Last Post Of The Year

It's New Year's Eve. Kids are in bed and G's gone out to spend New Year's Eve with some Deaf folks here. I think there will be fireworks over the river so that will be enjoyable. Here, they put up trees for New Year's as we do for Christmas. Stores and malls have winter holiday decorations just like the States. They've incorporated Santa Claus into their celebration and at first, I thought they were copying the Western countries without realizing the background from which Santa Claus came. (Auto correct on my computer keeps wanting to change "Claus" to "clause.")

Let me pause here a minute and explain something. I'm a bit ethnocentric. Or maybe a lot. I have a tendency to think that everything in our culture and all our traditions originated in America or at least in Europe. When I see something from our culture overseas, I think they are copying us. There are far more ancient cultures than the American culture and more stuff has been around before America was discovered in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Like Santa Claus.

Santa Claus originated from an actual, bona fide, real life person in history. This guy was a Greek Orthodox bishop, Nicholas (later elevated to sainthood), who lived in the 4th century. Guess where he was born and where he was bishop. In the area known as the modern-day country that I live in.

Who's copying whom? Apparently the St. Nicholas tradition is not unique to Western culture; it lives on in many cultures from Argentina to Palestine. My ethnocentrism has a dent in it. Good. Very good.

I won't leave you hanging about how Santa Claus came to be. Here's a great website: www.stnicholascenter.org.

Anyway, our Christmas was nice and quiet. We opened presents and enjoyed our presents all morning long. I cooked a couple of dishes and we went over to another family's home for potluck Christmas dinner.

You probably know that the majority religion here forbids pork. This is truly a cosmopolitan city so there are some stores that sell pork and they are mainly European chains. There is a single pork butcher in this entire city of 16 million. He's a Greek in his 60s and the government will not allow him to train someone to take his place. Apparently there are some Greeks who live down the coast and they raise pigs - oh, the horror! Sorry, that was sarcasm. Forgive me.

So, this European store had one hunk of ham for a whopping $86. The wife from the other family and I nearly choked. Then we discussed it. We decided it was only once a year and worth it for Christmas. We asked for the ham to be cut down and it cost $65. Sixty. five. dollars. For a one big slice of pig weighing about a pound or so.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed the pig! Oink! We also had some turkey on the side and we basically ate a Thanksgiving meal with mac 'n cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, pecan pie, and pumpkin custard. And no, I didn't make the pie this time so pie-crust-rolling remains as the one occasion per year, a quota I have already met at Thanksgiving, thank you very much.

Yesterday, I got to celebrate New Year's somewhat. My language teacher invited me to her secret club. Women here form cliques and they meet once a month, taking turns hosting brunch and they all dress up really nice in suits and dresses. I think some may just meet in cafes. These groups are tight and closed to any newcomers. It can be difficult to break into. Two women formed my language teacher's group and one of them live across the street from me. The other lives just outside the city. She was always kind of distant towards me and yesterday, she finally warmed up to me, held baby DB for a few minutes, and invited me to her home when she hosts the group at her turn. Whoa. I mean, whoa. I'm making inroads...

So, anyway, since it was just the day before New Year's Eve, they wanted to celebrate. They got matching shirts and tights and hats. We were required to wear denim skirts. The shirts were bright, royal blue and so were the tights. The hats were tiny red fedora-style with netting and feathers, perched on the side of our heads. I felt a bit ridiculous in the get up. These rowdy women, mostly in the late 40s to early 60s age group, like to have fun! I had DB with me so I could feed her since this brunch runs until 5 or 6pm and I had to bring her if I wanted to stay all day. She did pretty well and at least didn't skip any of her naps.

So, I had my New Year's fun yesterday and it's G's turn tonight. I just got a text message from him saying that the group he's with (who I imagine are mostly older folks) are getting rowdy and hilarious.

Happy New Year!

Goat Cheese, Anybody?

We've been eating goat cheese without knowing it.

We were at a family's home for a brunch one morning several months back and ate fried cheese. We thought it was delicious and proceeded to buy halloumi cheese (English rendering of this name is from Arabic) and fry it at home on occasion.

Photo credit: squidoo.com

Last night, we had roasted vegetables with halloumi cheese. As I sliced up the cheese and fried it, it occurred to me that the cheese was not melting. I don't know why I only just now noticed it after several times of frying the cheese. How does the cheese not melt?

Curious, I looked it up. That was when I was surprised to discover that it was actually goat/sheep cheese. Halloumi cheese originated out of Cyprus (there used to be no cows on the island until the the British brought cows over in the 20th century) and was initially made in the Byzantine period (A.D. 395-1191) and gained popularity in the Middle East region. The high melting point comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and placed in brine. Apparently, the Cypriots like to eat grilled halloumi cheese with watermelon. I guess it's not different from feta cheese with watermelon, a trend that I've heard of in the States.

Speaking of feta, we love feta so much that we use only feta as dressing for our salad and G puts feta in his scrambled eggs most mornings. Feta is super cheap here and it's expensive in the States, alas. This is just a side note, since we were talking about cheese. Just random and unimportant.

I never thought I'd ever get the opportunity to drink goat milk and eat goat cheese. Much less a type of cheese that has been around since the fourth century A.D. It's just cool.

I just wrote a post about cheese. I mean, really?

Babies Can Open Doors

There are folks in our company who believe that you should not have a baby during your first term on the field and/or during language study. There is no penalty if you do; it is simply a recommendation. I suppose some things happened that led people to conclude, either by personal experience or by observation, that having a baby during the first term (typically three years) is not the wisest thing to do.

Here are some reasons I think are behind this recommendation. First, living overseas is stressful. Your stress level is always higher than if you were living in the States. It's just a fact. Second, when you're in your first term, it follows that you're in language study because, obviously, you most likely do not know the language. Knowing the language is important for survival at the very least and for our job most of all. We cannot do our job well if we cannot clearly communicate the most important information that has eternal impact. 

Now, on the field in your first term, you are living at a higher stress level and very busy studying the language. Even language study may add to your stress if learning a language does not come easily for you. On top of that, there is an expectation that you must reach a language competency level within three years. No pressure there, right? 

Stress and language study are just two basic facts of the life in the first term. Add any number of variables that may be unique to each person's particular situation: a difficult teammate, loneliness, high security risk, health problems, lack of support, children's needs, trauma, death in the family back home, lack of fruit, poor walk with the Father, etc. I can go on. 

Having a baby in itself is time consuming. The feedings, diaper changes, bad naps, colds, possible colic, teething, doctor visits, sleep deprivation, long stays in the home without getting out much, etc. It can be hard enough in the States where you are comfortable, familiar, and can speak your native language. It's doubly hard overseas where you may not be as comfortable, where you have less support, no family to come and help, and you may not speak the language as well. 

