i'm going to have a nephew

i am way too excited about this to have it share a post with a phone story..

so, my sister is 21 weeks pregnant and just found out yesterday she is having... a boy! April 25, Jackson Avery is due.. i can't wait!!!! :)

another phone crisis.

so, yesterday i had language..... well, i got on the bus, headed home.. and i got off the bus.. the bus was still waiting for people to get off so i decided to cross in front of it, but cars were coming in the second lane..so i took a chance and ran in between two cars, sucessfully, to the median.... well, maybe not sucessfully.. cause right as i hopped onto the median...

my phone bounced out of my jacket pocket and onto the median..
and then proceeded to bounce into the next lane of oncoming traffic!

so i see this all slow-mo... like noooo---o----oooo.. and literally at least 5 cars went over my phone..and it bounced around at least 3 of those times..and finally traffic was slowing and the light was turning red, so i stepped out in front of the next car (big truck actually) and put my hand up and said stop! and i gathered my phone.. [it was in four pieces..the front, back, battery, and sim card] and got out of the street..

the guy in the truck was all wide eyed and looked so concerned and i think he was like saying sorry ha....and so i crossed the street getting my phone back together and i was literally about to cry..thinking "oh great, its broken and i just flushed my last phone 2 months ago"

and then i got it together and turned it on and it WORKED!!....isnt that insane?! i promise at least three of the cars hit it and there's no visible damage..except that the back wont go on completely and there are a couple of knicks on the front

bus ride from europe...

i hung out with some friends on the european side last night and i listened to a mars hill podcast.. a guest speaker was there and spoke about isaiah. i think this one was from july... anyway.. i liked this point he made at the end..


"the bible is mainly just poetry. but the poetry is the word of God that imagines us to get outside ourself, by the Spirit, and entertain another kind of world that God intends us to have."
-walter brueggermann

oh, and i also sipped on a Starbucks caramel hot chocolate, while listening, and it made it THAT much more enjoyable. highly recommend (both mars hill podcasts and) starbucks caramel hot chocolate.. yum!

week off! yay!

this week is kurban bayram. this is good for me because i get the WHOLE week off.. most of it is over now but it has been a wonderful week. i painted my hall tiramisu. i edited a 54-page paper. i stayed inside a lot. i had a christmas movie night with friends and goodies. and i went to büyükada. oh, i also witnessed part of a sacrifice outside my apartment window.

kurban bayram is a yearly holiday for Muslims devoted to sacrificing animals in remembrance of Abraham and Isaac (they say, Ishmael) when God provided a ram in the place of Isaac and also as a time to give to the poor. I witnessed some sacrifices outside of my window and it burdens me even more to lift up their salvation to the Father. So, please, remember them, too.

seeing the sacrifices was actually something i hoped for because i wanted to feel it more.

sometimes i feel it a lot. sometimes i don't for a while. sometimes i get too settled. too comfortable. too okay with how things are. right now i am slipping into one of those times. i need to feel more broken. i need to be more aware. more alert.

tomorrow i am planning to go to çamlica...the tallest hill in the city with the biggest view. last time i was here i went there. that is the place i felt it most here. the realization of HOW many people are here who don't have Truth in their lives. return that feeling to me.

thanks, cooking, december?

thanksgiving was good for me..
i missed my family and celebrations, but my friends here made it feel like thanksgiving.
we had a mini celebration at English Tea Time, a big celebration Thursday, and we are doing something else this weekend! whew.

i have been experimenting and cooking a lot more since i have been here. i think there is just something about living in another country that makes you want to or have to cook from scratch more.. and i have more time here so i am not as lazy. ha. but ya.. i am enjoying it.. so by the time i get back, maybe i'll be an awesome cook, too. ha. i think it's because i realize i will be living here at least 2 years.. everywhere else i have lived the past 5 years has been for anywhere between 2 months and 8 months max.. so ya.

i can't believe it's december on monday.. i am kinda like that at the beginning of every month i think.. but really? december already!? i guess i need to look for some christmas decorations or something.

stories from the sea.

so ı had an adventurous and somewhat hilarious day today...

today we were supposed to go to büyükada, the big island, to hike up to the top of the hill because it's gorgeous..well we got to the iskele (boat dock) and there are 33mph winds today...

so no boats were crossing the bosphorus..
for good reason.. [see pics on facebook and you will understand more fully..]

so we stood around, took some pics and then decided to pile 8 people into a car and go to this polish village in a forest..so we got there successfully and it was beautiful.. and some of us decided to go down this steep incline to climb a tree..
me being one of them..

i made it to the tree and climbed it and then i had to get back up the hill..
the other two can run up the hill but it's muddy and slippery and steep.. and i couldn't get up
so i continued trying and sliding down the hill..and i ended up falling straight forward on my stomach and getting all muddy....and then FINALLY made it up with some help'

a little ways later, we decided to go the road less traveled and ended up coming to trees in the road.. one had fallen all the way over just where if i stepped over it, i could barely get over it..
so a turkish guy with us wanted to sit on it and take a picture.so he, april and i did...and right as the picture was about to get taken, the tree completely uprooted and we fell to the ground.. .
but it was pretty funny..

