Thansgiving & Teacher's Day!

This year, Thanksgiving was on the same day as Teachers Day! Upon my arrival at school, the table in the female teachers lounge was set up with silverware, a white table cloth, and delicious Turkish food! As all the teachers gathered to eat, I couldn’t help but feel reminiscent of my Grandma’s Thanksgiving table; although, this feast was minus any men! After breakfast, children paraded into the lounge delivering gifts and flowers. I was also requested to visit a few of my classrooms, where the children presented me with gifts, hugs, kisses, and a rehearsed, “Happy Teacher’s Day!” Some of the gifts I was given resembled those that would be included on a Muslim wedding registry! I was given a serving bowl and spoons, a vase, some home decorations, a towel set, a coffee mug, jewelry, a Muslim prayer book, scented prayer beads, a Muslim style sweater, a scarf, homemade cards, and a bunch of bouquets and roses. Randi and I felt quite loved and special. Both of us thought that if we had to be away from our families, this was the way to celebrate and give thanks!

Later, we went to our favorite mall for a fancy pasta dinner. We purchased some wine. Unfortunately, 4^th times not a charm for me. While Randi’s been savoring her sweet wines, I’ve been pouring mine down the sink.

~ Stacy

Fairytale Castle - Ankara, Turkey

Last weekend Stacy and I both decided it was time to mix some culture into our weekly trip to Ankara; so Saturday morning we got up bright and early and traveled to Ankara Castle. Stacy had also mentioned she wanted to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations; as it turned out it was located just below the castle, we were able to hit up both places in one trip. The museum was very interesting and is situated in an old bazaar that was gutted and transformed into the museum due, to Ataturk's desire to establish a Hittite museum. The museum is host to numerous exhibits of Anatolian Archeology, beginning with the Paleolithic era, and continuing chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian trading colonies, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuq and Ottoman periods. We were both very surprised with the many exhibits devoted to the worship of Women and their honored position in society. Times have sure changed in Turkey. Though the museum was small, the exhibits were all very interesting with some of the artifacts dating back to as far as the second half of the first millennium BC. After Stacy took advantage of the lighting and numerous photo ops we made our way up the hill to Ankara Castle.

Ankara Castle sits upon a hill overlooking much of the city and gives a breathtaking view of older parts of the city as opposed to the modern metropolitan Kizilay. Along the steep climb one walks though a quaint bazaar with numerous shops and cafes. It is touristy, but the buildings are old and weathered.  The shop owners are little old men and women so there is still a sense of history amongst the rugs and scarves. Much of the castle is weather beaten and not intact, but was still really beautiful. We climbed up to the second story and while I braved the narrow walk way to overlook the city, Stacy kept a safe distance from the edge. The timing worked beautifully as we reached the top just as the sun was setting over the villages surrounding the castle. Red tin roofed houses were a nice change from the concrete apartments that dot much of Ankara. We will for sure make one more trip here before leaving.  On our descent we found the main bazaar of Ankara and meandered around the many shops, stopping now and then to examine the rugs and jewelry stores. It felt a little like being back in Thailand, with tourists’ shops and stalls selling everything from clothes to cookware. We both really enjoyed seeing a different side of Ankara and also adding a little culture to our otherwise downtown city weekends.  When we visited again in the spring, it was just as lovely.

~ Randi