Then, because you had a baby, you are not able to devote much time to language study. You may fall behind. You may be reasonably competent, but you cannot put in the hours required to meet the goals set for you. If you're lucky, you have a flexible language coach who will work with you.

So, I believe there were cases that happened which prompted this recommendation against pregnancy in the first term for all the reasons I listed above. I suspect there were people who resigned because everything became too much when a baby was added to the mix. I fully believe that I am oversimplifying because I know there are complex and unique situations that lead to resignations. I cannot know them all. I believe others endured a very difficult term and had a baby in the middle of it which caused them make this recommendation. Second terms are supposed to be easier when you are competent in the language and you're comfortable in the host culture (I cannot attest to this since I have yet to serve a second term) so having a baby would be best in the second term. That does make sense. 

I had a baby in my first term, which I am currently serving. My baby was born exactly 9 days after our first anniversary of arriving on the field. I had people who advised me to wait to have a baby. I listened. I thought about it. My husband and I talked. We prayed. We had two things going for us: we have served 2 years on the field before (as singles) and this was not our first baby. Therefore, I felt we had realistic expectations of what it's like to have a baby in our first term as a career couple.

I'm glad we chose to go ahead to have the baby because I am seeing doors open. Prior to this, I was greeted with friendliness at social events, but not much beyond that. My language teacher is part of a clique of women, completely closed to any newcomers. They meet once a month for breakfast and socialize all day. They don't publicly advertise this because they do not want anyone else to attend. I would see some of these ladies at the Deaf club and hear about their secret meetings. Even after I delicately asked about this monthly event, trying to weasel an invite, I didn't get invited. Months and months went by.

I became pregnant and the news was received by the Deaf with surprise and congratulations. I could tell the Deaf ladies in my language teacher's clique were warming up to me as they began to fuss over me throughout my pregnancy. The fact that I was entrusting my prenatal care, my delivery, and subsequent care to their doctors and their hospitals made an enormous impact. I was having my baby in their country. It was an affirmation of their national pride. 

After I had my baby, I saw an outpouring of love from these ladies. They came to my home, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in fours, and once, ten came to my house, and they all came bearing gifts. I felt tremendously blessed by their generosity. They love my baby with crazy affection.

Then....after a year and three months, I finally got an invitation to their secret monthly meeting. Only after I had the baby. Maybe my baby's sweet, toothless smiles were hard to resist. 

Having a baby was the best thing, in spite of conventional wisdom, and the doors that opened were well worth all the frantic juggling of language, life, family, and the new baby. I will be able to share the Good News with twenty more Deaf ladies as I have built trust with them by having my baby among them. 

I Get A Failing Grade

Thanksgiving went well. It's now our second Thanksgiving here. Last year, we celebrated with several families, feasted on a big spread, and played board games happily until after our kids' bedtime. It was a lot of fun. Since then, these families we spent the holidays with returned to America either on furlough or permanently. We miss them.

This year, we spent Thanksgiving with a few other families that we don't know as well yet. We ate, chatted, and then went home in less than 3 hours. DB was past her bedtime and suffering so we went home.

What?! An epic F?

No, it's a camera. Below is a camera called Diana. Seriously. It's a Diana F+ toy camera, a remake of the 1960s original Diana camera. It's a toy camera because it's made of plastic. It's a medium format camera - in other words, it takes pictures on a big film. You've heard of the standard 35 mm camera? This is a 125 mm camera. In G's words, "It can do some really cool things." You can take as many pictures you want on a single frame, creating the double exposure effect. You can slide color filters on the flash to cast a color over the subject that you're shooting. One day, you will see some examples.

G got this for his birthday. Happy 34th, my man. Now I tease him, "Are you taking the other Diana out? Who's your favorite Diana? It'd better be me." It's really funny to share a name with a camera.

Well, our Christmas tree is up, as you can see in the background of the picture above. Last year, I was sick as a dog in my first trimester so I didn't enjoy the season as well as I could have. I even had an advent calendar up with an activity for each day that we didn't do last year. This time, I'm feeling great, Ava's a year older and Christmas is more fun with her. We're doing the activity of the first day of advent this afternoon.

I have no idea what our plans are for Christmas this year. Last year, I hosted several families and had a lot of fun. Like I said, pretty much all these families are gone. Don't feel sorry for us, we will be fine. Next year should be better when some of these families come back.

Adios.

[Check out the Tumblr account I've set up to upload pictures to. These pictures are just snapshots of what I see and what we are doing and aren't worthy of a post on this blog. Look in the right columns under "Our Links" and you'll see a hyperlink. When you visit my Tumblr page, you can either bookmark it or sign up for the RSS feed.]

Gluten-Free Pie

As I am typing this, I am waiting for the gluten-free pie crust to chill in the refrigerator. I rarely make pie except once a year at Thanksgiving and I am reminded every year why I never make pies except at Thanksgiving: it's a pain.

This pie crust recipe in particular requires a perfect blend of gluten-free flours (sweet rice flour and super fine rice flour, preferably Asian), starches (tapioca and potato), and xanthan gum which replaces the gluten in its function. Other than the flour ingredients, the recipe is similar to any pie crust recipe. The butter must be cut and frozen for a few minutes. The water must be ice cold and added only at a tablespoon at a time. You blend it all in your food processor until it becomes a big wad of dough. Then you chill the dough.

Then it's time to roll the dough. I despise this part. Gluten-free dough is tricky to roll out. It lacks gluten which holds dough together. You have to carefully press slightly and roll slightly with the dough between wax paper and some flour sprinkled on the dough. If you are not careful, the dough will break apart. Transferring the dough to the pie plate is a delicate procedure since the dough is now thin and wide, easily subject to breakage. Usually, though, if the dough breaks, you can pinch it back together.

Now, I have a convection oven. The heat coil is at the top. It's hard to get the pie crust to cook at the bottom. The fan is supposed to circulate the heated air evenly but it does not seem to do well for pie crusts. Last year, I made a pie (I believe it was pumpkin pie), filled it with pumpkin, and baked. The crust was undercooked since there was no heat coil underneath to bake the crust. This year, I plan to bake the crust a bit before I put in the filling. We'll see how that goes.

Oh, yeah, I'm making pecan pie this year. It's my favorite. My cousin sent me Karo syrup and pecans in a package last Christmas and I saved the syrup and pecans for nearly a year...just to eat at Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day, we will go to another family's home and celebrate with good eats.

