him on his lap and calmed him down, gave him a lollipop, and just sat with him for a while and watched cartoons (Star Wars in Turkish, Maren observed). It was really nice. Aeden was so good, he got all the treatments this time and a very nice trim; I'm surprised he didn't get an ear and nose wax like the other man that was there! This time he got green and blue sprayed in his hair and it was pretty racy.
We had lunch today with Daniel and met some other Fulbrighters (who we'll be seeing again in Antalya in just a few short days!): Zoe (living in Trabzon this year), Jana (living in a rural town outside Ankara), and Sarah (not a Fulbrighter, but living here in Ankara this year--but from Hendersonville, North Carolina!! For those not familiar with NC geography, that is literally just down the road from our college, Warren Wilson, and she went to Univeristy of North Carolina at Asheville). We ate in the atrium at Karum and it was very nice. Aeden and Maren spent most of the time watching the fish and turtles in the fountain.
We ran into friends of Daniel's on the walk to the restaurant, and afterward when we were walking Tunali we ran into a group of Brian's students. You wouldn't think there were 5 million people in Ankara the way we always run into people we know when we go out.
Grandma Teri chatted with us online, too, so we could wish her a happy mother's day and get some updates on life in Washington. We hear that the beach cabin has hot water and we're so ready to try it out this summer!
Saturday, May 9
I was off to the salon with Nancy this morning to get my hair cut and a pedicure...have to get these toes ready for the beach this weekend! I'm glad I didn't wait and have it done closer to the trip, as my toes are so sore I don't even want to wear shoes still today. There was quite a bit of scrubbing and peeling to be done to my poor feet, but the cuticle trim was a bit too extreme and I left with my poor big toes bleeding and they're still tender. Oh, but they look nice! I realized again how spoiled I've been getting "services" with Paige and at Gene Juarez...they're so much nicer than the corner salon. No wonder the bill is so much bigger!
My pedicure (which took almost an hour) was only 15 lira. Unheard of.
My haircut (which did take an hour since they spiral curled it afterward) was 35 lira. Again, unheard of. But the shampoo girl has got a bit to learn about scalp massage (like the idea that it is a nice perk and she should do it). Guess I shouldn't complain too much. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the new cut, but I'll give it a few more days. It has too much layering, so I might end up getting another cut which will make everything shorter but fuller at least. I can't believe how thin my hair has gotten. We'll see.
When I returned home with my curls I had mixed reactions:
Lacey: You look funny.
Maren: I LIKE your hair, mommy!
Aeden: Ooh (pull on a curl). Ooh (pull on a curl and watch it spring back).
Brian: No comment this afternoon. I think later once I pulled it up into a ponytail he said that it looked nice all curled and up. I guess he was more in Lacey's camp than Maren's.
I was off to the salon with Nancy this morning to get my hair cut and a pedicure...have to get these toes ready for the beach this weekend! I'm glad I didn't wait and have it done closer to the trip, as my toes are so sore I don't even want to wear shoes still today. There was quite a bit of scrubbing and peeling to be done to my poor feet, but the cuticle trim was a bit too extreme and I left with my poor big toes bleeding and they're still tender. Oh, but they look nice! I realized again how spoiled I've been getting "services" with Paige and at Gene Juarez...they're so much nicer than the corner salon. No wonder the bill is so much bigger!
My pedicure (which took almost an hour) was only 15 lira. Unheard of.
My haircut (which did take an hour since they spiral curled it afterward) was 35 lira. Again, unheard of. But the shampoo girl has got a bit to learn about scalp massage (like the idea that it is a nice perk and she should do it). Guess I shouldn't complain too much. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the new cut, but I'll give it a few more days. It has too much layering, so I might end up getting another cut which will make everything shorter but fuller at least. I can't believe how thin my hair has gotten. We'll see.
When I returned home with my curls I had mixed reactions:
Lacey: You look funny.
Maren: I LIKE your hair, mommy!
Aeden: Ooh (pull on a curl). Ooh (pull on a curl and watch it spring back).
Brian: No comment this afternoon. I think later once I pulled it up into a ponytail he said that it looked nice all curled and up. I guess he was more in Lacey's camp than Maren's.
