Children's Day

Yesterday was a big holiday. It was Sovereignty and Children's Day. I've pulled some tidbits of information from various websites for a quick summary of this holiday. Turkey was previously Ottoman Empire and went to war to gain independence from occupation. It was April 23, 1920 when they laid down the foundations of an "independent, secular, modern republic." Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, "dedicated sovereignty day to the children and entrusted in the hands of the youth the protection of this sovereignty and independence." They do a big celebration every year.

Aside from this celebration, there is a pilgrimage on Children's Day every year. I am not sure why it's on Children's Day or even if they are related. Thousands (I've heard anywhere between 20,000 to 50,000) pilgrims travel from Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, etc to make the trip to the island and up a big hill (small mountain?) to a Greek monastery perched at the top. The island is a 30-min ferry ride away the city. There are no motor vehicles allowed on the island and residents and tourists travel by foot, bike, or horse and carriage.

This pilgrimage has some traditions entwined into it. Pilgrims run spools of thread starting at the bottom of the hill that monastery is perched on, all the way up the monastery itself. Why? No one knows. Maybe people think it brings them good luck. People also buy different colored candles (each color represent something you need prayer for like house, destiny, marriage, children, protection, etc) to light up at the monastery. They go there to pray for whatever they want/need - protection, healing, etc. And it isn't just the Greek Orthodox believers that go - there are also Muslims and people of other faiths. We saw a great many foreigners there. In addition to candles and threads, we also saw people buying small boxes of cubed sugar to pass out for free. Why? Maybe it's to curry favor from the Supreme Being above. We also saw cheap pins, coins, rings tied with different color ribbons representing the same things as the candles for sale. I'm not sure what they do those. Other things we saw were small piles of rocks on top of a rock wall leading up to the monastery which was also covered with candles. We saw strips of cloth tied on branches and trees for...good luck?

My language teacher makes this pilgrimage every year. She invited myself, G, and A to go with her, her husband, and two friends. On this perfectly gorgeous day, our little band met at the ferry and took it across to the island. Getting off the ferry, we were instantly met with an immense crowd. We got into line to wait for a horse and carriage to ride up to the top -- it ended up being a hour and half wait in the bright sunshine. The long wait and the jostling crowd began testing our patience a bit. We finally got onto a horse and carriage and enjoyed a ride through the picturesque island to the bottom of a big hill where the monastery was. We were met again with a crowd when we got out of the carriage.

We pushed A in a stroller up the rough, cobblestone road (it was ROUGH) amid the crowd coming down and the crowd going up. It was getting hot and our patience was wearing thinner and thinner. It felt like a mile up the hill. Poor A was such a trooper the entire day, hardly fussing except when she was bored with waiting or when she wanted out of the stroller. Even then, it was minimal. Then she was jostled up the road in a stroller, which was probably an uncomfortable ride. The stroller kept getting snagged in the millions of threads laid down by pilgrims. We were getting tangled in them and were snapping the threads to release ourselves.

By the time we made it to the top, the crowds outside the monastery were so dense that we didn't think we could get through to the monastery itself with the stroller. It was past A's nap time and she hadn't been to the potty yet. I was allowing for some irritability from fatigue (even though she was doing amazingly well) but I knew forcing her to endure the heat in a crowd, standing stock-still, waiting just to see a building would be too hard on her. We decided to part ways with our national friends and head back down the hill. By the time we arrived at the bottom and broke free of the crowds, we enjoyed the island breezes, the surroundings, and the sunshine. A enjoyed seeing all the horses. We walked the rest of the way down the island to the ferry. We didn't know the ferry made stops at all the islands on the way back to mainland so it was an hour-long ferry ride. Not a bad ending to a long day.

Despite the crowds, we enjoyed the island. It is beautiful with the surrounding sea, pine trees, old-fashioned houses, scenic overlooks, etc. We would love to return to the island on a normal day (in other words, without the crowds) and explore.

On the ferry to the island

My language teacher's husband on right, his friend on left - hilarious guys

My sweet language teacher

Morning boat out to sea

Rusted bike

Fun ride

Note how crowded it is 

Love the rich detailing

Horse/carriage and biking

Road up the hill to monastery, covered in threads

Found a break in the crowd to snap the threads on the ground

Scenic view of seagull and neighboring island

One of the many neat houses with Ottoman era architecture

Ferry stop at another island; a mosque by the sea

(If you are currently on the blog website itself, you can click on a picture and get a slideshow of the pictures in the post, with a bigger and better view of the pictures.)

