Back in Istanbul

Night buses are sort of the way to go here- it's what all the locals are doing. Maybe night buses two nights in a row is not the best plan. Ha. I was pretty disgusting by the time I arrived in Istanbul. That said, I think tomorrow may be another night bus, this time to Cappadocia, where I plan to spend a couple days, then to Aleppo. Or I may go directly to Aleppo as there is someone there who needs me and who I miss.

I treated myself to a nice day of lounging yesterday- I found a little coffee shop run by an Edmontonian. Ha. It felt very Canadian to me- a variety of baked goods and coffees and teas, plus some new and used books for sale. In addition, there was a photo series showing- Irresistable Istanbul- and was set up by an International Women's Photography Club here. How cool. Then I went to buy a Kilim (a hand weaved carpet or wall hanging) that was a bit pricey. At this point I discovered not only is my ATM card from Kuwait NOT WORKING AT ALL here, but that my credit card limit is very low. I am down to very cash in my wallet and my mom is sending me money via wire transfer. So frustrating as I actually have plenty of money that I simply cannot access. Typical.

Today I had an early morning- headed out for an interview at a very nice school that woudl be a good place for me to work. It is a music job with a bit more of a contemporary focus (blues, rock) but also some concert band and strings, which is shared with the ES teacher. It could be really good for me though I will understand if they think I do not have the right skills for the job. I did really like both the Headmaster and the Secondary principal. The Headmaster taught in Kuwait 4 years and the Principal is from Saskatchewan. Sigh. I would love to work with the people at the school but we shall see what happens. The right thing will work out and I should do some thinking too.

I am in the perfect place for thinking- Leonard Cohen is on the speakers, and I am surrounded by an eclectic mix of jewellery and vintage clothing drinking a Turkish coffee and typing away.

So, that said, I should go as I do not want to exceed my time limit lest I run out of money. Which could happen.

Happy holidays!

A fickle mistress of travel

I love to travel, there is not doubt about it. I am a bit of a fickle mistress in that everywhere I go is my new favouite place. Currently it's Selcuk and in a couple days it may be Cappadocia and then it will be Aleppo when I get back there. But perhaps that is just how I am about everything- every thing is my favourite, kind of like the Diary of a Dog. A walk, my favourite...

I was feeling a bit lazy to get started with this trip, but now that I am in Turkey, I am totally into it, and even budget style. After landing in Istanbul, I took the city bus and ferry to get to the area of the bus station. I got a free ride to the bus station from there, then took a bus to Eceabat (Echabat) to see the Gallipli peninsula (site of the ANZAC battle in WWI). After that very cold and windy tour yesterday, I hung out with some other travellers, read for awhile and took the night bus to Selcuk. I was in that state of lucid dreaming while on the bus, like I was watching my own dreams. I arrived here at 6am, too early to do much of anything. I sat in one little tea shop at the bus depot, reading and drinking tea. As the sun rose, I knew it was going to be a gorgeous day for seeing Ephesus (Roman ruins). The sky was clear, the air fresh and the orange trees are full of fruit. I headed to an ATM to retrieve a bit of cash only to discover my ATM card from Kuwait was not working at any of the 7 machines here, my Canadian card has expired and it's nearly impossible to change 35KD (which is over 100US). I was not going to let this little foıble ruın my otherwise perfect day. I changed the US dollars I had in my wallet and am now paying everything by credit card and hoping to get cash in Istanbul. Typical nonsense.

Tonight I am takıng a bus back to Istanbul and tomorrow am going to the Turkish bath and to stay in the nice hotel I stayed in last time in Istanbul.

Selcuk is a really lovely town in a great farming area close to the sea. There are orange and lemon and pomegranate and olive trees which people were harvesting today. Ephesus was very interesting and immense. The weather is cold at night and in the morning and warm during the day. And so..it's all good.


Two more hours til my bus- good thing I have a good book to read.

A few more things...

It's getting cozier in my living room, as I have been rearranging furniture in order to clear space for a designated yoga/meditation and massage room. I like having a bookshelf in the living room, and sitting at a desk rather than on the sofa to type on the computer.