Other news: I got my first haircut in this country. I've been here a year and half and just now got a hair cut. Before moving here last year July, I got my hair cut and started to grow my hair long until the following March. We went to the States for a conference and I jumped on the opportunity to cut my hair short because then, I can communicate clearly and I can spot a good hairstylist. I started growing it long again from March of this year til now. It was getting drab. So, I decided to take the plunge and get my hair cut. I took a picture of what I wanted, showed it to the hairstylist and mimed it out, asking for bangs and layers. I got bangs and a shag. I like the bangs and I'm, eh, okay with the shag. So, it's not a bad first experience altogether.

G's birthday is coming up on Saturday the 24th. I am not good at picking out gifts. I agonize over choices all the time. I like to love on people by spending time with them. I'm not good at loving on people by giving gifts. G is a motorcycle enthusiast. I once rented him a Harley Davidson motorcycle for a weekend as a birthday gift right after we got married. He absolutely loved being surprised by the motorcycle and tooling around the countryside. Now, I could just kick myself in the foot because I can't top that. Every present after that just seemed lame.

Well, my pie crust is probably ready to roll out. Even if it's not, I'm ready to roll it out because it's nearly 9:30 and I'll be ready for bed soon. I want that pie done.

Happy Thanksgiving, beloved family and friends!

Escape

We planned an escape from this abyss, I mean city, to the mountains the first weekend of November. We rented a cabin for three nights on a property that boasts 5 cabins with a loft, fireplace, kitchenette each. This property is about a three-hour drive from the city. More about the property in a minute.

We traveled on a scenic route along the sea which is enclosed by mountains (I guess it's an inlet) so the hazy mountains across the water looked ethereal in the morning sun. It was a gorgeous drive through that area (if you ignore the freight ships on the water), but on the way back after our mini-vacation, it was a dismal, gray day and the water was a dull slate color yet, it was still pretty to see all the little villages perched on the side of the mountains above the water. Wow, was that a run-on sentence?

Hard to see the outline of the mountain peaks

Pictures don't do this scenery justice

When we left the sea behind, we drove through mountains and some long tunnels before we arrived. The mountains are mainly covered with evergreens (lots of fir trees!) but there were a lot of bright yellow aspens that were still green at the tiptops. I wasn't sure if there would be any fall foliage and whether it'd already peaked and begun to wane. I was pleased to see a great deal of fall leaves but it didn't seem as bright and varied as I've seen it in NC and VA.

The property is run by an American couple who were kind and hospitable to us. Except for two men who were their personal guests, we were the only guests so we really enjoyed the solitude after the bustling crowds of the city. I was so glad that the other cabins were not being rented. My introverted self was appeased. There was a wide expanse of green lawn for A to run around in and a playground set with swings. I tell you, it was nice to let A run and play without having to chase her, keep her in sight, keep out of trouble, etc. the way we have to in the city parks.

Our cabin. That's me in pink PJ pants.

Front of an empty cabin

The owners have ten German Shepherds. Really, they have two dogs who are mates, an adult-sized puppy from their first litter, and a second litter only a week old. The father, Montana, is an intuitive, protective dog. He slept outside our front door all night the first night. He was especially protective of A and kept driving the puppy away from Ava. He seemed to sense Ava's fear of the careless, brainless, half-grown puppy who was as tall as she was.

Montana

We pretty much didn't do much while on vacation. We were just happy to breathe fresh air and see trees. Grass. Mountains. G said it was amazing to fall asleep to dead silence, instead of traffic noise. We lit a fire every night and roasted because it was very efficient in warming up the cabin. We did some walking and ran into a shepherd and his flock. He gave us fresh goat milk which G, A, and I tasted for the first time. We drove further into the mountains, taking an hour to drive 30 km of bumpy, gravel road over several mountain peaks to a national park nestled in a sweet valley with seven lakes, where we ate a small picnic that we cobbled together at the last minute.

Morning view from behind our cabin

View from the property

Tiny village in the valley below the property

We drove deeper into the mountains and saw lots of fall foliage on the way
to the national park. The evergreens were mainly lovely fir trees, not
much pine in this area. Peaks became sharper and higher as we drove.

At the national park: too cute not to post this

A flower, blooming in the fall

Picnic in the park, under the deciduous trees

A parting view on the way back to the cabin

A modern day shepherd who gave us fresh goat milk

All in all, it was a wonderful mini-vacation. We will definitely repeat this. Here's a parting shot:

Pretend she's waving goodbye :-)

The Happening

Remember this post? Click on the hyperlink and take a refresher. This year, we got a video of "The Happening"-esque event.

Note that the main street had no traffic. People were stopped. The wind continued to blow. There is a silver car in the right corner, somewhat blocked by the pine tree. You'll note at the end of the video, it takes off again and traffic resumes. There weren't many pedestrians because it's a 9am on Saturday, which would like 6am on Saturday in the States, since this is a night-owl type of culture.

Crazy, huh?

People appeared in their windows, holding back curtains, to stand still and stare down at the motionless pedestrians. Neighbors across the street came out on their balcony and stared out. It's funny how we all want to gawk at people standing still.

Which Is Better?

A question we get a lot from the nationals here is, "Which is better, America or here?" They seem to ask in economic terms and I think their perception is that America is a glorious place to live. It stems from the Hollywood movies that tend to portray America as affluent and comfortable. The Hollywood movies are misleading and also damaging to us ordinary American expats. We are portrayed as promiscuous, careless, disrespectful, amoral, and godless. I cringe every time I see a Britney Spears music video blasting on wide-screen TVs in stores and bars. So, I always have to point out that what they see in the movies isn't true of the whole country, just a small percentage. Not everyone owns these enormous mansions and drive fancy cars. Luckily, I don't deal with a lot of criticism from the folks here about America, as I had in Poland where Americans are viewed as fat and lazy.

So, how do we answer this question that forces us to consider their pride in their country? We tell them that America is our home and our families are there but this country is a great place, too. This satisfies them. Sometimes, I will tell them that they have an amazing, very rich history that go back thousands of years and America is young in comparison.

Another question we get asked frequently is whether food here is better than America and vice versa. Well, I'm usually able to deflect that question because I tell them I have celiac disease and cannot taste most of their cuisine so I can't make the comparison. I will also point out that America is a melting pot and there is a great variety of cuisines there that they do not have here. G usually answers that he likes both. I think they ask this because they take a lot of pride in their food and it seems very much a part of their identity. There are very little ethnic restaurants here which could be for a number of reasons such as: 1) the city isn't that cosmopolitan and therefore, there aren't many foreigners to open restaurants, 2) the nationals here love their own food and generally aren't interested in foreign cuisine. I imagine a lot of ethnic restaurants have opened and then eventually closed for the lack of business.

On to other things...

