so today at 2pm while ben, lori & bob and i waited for our next appointment, ben received a phone call. the movers were sitting outside of our building wondering why there was no one to answer the doorbell. a day early.
this came as no surprise considering how utterly INEPT this company has been from day one. actually, i shouldn't blame the entire company-- just the owner, who we've been dealing with directly. she is, for lack of a better word, useless. i had spoken with her on tuesday & explained the situation with our week being filled with meetings, and that friday would be the only day i could sneak away to accept the shipment.
anyway. we rushed home, and luckily the crew had waited for us. they opened the back of the van to show me the huge container that had served as the vessel for my life's belongings across the sea... with a few delicate items strapped to the top. this was cause for some concern, but it seems that it was customs officials, not the movers, who had taken the items out & not been able to fit them back in the container, and luckily upon opening them we didn't find a single scratch.
in about 15 minutes they unloaded the entire container & placed the boxes where i directed them. we counted them twice, opened each one to make sure nothing was broken or missing, and signed off on the paperwork. i would like to give a big shout-out here to roger's movers in binghamton, ny, who so carefully packed my entire life's possessions allowing not even a single scratch.
my stuff is here! looking around the apartment at my own things- some which i've missed, others i'd forgotten- is overwhelming. i can't explain the feeling, but i think it's something like homesickeness, relief, and feeling like a kid on christmas morning all at once. i'm happy and crying simultaneously, all the while making mental notes of where certain things will go.
i will post some pics of my unpacked belongings soon-- but for now, i'm off to sort through the mess and possibly decorate a little.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
quickly
i've been neglecting the blog... i know! and i'm sorry. it's just that a) i still don't have the mac back (and probably won't until after we return from the us in mid november) and b) i've had little-to-no free time lately, and that's no exaggeration!!
this past sunday the vice chancellor & associate director from suny central arrived from the us for a 2 week visit. i had invited them over for dinner & to welcome them, which led to a sunday spent cooking. ALL day. literally. i will say that dinner went off without a hitch -- started with a 3 cheese hot artichoke dip with crudite and crustiny (remember, there are no crackers in turkey so we must improvise), followed by parmesan smashed potatoes, garlic sauteed broccoli, a caprese salad (i found mozzarella! finally!) and balsamic roasted chicken, ending with a pear/apple crisp & vanilla ice cream for a taste of home-- and ben & i were glad to host our first dinner party in the apartment. they were exhausted & that was, so far, our earliest night, ending around 10pm. let's just say last night we were hosted for dinner at the former yok baskan's (pres. of the higher education council) home, and did not leave until 1am. sooo tiiired.
each day has been packed with meetings at the higher education council, various university's, and american embassy. it has been a whirl-wind, and it's hardly over yet. on sunday we leave for a 2 night stay in izmir, and then on tuesday fly to istanbul for the remainder of the week. next saturday ben and i will leave istanbul for the us, to attend sarah's wedding. yes: it's insane.
but it has been a learning experience for me and i am glad to be getting my feet wet, so to speak, with the real work of this new job.
in addition to work, the other updates i have to share are that my stuff is FINALLY arriving from the us on friday (well, it's here in ankara now but it's a national holiday today so they won't deliver it until friday... let's just say i've had it out with the turkish moving company several times & am ready to never deal with them again). i cannot wait to see my own things again, mostly the kitchen utensils, warm coats & wall decorations.
secondly, ben and i are taking time to have some fun on friday & saturday in celebration of halloween. we've been invited to 2 parties hosted by americans who work at the embassy. we've got our costumes all set... stay tuned for pictures ; )
this past sunday the vice chancellor & associate director from suny central arrived from the us for a 2 week visit. i had invited them over for dinner & to welcome them, which led to a sunday spent cooking. ALL day. literally. i will say that dinner went off without a hitch -- started with a 3 cheese hot artichoke dip with crudite and crustiny (remember, there are no crackers in turkey so we must improvise), followed by parmesan smashed potatoes, garlic sauteed broccoli, a caprese salad (i found mozzarella! finally!) and balsamic roasted chicken, ending with a pear/apple crisp & vanilla ice cream for a taste of home-- and ben & i were glad to host our first dinner party in the apartment. they were exhausted & that was, so far, our earliest night, ending around 10pm. let's just say last night we were hosted for dinner at the former yok baskan's (pres. of the higher education council) home, and did not leave until 1am. sooo tiiired.