then we navigated and kept taking turns that made us feel like nobody ever went that way
so that was confusing and full of adventure, and then we ended up finding the way out...

and then we went to this turkish restaurant because there are no polish ones on this polish village hill..and celine dion, kelly clarkson, whitney houston, and any other cheesy music you can imagine played in the background.then we piled back in the car, headed back and dropped people off along the way...

till it was april and i and the couple whose car we were in.. well we were close to the fenerbache park which is right on the water.. so we decided to go so they could show us the park
remember, the waves on the sea are insane....

well we decide to park so we can check out the waves and take pics and whatnot.these waves were insanely big,HUGE!
well, there was this tree with these benches on it with an amazing view of the sea and i say to april "man i wish you could take a picture of me standing over there and waves coming up" and she decides to run over there so i can take her pic and then i go over for her to take mine.. and the waves come higher and higher

and i think to myself "i should really bring my camera over and take a picture of these humongous waves" yea......... not the best idea of the day

i definitely got SOAKED by a monster wave..
i am talking about jeans so wet they are falling off, hoodie soaked through to my shirt which is soaked through to my undershirt........ hair dripping wet. and it's sooooo windy

but i am just glad everyone got to see it because it was HILARIOUS
then we walked back to the car with people stopping to stare

and yea. made it home and took an awesome shower

magic coat.

because i did not bring one, because it is getting colder, and partly because i wanted to blend in here, i bought a plaid pea coat this week.
it was on sale, and would equal about $24 USD!!! so that was nice..

but i am beginning to think that it is a magical coat.
the first day i wore it, i had at least two Turks say i was very fashionable (a first here) and a couple of people say i looked Turkish.
today i wore it again and i had about ten people talk to me in Turkish with that look on their face like they fully expected me to respond in fluent Turkish.

maybe i should chunk all of my American clothes and buy a Turkish wardrobe..
do you think maybe i would learn Turkish faster that way?

new friend!

after language class, i baked brownies from scratch for the first time.
then, i cleaned the WHOLE apartment, other than sweeping.
i felt so domesticated

i took them to english tea time, so i was hoping they would turn out well....
and they did!

even better, i made a new friend!!!! yay!
that's a great feeling at this point..
i really desire to live life with people.
i want to develop friendships and speak truth into people's lives.

i really feel like i am adjusting well here...
i know i could use more practice with language and speaking it with natives here..
but, overall, i think my expectations coming in were pretty reasonable.

i didn't expect to make tons of relationships right off.
i expected to be tired. to get lost. to be frustrated at times.
i did not expect to be fluent in the language in a month or two months or a year....

all of these things i think i have had a pretty good perspective on.
so..... we'll see how it goes.

sometimes i do slip into the mode of "i need more turkish friends!" or "why don't i understand this conversation or remember EVERY single thing i learn!?" but then i remind myself: i am living in a new country, and just living here is enough to make you exhausted, let alone try to learn the language and invest in a friendship...

things are going at a pretty good pace. :)

one month!

i've been here a month! crazy..
it's been a good month.

i went to a birthday party last week.
this saturday, i am supposed to go to the "big island" to hike up if the weather is nice.
we'll see, i think it is supposed to start raining tomorrow for like 8 days nonstop. ha.

keep thinking about me and developing friendships..
i'll go to English Tea Time Wednesday night, so hoping some other girls will be there.

anyone else think it's weird Thanksgiving is sneaking up so fast?

new friend

tonight i made dinner before april got home.. making me feel a bit like a house wife. haha. but, it was fun and relaxing in a way.. i made brownies too..

so, i called my neighbor to see if she wanted to come over for cay and brownies.
she was busy waiting on her sister, so we didn't make cay.
but, we took her brownies and she invited us in for cay!
so it worked out, and we were showered with snacks too.
so, i am definitely excited about new friends, conversation, and cay.

scarf addiction....

so, i am forming new "addictions"...
i went to the "tuesday pazar" as everyone calls it, for the first time today..
it was my favorite one i have been to and i got really good deals.
i got two scarves for what would be less than 4 US dollars! nice.
so, you see why this can be habit-forming..

i also kinda learned how to make cay (chai) the other day.
i have only done it once, but, it is yummy and will add to my coffee addiction. :)

i have gotten to spend a little more time with my neighbor who is around my age.
i'm hoping to continue developing this relationship..
all of the neighbors i have met are so sweet and welcoming (even if they don't know english..)

my hard drive crashed, but a friend helped me find an apple retail dealer who honors apple care, so i won't have to pay anything. that's nice. i dropped it off today, and he should call me in about a week.... so ya.. :)

weekend maddness.

this weekend was waay too busy for me. ha.
i went to two huge malls and a huge bazaar.
but, i did get to go to ikea to get some stuff for the livingroom and go to the Spice Bazaar (without guidance!!!).
April and I are getting better at finding our way when we get lost. doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but believe me--it is!

i started a book study with some women i know and it was really really good.. it's something i definitely need, so I hope to be able to continue...

i have been studying language a lot (but i need to much more...) I am trying to figure out a tutor and how much a week.. that will help me be able to speak it better.

oh, and i went to a halloween party friday with other Americans, and it was fun. April and I were M&M's. simple and free.

we DID meet up with our neighbor friend last night!!! that's something I have been hoping for, so she came over and we are hoping to see her again Monday or Tuesday... so be thinking about that.

tomorrow is more language class... :) i think it will be an early night for me. yeah.