Friday, May 8
Today was the day for the Mother's Day Parties at the preschool, where the kids are paraded in front of mommies to show off how cute they are and how much they've "learned". It turns out to be kind of fun, I'll admit it. Aeden was a star in the solar system (a non-speaking part) for his class's show, and then he didn't join in the songs at all, but at least he sat still and quiet (there were a few who wouldn't stay with their class once they saw their mommies there...oh, excuse me, their "mummies"...we're using British English at the school).
My class recited the book, "I Promise I'll Find You" and did a great job (MUCH better than I feared they would do when we started rehearsing this back in March and it seemed hopeless!).
Lacey went to Omar's birthday party after school, so I had to go pick her up after the party, and then it was already dinner and bed time.
Today was the day for the Mother's Day Parties at the preschool, where the kids are paraded in front of mommies to show off how cute they are and how much they've "learned". It turns out to be kind of fun, I'll admit it. Aeden was a star in the solar system (a non-speaking part) for his class's show, and then he didn't join in the songs at all, but at least he sat still and quiet (there were a few who wouldn't stay with their class once they saw their mommies there...oh, excuse me, their "mummies"...we're using British English at the school).
My class recited the book, "I Promise I'll Find You" and did a great job (MUCH better than I feared they would do when we started rehearsing this back in March and it seemed hopeless!).
Lacey went to Omar's birthday party after school, so I had to go pick her up after the party, and then it was already dinner and bed time.
Thursday, May 7
Brian found a cricket today at the bus stop that was HUGE! He had to stop and photograph it:
He met us after school again and we tried round two of looking for the Russian shop. We found it! The dolls aren't quite what he was looking for, but it was nice to have found the shop after all the searching. We had lunch at Tapas and came home all tuckered out.
Aeden got a nice big bite on his cheek today from the same girl that scratched him on the face a while back. I guess they're not the best of buds. But this bite is amazing. Brian and I are still trying to figure out the mechanics of how she could get a hold of him so well, right in the middle of the cheek. You could see the outline of each of her teeth earlier today, but it has already started to fade. Perfect for birthday photos coming up!
Here he is at lunch, freshly bitten:
And Brian's view of the ceiling fan from the table top at Tapas:
The girls and I went off to Armada to get a birthday present for Lacey's friend Omar (party after school tomorrow) and some groceries, and I snapped a few photos on the cab ride home:
AKParti Headquarters all dressed up for some occasion. AKParti is the political party in power right now and its headquarters is right up the street from Armada.
Had to capture the billboard showing the Mega Mac. I wouldn't have believed that the sandwich existed, except it is prominently featured at McDonald's here. Gross.
We wrapped up the evening with take-out from Aspava. Whew.
Brian found a cricket today at the bus stop that was HUGE! He had to stop and photograph it:
He met us after school again and we tried round two of looking for the Russian shop. We found it! The dolls aren't quite what he was looking for, but it was nice to have found the shop after all the searching. We had lunch at Tapas and came home all tuckered out.
Aeden got a nice big bite on his cheek today from the same girl that scratched him on the face a while back. I guess they're not the best of buds. But this bite is amazing. Brian and I are still trying to figure out the mechanics of how she could get a hold of him so well, right in the middle of the cheek. You could see the outline of each of her teeth earlier today, but it has already started to fade. Perfect for birthday photos coming up!
Here he is at lunch, freshly bitten:
And Brian's view of the ceiling fan from the table top at Tapas:
The girls and I went off to Armada to get a birthday present for Lacey's friend Omar (party after school tomorrow) and some groceries, and I snapped a few photos on the cab ride home:
We wrapped up the evening with take-out from Aspava. Whew.
Wednesday, May 6
Preschool with Aeden (only 11 kids in my class today, woohoo!), bus and dolmus home, try to nap while Aeden climbs on me, meet Maren from her bus, take a cab to pick up Lacey from clogging, watch Wall-E, make pasta for dinner, greet Brian after parent conferences this evening, show Brian some navigation on Facebook, help Lacey finish up her science fair board, showers for the kids, scrub Maren's poor little teeth, update the blog. Today in a nutshell!