Tulip Festival

It's Tulip Festival in the city right now. It's not a gathering with food, music, vendors, etc. It just means that tulips are blooming everywhere. There are several city parks that have tulips on display and even one park, on the other side of the water from us, has quite extensively designed gardens of tulips. I have mentioned that I love tulips on this blog and was looking forward to seeing them this spring.

On Saturday morning, G and I dropped A off for a playdate (thanks for watching her, dear friends!) and headed to a smaller park that borders the Bosphorous River. There were enormous tulips in bloom and some tulips weren't blooming quite yet. It was a smaller display of tulips than I'd expected but I hope to make it to the other side to that park with more extensive gardens of tulips next weekend. Nevertheless, the park was gorgeous, woodsy and natural that you could easily forget that you were smack dab in the middle of a gigantic, densely crowded city. It also had a couple of scenic views of the river with benches. I admired the tulips, G snapped pictures, and we enjoyed an early lunch in the park before picking up A and taking her home for her nap. It was fortunate because it started raining on our way home.

Some pictures of tulips:

Some other pictures:

There were other varieties of flowers

Park's scenic overlook of the river and city

There were clusters of them, never solitary

The city is home to millions upon millions of stray cats

Easter: A First

Testing the water

Easter this year was our first in two ways: our first in this country and first at a beach. Our small group took outdoor grills, meat, side dishes, and desserts for a potluck picnic to the beach in a long caravan of cars. The beach was about an hour away on the Black Sea. It was quiet and we had the beach to ourselves. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - sunny and warm with a strong, cool wind. The water was bitterly cold and no one could keep their feet in the water for more than a few seconds without pain setting in. It didn't deter A from wading in and out all day long.

One end of the beach, fun rocks with little pools to explore

Exploring

Grilling out: hamburgers, kebabs, BBQ chicken, etc

D on left, tossing a frisbee in high wind, pregnant and awkward on beach sand

Other end of the beach, rock cliffs

The kids played in the sand, the older ones went climbing and exploring. After the guys were done grilling out, we gathered together to eat and then we had our Easter service, sitting in beach chairs and on blankets. After that, we had an egg hunt for the little kids.

It was weird hiding eggs in sand and rocks - no bushes, grass, leaves, branches...

Egg hunts get more fun as A gets older

A's loot

I'd post cute pictures of the other kids hunting for eggs but I don't feel comfortable doing so without their parents' permission. Not every parent wants their kid's face plastered on the internet, believe it or not.

It was an altogether best day ever. We got away from the city, A had a blast playing and hunting for eggs, the weather was perfect, we hung out with awesome people, we remembered the Son and honored Him, and we were pleasantly pooped by the end of the day. We couldn't have asked for better.

Here's a cool picture to close this post:

Oh, My, My

Would you like some gluten-free lemon-coconut pound loaf (cake)? Why, yes, I would!

Lately

Think it's about time for a good comprehensive update? I did a post with this format below back in November so maybe now's a good time.

Work: Yep, language is still going on strong. We were traveling a lot for work but recently made a decision not to let A travel anymore since we could tell it was stressing her so much. 

Culture: I'll do a pregnancy theme. When I am asked what I am having, I say another girl. They always respond with "Aw, shoot, sorry" and then something like "Allah has willed it." Um, maybe I'm perfectly fine with having another girl? I've had one little old lady admonish me for sitting with my legs crossed. She said it will crush the baby's head. I've been told not to eat chicken skin or it will make my baby hairy. My language teacher gets on to me for walking around barefooted at home - she said the cold floor's bad for the baby. I've been told that if you stare at the love of your life the entire time you're pregnant, the baby will be born looking like him. They hold to some of the same superstitions that Americans have about pregnancy (e.g. don't reach above your head or the umbilical cord will wrap about the baby's neck). They try to guess the gender by looking at my belly button. 

A: She turned three just two days ago. It was a fun, relaxed celebration (www.kidrobinett.blogspot.com) if you want to read about it. She's currently going through a girly phase of wearing several dresses throughout the day, changing outfits like a diva at a concert. It's fun but makes for a mess of clothes to hang back up.

