Bu Nedir?

I just finished reading my last blog and I think I’m behind in keeping y’all caught up! A lot has happened since I wrote last and since we’re settling in we have begun noticing some of the difficulties that comes with Yuma kids living abroad. This may be a longer entry and a bit haphazard. I will try to keep it as organized and easy to follow as possible!

I left you guys last time by saying that Mike and Nilifer (my uncle and his wife) were taking us to the Turkish mountains. They took us to the village where Nilifer’s parents have their summer home and we had to stop and buy a few things for the BBQ they were having for us. There were sausages (sa-juck) hanging in the store fronts, freshly butchered animals bleeding out, piping hot bread, old men playing a rendition of dominoes and drinking chi throughout the village. It was like taking a step back in time. Nilifer had prepared an amazing meal with appetizers, traditional Turkish salad, marinated chicken, lamb chops, sausage and bread and it was all TO DIE FOR! There wasn’t one inkling of feet taste like I’ve had at the restaurants. After lunch we headed into the house for a customary post lunch chai (tea). Her father served James and I his rendition of American coffee and it was pretty darn good. Nilifer’s parents are the cutest things you’ve ever seen. Anne (aw-nee/mother) and Babba (use your hooked on phonics/father) are so kind and have welcomed us with open arms. Though communication is a bit difficult, kindness is a language we can all understand. After lunch they took us to see where the water comes from that the area uses for bottled water. It comes straight out of the mountain and there are springs everywhere. People actually brought big plastic jugs and filled them there to use as their fresh water. This really was the perfect way for James and I to be introduced to the Turkish hospitality and culture. 

The butcher preparing our lamb chops.

SIDE STORY: While we were checking out the springs, I decided I needed to use the restroom (thankfully I just had to pee). There was an attendant who asked me for my one lira (about .50c) and I walking into the restroom and opened the stall door. There was no toilet to be seen…until I looked down. The toilet was flat on the floor and as they say, “When in Rome you do your first pop a squat in a public restroom.“ The next thing you have to do is flush but I couldn’t figure out where the handle would be. I looked up and saw a string hanging from the ceiling so I pulled on it, hoping it wouldn’t cave in on me and flush went the toilet. The sinks and soap dispensers were “normal”. 

Nilifer made a huge traditional Turkish dinner with stuffed potatoes, stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchini, salad, bulgar (kind of like a ball of rice with seasoning and herbs), bread, chicken tava, and to finish it off Mike made zucchini bread and American boxed cake! I promise by the time I get back to the states I will be a chicken tava master and make you the best chicken dinner you’ve ever had! After dinner we lounged around, visited, they told us some of the best places to travel all while sitting around a fire pit and drinking our first very strong and thick cup of Turkish coffee. We had a great time and I can’t wait until we receive our next shipment so I can have them over for a traditional southwestern meal. 

Delicious Turkish dinner.

A few days later Mike and Nilifer invited us to see the movie 300 with them. James was all over it and I went because I wanted to see what the mall was like. The mall was like any typical mall and we even ate Popeye’s chicken for dinner. Mike turned around with a big boyish grin and excited eyes and asked if we wanted to get VIP tickets. If you know my husband, you know he can’t resist an offer like that. We paid $12 a person and had the top row with plush Lazyboy recliners. Needless to say, the boys had their shoes kicked off, recliners laid out and were in man heaven. This area of Adana, where the mall is located, is very different than what we have experienced since being here. It was very westernized and European looking with their attire and attitudes and very similar to what you would see in the states. 

VIPs

I want to stop and ask a question really quick. When you think Turkey, what do you see?  Before moving here, I would have said I thought Turkey would be less developed than the U.S., scenery to be more like Yuma with acrid, dry land, women to be quiet and obedient, burkas, and men thinking women were beneath them. This is the American media’s representation to us of what the Middle East is. It angers me to think that we can be so closed minded, think we know it all and in actuality we don’t have the slightest idea what we’re talking about. My cousin, Gabe, told me before we left that living abroad was going to change me in ways I never thought possible. In our less than 3 weeks here, I can already feel myself thinking and seeing things with different perspectives. We need to quit listening to third parties telling us how the world works and experience it for ourselves before we conjure up an opinion.

