weather, and other updates

the latest thing that i really miss about living in new york/the US is snow. my fellow new yorkers probably think that's crazy. it's funny, last year i was also longing for a big storm all winter. i feel like they were always missing binghamton-- by a mile or 2. maybe it's from growing up in the north country, but to me there's nothing more satisfying than a huge winter storm.

here in ankara, it's all about the pollution. that's the kind of weather i note each morning when i wake up & look out our window, down below to the city: 'how much pollution is in the air today? well, it's a little less grey than yesterday...' it's not even warm-- it's just not cold enough to snow, and there's rarely any precipitation here to clear the air. we're in a huge drout, and anatolia is turning to desert. and the coal that many people use to warm their homes, because they can't afford alternative sources, is polluting the air. of course, it's gotten worse as winter approaches.

and the fog! you can't imagine the fog we get here. i think it's tied some how to the polluted air, but have yet to wickipedia that theory. it's been burned off by the sun today, but for the past 3 days it simply never lifted. i drove home twice without seeing any of the buildings on the side of the road, the fog was that dense.

i must say i am very excited for my trip to london. this saturday i'm flying first to istanbul, then on to london, to visit my dear friend alexa & her bebe, cecelia for a week. it's a bayram (holiday) here in turkey for the week, so it seemed the perfect opportunity. i've never been to london- only to heathrow.

in the meantime ben will be in the us with his father. they leave tomorrow morning, and i will be on my own for 2 days & nights, doing everything on my own, for the first time... in turkey. after living on my own for 6 years you'd think this would be no big deal, and yet i've found myself asking ben about the stupidest things, like: how do we set the alarm clock? how do i run the dishwasher? if i need gas in the car, will i be able to do that? it's like i'm learning everything again, and it's very frustrating. but that's why i think these few days alone will be very, very good for me. i need to be forced into a little independence. stay tuned for stories-- or possibly an s.o.s.??