Ball of Fire!

What a day! On Saturday morning Jared went with Matt, Craig and the bankers to Çukurova University to play basketball. We had a great time and hope to make it a weekly event. In the meantime, Jayme and Katie were busy buying material to make curtains. The traditional curtain here is not much more than a thin sheet, quite similar to a shower curtain. However, that doesn't do much to keep out the sun, which is necessary if the summers are as warm as expected. So, needless to say, the store owner found it somewhat confusing when Jayme insisted on buying upholstery fabric instead of the sheer curtains. The fabric is approximately $3 a meter, so she should be able to cover the windows for next to nothing.

After ball, Craig and I found the girls at our favorite Saturday restaurant, Hamiyet's Kitchen, where we met her son as he waited on our table. With Craig and I both needing haircuts, we asked the son, who had a sweet do, where he got his done. It just happened to be next door, so we gave it a shot. It was possibly the first time any ladies had set foot into their barber shop, but they didn't seem to mind. It was quite an experience with several laughs as well as a scare or two as we were introduced to the"ball of fire." The "ball of fire" actually resembles a long Q-tip dipped into a flammable liquid, then set on fire. The barber then proceeds to bop you on the side of the head or under the nose, carefully singeing any hairs that don't belong. It's a little scary the first time, but I hear it gets better and might be something we should introduce at home.

Saturday night we had another late night with the neighbors as dinner didn't even start until 8:30. It was an interesting mix as they also invited their Swedish friends who also brought along their Mongolian friend. So here we are, seven friends speaking; Turkish, English, Swedish and Mongolian - with only one couple able to understand all four. We came home more than a little exhausted.