each day has been packed with meetings at the higher education council, various university's, and american embassy. it has been a whirl-wind, and it's hardly over yet. on sunday we leave for a 2 night stay in izmir, and then on tuesday fly to istanbul for the remainder of the week. next saturday ben and i will leave istanbul for the us, to attend sarah's wedding. yes: it's insane.
but it has been a learning experience for me and i am glad to be getting my feet wet, so to speak, with the real work of this new job.
in addition to work, the other updates i have to share are that my stuff is FINALLY arriving from the us on friday (well, it's here in ankara now but it's a national holiday today so they won't deliver it until friday... let's just say i've had it out with the turkish moving company several times & am ready to never deal with them again). i cannot wait to see my own things again, mostly the kitchen utensils, warm coats & wall decorations.
secondly, ben and i are taking time to have some fun on friday & saturday in celebration of halloween. we've been invited to 2 parties hosted by americans who work at the embassy. we've got our costumes all set... stay tuned for pictures ; )
Thursday, October 16, 2008
karaoke
tuesday was our friend asli's birthday, and her husband mehmet organized a surprise dinner/karaoke night. yes, they have karaoke in turkey! i met some new people & we had a great time, as you can see by the pics below!
the group
the ladies, getting into it (it got a little crazy when the turkish songs came on later)
the group
the ladies, getting into it (it got a little crazy when the turkish songs came on later)
even the guys sang a few tunes!
asli & mehmet, singing 'tainted love.' too cute.
singing 'the greatest love of all' by whitney. 
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
happy birthday evie
on saturday ben & i were invited to a first birthday party for our friend nilay's daughter evie. it was fun to experience a turkish birthday party (friends & family, lots of great home-cooked food) and meet some of nilay's friends. evie provided non-stop entertainment with her adorableness.
evie in her chair, which she ADORES bouncing in!
evie in her chair, which she ADORES bouncing in!
concentrating on blowing out her first candle on her first birthday cake with some help from mom.
seriously-- she could not get enough of this chair. look at those cheeks!
pics from the outing with the taa
below are some pictures i took during the outing to the castle in kecioren last week... sorry they are late!
we climbed up these stairs to get to the restaurant... a well-earned meal.
inside the tent... at the restaurant... sitting shoesless on the floor awaiting our meal.
the dinner, mostly lamb cooked in various forms, with a pile of rice pilaf and an interesting sort of dumpling, with a few french fries in the middle.
the castle
we climbed up these stairs to get to the restaurant... a well-earned meal.
inside the tent... at the restaurant... sitting shoesless on the floor awaiting our meal.
the dinner, mostly lamb cooked in various forms, with a pile of rice pilaf and an interesting sort of dumpling, with a few french fries in the middle.
the castle
inside of the castle-- lots of turkish tiles, marble, and brass... also note the green light illuminating the plants under the stairs. this is a turkish phenomenon: throughout the city there are green lights highlighting trees and plants. i don't know why, but they love it!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
it's official! well, almost.
last week ben and i headed back to the police station to pick up my residence permit, having been told it would be ready by the 8th of october. this will serve as my official ID here in turkey, once my visitor's visa expires in november. of course, it's only valid for one year, so next year at this time i will have to go through the entire process all over again, and it's not a fun one!
when we arrived at the police station to pick it up, it was a bit hectic. the semseter has begun for all turkish universities which means that all international students have arrived... and all of them require residence permits. there were people of all different nationalities, none of whom seemed to know any turkish. they all looked pretty panicked, and again i was really grateful to have ben as my personal interpreter!
once we got up to the counter to give my name and ask for the permit, a police officer stepped forward and told the crowd that though we were told our permits would be ready, they were not. this was clearly a lie (as we had watched several others pick them up), and an attempt to be rid of the crowd. ben insisted mine was ready and luckily there was another officer willing to go back & check... mind you, they do not use an automated or electronic database for the permits, but instead they keep track with a giant book that the officers have to leaf through, looking for a picture that matches the face standing before them. if we had believed the first officer and accepted that the permit wasn't ready, it would have meant coming all the way back on another day, waiting in line all over again, etc. thankfully the kind & willing officer was able to locate my permit and we went on our way.
this is definitely one of those experiences you just have to chalk up to 'life in turkey... ONLY in turkey.'
