Happy Leghsan Thankyou giving

I never realize how much I miss America until it comes to a holiday. I suppose that makes sense, holidays are designed to make you come together with friends and family and are deeply rooted in cultural traditions you all share which can be hard when you are away from both. Nevertheless, its always fun to create new traditions and look back on past years celebrations.

The Three Amigos

This year I wasn't expecting anything special. Thanksgiving isn't really an important holiday to me, and minus the food its been a long time since I was actually formally with family celebrating so it wasn't too bad that I am abroad. So when I got an invite from a fellow American co-worker to come to Thanksgiving dinner with his family, I was kind of mixed in my emotions towards. But always game for a good time, and willing to go to great lengths for free delicious food, I commandeered Hamid and Farhad to come with me. If anything else, introducing them to American tradition would be fun in itself.



I'm kicking my past apathetic self now because last nights festivities were actually really excellent. Went all the way out in the outskirts of Istanbul to their house, but it was beautiful and felt immediately like Little America. Kids running around everywhere, people lounging around making small talk, tables of appetizers and drinks keeping everyone occupied until dinner was served. The christmas tree was even up so you could start thinking into the future about even greater holidays. I was really impressed.

Jizz in my mouth

It was a really international group too. We had people from Armenia, Kazahkstan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, the US, England. And all of them had a story to tell about how they ended up in Turkey, which is always the greatest part about meeting people--finding out how they came to be. I talked with this one woman for probably an hour about all the work she does through her church for refugees coming to Turkey from around the middle east and french speaking Africa. Listening to her made me wish I had more working-hour days to do volunteer work like that. Whether it was the flowing wine or the fact that it was genuinely a great group, the conversation flowed naturally and I didn't find myself annoyed really by anyone there.

The face of desire.

Of course the most important part of Thanksgiving is the food, the focal point of the entire day. I didn't realize how much I loved Thanksgiving food until I found myself staring at a table of turkey, sweet potato pie,  pumpkin soup, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green been casserole--the works. It was absolutely brilliant, very homemade traditional food and lots of it. Hamid's eyes glazed over as he was told he could eat one of the turkey legs, a dream of his for a while. My heart stopped when I bit into the sweet potato pie. We loaded our plates several times, forgetting the table of desserts still left to be eaten. And then it came time for dessert and no one was ready to slow down piling food on their plates.

Pecan Pie!

I'm a big sweet tooth person--its the taste I crave most in the world, so I was over the moon when I saw the multiple pumpkin pies awaiting to become one with my mouth. Then Sindhuja brought out her apple crisp and I thought I had never put something so delicious in my mouth. But all of that amounted to nothing when I bit into the sweet, sweet pecan pie. Hamid and Farhad were instantly in love, shocked that they had finally found a nut they couldn't in Iran. With a dollop of fresh whipped cream on the side, it was absolute bliss. My head started to ring from a sugar coma after eating all those pies, but the degree of happiness I obtained made it so worth it. I have a feeling I will be baking a lot more of it this Christmas season so I can continue to make the boys sufficiently fat. It's the least I can do as an American, I feel it's my duty.

Anyways, after we ate the children put together a little performance in a stereotypical adolescent way. Lots of dancing crazy and cartwheels, craving the attention and thrill of being watched and loved. They also sang a nice little Christmas song which put me right in the mood to come home and set up the Christmas tree today.

He couldn't get enough of her

One of the kids in particular, little 1 year Ailyn (my co-workers youngest daughter), caught Hamid's attention right away. The littlest, whitest, most aryan thing you've ever seen--she spent the entire night going and stealing food from everyone's plates while looking straight into their eyes as if to say "what are you going to do about it? I'm adorable, you can't stop me." Hamid told me repeatedly through out the evening that he was going to steal the little girl and bring her home, his baby fever was raging so bad. Blonde girls--just breaking middle eastern hearts everywhere :P

Fat on food and wine, people started to trickle out around 10 so they could be safely in their beds when the food coma hit. Being an hour and a half journey back to the house from Florya, I'm glad we left when we did--otherwise you might have had to carry my ass home. My very fat Thanksgiving ass. But we arrived safely, still running on the high of celebrating a great American holiday without the after-thought of genocide. Overall, a great night. Happy to be in Istanbul, but I love being reminded of the things I love about my country. Something I forget all too often.