My neighbour a floor below is gone for the holidays. Her cat is still home though, and is in heat so I can hear the desperate "rrrrroooowr", especially in the evenings. Too funny.

The weather here is great. It's quite cool at the moment, meaning sweaters and jackets and scarves. I like it. Because we have had substantial rains this fall (more rain the the last two years combined), trees are more green, flowers are blooming and there is even some little grassy patches in the vast sand lot by our apartments.

Due to the holidays, cricket matches are more frequent than only Fridays. It's nice to see the workers out enjoying themselves, and to hear the cheering coming from outside.

As for me, I think I should start packing to go to Turkey. One more day and I'll be off. Let me know if you want anything :)

Lots of love and holiday cheer!

A small cultural gap

I am on a very long winter break right now. We have a month off from work, which was stupidly part of the reason I stayed at ASK for another year. I am doing things like rearranging my furniture and going to the gym and running little errands. This helps to pass the time until I head to Turkey for a week or so. I was supposed to go to Syria yesterday to hang out with Bashar, but his father passed away on December 7, so I might go after Turkey, but not before as planned.

When someone dies in the Muslim world, family flocks together and spends days praying and visting. By days, I mean a week to ten days, not three or four days as we might expect in Canada. People are exempt from work and other obligations. I am not certain what sort of security there is, but one certainly does not need to ask twice for compassion leave. Bashar, as the eldest son, has many responsibilities. A few days ago, he was out selecting a goat to sacrifice on behalf of his father. It is slaughtered, butchered and given to poor people. He informed me, in case there was any doubt, that I would hate that part.

My first impulse on hearing the news of Mr. Hassoun's death, was to rush to Syria to support Bashar. That's what I would be expected to do in Canada, if I were a good girlfriend. Not so much here. Well, if I spoke Arabic, I could go because I would spend the entire time with his mom, aunts and sisters and the kids. He has no time to see me, not even 5 minutes a day to talk on the phone because of rituals, prayer and family affairs. He called last night to tell me his little niece (aged 5) inquired why "the fiancee of my uncle Bashir is not here, with the other women?" Ahem, well, we are NOT engaged so I am not his fiancee (despite what he tells people) and I would have no idea what to do or to say. This is another great example of why I should learn some Arabic.

So I am in my apartment, planning my trip to Turkey, feeling selfish because I COULD HAVE...made so many other plans- Thailand, Bali, India. Nepal, even Canada- but didn't because I wanted to spend time with Bashar. And now he might be able to make it to Turkey, if his brother, who lives in Libya, stays awhile in Syria. One of them needs to be there for his mom, as she is unable to be seen by men outisde the immediate family for a period of time.

Incidentally, I did meet the parents in August. Bashar's dad had been sick for quite sometime. He was diabetic (which is extremely common in the Arab world) and I think he had early onset Alzheimer's or something else that caused his eyes to be very glazed over. His life consisted mainly of hanging out at home, requesting tea at various times, and occasionally visiting the hospital. Anyway, I met him at the family flat in Aleppo this summer. I was feeling pretty awkward in general, though trying to be calm and seem comfortable. I was wearing capris and a short sleeved shirt, which is not what one is to wear in that neighbourhood of Aleppo, particularly when one is meeting her boyfriend's traditional Muslim family. In my defense, I thought I was going to get to go home and change before going to meet his parents. His mom commented to him on my attire, which would, in Canada, be a perfectly appropriate outfit for family meetingpurposes. She was still sweet and lovely, though, and happy to cook for me. One of Bashar's sisters was over with her five month old daughter, which was convenient for breaking the ice and giving me something to do and a way to interact with the women. But the best part of the visit was when his father asked Bashar (one of the few Arabic questions I understand) if I spoke Arabic. When the response was no, he solemnly looked over at me, opened his mouth and said, in a clear and even tone, "HI." It was all I could do not to giggle. I informed Bashar later that I thought his dad liked me.

and that was that...here's my inappropriate outfit...keeping in mind it was something like 35C outside. Oh well, I should know by now to always carry an emergency abbaya (the long black cloak) kit.