The Final Four

Some of you basketball fans may think this in reference to the NCAA Final Four which tips off later tonight, however, this term is actually referring to the last four episodes of 24 (season 1). Now I can't take credit for this term as my friend C-Love first mentioned it and besides the NCAA has it registered, but it definitely had the build up and excitement that is to be expected of anything with the title, "The Final Four!" and it easily met and exceeding our expectations. First let me say thanks to a few people who helped make this momentous occasion possible; David and Bethany for supplying the international backup discs, as well as our parents and our guests from MS for supplying and delivering the goodies that consisted of Rotel, Butterfingers and brownie mix, (what a healthy dinner.) So after indulging in our American comfort food we settled in for four intense, action-packed hours of Jack Bauer. I won't give anything away for those who have started watching from the beginning, but all I can say is when the 24th hour was completed, we were all in shock and speechless. (How could you do it Yelena!) Thankfully next season is just a disc away.

Iconium, Lystra and Derbe

We just got back from taking our Mississippi visitors to the airport for their trip home. We were so excited to have them here, especially since both of our house guests have long ties with Jared's dad. One taught him in high school and the other was a college classmate. Early Monday morning, Jared got to tag along with the team as they saw three of the stops Paul made on his first journey. The first stop was to modern day Iconium, now known as Konya. Here we visited St. Elena church built in 327AD by Constantine's mother. It is still in pretty good shape for being 1680 years old. After Konya, we headed to Lystra where Paul was run out of the city and stoned. There we explored caves where the early church likely met. Interestingly enough, these caves were also used as houses and in some cases still are today. From Lystra, we made the long trek to Derbe, realizing Paul had a rough journey after being nearly stoned to death. All that is left of Derbe is big mound in the middle of nowhere. All in all, it was a great trip and so neat to see places that have so much significance.

School Principal, Velveeta and Rotel!

Well, it is true, Jared's elementary school principal from Philadelphia, Mississippi is here visiting us in Turkey! This is quite a treat and something I am not sure anyone would have ever imagined happening! He came bearing gifts galore from the homeland, a highlight being Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes. Now for those of you not from the south you might not understand how much joy these two items can bring, however, for all you rotel eating folks, you know - it is the best cheese dip on the face of the planet (except for white cheese at your local el sombrero!) We are saving this delicacy for the right night with the right people. We definitely want those who partake to really enjoy the treat! The principal did not come alone, he brought one of Jared's parents college classmates along as well. They both have been a real encouragement to us and really loaded us down with so many goodies it felt like Christmas! Thanks to all at home who sent those things our way. They have loved everything they have experienced since they have been here and that has been good for us to see! It is also nice to have some good ol' Mississippi folks here to visit with! Now all I have to say is, if Jared's elementary school principal can come, you can too!!!

Good Friends, Good Times

I should have known that my neighbor loves cars by the fancy car he drives. But as we were visiting at his furniture store earlier this week he mentioned the Auto show in town. So we went to check it out this afternoon and had a blast. I think he reads every auto magazine in Turkey and so he was able to fill me in on every vehicle there. Which ones were good and which ones were just ok. Which ones had big engines and which ones were economical. It was a good afternoon of guy time and I am so thankful that he enjoys my company as much as I do his. Jayme and I are blessed that God has placed us next to some good neighbors whom we enjoy spending time with. This past Sunday, they took us on a Mediterranean picnic. We sat on a bluff by the sea and cooked fish and played with their 1.5 year old baby. After lunch we toured some of the ruins and natural wonders in the area, including a church built in the 5th century, a pit called hell, a chasm called heaven and a cave that cures asthma. All in all it's been a full week of fun.

A Glimpse of the Last Two Months

We didn't really know how to summarize our first few months here, so we decided to make a video of pictures that hopefully tells a little of our story. We've had a great time getting adjusted to the culture and people. However, it will take several more months, and maybe even years, to get adjusted to the language. Some of the pics you've seen before and some are new. Enjoy and thanks for your continued support.

Jayme the Teacher

So I don't know whether I missed my calling or I just like my students, but I love being a teacher! I teach Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons for an hour each time. My students, Ilkim and Ipek are very smart and fun girls. They love games and fun activities; charades was a favorite game from this past week. It can be a struggle to always come up with activities and fun ways to learn but the girls have a great attitude and seem to love me! Ilkim's mom and aunt are always at the house when I go to teach and they seem to love me too. In fact every time I go I get a boost to my self esteem. Before I leave each evening I talk to Ilkim's mom and aunt and they are always commenting on how wonderful I am, so beautiful and lovely, in fact they think that Jared is very lucky to have me as his wife! This week however, they crossed the line - Ilkim's mother told me that I am just like Princess Diana! Of course the aunt immediately agreed saying I was indeed the same as Princess Diana. All I could do was laugh - at least they make me feel loved each time I go!

