Take something from the fog...

Guess where she got those big brown eyes?

So "mama" in English of course is mother but in Turkish it means baby food, nursing etc. and is actually also used for pet food.

I refer to my husband as "baba"-daddy when I speak to baby girl about him and he is trying to use "mama' but usually slips to say "anne"-Turkish for mother since mama has that double meaning. He's trying...

I just would like her to refer to me as "mama"- the mother I know not Anne but I bet it will all work out- We are doing well adjusting to the flow of our little family...

Below are lovely words that Keryn at eighty days design had posted and I needed to share with others...Also check out her great pictures and gorgeous cards...

"When we feel muddled and unfocused, unsure of which way to turn, we say we are in a fog. Similar to when we are in a fog in nature, we may feel like we can’t see where we’re going or where we’ve come from, and we’re afraid if we move too quickly we might run into something hidden in the mists that seem to surround us. Being in a fog necessarily slows us down by limiting our visibility. The best choice may be to pull over and wait for the murkiness to clear. If we move at all, we must go slowly, feeling our way and keeping our eyes open for shapes emerging from the haze, perhaps relying on the taillights of someone in front of us as we make our way along the road. By and large, most of us prefer to be able to see where we are going and move steadfastly in that direction, but there are gifts that come from being in a fog. Sometimes it takes an obstacle like fog to get us to stop and be still in the moment, doing nothing. In this moment of involuntary inactivity, we may look within and find that the source of our fogginess is inside us; it could be some emotional issue that needs tending before we can safely go full steam ahead.


Being in a fog reminds us that when we cannot see outside ourselves, we can always make progress by looking within. Then again, the fog may simply be teaching us important lessons about how to continue moving forward with extreme caution, harnessing our attention, watching closely for new information, and being ready to stop on a dime. We cannot predict when a fog will come, nor can we know for certain when it will lift, but we can center ourselves in the haze and wait for guidance. We may find it inside ourselves or in a pair of barely visible taillights just ahead. Whether we follow the lights out of the fog, wait for a gentle breeze to lift it, or allow the sun to burn it away, we can rest certain that one way or another, we will move forward with clarity once again"

Words from Daily Om

Learning a language...

This photo is from a trip to the Black Sea coast, a remote spot close to Amasra and Bartin. Çok güzel!

A few years ago I decided to write one of those "Things to do before you die lists", or more positive way to think about it...What I want to do in my life. On the list I added "Learn a language" and now here I am living it...really forced to learn Turkish if I want to have a fulfilled life while living here and it is hard! I slowly learn more daily. As anyone who has tried to learn a language knows it is easier to understand more than to speak. I think I need to enroll in another course...

I found an interesting article in Today's Zaman by Charlotte Mcphereson, "Do you seem to be in a language rut?" The full article link HERE. Below is a description of what it is like to learn Turkish and a funny poem so you don't forget just how difficult English is...

Let's just briefly compare two languages: English and Turkish. The Turkish language is regular, with very few exceptions to the rules and only one irregular verb (the verb to be). The sentence construction is opposite to English, e.g. school to go I. Turkish uses agglutinative suffixes: endings added to a stem word to make a longer word. The English sentence "It appears that he said he would be unable to come" is just 2 words in Turkish! There are no grammatical genders. The pronouns he, she and it are all the same. In understanding the culture it is important to understand the special reported tense: a Turk will make a distinction between a fact which they know because they have witnessed it themselves and a piece of information which they have heard, or deduced, and are passing on to you secondhand or implied.

Turkish is a phonetic language, with every written letter being pronounced the same way no matter in which word it appears. The language displays vowel harmony. This means that the endings change so that if a word contains back vowels (a: undotted i-o-u) the ending will do the same, and if a word contains a front vowel (e: dotted i-o with an umlaut, u with an umlaut) the ending will do the same. This gives Turkish a melodic flow. The emphasis is on the last syllable, except for place names (second) and negatives (syllable before the negative).

The Turkish language has fewer words than English and is not rich in synonyms. Sometimes when an English speaker wants to express himself he may not find a word in Turkish that means the same (or his translator may struggle!).

How about English?

Why is English so hard?

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;

But the plural ox should be oxen, not oxes.

The one fowl is goose, but two are called geese;

Yet the plural for moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice;

But the plural of house is houses not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,

Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,

But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.

And I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,

But I give you a boot -- would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

If the singular is this and the plural is these,

Should the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?

Then one may be that, and three may be those,

Yet the plural of hat would never be hose.