10 days or so in...

So! These past few days have been eventful! I have had plumbing problems (fixed), internet troubles (fixed), gotten lost a few times (and found), painted my apt (coat#1)...gone to my first day of language (success!), and SOMEWHAT found myself around my area of the neighborhood. Each day I realize a little bit more of HOW BIG this city is. it's insane!!

I am doing well, though... I like it here a lot, I have many teammates who are encouraging and SO helpful, an amazing roommate, and things are good for now.

One concern: my laptop is messed up.. It worked during my language classes, I came home, and it wouldn't work anymore.. It's a Mac and the screen had a flashing file folder with a question mark... so that's NOT good. at all. but the IT/tech guy took it with him to look at and he has a CD that might help that I left at home... So... we'll see.. Lift that up, seriously. That could be a huge frustration. And an expensive repair possibly.

Things to think about:
-April and I meeting national friends
-Having a vision for this city and these people
-My twin sister had her ultrasound last week, and everything is looking good
-the team here and work
-Language

Thanks so much for the thoughts.. Oh and blogspot is now blocked by my country... So, Lindsay is supposed to either update for me on my blogspot or on my actual website.. we'll see!

taking off...

i'm in munich..
goodbyes are hard. ugh.
i am suprisingly good at staying unemotional in public places..
i think it's the part inside of me that wants to be the strong one in situations when i can..
i miss my sisters. and parents. and brother. and my best friend. grr.

but, i am excited... deep inside me. ha.
i can't wait to get there in a few hours..
only 2.5 more hours on the plane!!

i had a productive flight here..
played 2 games of hand&foot with lindsay..
watched one movie and one tv show....
uhh.. ya.. :) best international flight EVER!!! :)

i think we're boarding.... YIKES!
take-off is my favorite......

my time at home is winding down.
i just got home from graceland too--with mom, taylor, lindsay, and her parents.
it was hil-arious. to say the least.

it's crazy how when you want time to slow down it flies on by.
4 more days. well, three whole days...

well, this stage in my life is over and i will be leaving the 'ville tomorrow... i'll be spending many hours being bored to death in an airport.. but i DID buy an awesome book yesterday, so that should keep me busy..

i'll be home for a couple of weeks and in 2 weeks from today i will be leaving again..... ah travels..

this week was the most challenging emotionally. i have been so tired and have had barely any free time since class was all day every day (even today, saturday) til 5pm.. I did get a nice long nap this afternoon... :)

i have been working on p cards in photoshop since I got here.. i've been learning so much and i love it! i also love when people look at theirs and love it..

i learned so much this week and it all was so practical.. so that was good.

a highlight of my week was hanging out with two of my best friends last night. we got some amazing chinese food and then coffee.. much needed time. i also went to three birthday parties here and out for mexican one night. tonight is chick-fil-a to celebrate group a surviving contingency. then maggie moos.. i am a bit concerned about bmi after this week.. haha!

sleep in saturday!!

not sure why I am still awake other than the fact that i get to sleep in for once tomorrow.. it's been a few weeks now since I had a day to sleep in... so tomorrow is a day that i have been waiting for eagerly.

this past week went by pretty quickly. i found out i have to take tb meds for 9 months because i had a positive skin test. not so fun but better than the alternative.. :)

this week has been a bit refreshing in some aspects.. next week (at least thru wednesday) will be stressful for me. we have contingency training and it can get kinda intense.. so i am anxiously waiting to see what they have in store for us..

i am looking forward to the rain tonight and tomorrow from the hurricanes.. we're a couple of hours from the coast but i hear it will rain pretty hard tomorrow at some points and have strong wind.. anything is exciting when you are stuck inside all day every day doing the same things...

it's september today... the past month has creeped by but i am still surprised that it is september already.. then again, i have pretty much the same feeling every 1st of the month.

today starts ramadan. i don't practice it but millions do. it's a most holy time of the year for Muslims. I pray for Muslims to know the one True God and seek Him and His truth this month and that He will reveal himself to Muslims around the world.

today i learned about anthropology related to what I will be doing. it was really interesting and the speaker connected well with us. that's always refreshing.. :)

i forgot today was labor day until last night... which ruined my plan to go to the radiologist and solve the mystery i have been a bit anxious about.

i got more immunizations today... i am now safe if i come across tb, typhoid, polio, or hepatitis a or b..... nice.

i'm not sure what to think of this time here right now.. i range from being overwhelmed, refreshed, frustrated, apathetic, critical, excited, wanting more, wanting less, feeling like i am learning so much, feeling like i am not learning anything....

the most interesting part is some of our daily morning readings.. i have gotten a new perspective from a lot of the stories i have read. i've seen them in a new light because of what i am preparing for.

i haven't been AS tired this week so that's awesome.
i have been a little more negative/critical than i feel i need to be. so that's not so awesome.