Rebels in Turkey

Jayme and I have recently talked about getting rid of our satellite service since very few channels are in english and they are usually not worth watching anyway. So I decided to check the guide this morning for the only sports channel we get, FOX Sports International, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Sandwiched between Firsthand Pancho Sullivan and the Soccer Report was the Ole Miss - Auburn basketball game. And it was LIVE! We get college basketball from time to time, but never live and never ever the Ole Miss Rebels. Now I wouldn't consider myself a huge Rebel basketball fan, like my buddies Ray and Wes, but I have kept up with them a little more since Andy Kennedy (Louisville, MS native) was hired as head coach. And what was even better is that it was a 1:00cst game, meaning I could watch it at a decent hour, instead of the middle of the night. And what made it even better is that it was for a share of the SEC West Championship. Now that may not mean a lot to many of you, but when a local boy in his first year takes a team with little, to no talent, and beats up on talented teams like LSU and Alabama, it is worth mentioning. So much so that they decided to show it in Turkey. I really think the Lord knew I could use that after the past few weeks and He may have even helped them pull out a win.

From One Thing to the Next

Well I wish we could give a positive update and say everything is back to normal, but that's not the case just yet. Jayme has been hit with a stomach bug that has brought with it a wave of stomach spasms that can be crippling at times. She is taking medicine to get some relief but it's still causing a good bit of discomfort. She hasn't slowed down too much though as we've had several staff members in town this week and we even have our first house guests tonight. Hopefully she will be able to rest and recover this weekend. If that wasn't enough, we also had the interesting experience of our computer's battery cord catching on fire yesterday just before our dinner guests arrived. After all that's happened this week, it didn't seem to phase us too much. However, we do need to find a way to recharge our computer until we can get another battery cord.

We also got a bit of sad news from home yesterday as our good friend, Shadow, was laid to rest. He was the World's Best Horse for a good 19 years and we hate to see him go. Jayme liked to call him her horse because his steady and calm demeanor made him so good with women and children. We have many good memories with Shadow and are thankful for his unwavering loyalty.

A Week of Ups and Downs

Well this last week has been filled with some exciting things as well as a few frustrations. I think Jayme and I both hit a wall as we realized this language is extremely difficult and we won't be learning it anytime soon. At least not in way that would allow us to effectively communicate in anything below surface talk. We are currently searching for possible language partners with whom we could practice Turkish on a regular basis. We've heard it takes one to two years to learn the language, so we shouldn't get too frustrated after only two months, but you can't help but feel like you should be further along. We've also been battling the crud that seems to be making it's way around the states as well. Thankfully we are able to get most of the same medicines here and after one z-pak, we hope to be on the mend. We are also realizing how much we miss a dryer as the last two times we've hung our clothes out, it's not only rained, but poured. You would think we would get better with our meteorological skills, but due to the fact that we are close to the sea or the mountains (I haven't figured out yet) a storm will blow in within minutes. I guess we need to start watching our neighbors and monitor when they put there clothes out. One of the good things that happened last week is that Jayme started teaching English to an 11 year old girl, Ilkim. She meets at Ilkim's house on M,W & F from 4:30-5:30. Jayme has really enjoyed working with her and she loves Jayme and has already invited her to a play at her elementary school. There is another girl that lives next door who wants to join the class, but Ilkim doesn't want to share Jayme. Go figure.

Alaska = Heat

From now on when I hear the word "Alaska" I'll no longer think of igloos, sub-zero temperatures and furry parkas. Thanks to our most recent purchase we don't have to wait 2 hours to bake a potato or wonder how to reheat the leftovers for the 3rd time without drying them out. Yes that's right, thanks to the Alaska MW 1000 all our dreams of fast cooking have come back to life. Since microwaves are not a hot commodity in the states it's hard to understand our dilemma, but after Jayme tried for a 1.5 hours to bake a potato on Saturday only to eat it half raw, we finally gave in. When asking our neighbors if they had a microwave, we got the typical response of, "No, I've heard bad things." Many Turks think that the newest technologies lead to cancer, and they may have a point, but we are taking our chances with this one. The only problem now is that, as you may be able to see in the picture, we will have to wait a month before eating anything other than sandwiches since we blew our eating budget on our new cooking machine. Didn't I hear something as a kid about spending all your money on a new wallet. Oh well, we are excited about the long-term success of this little machine and it has replaced the electric matress pad as our best purchase, which is another one of those inventions that they've heard bad things about.