Hearth and Home: 

• I think I'm nesting big time because we've rearranged our living room. The TV cabinet is no longer center but in a nook with two armchairs. We don't have cable or an antenna so we rarely use it except for the occasional movie. A conversation area is in center of the living room with couches, rug, and a chair which we recently acquired from Ikea. It is like a rocking chair that we will use with the baby (and no, we will not be rocking the baby to sleep; I used to rock A to relax her for naptime but never til she fell asleep). It's not a real rocking chair but it kind of sways and bounces. It's incredibly comfortable and we sit in it all the time.  More changes to come in the living room...
• While in the States, I bought an oven thermometer and boy, it has make a difference in my baking. The temperature is off but now I can adjust the control to get what I want. I'm still trying new recipes as always. I recently tried making strawberry cupcakes with real strawberries and icing with real strawberries. Yummy but I will need to tweak the recipe for the cake portion to taste less gluten-free. Currently, a crustless pizza is baking in the oven. The "crust" is made up of cream cheese, parmesan cheese (left over from basil pesto), and eggs. No pizza sauce, but olive oil instead with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and...more cheese. It was incredibly quick and easy to make. I'll be interested to see how it tastes without a real crust. 
• We recently scored a dresser for the baby's room for what amounts to $30. Very happy with that. We may paint it since it's natural, varnished pine but has some signs of wear. Or not. We're tired these days and so overwhelmingly busy. The baby's room (which is also the guest room) will slowly come together in the next four months.

Free Time: I still read at bedtime mostly and am reading The Age of Innocence which took several false starts but I managed to plow through the first couple of boring chapters and it has become interesting. I don't get to sew as much as I would like. G watches Top Gear on the computer which is his favorite TV show. It's a pretty funny British show about cars. Now that warm weather is well on its way, we will be finding more to do with our free weekends. 

Upcoming Holidays: Easter, yay! Easter is my favorite holiday. We will be heading to the beach on Sunday for a potluck picnic, message, and singing with my small group. We will also do an egg hunt. Today, I suddenly started missing Easter candy and wished that I'd asked for someone to send some. G found a chocolate egg at the store today and some brightly wrapped candy for A's Easter basket so it's close enough. We shredded some construction paper for "grass" in her basket. 

Weather: We are very glad that spring has arrived here. Temperatures hover in the 50s and 60s and on sunny days, it feels as warm as 70 degrees. I was so ready for winter to be over with and the bright sunshine is a welcome sight after months of dreary, cloudy, snowy weather. Trees are blooming everywhere and planters around the city are being filled with petunias and tulips.

Visitors: G's parents are coming next week for a week-long visit! 

(Update on the pizza - it was delicious but it basically tasted like a garlicky cheese omelet with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, on top. Next attempt: cauliflower as a pizza crust...)

What A Day

I woke up tired. G was in the kitchen with A, eating breakfast and the coffee was perking. After I had my coffee, I got A ready for preschool. I dressed her, fixed her hair, and when it was time to put on her shoes and coat, she refused to comply. I tried putting her shoes and coat on her but she resisted. So, I disciplined her for refusing to obey my initial command to put them on herself and for resisting when I tried to put them on her myself. Of course, A cried. I calmed her down, explained that she did not obey Mommy and that was why she was disciplined. She accepted the coat and shoes when I put them on her. I wiped her tears, gave her a hug, assured her that I loved her, and then she was out of the door with her daddy to preschool for the day.

I was left with an unpleasant feeling for the next hour. You never want to fight with your spouse just minutes before parting on a sour note. I don't want to do that either with my (nearly) three-year-old. I questioned G when he came home. Was A upset? She was quiet on the way to school. Was she still quiet when you got to school? No, she began smiling and talking. She was happy.

Then I burst into tears (thanks, pregnancy hormones). I regretted disciplining her just minutes before parting with her, even though I'd tried reconciling and parting on a better note. What a bad way to say goodbye and to start your day! I had to fight the urge to rush and pull her out of preschool and just smother her with love all day.

So, this may be bad parenting but I resolved never to discipline just before parting for the day. I can still be firm but swatting her bottom could've waited. If I must discipline, I would keep A home longer from school to take the time to reconcile, soothe, talk to her, and reestablish peace. It's essential to me that A can leave her mommy feeling secure and confident in her mommy's love.

I tried to have my quiet time but it was useless. I was too emotional to concentrate and could only pr'y for her. I showered and got dressed to go to language tutoring, feeling the energy slowly drain from me. I was so tired. I got my bag ready with my camera, my wallet, my lunch, my language work, etc.

I got on a minibus to go to my language teacher's home. A minibus looks something like this:

In my area, they're usually a sky blue color and the model is usually closer to the green one above. Each minibus is independently owned. They're not owned by government or by a company. A minibus will have a sign with the origin and destination and you can flag one down like a taxi at any point along the road and they will deposit you wherever you want to get off on that route. A minibus will start at the origin (a bus depot) and run a route all the way to its destination (another bus depot). Then the driver will relax, drink tea, eat a meal, and start the same route in reverse. A single route will have several minibuses running it so you will continually see minibuses with the same destination coming along the road every few minutes.

