Again, Beautiful

After spending two days in the dessert, we are back in Ankara. The park below the apartment just keeps getting prettier and prettier. Imagine having to wake up to this each morning.

Cappadocia Rocks

Kate and I set out on a little road trip yesterday to Cappadocia. It took us a few hours of driving through vast nothingness to arrive, but it was well worth it. I was especially excited going to this area of Turkey because I'm in the middle of a Historical Theology course at seminary and the Cappadocian Fathers just keep popping up.

We took a great hike through the Ihlara Valley and stayed in the town of Goreme which is filled with "fairy chimneys," Spanish tourists, 2nd century monasteries built into the rocks and underground cities. Incredible.

Here are a few views of the "fairy chimneys."

They really do exist and are crazy to see in real life.

Next Up:

The Big Cook Off

My hosts planned a big cooking competition this weekend with a few of their friends. Kate is in the kitchen right now preparing the main dish. I'm on for dessert and I'm getting nervous. I feel pretty comfortable in the kitchen, but not when 'winning' is on the line.

First True Taste

Yesterday Kate the Great took me to Ulus, the old part of Ankara. I feel that I've gotten my first true taste of Turkey. The women were covered. The men stared. The barrels of spices lined the streets. And big trucks squeezed their way down narrow allies. I'm further East then I first realized.

Turn Right To Go Left

Are there any Cars fans out there? I feel like I have taken Doc's advice. I got on a plane heading East and I somehow ended up in the West. I realize that a lot of this is due to the fact that my friends work in the international community, so their lifestyle and the people they hang out with tend to be more international than the average Turk's. But seriously, I've been enjoying amazing service on the plane (including a full fledge meal on the hour long flight from Istanbul to Ankara), wide streets, sidewalks everywhere, big apartments, a million varieties of restaraunts to choose from, and the beautiful view of the park that I wake up to every morning. I do have to admit though, that the things that have thrown me off the most are more specific to the community in which I have found myself than to actually being in Turkey: the clothes dryer, the fluffy towels, the Ford Explorer, the American commissary where you can find nearly any type of conserved food imaginable, but most of all the full size fridge. I could hardly find the milk the first morning (that was more due to the fact that I couldn't remember what type of container milk came in. I was too busy looking for a small box and completely missed the 1/2 gallon carton staring me in the face).

I've nearly forgotten that I'm actually in Asia now.

I Drove Through Fall

This is a picture that I should have posted a month ago. But due to camera difficulties (namely, I left it behind in Sarajevo) I was unable to access it. So, here it is. A month late and almost forgotten. These are a few colleges from Brazil that I get to see in my travels through Bosnia. I really like my organization. The international flavor is so nice.

Well, now I'm in Turkey. Sometimes I wonder who told me I could be so lucky as to visit so many cool places. It helps to have friends who invite. It also helps to live near places like Sarajevo that offer cheap flights to places a little further East. So, here I am, visiting my friend, Kate the Great, and her husband, Turkey Tim. (I'm not sure if he knows that his name is Turkey Tim, but that is how Kate first introduced him to me, so it is the name that will stick).

(More colleagues from Bosnia)

It took me a bit to get here though. A bus ride through Fall (Southern Bosnia could easily boast one of the most amazing displays of Fall color I have ever seen). A picknic in the middle of a field that looked oddly like Idaho. A weekend of classes in Croatia. A weekend making more friends in Bosnia. Three gate changes in Istanbul. And now, Ankara, Turkey. I feel that I am in the land of apartment buildings and three-lane roads. Up next: Capadocia, scarf shopping and of course a spice market or two.

(Does this look like SW Idaho to anyone else?)