We really enjoyed having G's parents and my mom come for a visit. It's nice to see family again and for them to meet DB. We also had a good friend of ours stop by on a trip to visit with us for a few days. Last week was their sacrifice holiday here so our language tutors canceled to celebrate their holiday and visit with their families. We enjoyed the break from language and went to the seaside, 15 minutes away by car, for a picnic twice in a row. We managed to get a few things done, shop for winter clothes for the girls, and run some errands. When my mom came, she brought my smartphone that I'd ordered and shipped to her in the States. We jumped through a lot of hoops to get the phone registered here for use but I am glad to have it. It's proven useful for navigation in this crazy city, taking pictures for my language projects, taking videos of sign language when I am out for me to study later at home, tracking DB's feedings and naps with reminders, and for translation. I will be able to talk on video with my Deaf friends here and not have to text back and forth in Tkish. The phone is a great tool and cut down on some stress of living in another country. I'm glad that I made this improvement, even if we paid a pretty penny for it.

The only indication that fall has come is the temperatures dropping into the low 70s and upper 60s. Since we are surrounded by mostly concrete, we don't have fall foliage to give a sense of fall. I just baked a pumpkin tonight to make pumpkin puree for muffins and bread. That might be only taste of fall that we'll have. Did you know that pumpkins here are mainly gray?

This weekend, we are headed to the mountains about three hours away from the city for a 3-day mini-vacation. G's having "city shock" and anxious to get a break. I had my city shock last winter and some minor episodes from time to time but I could use a break from the city, too. We've rented a cabin with a fireplace and two bedrooms. We'll just need to bring our own food and we'll be set to enjoy the outdoors. It'll be DB's first road trip and she sleeps great in the car so it should be relatively smooth.

Here are some pictures. I posted some of these on Facebook but these are for the benefit of those who aren't on Facebook:

G and the girls

A and her best friend, Ada, from preschool. They are two peas in a pod.

Picnic by the sea

G and A

What do you call these? They were flying up and down the seaside.

We finally hung pictures, in a skyline style, a nod to our urban lifestyle. 

They don't celebrate Halloween here yet I saw this kid dressed
in a Buzz Lightyear costume out in public today.
Pretty brave of him and indulgent of his mother.
And so cute.

Edit: When I said Britney Spears music videos in bars, I didn't mean that I frequent them. :-) There are bars that open out onto the street and you can see the interior from the outside. It's hard to miss those giant flat-screen TVs. 

Lately

The last time I had a comprehensive update was April so we're due for one now that it's nearly the end of September.

Work: After a month of maternity leave, I returned back to language. Only now, it's mostly just 2-hour tutoring sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with my language teacher and nothing else. I don't study, review, work on projects, keep up my sign language journal, upload video after video to be evaluated, etc. I'm trying to settle into a routine of work and baby. I am learning, sometimes well and sometimes nearly having a meltdown, how to juggle Darcy and concentrate on language during each tutoring session, even resorting to holding my video camera with one hand and feeding Darcy in my other arm. My teacher laughs at me. As for G, he is now taking Tkish (verbal language) for the next three months so that will help a lot. He is enjoying it. He also has found a tutor for the sign language, too. That's huge since he has been without one since March. 

Culture: The previous post before this one was about the baby myths and culture clash that I've run into. Read that.

A: She keeps us busy, laughing, and frustrated all at the same time. She's challenging and absolutely endearing. Her preschool went into play mode all summer and now it's back in session so she'll be learning. I love her preschool. She is learning to draw lines from object to object, tracing, and draw a line in a maze, all in this workbook that her Nonna gave her. I've decided that she's a warrior princess because she is so girly yet plays like a boy. She would be that girl in a tiara and princess costume streaked with grass stains, running and out-climbing boys. She would have a dainty tea party and turn around to play monsters. She'd color sweetly in her Color Wonder princess book and then go build "scary robots" out of Legos with her friend Owen who would be building a landscape (this one happened today). I love this mixture in her. My hope is that she will continue to be girly and also be athletic because I think playing sports is a great teacher in confidence, teamwork, perseverance, and self-discipline. A will always be my wonder child because she is the first to do everything and I will always be admiring her as I watch her develop before my eyes. 

DB: She is so sweet. She's 7 weeks old and has kept me very busy. She's been a great night sleeper once she got her days and nights straightened out and started sleeping 8 hours straight at 4-5 weeks (I think it's because of her weight). Her daytime naps are improving. Now that she's past the 6-week hump of newborn fussiness, she has become very laid-back and happy. I just love her. I am definitely eating up every cuddly minute I have because I know what is coming...she will grow up and away from me.

Hearth and Home: 

• It's messy, ha! G does a great job in helping me keep the house in order and he has been very helpful in every other way. I'm having trouble getting in a new routine of keeping the house in running order but I think since DB is starting to fall into a more predictable routine, I can develop a routine again. 
• After a year of living here, we still have nothing on the walls. We keep talking about hanging the pictures but somehow, it never happens. I've been meaning to sew up curtains for Ava's room but that hasn't happened either. 
• I normally try to decorate a little for the fall season and later on, the holidays (wreaths, pumpkin spice candles, etc), but I haven't had any interest this time. Maybe I'll make cookies celebrating fall and I'll be on the lookout for pumpkins later. I love pumpkin madly. 

Free Time: What free time? Ha! While I was on a month-long maternity leave, constantly nursing, changing diapers, wiping spit-up, soothing DB to sleep, I was pretty much chained to one spot on the couch. It was hard to get much done. As I sat and nursed, I watched a lot of TV shows on Netflix and Hulu. I remember doing the same thing with A. My maternity leave ended three weeks ago and I stay pretty busy but I'm always forced to stop and sit down to nurse so I don't mind taking a few minutes to relax. I don't watch Hulu and Netflix while nursing anymore. I managed to get about four hours of alone time to myself out of the house at Starbucks last week on a cold, rainy day which was perfect for snuggling up with a book, the Word, iPod nano, and my journal. Of course, decaf coffee. I'd been cooped up for four days straight prior to my Starbucks escape. I don't see my date with a cup of coffee and a book as free time as much as I see it as necessary for survival and for being a good mom. Anyway, I have not stopped reading, even if it has taken me all summer to read thirty chapters in a single book (Future Grace by J. Piper). I have read two books by John Irving (A Prayer For Owen Meany and Cider House Rules) and I'm slowly working through The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. The fiction books are actual paperbacks (after reading on the Kindle for over a year and half) that our friends brought us from the States back in June.  

Upcoming Holidays: Thanksgiving is a long way off. Yes, I intentionally skipped over Halloween because it's not really a family holiday and it's definitely not a holiday here so it doesn't count in my book. 

Weather: After a hot summer, the cool weather we've been having is a big welcome. I actually got chilly sleeping under just a sheet last night. Pretty soon, we can pull out our bedspread from storage (we were sleeping with either nothing or a sheet covering us so it was pointless to keep a bedspread around) and sleep comfortably. I think hot weather is gone for good. 