The squadron’s key spouse has been great and invited me to the combined spouses club for a night of bowling. I met a few ladies and one invited me to a class the next morning on how to travel Space A. Simply put, Space A is a privilege military members and their dependents have that allows them to get on a military plane and fly to wherever the crew’s destination is. It’s a pretty awesome thing they offer. I met Emily there and another girl I had seen on the plane was there too. We chatted afterward and exchanged information. We met up with them on Sunday and went to the weekly market known here as a bazaar. Got a ton of fresh produce that would normally cost about $35 in the states for $15! I thought I was super advanced for the class and told our new friend Bryan that to ask how much is bu nedir (boo-ne-deer). He approached 2 old men with fresh eggs and asked, “bu nedir?” to which the old men looked at each other and laughed. I should have studies my phrases better because instead of asking how much, he was asking everyone what is this. No wonder the egg men laughed at him!

Splashing water on the veggies.

On Tuesday Mike and Nilifer both had the day off and since I’m still not working yet (I pray that changes sometime soon) they invited me to the mountain house again. We had lentil soup, oranges from the garden and of course chai. I sat there and watched Nilifer and her parents interact and it made me realize that no matter what country or culture you are in, family is the same. I could not understand what they were saying but I could tell the girls were ganging up on Babba and he rolled his eyes and they all would laugh. Does that sound familiar, Dad? After lunch we drove up the mountain through a few villages and stopped in one in particular that they had stopped before. It was definitely rural living. I wanted to take pictures but I didn’t want them to think I was in any way mocking their homes or lifestyle so I only took one of the road into the village. They were very kind and spoke to Babba and Anne for quite some time. When I got out of the car they looked at me funny and Babba told them I was from America and they smiled and said, “Merhaba” and let me wander. 

An abandoned home on the mountain.

Nilifer's anne (mother) and I.

Babba and anne gathering snow to make snow cones. Aren't they adorable?!

James is working today (Saturday) along with the rest of the base. They are getting ready for an inspection so the base is in full operation one Saturday a month. I have been doing a lot of reading, cleaning, cooking and gettin’ my tan on! This whole week has been the best weather I’ve seen in ages and I am trying to burn so I can turn a golden brown before bikini season. Tomorrow we are going to Mersin, a beach town on the Mediterranean to be a beach bum and check out Castle by the Sea, which is an actual castle on its own little island. 

This is where it’s going to be choppy. Here are some of the things we are learning about moving half a world away.

*I am having a hard time cooking because I am unsure of some of the ingredients here. Produce looks different and labels in the commissary (base grocery store) are in other languages. I also have all the spices I need in our shipment which hasn’t arrived yet. Spices can be pricey and I don’t want to get duplicates so for now I have salt, pepper, curry and thyme. Oh and red pepper flakes so I can have some heat. 

*They also don’t eat pork here (because most people are Muslim) and meat is expensive. We are meat and potato kind of kids and I am trying to find meatless recipes that James approves. This is proving to be a difficult task. If he ever says, “I eat anything Dakin makes” he is lying through his teeth.  Call him out please.

*In the states internet is everywhere and the process to get it is very easy. Here it is much more complicated (no one knows why) and we have been left without internet again. We are feeling extremely isolated because of it. Yes, mom and dad, we know you used to climb trees and go fishing before internet. 

*Again, we are being taken back a century because our new wheels only consist of two. It will be some time before our car gets here so for now we get to huff it on our huffys!

*70% of the base is leaving this summer so it’s been harder to meet people than we thought it would be. Literally when you introduce yourself they will tell you that you shouldn’t waste your time on them because they’re leaving in a few months! 

*The flooring in our house is tile which I love but I can’t keep the dog from tracking in mud and grass! I am vacuuming almost every day. If you have any suggestions on how to remedy this problem…HELP ME!

*Our loaner full bed is going to kill me and ruin our marriage. I’m a sprawler and James is a kicker. For Christmas my parents got us a really nice queen size air mattress that we had stuffed in our first shipment. This morning we ripped the box open and then fought over who got to sleep on in tonight. If you didn’t already know this, wives always win.  

That about sums up our lives right now. In two weeks we are going to Cappadocia which is a cave city here in Turkey. We will be staying in a cave hotel! James and I are starting to plan our trip list which is filling up way too fast. I really hope we can fit it all in, in two years. If not, it’ll be a good excuse to visit again!

Hosh chacal! (goodbye! From the person leaving)

Gule gule! (goodbye! From the person staying)