We speak of a brother, and also the brethren,

But though we say mother, we never say methren.

The masculine pronouns are he, his, and him,

But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim!

So our English, I think you will all agree,

Is the trickiest language you ever did see!

(Anonymous poem, quoted from "Learning a Foreign Language" by Eugene Nida.)

No language is totally logical and regular but after just looking at the irregularities in English plurals, Turkish is looking fairly simple with just "ler" and "lar"!

Any attempt made by a foreigner to speak will be greeted with delight, especially by Turkish friends. If you are living in Turkey, don't fall into a rut. Try to learn at least survival Turkish and more to really share your heart!

çiğ köfte

This is definitely one of my favorite Turkish dishes. Çiğ means raw while köfte are little meat patties. The ingredients above in the low metal tin are fresh ground beef, tomato paste, chopped onions, chopped garlic, ground black pepper, lots of cumin and salt. There is a big bowl of parsley to be added later. In the front is a spicy sauce made from lots of tomato paste, parsley, red pepper flakes and other yummy spices. On the side you need bulgur wheat, lots of red pepper flakes and a little water. Traditionally you also need a strong man to kneed the ingredients together.













This time it was our nephew's father's turn to do the mixing. For years it was my father-in-law's job but after his by-pass years ago he had to pass the job down. This recipe, or style or proportions of ingredients comes from his home town of Adiyaman in the east of Turkey. He left there when he was 18 to rarely return but still has lots of pride towards his roots. The mixing is done in those low tins on the ground with a blanket/bib for protection. You start by mixing the spices then start adding the ground beef, followed by the Bulgar wheat and salt. As the mixture gets kneaded the Bulgar softens and the spices somewhat "cure" the meat.


















It takes a lot of time and muscle to kneed the mixture, there's my sister in law jokingly patting him off. After the initial mixture is done you add the red pepper flakes, the fresh chopped parsley and a little water if needed. You make a few batches spicy and add more pepper for really spicy! To make the patties you just take a ball and put it where your fingers and palm connect. I like how the patties hold the finger marks shape.


















Here are my adorable parents getting ready to eat çiğ köfte for the first time. The patties are then wrapped in lettuce with a squeeze of lemon juice and the spicy sauce added to your liking. On the table is also homemade pickles and beets. And the white stuff Turks call American salad which is like a really gross version of potato salad with canned peas(blahhh!). Everything else is so delicious though! Also my father is drinking Efes pilsner which is pretty much the only beer in Turkey. There is really so few options but Turks love it!!! They haven't gotten into specialty beers and my husband thinks they don't want to???? Also a note on wine. In Turkey they have such a great climate and potential for good wine but it just isn't there. I have heard there are a few good ones but they are really expensive compared to the US. Any suggestions please????? Turks only seem to get into Efes beer and rakı,(Turkish Ouzo) the anise flavored liquor. It isn't as fun to buy wine in Turkey if I don't have anyone to share it with. I have been loving the inexpensive but good wine and I have plenty of people to share it with here over the holidays in the States! Anyways the çiğ köfte is an amazing dish and a great family/Turkish tradition from my in-laws. It was so special that my parents could come and share what exactly I am doing in that far away land where I found love.

Side note: I finally figured out I can add a Turkish language keyboard to my computer so I can stop butchering the Turkish language. Here is a link if you need directions on how to add and the site offers Turkish classes also.

Back in Amerika...

Note about the above spelling: In Turkish the "c" is a "j" sound so they add a "k" to America's spelling instead. I previously always referred to my country as USA or "the States" but Turks refer to it as Amerika and I do as well when in Turkey but now I am back in The United States of America...


















Minnesota actually, The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes where the temperature is curently 12 degrees Farenheit which equals -11 degrees Celcius. Yes it is Chilly in the great north but I have been dreaming of a white Christmas, actually a Christmas at all. I became elated while washing my hands in the bathroom of one of the many airports during my long journey back to hear some Christmas carols. Again, Turks are mainly Muslim so Christmas is very minimally celebrated. Some celebrate Baba Noel(Father Christmas) and have a little plastic tree with lights but here in Minnesota we are fortunate to have a plethora of fresh pines to choose from for this grand tradition of The Christmas Tree.


















This one is Sixteen feet which is 4.88 meters. It is our own family tradition to get one as tall as our vaulted ceiling will let us. We will decorate it today as the family collects and decorate while listening to Frank Sinatra sing Christmas songs.