Visitors: We recently had G's parents come for a visit and we loved seeing them. We hadn't seen G's dad for a year and half and his mom only once in the same time frame. It was great fun seeing them and they were a big help in keeping A busy and soothing DB. G and I even got to go on a couple of dates. My mom is coming in a week, also a year since we last saw her. I've enjoyed having family visit. We also have a friend coming to visit with us in late October on his way to the conference. A couple of co-workers (working with the Deaf) will visit us after a conference in a nearby city in December. 

Maybe the next comprehensive update will be around the holidays.

Baby Myths and Cultural Clash

I might have mentioned in a previous post about the myths surrounding pregnancy and the unsound advice I encountered while pregnant. It doesn't stop here; it continues surrounding the baby.

For instance, DB has a strawberry birthmark on her upper right arm. No one knows what causes these strawberry marks but they are a tight cluster of blood vessels. The myth here is that birthmarks are caused by something the mother stole and ate or smelled while pregnant. I asked what it was that I'd supposedly stolen and eaten but they did not know; it is unique to each pregnant woman.

Here's another example:

My language teacher, H, came to meet DB when she was a week old. H pinned this gold coin (I'm not sure it's real - maybe just symbolic) to DB's shirt and said it will keep away jaundice. I'm not sure if that's a common belief here surrounding the coin but I do know it is a typical gift to a newborn and the parents can convert the coin into cash for whatever baby needs.

Below is a picture I am throwing in, even though it has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Language teacher and her husband - love them.

My language teacher asked me if I kept DB's umbilical cord after it fell off. I didn't. She said I should have because I could take it to an university that I want her to go to and surreptitiously throw it over the fence onto their property. That will ensure DB's acceptance to the university one day.

Babies are considered angels. I was feeding DB and my guests were getting ready to leave. I made as if I was going to get up and they fussed at me and told me to stay put because DB is an angel. I don't know if that meant that I needed to handle DB in some especial way.

Every time they ooohed and ahhed over the baby, they say "mas'allah" and spit twice. Not literally on the baby. They do this to keep jealous spirits or evil eye from harming the baby. Or at least, that's my understanding. "Mas'allah" means "as God wills."

They also seem to think the slightest breeze that runs over the baby will get her sick. The first two weeks of DB's life were very hot and I had the AC running and DB was covered with a blanket. The guests I was hosting scolded us for having the AC running. I obliged and turned it off and just patiently roasted in my own apartment until my guests left and I could turn it back on. They commented that DB's skin had become red and I politely pointed out that she turns red when she is hot and that's why we run the AC. I also said American babies like it cool (wink) and they seem to accept that. They wouldn't have accepted my more logical explanation that babies adjust and become used to whatever temperature you keep.

Since then, the weather has cooled down enough that I don't need the AC anymore and open windows suffice to keep cool. Today, I was admonished for having various windows open because the baby might get sick (I just can't win). They also said the reason behind her spitting up is the lovely breeze running through the apartment (huh?). They were concerned about which windows were open and had me shut one and leave the others. I didn't understand the logic behind that and didn't bother asking.

The same guest I hosted today immediately told me after coming into my apartment that I was holding my baby wrong. That got my hackles up. The three times that I've had nationals in my home since DB was born a month ago were full of advice and scolding concerning the baby (and her big sister on occasion), such as how I was holding her, how often I should feed her (every time DB made a peep or fussed, they said I needed to feed her, regardless that I'd just fed her half hour before), how she should be laying, where to set her down in the living room (out of the way, out of the breeze, away from anything that might fall on her during an earthquake), how often she needed to be bathed, how I should put her down to sleep, etc.

Wouldn't that drive you insane? It's driving me nuts because my culture is clashing with theirs. I have to accept that this is their culture. It's okay to advise, scold, and boss each other to death concerning childcare and probably everything else. I could do it also and they wouldn't bat an eye. This is a family- and group-oriented culture, the complete opposite of our individualistic, independent culture of America. In America, no mother would put up with another mother telling her how to raise her children. Most of us will tactfully keep quiet and avoid meddling in other people's business.

I was told the two ways to respond are a) "my mother taught me" and b) "this is how we do it in America."

Why response A works: this culture places a big premium on mothers. From what I have observed and heard, mothers are the ones who rear their children, pass down cultural norms, and basically educate their children. Every child grows up believing everything his mother said. If a mother told her child that indoor plants in a room suck the oxygen out and the child grows up and learns in biology class that plants actually create oxygen as a byproduct through photosynthesis, he will still believe his mother over his education. A friend of mine who earned his MBA here said his professor bemoaned the fact that the biggest thing holding this country back is the mothers because they continue to perpetuate myths and beliefs that can keep people in a grip of irrational fear and ignorance. So, if I say that my mother taught me, they respect that and leave me alone.

Why response B works: they understand things are done differently in other cultures and usually accept that fact. I submit to their culture in many ways, but there are things I won't budge on (like parenting) and will use this response.

So, I will have some tough navigation ahead. Even with the unsound advice, scolding, and myths driving me crazy, I will need to maintain a delicate balance of grace and respect without giving up my parenting philosophy and without alienating the people that I came to build relationships with.

Well Done

I'm frequently immobile throughout the day when I sit down and nurse little D and now that she's in that stage where her maturing brain is not letting her nap well during the day, I also spend a good deal of the day soothing her to sleep either in my arms or in the bouncy seat where I bounce her with my foot while I do something else. So while nursing or gently bouncing little D to sleep, I usually have a book or my laptop.

This morning, I had already sat down and started nursing little D when I felt ready to have my time with the Father but didn't have the Good Book next to me. I did have my laptop so I went to a website I frequently go to for Sunday morning "lectures", if you catch my drift, articles, devotions, and anything I can learn from or be encouraged. I recently started reading short biographies on this website and today, I selected this famous man who lived and then died at the age of 29 in the 1700s, working among the Indians in the New England area. His diaries were published posthumously (which makes me cringe to think of all the diaries I have written in - hope they don't ever get published!) and became such an encouragement to people afterwards that this book, published in the 1700s, have never gone out of print.

The person to whom the website belongs enumerated reasons why the life of this man who died at 29 years old was such an encouragement to many people for two centuries. Two centuries. Amazing. As I read through them, I was encouraged myself. The young man endured a lot of hardships and a good deal of them was related to his health. He had tuberculosis and suffered with it for 9 years until his death. Through all the poor health, wracking coughs and pain, and other trials, he kept working among the Indians faithfully.