when we arrived at the police station to pick it up, it was a bit hectic. the semseter has begun for all turkish universities which means that all international students have arrived... and all of them require residence permits. there were people of all different nationalities, none of whom seemed to know any turkish. they all looked pretty panicked, and again i was really grateful to have ben as my personal interpreter!
once we got up to the counter to give my name and ask for the permit, a police officer stepped forward and told the crowd that though we were told our permits would be ready, they were not. this was clearly a lie (as we had watched several others pick them up), and an attempt to be rid of the crowd. ben insisted mine was ready and luckily there was another officer willing to go back & check... mind you, they do not use an automated or electronic database for the permits, but instead they keep track with a giant book that the officers have to leaf through, looking for a picture that matches the face standing before them. if we had believed the first officer and accepted that the permit wasn't ready, it would have meant coming all the way back on another day, waiting in line all over again, etc. thankfully the kind & willing officer was able to locate my permit and we went on our way.
this is definitely one of those experiences you just have to chalk up to 'life in turkey... ONLY in turkey.'
Friday, October 10, 2008
a recap of the week
still no mac, but i figured i'd better blog anyway before i get too far behind with the updates. this week has gone by very quickly with lots going on.
on tuesday ben & i had dinner with kemal guruz and his wife, guniz. kemal is one of the founders of the turkish dual diploma programs, former head of the yok (higher education council of turkey), and a retired university president. let's just say, he's kind of a big deal. ben and i were delighted when he invited us to his home for dinner with his wife and another couple. it was a lovely evening. kemal's knowledge of the higher education system here, the DDP and each participating campuses is phenominal. it was certainly a critical learning experience for me. also, it was so great to be in such a warm & inviting home, with classical music playing in the background & delicious home cooked food (reminded me so much of being at home with the family). kemal's wife even cooked a peach pie for dessert, what a treat!
on wednesday night i went on an outing with the turkish-american association (taa). a woman named marlene who coordinates many of the taa's events had contacted me to find out if i'd be interested. ben and i both agreed this would be a good opportunity for me to do something on my own, and hopefully meet some people.
well of course it couldn't go off without a hitch: ben and i wound up leaving work a little late and running into traffic, so i missed the bus departure from the taa. luckily ben knows this city like the back of his hand and was able to speak with the bus driver & agree on a meeting spot. i wasn't sure what to expect as we waited on the side of a busy road for the bus to pull up, but i thought it would probably be about 10 people, mostly american women in their 30s or 40s (i don't know why, it just felt that way based on marlene's voice over the phone). instead, when the bus pulled up and the door opened, about 30 people of all different ages, mostly families and couples, greeted me with a loud 'hi katie!'. needless to say i was slightly embarrassed as i climbed aboard & fell back into the first available seat. but everyone quickly fell into their own conversations, and i was happy to spend the trip eavesdropping on the southern, british, and canadian accents.
this outing was to the neighborhood of kecioren, where they have built a massive castle on a very steep hill, complete with waterfalls, about 500 steps, and ozbeki restaurants up top. all of it seems to be made from marble (not as expensive in turkey, but certainly just as elegant). the evening started with dinner at a traditional ozbeki restaurant. these restaurants are in large tents that looked to be made of burlap. upon entering we had to remove our shoes, and we sat on the floor. the food was very similar to turkish cuisine, with various forms of lamb. about half way through a man dressed in what i assume was traditional garb came out and performed a number of dramatic songs for us.
after dinner we headed out to the castle, where the mayor of kecioren was waiting to give us a personal tour. he was clearly very proud of the castle. to me the castle seems an extravagant waste of money. on the tour we didn't see much besides a restaurant and 2 or 3 VIP lounges. oh, and there was a very small museum with artifacts that had no lables indicating where they were from or what the significance was. so we all wandered around & did our best ooh'ing and aah'ing to please the mayor and his entourage of body guards.
after the castle, the mayor handed us each a gift bag with magnets & postcards of his beloved castle. then we headed up the hill to the last stop of our tour, the cable car rides. as part of the castle they build gondolas which glide out over the suburb of kecioren. the ride was ok (we mostly looked out over the rooftops of houses), though we were all a bit nervous when the cable car started to vibrate loudly on the way back. the highlight for me was talking to the others in my cable car, learning that one woman was british, from leeds, but had lived in nyc for a long time. another woman who was with her baby boy & husband was from toronto. both women were with their turkish husbands who spoke fluent english and turkish, like ben. all in all it was a nice experience, and i think i might do it again.