Preschool with Aeden (only 11 kids in my class today, woohoo!), bus and dolmus home, try to nap while Aeden climbs on me, meet Maren from her bus, take a cab to pick up Lacey from clogging, watch Wall-E, make pasta for dinner, greet Brian after parent conferences this evening, show Brian some navigation on Facebook, help Lacey finish up her science fair board, showers for the kids, scrub Maren's poor little teeth, update the blog. Today in a nutshell!
Monday, May 4
Brian met Aeden and me after school today and we walked down to Big Chef's for lunch (there's one near my school and a different one near our apartment) and then took a taxi down to Tunali to look for a Russian shop Olga at school told me about. Brian is in search of a Matrushka doll like the one he used to have. We stopped in all the side shopping areas in the area of the map that Olga pointed out and just couldn't find the shop, so we gave up, crossed the street, and I got sucked into Yesim again (the Made in Turkey store with all the brand name stuff at cheap prices) and ended up with all kinds of goodies. We actually found the Turkish souvenir shop and the Turkish handicrafts and framing shops that I couldn't find with Rob, too. Then we headed home to meet the girls after school.
Some of Brian's students working in the lab today at school:
I've finished a few books in the last bit and forgot to record them:
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
The story of the Warsaw Zoo during World War II and the hiding of Jews and loss of the animals. Kaye brought this book to me when she visited. What a gripping story!
Ordeal By Fire by Roul Tunley
I followed up The Zookeeper's Wife with a book from Nancy...a book she tracked down on Amazon that she had read in 6th grade...a biography of an American woman in Dresden escaping after the fire bombs of World War II with her three children. It was a quick read, but quite a story. The woman told the story to a reporter who recorded it for the book, and it included details that made you realize that no one could just make up that kind of a story--it was too unreal.
Without A Map by Meredith Hall
Another book Kaye brought for me, this one describes a woman's journey through life from New England through Europe and Asia and back again during her trials and tribulations of growing up in the 1960's and having given up her first child for adoption.
Hoot by Carl Hiassen (my first Kindle book!)
We got this book for SOphie for Christmas a few years ago and it caught my eye again as I was browsing through the kids books that are available for the Kindle. So I've now read a book on my new Kindle (finally!). It did take some getting used to, but it was a pretty easy adjustment and it sure is handy to be able to get books so easily (and I don't even get to download them directly, I have to use my computer...I think it will be dangerous back in the US where the Sprint network will talk to the Kindle for "1-click ordering"...Yikes!)
The book features a fake-fart-sound-making character named Garrett (which was too funny to see), and the main character who gets accidentally roped into an environmental cause in Florida. Very fun to read about environmental activism from the middle schooler's perspective.
The BFG by Roald Dahl (Lacey's request)
This was a fun book to read, especially with all the imaginary words the Big Friendly Giant speaks. I've become quite a Roald Dahl fan myself!
Marley and Me by John Grogan
A book Paige sent over with Rob about a family and a dog's trials and tribulations. "Life with the World's Worst Dog" I think is the trailer teaser line for the movie version...and Nancy has already finished reading it too!
Plus the Hattusha Guide book from our trip, and a new guide book to the Mediterranean Coast in the Antalya area, where we'll be visiting next week for a Fulbright meeting.
And we've made it into Chapter 2 of our "Easy Crossword Puzzles" book Rob and Paige sent over to us. I watched the movie Wordplay and was inspired to try my hand at crossword puzzles--hadn't tried anything more than a kid's worksheet in forever. But my grandma used to do the newspaper crosswords regularly, and it seemed like something to give a whirl...We have been feeling pretty dumb getting stumped over the "easy" puzzles, but have been improving with practice. Brian and I are a good team for crossword puzzles, since he has such a wide vocabulary and experience base to draw from and I actually know how to spell most of the words! :-)
I spent a few hours compiling details for the last of our trips in Turkey (all of us to Antalya next week, Brian's weekend trips to Antakya and Trabzon, my trip to Istanbul) and hopefully our trip to Italy in June. We're already so close to the time when we pack up our things and come back to Olympia, I can't believe it. First four bags of outgrown or out-of-season-not-worth-bringing-home clothing to donate have been gathered and wait by the front door to be dropped off at the local hospital (where I'm told is the best place to donate clothing).