Eline Saglik = health to your hands

This is one of my favorite sayings in Turkish. There is a line over the g to make it soft g. This means "health to your hands". It is thanking the person for cooking something for you, making something for you, anything they did with their own two hands. I just like how it personalizes the thank you so much. You are really acknowledging that person's effort. We thanked our carpenter and his three boy's today for making Tequila's new dog house. Winter has come to Didim and brought the wind and rain. She needs a warm little spot.


Eline Saglik also reminds me also of Ben Harper's song, "My own two hands"

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make a better place
With my own two hands
Make a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

Im gonna make it a brighter place
Im gonna make it a safer place
Im gonna help the human race
With my own
With my own two hands

I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands

With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

I think people forget that they can do things themselves sometimes. They look to the government or something else to fix, save, make their life or families lives better but there is a a lot one person or a group can do. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to start because you do only have two hands.

kolay gelsin...

Direct translation: easy come you. Every single Turkish person says this to other people who are obviously working, no matter the job, stranger or not. Basically, 'may your work come easy' would be it's real meaning. So I have heard this a ton as we work outside on the cafe.

We started painting the patio three days before. We decided to paint the metal beams a dark brown. I felt like I was painting with milk chocolate, yum. Then the rest of the plywood ceiling we varnished, natural. We started out just Caglar, me and the peanut gallery. The peanut gallery being all the neighbors that would come, drink tea, smoke cigarettes and tell us where we missed a spot. I wanted to point out our extra brushes but alas did not. Oh family, how I missed you even more than usual because I think I could have talked you into helping!he-he. Not just physically but with design ideas and painting tips.

When we were at the painting store I asked for sand paper for pre-sanding- oh you don't need it. I asked for dust masks-oh you don't need it. Then we all had a laugh about my American idea of super safety construction and turkey's- oh you don't need it this is Turkey approach.(see previous post). I did finally get some gloves and had to talk my husband into wearing them. Thank goodness we got Hussein Abi to help us! He is a local handyman and hard worker. The above photo is after the first day. Me and our pile of brushes and tiner(thinner- th is really hard for Turks to say, not in their vocabulary. It's really funny when Caglar does it but of course I am funny when I try to pronounce most Turkish words.) The sunset over the sea so we had to stop for the day.














The next day Hussein Abi came back to help. YES! We still had lots to paint! One of the students who lives upstairs started helping and then a bunch of his friends came. I must have thanked them a million times!


















Caglar in action. mauh!














The tile brothers(three brothers- I love it!) did a great job tiling and grouting the kitchen area. It is fully tiled to protect against water damage and mold. There was lots of mold previously-ewww! We have gotten a few estimates to build kitchen cabinets. The money always goes so quickly!














The toilet tiles have been grouted. Also doors! The stickers need to be removed from the doors. We still need to install the toilets and sinks.














Thank you everyone! We took a beer and pide(Turkish pizza) break after a hard days work. I have decided to wear those clothes until we finish. This photo was day 2.

DAY 3: color!!


















This is the left view from the street into the patio. We chose a bright color. We mixed red, yellow and a little white. It is a bright orangy pink as you can see. We like it! And the ceiling looks nice. I like the coral color with the chocolate. We need to paint the lamp wires(well we need lamps too but still haven't made it to Izmir- YET).














Middle patio view, that is where the bar is going to be. Whoop whoop!


















This is the right view. The white wall will be covered and the white doors take you down into the cafe/ kitchen/ toilet area.

We are getting there! Tomorrow the wood floor, patio windows and doors should be installed.

Happy birthday aunt Polly (Sorry might not be the exact day but luv u)!

Double life...

I met some friends through Caglar. They are a kind, very warm couple. They have been together for years and they live together. He always speaks turkish to me even though don't really understand but I appreciate it. He tries to include me. She speaks a little english so we speak a broken mix of engish, turkish and sign/body language. I really want to keep practicing my turkish because you can only get to know so much about people with out language or a translator.

My point of the above title of double lives is that so many women and girls here in Turkey seem to live in two worlds: One thier free university life and then the other the ones thier father/husband/family expects them to live. My above friends as I said are so nice. I was so surprised to find out though that my girl friend's father thinks she lives in a girl's only dorm funded by this turkish religious leader with strict curfews and rules. My girl friend also loves swimming. I was even more surprised to find out that her boyfriend forbides her from going to the public university swimming pool because she would be in a swimsuit and he would not be there to 'protect' her. And she listens, she doesn't go. She was enjoying when my boyfriend and I were saying he was crazy but this seems to be a common mentality in Turkey. I have heard many other examples of this control masked as protection. My friend's seem happy and I shouldn't judge what works for them but it is different than what I am used to.

seviyorum ve nefret ediyorum...