One particular hardship that this man struggled with encouraged me. He frequently felt tremendous compassion and love for the Indians he worked to reach with the Good News. He also frequently felt lack of compassion and ardency for the lost state of their souls and even dreaded speaking to the Indians as he went out to them and he expressed guilt about it. I definitely relate to this, especially the guilt. It's this particular struggle, among others, that has caused me to wonder many times why the Father called me to come here. I felt as if this struggle was an indication that I should not be here, that I should be sent home in shame.

I was suddenly reminded this morning of the parable LJC told of the talents. Three servants were entrusted with talents by their master who was leaving on a long journey. Two obeyed his command concerning the talents; one did not. When the master returned, his response to the two obedient servants were: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The master praised their obedience - not whether they felt like being obedient.

This great man remained faithful and obedient until he died. Furthermore, this great man that everyone admires was a normal man who, besides the trials, had normal struggles with periods of discouragement, depression, spiritual dryness, lack of ardency for the lost, etc and yet the Father called this man to the Indians. LJC calls the imperfect, ordinary, weak people. Now I don't feel so bad....

So, it doesn't matter that I don't feel good enough and that I don't always feel compassion, love, and utmost concern for the lost people I am called to; my flesh is weak and my tender Father knows. What matters is that I am faithful to obey my calling in spite of it. I can approach the throne with confidence and ask for abundant gr@ce and energy to do what I am called to do each day and receive more than enough. When I come face to face with LJC one day, I want to hear from him:

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Darcy Brynn

I posted about Darcy's birth on the girls' blog if you're interested in reading about the labor and delivery: (click here)  or
copy and paste the following: http://kidrobinett.blogspot.com/2012/08/darcy-brynns-birth.html

This Is How We Roll

We're totally rocking this funny little foreign car. It's a Fiat Doblo, assigned to us by our company, a stick shift and drives like a van. Note the hubcap - it's the only one left on the entire car. I know I lost one hubcap side-swiping a car. We used to share this car with another family who has lost a hubcap or two.

It's madness driving in this densely populated city that suffers from terrible congestion in their streets and highways. For example, it took us 2 hours to drive 20 miles from the airport to our house today. Google Maps will tell you that it should take you 29 minutes to drive that 20-mile route from the airport. HA! Why did it take us 2 hours? There are a lot of bottlenecks on that route and too many people driving.

Here, drivers do not drive in an orderly way and they cut each other off constantly. Horns blare all the time. There are millions of one-way streets and the city isn't planned very well at all. It can be bewildering. I sideswiped a car and lost the hubcap because I was driving on a very narrow cobblestone street with both sides jammed with parallel-parked cars. I don't like driving here and don't drive very far - just in my municipality (friends' houses, grocery store, park, etc). G loves driving here because it's challenging and he drives with one hand on the horn perpetually.

Definitely experiencing city life....

Still Waiting

Yep, Baby Baby hasn't made her appearance yet. I still have about 5 days to go until the due date. My OB thinks the baby won't come until the due date or after. We'll just have to wait and see. If I end up having to be induced, so be it...just not on my birthday.

I'm still in language and we've been getting ready for the baby. We cleaned the house of all the dirt that blew in from open windows, set up the baby's bed, washed baby clothes and put them away, stocking up the kitchen with food, packed my hospital bag and A's overnight bag, tying up miscellaneous loose ends. I remember having all of this done long before A was born but this time, it wasn't until my 38th week that we got to work getting ready for this baby. 

I've also been busy making freezer meals this week and they should be enough to last about two weeks. We have a few families who will bring meals the first week after the baby is born but I really wanted an extended time of ready-made meals. There is nothing that I hate more than staring at the refrigerator and the pantry, trying to think of what to make, especially when cooking isn't my favoritest thing to do. I'll already be unmotivated as it is...

Speaking of freezer meals, I still have banana bread and chocolate zucchini muffins to bake and freeze for breakfast. I might have a muffin or two before putting the rest in the freezer. :-) 

I better get started...

Klima

It's been really hot here. Some days the temperatures are in the 90s but I suspect the heat index is higher with the humidity and the stored heat radiating from concrete and asphalt. I don't remember last summer being this hot. We kept our windows open and had a constant breeze running through the apartment. It was still overly warm but bearable. The downside with open windows and nice breezes is the dirt coming in and covering everything. This summer, the breezes have not been running through the apartment as much so it turns into an oven. Sometimes even when we did get some breezes, they felt like they were coming out of the furnace that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in. It gets hot enough (in the kitchen) that the peanut butter is runnier, A's gummy vitamins are almost melting, and even the chocolate G brought home this afternoon for A (after being gone for 4 days, he wanted to treat her) melted within minutes of sitting on the counter.

As I write this, we're getting a klima installed in our bedroom. A klima is an AC unit, similar to the AC window unit in America. It does the same thing but looks different. A klima has two separate units: one outside unit that is attached to the wall outside a window, which is connected through a drilled hole in the wall to an inside unit that is hung high up on the wall against the ceiling. We can take this klima wherever we move.

We have a klima in the salon (as they call the living rooms here). It was already there when we moved in the apartment so that was nice. This klima we definitely cannot take if we move. It's wonderful to sit in the air-conditioned salon but the klima doesn't cool the rest of the apartment. Poor G and A sleep drenched in sweat in spite of the overhead fans in their respective rooms. I have been sleeping on the couch in the salon for back support and for the AC. I still get hot and sweat in my sleep when the AC shuts off periodically.

I feel like a pansy for getting a klima, when I have friends who don't have one. Some of them were telling me that they take several cool showers and even get up during the night to take one. Some are fortunate enough to live high up on a hill where they get fresh breezes (in other words, no dirt are blown in) and sleep on their balconies. My language teacher tells me she sleeps on the floor occasionally because it's cooler. I think it's worse in India. I've had friends living there tell me that they put the bedsheets in the fridge and put them on the bed at night at an effort to cool down enough to sleep.

So, yes, I may be a pansy but I've had my fair share of suffering from the heat while growing up in Florida. I've experienced heat exhaustion and passed out briefly. I've also nearly thrown up from the heat. I remember playing soccer in summer league, in 90+ heat, and then heading straight for the sinkhole to swim and cool off after a game every Saturday morning. I worked an entire summer outdoors for 40 hours a week in jeans and boots.

Anyway, I'm thankful for the klima, especially in the last days of pregnancy. I'm thankful that I can shut the windows and not have to clean up the dirt covering everything, especially since I'll be too tired from lack of sleep to clean up much when the baby's born. I'm thankful that my tiny 2-day-old newborn, soon after coming out of the pristine environment of the womb, won't be breathing in smog and dirt while she sleeps in our room.

I have 15 days left til the due date but I really need to stop counting down because it could be sooner or later. These days, I'm sleeping less and less. I don't know how one can be so tired and still be unable to sleep. I can't even nap anymore. Somehow I function okay during the day. It's probably by the grace of the Father.