Brian met Aeden and me after school today and we walked down to Big Chef's for lunch (there's one near my school and a different one near our apartment) and then took a taxi down to Tunali to look for a Russian shop Olga at school told me about. Brian is in search of a Matrushka doll like the one he used to have. We stopped in all the side shopping areas in the area of the map that Olga pointed out and just couldn't find the shop, so we gave up, crossed the street, and I got sucked into Yesim again (the Made in Turkey store with all the brand name stuff at cheap prices) and ended up with all kinds of goodies. We actually found the Turkish souvenir shop and the Turkish handicrafts and framing shops that I couldn't find with Rob, too. Then we headed home to meet the girls after school.
Some of Brian's students working in the lab today at school:
I've finished a few books in the last bit and forgot to record them:
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
The story of the Warsaw Zoo during World War II and the hiding of Jews and loss of the animals. Kaye brought this book to me when she visited. What a gripping story!
Ordeal By Fire by Roul Tunley
I followed up The Zookeeper's Wife with a book from Nancy...a book she tracked down on Amazon that she had read in 6th grade...a biography of an American woman in Dresden escaping after the fire bombs of World War II with her three children. It was a quick read, but quite a story. The woman told the story to a reporter who recorded it for the book, and it included details that made you realize that no one could just make up that kind of a story--it was too unreal.
Without A Map by Meredith Hall
Another book Kaye brought for me, this one describes a woman's journey through life from New England through Europe and Asia and back again during her trials and tribulations of growing up in the 1960's and having given up her first child for adoption.
Hoot by Carl Hiassen (my first Kindle book!)
We got this book for SOphie for Christmas a few years ago and it caught my eye again as I was browsing through the kids books that are available for the Kindle. So I've now read a book on my new Kindle (finally!). It did take some getting used to, but it was a pretty easy adjustment and it sure is handy to be able to get books so easily (and I don't even get to download them directly, I have to use my computer...I think it will be dangerous back in the US where the Sprint network will talk to the Kindle for "1-click ordering"...Yikes!)
The book features a fake-fart-sound-making character named Garrett (which was too funny to see), and the main character who gets accidentally roped into an environmental cause in Florida. Very fun to read about environmental activism from the middle schooler's perspective.
The BFG by Roald Dahl (Lacey's request)
This was a fun book to read, especially with all the imaginary words the Big Friendly Giant speaks. I've become quite a Roald Dahl fan myself!
Marley and Me by John Grogan
A book Paige sent over with Rob about a family and a dog's trials and tribulations. "Life with the World's Worst Dog" I think is the trailer teaser line for the movie version...and Nancy has already finished reading it too!
Plus the Hattusha Guide book from our trip, and a new guide book to the Mediterranean Coast in the Antalya area, where we'll be visiting next week for a Fulbright meeting.
And we've made it into Chapter 2 of our "Easy Crossword Puzzles" book Rob and Paige sent over to us. I watched the movie Wordplay and was inspired to try my hand at crossword puzzles--hadn't tried anything more than a kid's worksheet in forever. But my grandma used to do the newspaper crosswords regularly, and it seemed like something to give a whirl...We have been feeling pretty dumb getting stumped over the "easy" puzzles, but have been improving with practice. Brian and I are a good team for crossword puzzles, since he has such a wide vocabulary and experience base to draw from and I actually know how to spell most of the words! :-)
I spent a few hours compiling details for the last of our trips in Turkey (all of us to Antalya next week, Brian's weekend trips to Antakya and Trabzon, my trip to Istanbul) and hopefully our trip to Italy in June. We're already so close to the time when we pack up our things and come back to Olympia, I can't believe it. First four bags of outgrown or out-of-season-not-worth-bringing-home clothing to donate have been gathered and wait by the front door to be dropped off at the local hospital (where I'm told is the best place to donate clothing).
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