Back to my story. I got on a minibus, paid my fare (usually equivalent of a dollar or slightly less depending on how far you go), and settled in a seat. I had my bag slung across my chest and removed the strap to leave the bag resting between me and the interior wall. It's not a comfortable ride with lousy springs on a bumpy road, stop-and-go traffic, and the bus also stopping and going continually to pick up and drop off passengers. I drowsed a bit along the 30-min ride. I was so tired.

As soon as I saw my stop, I hopped off with another passenger and crossed the road to start walking three or four blocks to my language teacher's house. I spied something that I need for a language project which requires a photo. I reached for my bag. A sickening feeling flooded over me...I left my bag on the minibus. My bag, that I normally left slung across my chest while riding any kind of public transportation, had my wallet and my camera in it.

I froze for a few seconds. I had my cell phone, a fare for another minibus ride, my house keys, and my public transportation pass in my coat pockets. I debated for a second - should I try chasing it down or just give it up? It may be long gone and even if I could catch up with the minibus, it may already be stolen.

Something tenacious and optimistic rose up in me. I knew the Father above could do wonderful things. I couldn't just give it up without trying. I started sprinting down the crowded, busy road after the minibus but it was too far away. Knowing the minibus would eventually reach the depot, I figured I'd hop on another minibus headed to the same depot and search for it at the depot. I sprinted another block before I spotted a minibus. I know I looked strange with my coat flapping open in the breeze and my round belly sticking out as I ran.

I got on the minibus, paid my fare, and was so overwhelmed with emotion that I started asking if anyone on the bus spoke English. No one, of course. I pulled my phone out and texted an American friend who could speak the language. I sent off a nearly incoherent message to her explaining what'd happened and would she talk to the driver for me? She called my phone and I handed it to the driver. He promised to help. I couldn't help myself and I burst into tears - for the second time this morning. The driver gave me a pained look, jabbered at me, and I continued to cry, in spite of all the passengers looking at me. The little old ladies clucked at me and did reassuring motions at me. The driver handed me a couple of tissues and tried to assure me.

On the long ride to the depot, after a session of kicking myself for being so careless, I calmed down and while hoping against hope that someone was trustworthy and turned in my bag, I began to think about the possibility of not recovering my bag and how to get home. I was going to an area that I'd never been to before. I wasn't worried about finding my way back home - we were riding along train tracks (which also runs a block from my home) so I knew I could get on a train. I was seeing city buses go by with the number that I knew came through my neighborhood so I had a second option.

When we finally arrived at the busy depot, I began searching each minibus with no luck. My strange behavior was attracting attention from the other drivers and passengers who were disembarking and embarking. The drivers began asking me questions and were flustered when I couldn't speak the language. Other drivers opened their minibuses to let me search them. They clustered around me and it became a long blur of mad texting to my friend, a series of phone calls between her, a driver who took an interest in my plight, and a policeman on my phone, and many conversations swirling around me, at me. The driver made calls on his phone to other drivers with no result. No one had my bag.

I was done and ready to go home. The kind driver who was acting on my behalf put me on his minibus free of charge and started the same route back to my neighborhood. He mimed that we would look for the bag along the way (or at least I think that was what he said) but I knew it wasn't going to happen.

On the way, he stopped at a police car, spoke to a policeman, and motioned me off the minibus. My meeting with the policemen is of no importance with no results and I am only mentioning this because when it was all said and done, the policeman put me on a minibus and paid my fare.

When I got home, it'd been four hours since I first left for my language lesson. I was hungry and my exhaustion, which had disappeared under the adrenaline during the entire ordeal adventure, came back full force. I ate a late lunch and collapsed on the couch for a nap.

Since then, A has come home and our relationship was restored as if this morning never happened. She's happy, sparkling, chattering away a mile a minute. I'm thankful.

And now here I am, chronicling this for posterity so that, while I cringe now at having lost my wallet and camera out of carelessness, I will read this and smile later on. Though someone probably stole my bag, I saw acts of kindness. I am satisfied that I tried my best to get my bag back despite language barriers, instead of wondering whether I could've successfully retrieved my bag and living with regret. I'm thankful for the tenacity and optimism deep down inside, born of hope and belief in the Sovereign One who can do miracles.

(Yes, we've already canceled all debit and credit cards and have taken care of everything. No worries, parents!)