Big Birthday Bash!

So we celebrated Jared's 28th birthday in style - we had a big party here at our house! We invited several of our friends, both Turks and Americans. I spent the weekend cooking and cleaning the house, with some help from Jared in order to prepare for the party. We had 12 people total which is about all our living room can handle. I made a chocolate cake, with chocolate covered strawberries for Jared - it turned out well, I was pleased. We had several other delectable goodies to choose from as well. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the language barrier did not seem to hinder anything. Fortunately the three Turks that were present speak pretty good, if not perfect English. We were so glad that our Turkish teacher, Türkay, could come as well as Celal and Evren, Jared's banker friends. The party raged from 4 until about 6:30 when the Turks had to call it a night. However, the American's partied until 9 pm! We really had a great time and Jared got some fabulous gifts including, several new dvds, cd's, an Adana Soccer team scarf, and a LeBron James T-shirt! We have attached several photos of the festivities. We had a great time and enjoyed opening our home to so many new friends.

Post Valentine's Day Celebration

We opted this year to forgo the Valentine's Day tradition and postpone our celebration until Friday night. Oddly enough, V-Day might be just as big of an event and marketing push here as back home. So much so that when I tried to make reservations for Friday night at Kıp Kırmızı they reminded me more than once that Valentine's is on Wednesday meaning, "why are you trying to celebrate it on Friday idiot, don't you know how the system works." But we showed up at 6:00 and were promptly seated at the "special table" which put us on display in front of the large window facing the road. The table was nicely decorated with rose petals and what was remaining of the rose was in a vase. Nice touch, but they did manage to add it to the bill, probably as a way to get me back for trying to buck the system. So after our romantic dinner, we swung around the corner for a night at the symphony. I'll let Jayme tell you about the fun she had there. Well... we were at the symphony and it was going so well - we were so impressed with the peformance. At intermission I had to use the restroom and went to get in line. There were only two stalls so there was a short wait. As I neared the front of the line I saw that the restrooms were indeed squatty potties. Here I was, all dressed up, coat on, purse in hand about to enter this TINY stall with a squatty potty. I really had to go to the bathroom so I went in, only to find out when you shut the door it is pitch black as there are no lights in the stalls! I had to roll each of my pant legs up to my thighs since there was water all over the floor. At that moment I realized what an oxymoron I was experiencing - a squatty potty at the symphony. Ah the joys of living overseas! Check out a picture of the symphony below.

An Afternoon on the Town

As of last week we are thankful for the privilege of using "The Accent." We share this beautiful 2000 Hyundai Accent with the Curtis's and it allows us a little more freedom than walking or taking the bus. On Tuesday's we have the day off from langauge class and so we used it as an opportunity to explore some new areas of town that we were previously unfamiliar with. Our first stop was the symphony, where we bought tickets for Friday night. This was much harder than I expected as there are many one-way and no-way streets in this part of town and we were "forced" to make use of the car's off-road capabilities in order to get back on the main road. After that we headed to the outskirts of town where the US-Turkish Air Force base is located. We heard there were some neat shops and restaurants in this part of town and were interested in checking them out. Our information proved correct as we made our way into a great rug shop where the owner was very eager to make us a "super" deal on not just one, but three rugs. There are some beautiful, hand-made rugs in this region and if we ever save enough money we hope to purchase one. We got Erol's card and told him we would come back when our American friends come to town, because we know they will want to buy one or three. He wouldn't let us leave before seeing his restaurant, "Happy House", that was just around the corner. His cook showed us around and as we had tea with him we talked about his picture of the Last Supper hanging in the lounge room. I thought things were going well but when I realized that he was more interested in Jayme than in the conversation we cut our visit short and made our way back into town. As we were driving by the big mosque we couldn't pass up a stop at McD's. It's the only one in town and the fries and ketchup taste just like home! It was also good to see that if we ever get in a bind, they will deliver. You never know when desperate times will call for desperate measures.