I'm still very excited about the baby coming soon...

Random Acts of Kindness

We have a "charge card" for public transportation where we load money into it and use up the money as we flash the card on a little machine perched next to the driver after boarding the bus. The machine chirps and different colors flash indicating different things along with the remaining balance on your card - green ("your fare has been charged now git"), blue ("oh, free ride 'cause you're a student or disabled"), and red ("you ain't got no money on yo' card, get off!").

A couple of days ago, I borrowed G's "charge card" to take the bus and meet the summer volunteer on our team and we were going to meet someone together. I'd lent my "charge card" to someone and forgot to get it back so that's why I filched G's card. No matter. I got on the bus and flashed my card to the little fare eater machine. It flashed red. The card "ain't got no money." Before I could hop off and figure out what to do, the driver had already shut the door and started rolling.

There I was, getting a free ride. I stood there right next to the driver, wondering what to do. I couldn't just slink off and hope the driver says nothing. Integrity is at stake and my conscience would kill me. I pulled out the card from my wallet (you can scan through wallets and not have to whip them out - awesome, no?) and scanned it again, hoping it was a mistake. It flashed red and showed a balance of .47 lira. A fare usually costs roughly about 2 lira or so. Yep, no money on the card. And I most definitely informed G of this when I eventually got home.

I held up the card at the driver and said, "yok," (one of the, oh...five words I know in Turkish) indicating the card was empty. We were approaching the next stop and the bus was slowing down. I made a move to get off the bus but he waved me aside, which I interpreted as "go sit down." Right at the moment, someone tapped me on the shoulder and insisted that I sit down (I think my belly is big enough to alarm people) and exactly at the same moment, a man came out of the hot interior of the bus and scanned his card for me.

I sat down, chagrined. I thought, "Hey, I do have the fare in coins. I'll just go pay that guy." The passenger across the aisle saw me digging the coins out and he gave me the characteristic facial expression particular to this culture, which I understood to mean, "don't worry about it."

I was stubborn. I have trouble with people paying for me, especially strangers. I tried to pay the guy and I could tell I offended him. I pocketed the money, thanked him, and went back to my seat.

Acts of kindness from the driver, a random stranger who paid my fare, and the person who gave up his seat for me. I'll never see them again in a city of 16 million.

I got off the bus and met with our volunteer, who I will call "J." She's a sweet girl. I told her about what happened, slapping my forehead about it. I'd felt like a doofus for not having money on my card. Wait, it was G's card. Blame the husband.

We went on our errand together which brought no result. I was a bit deflated because we'd tried to find this person before and didn't have luck then either. So, J and I went to Starbucks.

I ordered a giant (I forget the Starbucks lingo...tall, grande, something?) mango smoothie. Oh, my. It was perfect for a hot day. I gave my debit card to the cashier and it didn't work. It's really annoying because our debit cards don't work with certain locations and it mainly depends on the bank the business uses. I tried to tell the cashier to use a different swiper machine thingie with a different bank but J offered to pay for my and her smoothies. Of course, I protested and of course, she refused to let me pay her back.

Another act of kindness. Wait, I'm not done yet. I've got one more.

So, we chatted and finished our tall-grande-something mango smoothies and it was time to go home. I'd forgotten that I needed to load up the "charge card" to get home. I wasn't sure where the closest ATM was and so I decided not to bother and just walk home instead. J insisted on putting me on the bus, using her "charge card."

J teased me saying it was my day to be pampered and paid for! :-)

Fourth of July

We, along with three other families in our small group and a group of student volunteers, celebrated the Fourth of July on a secluded beach on the Black Sea. I wouldn't say that we celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence exactly, but we made up our own festivities with swimming, cooking out, exploring, and s'mores over a bonfire. No fireworks, no patriotic songs, no BBQ pork, no red-white-blue decorations, etc. It was more like an excuse to have a party on the beach :-) For G and I, I doubt that we'd even notice it was a holiday if someone hadn't gotten the idea to go to the beach for the afternoon and watch the sunset with s'mores over a bonfire.

The beach we went to was similar to the one we went to at Easter (see post here). The water was clear, shimmering blue and green in the sun, and the calm waves were very nice. I especially enjoyed swimming, which gave such a buoyant relief from my big belly. I vote the sea to be better than the pool for prenatal swimming. A had a blast swimming, playing in the sand with other kids, floating on the raft, and enjoying her very first s'more. She was one tired, salty, sandy little girl when we finally went home after the sun set at 8:45 pm. G had fun, too.

All in all, it was a good Fourth, even though it didn't feel like the Fourth. It occurred to me as I type this that it could be years before A experiences a genuine Fourth of July celebration in the States with fireworks, parades, horseshoe/cornhole games, BBQ pork, thick layers of bug spray, watermelon seed spitting contests, in-your-face red-white-blue decorations everywhere, etc.

Sunset on the Black Sea: love the shades of purple

I hope you all had a good Fourth. 

These Days...

We're slowing down a bit and returning to some semblance of our normal routine: busy, but not overwhelmingly so. I've talked about slowing down for the last few weeks of pregnancy but I was talking in terms of planning my schedule and not overcommitting myself. I'm just slowing down just in the normal, day-to-day stuff since I have little energy these days and the heat is draining as it is. I'm not doing as many chores or focusing very well on my language work without nodding off. I hardly cook anymore because who wants to cook in a hot kitchen with no central AC? Baking is definitely out. I don't need to have a bun in the oven and be in an oven myself. I'm napping again; that second trimester of boundless energy and nonexistent naps is now a distant dream. My feet and ankles are starting to swell slightly. G has been good with picking up the slack, just like he was when I was in my first trimester and useless. 

37 days until my due date. Yes, I am counting down. I try to keep my mind off and I try not to complain but it's hard to avoid noticing the lack of energy and struggling through it. Well, one day at a time.

On to other things... 

We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on Saturday. G made me a rare treat: GF pancakes and even served them on a tray. Very sweet man. We intended to go out that night for Mexican but collapsed at home after taking A for a haircut. We nixed the Mexican food plan and I think we watched a movie instead. 

A has had constipation issues for 8 months and frequent bladder infections in the last two months. It's heart wrenching for my little mommy heart. I don't really want to go into specifics of what she's been experiencing. I asked A's pediatrician to have her tested for celiac, fully expecting it to be ruled out, and her blood test showed positive for antibodies specific to celiac. I was a bit surprised, but at the same time, I was not since celiac is genetic. According to the doctor we consulted with back in the States, the celiac panel was incomplete and she recommended an upper endoscopy biopsy, which is viewed at the gold standard in diagnosing celiac disease. For now, that is where we are. 

So, the pregnancy, impending birth, and A's medical woes are all that's on my mind lately. I will update on A's condition as I get information.