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone, wherever you are

Goodbye, pride.

So there are days when I love my job. Kids are well behaved, they are receptive to new phrases and vocab, they come up and hug me and are super sweet. And it's days like this that make me go to great lengths to actually help them to learn English, even if it means putting my own dignity on the line.

A little bit of background. For the past few weeks Alina and I have been teaching kids phrases surrounding morning routines (I brush my teeth, I get dressed...etc). And lucky for us we had a song from Dream English that helped the kids to memorize the phrases. However now, moving onto a new book with new phrases revolving around schoool activities we don't have such a song to help them learn, which we decided to remedy by making our own.

If there is ever a time where I asked people to be jealous and gentle with my feelings, this would be the time. This video is ridiculous, on so many levels. You should see the amount of outtakes we have as we tried to take ourselves seriously while singing the song. We realize this is not the next biggest hit, but we did have a lot of fun experimenting with how to continue to make learning fun for kids. So this is an exploration of that dedication we have to the kids at the expense of our ego so we could use the same song for continuity. Be kind, but also feel free to laugh your ass off.

To understand our version though, you first have to watch the original we copied it from. Also please try and ignore the fact that this man looks like his number #1 hobby is touching children. I don't say this because he is a man who enjoys working with small children. Actually, that's what draws me to his songs because I think all too often male roles in early childhood education are invisible or have a negative stereotype. But I do just feel sometimes that he is awkward and creepy in his delivery, and trying to work past that. Regardless, please just overlook this tangent and appreciate the catchy tune.

Now, you are ready for our version.  Please keep in mind that all credit for idea, filming, and editing goes to my lovely colleague Alina Gui. I am merely a willing puppet :) Now, let the embarrassment begin!

6 life lessons I learned on the road

Takes finally settling into a place and deciding to make it home to realize how grateful you are for the lessons you learned along the way. Just some observations on living the adventurous life.

1. There is always a Plan B

And no, I'm not talking about emergency contraception (although really, I wish that statement were true internationally). Traveling requires a lot of effort. Well, not always, but to a certain extent you're looking for a little bit of spontaneity and a little bit of stability (unless you are Ashley Hogrebe who lives a spontaneous adventurous life to a whole new level). But as all things in life, rarely do things turn out like you expect. Whether its your hostel shutting down in Crete, or gypsies stealing your purse in Amsterdam, or locking yourself out of your apartment in Paris at 1 a.m--shit doesn't always go according to plan. And while I used to freak out in my OCD mindset back in high school if things didn't happen right the first time, traveling has almost taught me to automatically assume plan A is faulty. I have learned the art of adapting quickly and being able to pick myself up and get things done. I have learned how to be prepared and how to trust people to help me when I have no clue what I'm doing or where I am. Most of all, traveling has converted me from a flight to a fighter mentality--it's given me confidence in myself to be able to stand up and think logically to fulfill my basic needs. A quick condensed crash course in adult shite.

2. Your body is capable of so much more than you think it is

This sounds like some annoying thinspiration quote, but really. Being born into a first world country of excess, I am often of a privileged mindset where I don't realize how much I indulge myself. Whether it's driving a half mile down the road to the gym, or thinking I need to have seconds in order to really feel "full"--it's only when I start traveling that I really move past this and start learning about my body and its limits. I've now learned how long your body can survive on a baguette and still take you around a city. I've come to find that my body is capable of walking and hiking and exploring for 10 hours a day when conserved resources cuts out public transport as an option. I've learned there are many different ways you can feed your body, spirit, and mind. Sometimes it takes stepping out of comfortable norms and excess, getting down into the bare bones to really appreciate the simplicity.