The Turkish All-American Meal

We've only been here for 5 weeks and our neighbors have invited us over at three times for incredible Turkish meals. It was time we returned the hospitality. So Jayme whipped up our favorite "All-American" meal of spaghetti, salad and bread; with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everything was a big hit especially the ranch dressing, which they had never had before. We continue to enjoy our time with them and look forward to many more dinners together, at our place and theirs. In the pics Jayme is getting advice from İmer on the art of making Turkish tea. And Envar is reading to their 1.5 year old son, Alem.

A Visit to Paul's Neighborhood

Today we went to Tarsus, as in Paul of Tarsus. It was a great outing where we fully embraced our role as tourist and took countless number of photographs! We were so glad to get out of Adana and see some of the beautiful countryside that Turkey has to offer. The city of Tarsus is actually over 7000 years old and is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. There is a lot of history to be seen and a few of Paul's old 'hangouts' are still around. Our first stop was the Roman Road. There is a portion of the Roman Road (about 5K) intact just north of the city. It was amazing to walk the same stone road as the apostle Paul, Julius Ceasar, and Cisero (just to name a few!). From there we made stops at Paul's Well, the old city, an old Armenian church, as well as the so-called burial place of Daniel. Some believe that Daniel is buried in Tarsus, and in order to put the legend to rest, the fine people of Tarsus decided to start digging. So far no bones - but a lot of interesting history! It was an incredible experience visiting Paul's city and learning about the history there. The first picture is of Jared and I at the archway leading onto the Roman Road.

Flexibility?

I am learning more and more that life overseas requires flexibility. Last night Jayme was on the phone with Erin at 10:00 when the power went off. Power outages usually last for only a couple of hours, but they usually happen at the most inopportune time. (Not that there's ever a good time for a power outage.) The first one of the week occcured Wednesday as Jayme was preparing a lunch for the ladies on our team. Thankfully we have a gas stove and she was able to make the final preparations without the use of electricity. However, last night presented some different obstacles as there was no way to heat our room before going to bed and yesterday was one of the coldest days since we've been here, so we knew we might need more than just the electric mattress pad to stay warm. (which as referenced in the "24" Party blog has been our best purchase, at least when the electricity is on.) So we rounded up all of our blankets, put on lots pj's, Jayme seriously had on two pair, and got in the bed. We left some lights on so we would wake up if the power did come back on and thankfully at midnight, we were awoken by the sweet miracle of electricity. We shook the icicles off, turned the mattress pad on and enjoyed a semi-warm night. We obviously slept in and awoke to grey skies and rain, which presented another obstacle. Today was set aside to refrain from food and strategically walk through different parts of the city and lift up the people in those neighborhoods. So once again, another opportunity to be flexible intervened and we proceeded as planned but with the convenience and dryness of cars. We stopped along the way to meet different people with the intention of being open for divine appointments. One that we couldn't pass up was with a shepherd as he herded his sheep and goats through the city. We found it to be a little out of place, but I expect he found us to be a little out of place as well.

Songs Heard in Migros

This addition to the blog may be more for our sake than yours, but we needed a way to log one of our favorite treats. So we are keeping a list of the songs we hear in our favorite grocery store. We are not sure if they turn this music on when we come in as a way to keep the foreigners in the store or if it's a staple. Don't laugh, they do this at some of the restaurants. The best thing is that no one in the store knows what they are singing about except us. So it's really funny when a song from the likes of Mariah Carey, Madonna, or Michael Jackson comes on. (See list on right)

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.

Bazaar

Today we made our first visit to our neighborhood's fruit and vegetable bazaar. Each neighborhood has their own bazaar, one or two days a week. There was every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable, and the prices are the best in town. We came away with 6.5 lbs of potatoes, 4.5 lbs of tangerines, 2 lbs of tomatoes, 1 lb of strawberries and 18 eggs, all for 9 YTL ($6.50)! This is definitely the way to shop!

Comfort Food

Well TVU Player came through for us, but unfortunately the Saints did not. However, we are quickly recuperating thanks to yesterday's grand opening of the new Burger King about 8 blocks from our apt. Jared and the boys checked it out last night and Jayme and the girls are going for lunch today. Between all of us, we will do our best to keep them in business! We continue to explore around and outside of our neighborhood. Below are some pictures of the sites. Yesterday afternoon Jayme went with the ladies to a baby shower for one of the girls from our church. While she was gone Jared managed to find a basketball court with some teenagers that were eager to play with the American. A good time was had and plans were made to meet up again today. At least I think that's what they said.