last night ben's grandmother returned from germany. she'll be with us for about 2 more weeks before returning to australia, and i'm glad to have her back. tonight we'll take her out for a fish dinner to celebrate her arrival.
that's all for now...
on tuesday ben & i had dinner with kemal guruz and his wife, guniz. kemal is one of the founders of the turkish dual diploma programs, former head of the yok (higher education council of turkey), and a retired university president. let's just say, he's kind of a big deal. ben and i were delighted when he invited us to his home for dinner with his wife and another couple. it was a lovely evening. kemal's knowledge of the higher education system here, the DDP and each participating campuses is phenominal. it was certainly a critical learning experience for me. also, it was so great to be in such a warm & inviting home, with classical music playing in the background & delicious home cooked food (reminded me so much of being at home with the family). kemal's wife even cooked a peach pie for dessert, what a treat!
on wednesday night i went on an outing with the turkish-american association (taa). a woman named marlene who coordinates many of the taa's events had contacted me to find out if i'd be interested. ben and i both agreed this would be a good opportunity for me to do something on my own, and hopefully meet some people.
well of course it couldn't go off without a hitch: ben and i wound up leaving work a little late and running into traffic, so i missed the bus departure from the taa. luckily ben knows this city like the back of his hand and was able to speak with the bus driver & agree on a meeting spot. i wasn't sure what to expect as we waited on the side of a busy road for the bus to pull up, but i thought it would probably be about 10 people, mostly american women in their 30s or 40s (i don't know why, it just felt that way based on marlene's voice over the phone). instead, when the bus pulled up and the door opened, about 30 people of all different ages, mostly families and couples, greeted me with a loud 'hi katie!'. needless to say i was slightly embarrassed as i climbed aboard & fell back into the first available seat. but everyone quickly fell into their own conversations, and i was happy to spend the trip eavesdropping on the southern, british, and canadian accents.
this outing was to the neighborhood of kecioren, where they have built a massive castle on a very steep hill, complete with waterfalls, about 500 steps, and ozbeki restaurants up top. all of it seems to be made from marble (not as expensive in turkey, but certainly just as elegant). the evening started with dinner at a traditional ozbeki restaurant. these restaurants are in large tents that looked to be made of burlap. upon entering we had to remove our shoes, and we sat on the floor. the food was very similar to turkish cuisine, with various forms of lamb. about half way through a man dressed in what i assume was traditional garb came out and performed a number of dramatic songs for us.
after dinner we headed out to the castle, where the mayor of kecioren was waiting to give us a personal tour. he was clearly very proud of the castle. to me the castle seems an extravagant waste of money. on the tour we didn't see much besides a restaurant and 2 or 3 VIP lounges. oh, and there was a very small museum with artifacts that had no lables indicating where they were from or what the significance was. so we all wandered around & did our best ooh'ing and aah'ing to please the mayor and his entourage of body guards.
after the castle, the mayor handed us each a gift bag with magnets & postcards of his beloved castle. then we headed up the hill to the last stop of our tour, the cable car rides. as part of the castle they build gondolas which glide out over the suburb of kecioren. the ride was ok (we mostly looked out over the rooftops of houses), though we were all a bit nervous when the cable car started to vibrate loudly on the way back. the highlight for me was talking to the others in my cable car, learning that one woman was british, from leeds, but had lived in nyc for a long time. another woman who was with her baby boy & husband was from toronto. both women were with their turkish husbands who spoke fluent english and turkish, like ben. all in all it was a nice experience, and i think i might do it again.
last night ben's grandmother returned from germany. she'll be with us for about 2 more weeks before returning to australia, and i'm glad to have her back. tonight we'll take her out for a fish dinner to celebrate her arrival.
that's all for now...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
long time, no post
since it's been a week since my last post, i figured i ought to write something today in case anyone is checking for an update. there is actually a good reason why it's been one week since my last post, and that is called a logic board. apparently, the logic board in my macbook is ill... or, possibly dead. i'm anxiuosly waiting for confirmation of this from the mac technician who has had it in their care for the past 2 days.