3. It's not actually that difficult to make new friends

It's really not that difficult, especially when you travel. There is always that bunk mate at the hostel, or that fellow American in the tour group, or that englishman at the pub that you meet and immediately call friend-dibs on for the rest of your trip. In normal circumstances, it would seem like a very needy friendship but as neither of you has company while traveling--you immediately jump in to fill that need. Tied at the hip exploring, they might not be the people you would chose to hang out with at home, but that's not why you came to travel is it? 90% of the people I've met in the places I've visited I still have some type of contact with--a big perk of traveling when you think each new friend is a new potential trip to visit. Plus its a great way of meeting other like-minded people and practicing social skills in different settings with different kinds of personalities.

4. Get your nose out of that travel book

Don't get me wrong, know why you are going to a place. Have a plan, have some important "don't miss" points, but I think a trip is too often spoiled when you make a list of things you have to see and try to relive someone else's experience rather than exploring for yourself. I hate going to a place and seeing the same type of tourist with their face buried in their Rick Steves literature to really look around and just take that side street that looks interesting. Obviously you are going to see the Acropolis, but would you have found that delicious frozen greek yogurt if you hadn't let yourself wander? Maybe not. All I'm saying is let things happen, figure it out along the way. Ask people in your hostel, walk around and decide what you want to do when you're there and in the right mood. Not having a plan is a lot less scary than you think it is.

5. You're never so popular as when you're on the road

Seriously though, if you've ever thought "oh, no one loves me. I'm all aloneeee WAHHHH"---go travel. All of those cliches you've heard about distance making the heart grow fonder and not missing what you had until its gone, they are completely and one hundred percent true. Everyone wants to be your best friend when you're traveling. You are their vicarious adventure, you are their dream they wish they had the courage to act out. I don't say this to mean that you are obviously the shit because you travel, but the fact remains that friends and family do notice you a lot more. So enjoy the ego boost a bit.

6. There are pros and cons to traveling alone

I've traveled in several different ways. In an organized group, in a disorganized group, with friends, and alone and there's honestly something to be said for all of these different options. But I've actually done the majority of my traveling alone, which I love for a lot of reasons. One, people are full of excuses. If I were to wait around for someone to join me, I might not have seen half of the places I've seen. Two: I like myself. That sounds dumb, but it's true. I genuinely love spending time by myself--so to me there isn't anything weird about walking around a city alone in my thoughts and experiences. And three: You can do whatever you want. There really is so much freedom in traveling alone. Want to eat at this really cheap doner place? No need to consult. Want to go for a day trip to Ibiza? Book the trip! Don't feel like paying to go into some pretentious famous museum? Don't worry about it! There's no one you have to answer to or accommodate for, you can plan your trip as you want. Conversely, there are a couple of downsides. One: you get lonely. As much as I love myself, there are definitely some times where I just want...someone to share it with. Whether its a romantic sunset or some cool street performance I would like to reference in an inside joke someday--its nice to be able to be with a friend. Two: it's cheaper. Hotels, sharing food, sharing clothes. And for a penny pincher like me, that's important. And three: there is always someone to have your back. When sketch situations arise (ahem, Barcelona), they are there to hopefully help you (if they are a true friend). You have to take on extra precautions when you travel alone, so its nice to be able to let your guard down a little more knowing someone else is with you. It really depends on your mood and personality, as well as what kind of trip you are looking for but there are things to be said for taking life by the horns and diving into an adventure by yourself.

Trains

I remember the way you told me about the first time
Death kicked down your door without an invitation,
expecting more than a honey bribe to pass on by.

the way how the moon seemed dimmer and

how your hands felt smaller and the wind felt thicker so that every time the angels tried to

bury your hands in gifts they just came up empty.

The way the salty rivers running down your cheeks

could never quite capture the overwhelming essence of your sea-heart,

but how one day you were going to use them to sail right into that golden orb

and demand its jewels to for one more fleeting moment with those you loved.

I remember the way you said bullets move faster than prayers,

the way you said praying to each other was

more powerful than praying to the one we had made out of clay
and so we spent all night

creating new angels out of  sounds we heard the faucet make

as it methodically dripped in our bathroom sink,

our synchronized heart beats

washing away the existence of a paradise lost.
This is our truth.