So I started taking Turkish language classes. Turkish and English sentence structure basically flips, the -um translates to 'I' etc. The above translates into I love and I hate. I love that I am learning Turkish so I can better communicate in and understand the culture which I am living in but it is tough. I love that I when I walk up the gigantic hill from the Marmara sea to my house I see at least ten fig trees getting ready to burst with plump delicious figs. I have visions of harvesting around my Istanbul neighborhood like I used to harvest lilacs and violets in Minnesota. I had the whole neighborhood scoped out different varieties and colors plotted in my head. The figs are coming...
















I love this stained glass work from the train station, Haydarpaşa, on the Asia side of Istanbul.
















I love that riding the ferry across the sea is a form of public transportation in this city and that there are seats outside.




















I hate that I have had so many electrical problems here, my new computer got zapped. Does anyone know a cheap way to ship to the U.S. and why shipping a broken computer might be a problem through customs?

Also I hate trash. The trash build up in Naples is amazing. What if everywhere the garbage men went on strike and we were unable to get rid of the trash, out of site out of mind? It just kept piling up and piling up. Would we change our consumption habits? Would we reuse more? Here in Turkey it seems to be culturally acceptable to litter. All the time throwing things out the windows and off the ferry into the sea. They reuse a good amount but their consumption levels are rising and there aren't recycling systems. The plastic water bottles around the world what do we do? So much water everywhere but none to drink. Also plastic bags, I try to say 'pakette yok'-no bag- because every little item is automatically put into a plastic bag. When I was young my reoccurring nightmare was that tons and tons of stuff was falling on me, suffocating me with stuff and I would wake up crying.(sounds funny but I am serious)

random rant for the day...
What do you love/hate?

kindness of strangers...

Today started out as a typical day in the life of Istanbul Emily. Woke up , made some filtered yummy coffee from America, rode the bus to Mimar Sinan University, did some silk screening, rode the Tram way Funiknler to Taxsim for my language school and tried to absorb as much Turce dil as possible. After class I was quite hungry. There are tons of tiny fruit and veggie stands around Turkey. I wanted some bananas before I went to yoga. I grab three bananas from one of these little fruit stands and then realize that I am out of cash. I only need 2 YTL (Yeni Turkish lira) but yok/ none. I say pardon...para yok (my broken way of saying never mind). Basically I start to go and he basically in Turkish tells me no problem...sonra sonra/ later later. So basically this man tells me I can pay him later, smiles and goes back to reading his newspaper. I was so shocked and touched by his willingness to trust that I will come back and pay him later. Especially in the big city of Istanbul. It made me smile today.

Living here I take the bus, tram, ferry etc. etc. public transportation. Some days it sucks, I'll be honest. Crowded, so much traffic and you never really know how long it will take 15 minutes or one hour? blah. But It does force you to interact with other human beings. One other kindness of strangers situation I love watching(or being part of) is giving the seats to old people or others that need it more.

Simply, I just feel good about the world when I see honor and trust in or for others.

Sweet fruits of my labor????

Here is a little taste of the painting room at school. Paint everywhere but that means there is work going on! I like it a little dirty! Charcoal and oil pastels are fun. Cay(tea) and ciggarettes all over the room (yes you can smoke in the classrooms...a little different than cali). Below is my first painting done in Turkey...


















I believe I will call it "Sitting in Your Eyes." The name is inspired by the book Honeymoon in Purdah, An Iranian Journey by Alison Wearing. I highly recommend the book. It is about a Canadian girl's travels and the people she meets throughout Iran. A friend gave it to me before I left and it was amazing to read while becoming acclimatted to the Turkish life. The quote that inspired me is this...

"At the top of the stairs, he pauses before opening the door to his house. 'I invite you to our home where I live with my family. I do not ask to you if you are good person. Already I see it: your heart it is sitting in your eyes'."

They had just met this man who invited them into thier home. I find Turkish people doing this all the time. Here have some tea...let me feed you... and we will talk with our eyes, our hands and small words since my Turkish is so awesome(haha). Also the small pocket dictionary is my new good friend! Do American people do this? I feel like many of us are scared of strangers? What will they do to me...blah blah blah??? Or is it I am more aware of talking with eyes and communicating in other ways because I can't speak the language? Sometimes it is nice to just see and feel peoples actions rather than listening to a bullshit story round and round in circles...Words can be a beautiful, beautiful thing as long as they are backed with action. What do you think? Talk to me...(haha)