Celebrate Teeth

Yesterday, our family and the two volunteers helping us went to a cultural celebration for my language teacher's grandbaby. It was a celebration of baby's upper front teeth breaking through. I'll just tell you what we saw and then maybe I can give a brief explanation from what I found on the internet.

The party was small and laid-back. When it was time, the parents and grandparents propped up the 8-month-old baby on the floor with a blanket underneath. They covered the baby with a sheer cloth (I think it was like a decorative tablecloth or a big square scarf) and one grandmother poured what looked like cooked and cooled barley over the baby's head. They smiled and clapped and then quickly cleaned it up. A few minutes later, they brought in a tray full of toys and objects and spread them in front of the baby. We watched with anticipation which object the baby will pick up. It turned out to be an antique camera. Everyone cheered, laughed, and chattered. Afterwards, they brought out food for everyone to eat and the main traditional dish was barley (or whole wheat?) with chickpeas and some candy that looked like jelly beans.

Does that make any sense?

It is believed (and I think it may possibly just be tradition now, not belief) that if this ceremony isn't held when the baby gets its first tooth, the baby will have a tough time teething. The ceremony is to bless the baby with good health and fortune.

So, why wheat? Wheat is significant in this ceremony and especially in Turkish culture overall because bread is such a basic, vital food for survival.  Hence the word "breadwinner." Bread is an enormous part of the diet here and imagine their horror and looks of sympathy when I tell folks here that I cannot eat wheat. It's not just that they love bread and are accustomed to bread being part of every single meal of the day; I think it would kill a Turk not to be able to eat bread as it's part of their identity, culture, and heritage.  Anyway, wheat symbolizes life because they believe wheat was the first food to be processed into food and it helped human life to flourish. Thus, wheat is important for survival just as teeth are important for eating and survival. Teeth helps a human to flourish; wheat helps human life to flourish. Wheat has a lot of symbolism like fertility, love, charity, etc. I think it may also play a role in wedding ceremonies here.

As for the objects on the tray for the baby to pick from, they represent different occupations that the baby might grow up to work in. A plane might represent pilot, camera a photographer, toy piano a musician, scissors a tailor, phone a secretary, toy computer a programmer, ruler an engineer, etc. Yesterday, the father was especially pleased his baby picked the antique camera. I was told photography was an enthusiasm of his.

The traditional food served to guests usually have wheat in it (whole, hulled wheat, pastries, cake, etc) and if everyone eats a helping from each dish, it'll help the baby's teeth to grow strong. I didn't eat the wheat dishes but I think the baby's teeth will be okay regardless.

Life On Speed

I have about 7 weeks left until my due date and I'm feeling the effects of the pregnancy. Life hasn't slowed down at all since vacation. If anything, it has sped up. I keep trying to pace myself so I wouldn't get so wiped out, but sometimes it's impossible not to get caught up in things, to make commitments, to keep plowing on. Of course, our work never stops.

The Monday night after we came back from vacation, I was given a baby shower. I am thankful for the sweet ladies who came and blessed us with gifts to prepare for the baby's arrival.

We have a couple who came to help us out with our work for a couple of months. They're a great couple and doing a great job. We're glad they're here. Besides showing them around and introducing them to people, we took them with us to a place outside of the city with my language teacher and her husband. My language teacher was born and raised there and she had promised to take me there. I was eager because she has told me so many stories. I have to tell you that the area is beeeeyoutiful!! It took us two hours to get there by bus and then ferry. We walked along the sea in such beautiful, breezy weather with mountains towering in the distance, and then took a minibus to her tiny village, just 15 minutes away.

Her tiny, picturesque village is nestled in a gorgeous forest full of enormous cedars and pines on the side of a mountain with a small, shining lake in a narrow valley nearby. It is famous for the hot springs and many from all over the region come there to ease their aches and pains. I have never seen such a true-blue village with cute little inns, cobblestone roads, flowers blooming everywhere, friendly people smiling and waving. The weather there was so cool with the breezes coming down the mountains and the trees keeping everything cool.

We saw the hot springs and heard a legend surrounding it. The story goes like this: hundred years ago, a blind person (I heard man and I heard woman so I don't know which) came to the hot springs, felt the water for the first time, began to splash the water on his face and rubbing his eyes. Then as he walked away, his sight was restored. Thus, many people (including my language teacher) believe the water special powers. If you wanted to get married or get pregnant, you came here to secure your luck. If your stomach hurt or if you had other ailments, you came here to get healed. The history surrounding the hot springs date back to the Roman Empire when the Romans were controlling the region. The Romans developed baths on the hot springs and apparently, the buildings we saw were built by the Romans and still standing. I'm skeptical about that, though. I'm not sure the buildings we saw were 2,000 years old because they were in perfect condition. It could've been that the village kept the buildings up and reinforced them over the years.

My language teacher is very well-known there as she spent her whole life there. We stopped and visited with her relatives, enjoying the shade from trees laden with fruit and drinking whatever they served us. She is probably related to half of the village; she has so many cousins living there. Some of her relatives are Deaf so many of other other relatives know sign language. It was amazing to visit with such sweet, hospitable people and life there is definitely a lot slower and relaxed, away from the frenetic pace of the city.

On Saturday, I got to spend time with a dear friend from the States who was passing through and stopped over in Istanbul to sightsee and see me. There's nothing like a visit with a good friend you haven't seen in a long while. Today, G is currently picking up other friends at the airport. They are his old coworker from G's architecture firm and his wife. They will be staying with us for a few days and we're really looking forward to spending time with them. They are bringing a suitcase full of requested items, treats, and presents for the baby from G's old office :-) So thankful for everyone's generosity!

I guess I'm starting to count down the weeks and days til Baby Baby comes. I'm getting more weary from carrying the extra load, especially since I walk everywhere. Yesterday, I was pushing A in the stroller up and down some hills (on sidewalks paved with stones so it's not as smooth as concrete sidewalks) and my destination had a long steep hill leading up to it. I made it up but was sweating and winded from pushing A, the extra baby weight, and the heat. I made it inside the building, A took off to mingle with the other kids, and when I took the stairs down into the basement, the most horrible leg cramps seized my calves. It took a while to massage the cramps out and it left me sore for the rest of the day and even this morning, the soreness is still lingering. I never had leg cramps with A and even the leg cramps I did get in this pregnancy were mostly at night and always quickly eased within seconds.

So, the weariness, leg cramps, and the uncomfortable nights are making me start counting down to my due date. I still cherish the time I have left to carry Baby Baby because she's all mine and is always with me...until she is born and I have to share her and watch her grow up and away from me.

Okay, I'm done with that bit of sentimentality. I'm looking forward to a great week ahead with friends and great weather. I hope your week goes well!