how, might you ask, could a 1.5 month-old macbook have any problems at all? well it could have something to do with the glass of water that was poured over it while we were on vacation last week. who would do such a thing? i don't want to mention any names here, but to give you a hint it begins with a B, ends with an N, and has an E in it. still not getting it? it also rhymes with hen. yeahhhh.
i hope to post more soon, from the macbook. fingers crossed.
how, might you ask, could a 1.5 month-old macbook have any problems at all? well it could have something to do with the glass of water that was poured over it while we were on vacation last week. who would do such a thing? i don't want to mention any names here, but to give you a hint it begins with a B, ends with an N, and has an E in it. still not getting it? it also rhymes with hen. yeahhhh.
i hope to post more soon, from the macbook. fingers crossed.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
bayram feast
to celebrate the end of ramazan & beginning of bayram, serhat's family hosts a special dinner for family & friends who are spending the holiday here at the rubi. we attended this dinner the first time i visited turkey, two years ago, as well. it's a wonderful celebration with live music, a feast & lots of raki (traditional turkish liquor).
the buffet
serhat & beril, our hosts. 
asli & mehmet, good friends who also traveled from ankara for the holiday
ben & i
ben & i 
that's all i have to blog about for now, i will try to post some more before the end of the week. for now i'm going to enjoy the breakfast that has yet again been prepared for us... sitting on the patio, overlooking the mediterranean on this beautiful morning.
ahhhhhlanya
we arrived late monday night to serhat & beril's beautiful home in alanya. this is one shot of this amazing place (that's serhat). serhat's family runs the rubi hotel, which is about 1 km from the house. they spend the summer living & working here, and then return to ankara for the winter months.
tuesday morning ben & i awoke to the housekeeper and beril's sister preparing us breakfast. all of the cuisine they prepared was typical of the black sea region of turkey... and of course it received my stamp of approval.
we ate on the back patio overlooking the med. hard to believe this is their everyday life! here's beril's sister, berat & her friend merve.
we ate on the back patio overlooking the med. hard to believe this is their everyday life! here's beril's sister, berat & her friend merve.
after breakfast we all put on our swimsuits & headed to the rubi for a day at the beach. before jumping in, we took the elevator to the top of the hotel to pay a visit (and wish a happy bayram) to serhat's parents. their home is on the roof of the hotel, overlooking paradise!
we spent a good part of the day swimming & then retired to the beach bar. another important part of life in alanya (besides the food & beautiful scenery) is tavla & efes beer. ben let me win one out of three games... such a gentleman!
road trip
we had a beautiful drive heading south, through konya (a very religious city in turkey where the whirling dervish was born), over the toros mountains, and down into alanya. the landscape of turkey is very dramatic and these photos hardly give it justice, but just to give you an idea....
we seemed to keep missing the torrential downpours that covered turkey that day
can & doga slept most of the way-- can was fasting so we can't blame him!
the toros mountains are beautiful & reminded me a bit of the rockies. the highest point we reached was 1894 meters/6214 feet.
in the midst of the mountains is a rest area that can knew about & decided would be good for breaking fast at iftar (the last of this ramazan). it's literally a rest stop, attached to a gas station, and in the middle of nowhere... but they had the most amazing food! can (pronounced jon, not can) ordered one kilo (2 lbs) of lamp chops... again, let me just say that he was fasting & celebrating the end of ramazan! they were DELICIOUS.
can, enjoying his feast and happy to celebrate the end of ramazan. we didn't mind helping him ; )
in the midst of the mountains is a rest area that can knew about & decided would be good for breaking fast at iftar (the last of this ramazan). it's literally a rest stop, attached to a gas station, and in the middle of nowhere... but they had the most amazing food! can (pronounced jon, not can) ordered one kilo (2 lbs) of lamp chops... again, let me just say that he was fasting & celebrating the end of ramazan! they were DELICIOUS.
can, enjoying his feast and happy to celebrate the end of ramazan. we didn't mind helping him ; )
lyi bayramlar!
i have a lot to blog about as i sit here on the patio overlooking the mediterranean sipping my coffee.... ; ) first i'll post the pics from ben's grandmother's house. we stopped to wish a happy bayram just before hitting the road on monday...
ben with his grandmother & twin cousins who are visiting from istanbul for the holiday
aunt ayfer (mother of twins, also visiting from istanbul)
... can you tell the twins adore ben? i think the feeling is mutual!
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