Trains never come on time,
someone should have told you that.

Let the Good Times Roll

Arabic Food Gatherings in Zeytinburnu with friends

I used to be really good at keeping a journal, especially the first time I came to Istanbul three years ago. I don't know, in some ways I think they are really great and in some ways I find them rather tedious. I always get this quote in my head whenever I sit down to write, a quote by Thoreau I believe, that goes something along the lines of "my life would have been the book I would have written but I could not both write and live it." And even so, I find myself reliving experiences through keeping these recordings of adventures--adding new meaning and learning new lessons from past memories. Anyways, this is my long way of saying I want to write more about the real day-to-day stuff.

So this past weekend has been pretty great, work has been settling into a nice routine lately, getting out and meeting up with new and old friends is always a pleasure, and I find myself understanding more and more of this crazy language that surrounds me--even if I can still only mainly respond with "tam am," "evet," and a welcoming smile (but mainly just english...fail).

So adorable!

This weekend in particular has been pretty fantastic as well, as weekends always are. Friday we had a really nice, albeit stressful and hectic Halloween party at work for the kids. While Turkish people dont actually celebrate Halloween persae, like most international cities you kind of just adopt any excuse to drink and make bad decisions. Oh yeah, and dress up to pretend to be more badass than you actually are. But the party was good, kids mainly just dancing around crazy and stuffing their mouths with delicious homemade turkish treats their parents sent them to school with.

Afterwards I set out to go and hang with my friends Farhad, Yalin, and Boo Friend for a relaxing chilled out evening up in the empire state. Basically just consisted of us taking communal short naps together and pigging out on delicious leftovers from my work party, but hey. Not every night can be out at da club. And besides, as previously noted I am an old woman now so this is about as rowdy as it gets most nights for me.

Woke up next morning and vegged about the house, dicking around on the internet and killing time until the Anathema concert. If you've never heard of Anathema before, don't worry. Before two months ago neither had I, but they are Boo Friend's favorite band and so being an awesome girlfriend I decide to check them out. I haven't really been to a concert in...2 years I think it was? So regardless of the band, I was desperately in need of some live music. Plus the ticket wasn't that expensive. The only thing I would have changed about the concert was that it was 7098765434567898765456789 degrees. But I suppose thats what you get for throwing a concert in an underground garage.

While rock and metal isn't necessarily my genre, I will admit the band was pretty talented. I think it was ten times more enjoyable as well because it was an acoustic concert--one of the downsides I always find at concerts with full bands is that they are just so damn loud. I really love listening to the vocals, and I know artists spend a lot of time writing them so It upsets me when the musicians drown out the lyrics. Anywho, I digress. Anathema is a good band, you should check them out here.

Hamid and Vincent. Bromance

After the concert we waited around because Boo Friend wanted to do another interview with one of the band members. Last year when they were here he did an interview with Danny, one of the guitarists, which was pretty cool and so he wanted to follow up with the other 2 band members. We waited around for quite a while to the point where I didn't think we were going to be able to do the interview when finally we were ushered inside to meet with the other guitarist, Vincent. Hamid was absolutely beside himself, like a 5 year old being taken into a candy shop--I just couldnt even contain my laughter sometimes. So he interviewed Vincent, a pretty good interview (and interviewer I should say, I couldn't do that in my third language...if I knew one) and we were on our way to DoRock, Farhad's favourite rock bar in Istanbul. How was it you are asking? Is that what you're asking? Im sorry, what? What? SPEAK UP I AM NOW DEAF. But for realz, it was alright. Sat around for a while resting our legs from standing for the whole concert and then headed back to the house. Overall, a pretty fantastic night.


And then today was exactly how a Sunday should be--lazy, overcast, with delicious food and warm hot beverages. While I'm not exactly thrilled that the weekend is over, I can't say I'm altogether depressed about  my job either. Its a pretty good life I have here, feels more and more like home every day and I'm just grateful for weekends like this that remind me that despite temporary shitty parts I am happy.

It's a good time to be alive everybody.