Coals On My Head

I think I need to work on my loyalty. Last week my friend convinced me to try a new hair dresser. I decided to appease her and she made an appointment for me. The new hair dresser was cold, completely disinterested in anything around her and kind of like a robot. She gave me an o.k. haircut, but it was a horrible experience. Every time I looked in the mirror I saw my o.k. hairstyle and I felt a little guilty. Yesterday I had a friend come to visit me from Podgorica. The main reason she came was to get her haircut from my old hair dresser. So I made an appointment for her and we went together. I was really embarrassed. Here I had to go into my old hair dressers with my new, only o.k., haircut. She was great. Friendly. Happy to see me. Didn't act weird that I had obviously gone to someone else to get my hair cut. She even asked how my hike up the mountain was last month. She remembered that I was planning to take a hike up the mountain for goodness' sake. Then, to top it all off, I decided to ask her if she could shape up the back of my hair a little, you know, to make it a little more than o.k.. She did. She plopped me down in her chair and chopped away. Five minutes later I felt like a new person with a great hairdo. She wouldn't even let me pay.

Folks, I'm feeling guilty. I'm feeling really lucky. I'm feeling like I will never turn my back on her again, no matter the pressure I get from my friends. Let's hear it for the heaping coal way of life, it sure beats guilt trips, pay backs and silent treatments.

A Few Words On Marriage

Hardly a day goes by in which I am not asked about my marital status:  Why aren’t you married?  Have you found someone yet?  Are you going to marry a Montenegrin?  Are you still single?  I’m pretty well use to these questions and don’t think much about giving some flippant answer.  But sometimes my nice kind neighbors or the cousins of my neighbors or the strangers I meet on the street decide I need to hear a little more advice about the necessity of finding a man and how to go about it.

·         Maja, do you ever clean your shutters?  What if a man comes by and he sees your shutters.  What is he going to think about you.  Maybe you should clean them this weekend.  No hurry though, whenever you have time.  But really, men look at things like that.

·         Maja, you are always so busy.  Running here, running there.  Meeting with your friends.  Teaching a class.  Going to this town, going there.  You know things are going to have to change.  When you get married your husband is not going to just sit at home waiting for you every evening. 

·         Oh Maja, have you found a man?  No, well that is o.k.  You can enjoy this life until maybe you turn 35.  When you turn 35 then you really need to settle down and think about your future.  Enjoy yourself for now, but time really goes quickly, so be careful.

·         Really Maja, you drive that big van?  How do you do that?  That is really impressive.  Men should be impressed.

So men, be impressed.  I’m heeding the words of my friends.  I haven’t washed my shutters, but it is raining, so they look clean anyway.  I’m driving the team van around town. I’m being careful about how I spend my time (namely I’m studying a ton, so I’m home a lot more).  Then last night I ran into some friends down town and during all the kissing and greeting our hands all crossed.  This is a sure sign that someone is going to get engaged.   Everyone looked at me. 

 

And that my friends is where the story ends for now...

Did Somebody Say Burek?

While living in Albania, I learned how to make burek, BUT IT TOOK FOREVER! I put it on the list of things I'm glad I did once, but that I would never have to do again. Well, I was wrong. My neighbor showed me a few shortcuts. I can now make a pan of burek in under 20 minutes. Anybody hungry?

Greenish Guys with Long Curly Tops

Last week I was hoping to find some nice big orange pumpkins to carve up during English Cafe. I did find some nice big orange pumpkins at the fresh fruit market, but then I realized that I would have to cart them across town. That wasn't so appealing. Plus, you have to pay by the kilo and I wasn't sure how much money I was willing to fork out. Instead I settled from some cute little greenish guys will long curly tops.

Come to find out, greenish guys with long curly tops make pretty cute jack-o-lanterns.

They are a whole lot easier to clean out as well, not to mention I saved 20 euro.

Welcome Surprises

There is a crazy group of world travelers who just popped into town for a few weeks. They've been to other places around Montenegro and decided to spend their last moments in this beautiful country right here in Bar. It has been so nice having them. They come along with us to our regular rounds: Roma Camp, Handicap Center, German Cafe, English Cafe, and Kid's Club.

I'm pretty sure I haven't sung this many verses of 'Father Abraham' since I grew out of Vacation Bible School. But my favorite is probably the song 'Boom-Chi-Ga-Boom.' That one is definitely a keeper, especially with the Roma kids.

And of course, my most favorite kids in the world......

It is crazy how everyone's greatest memories center around hanging out with these monkeys.

A Little Planning Get-Away

We just passed out two year mark here in Bar, Montenegro. Two years. It seems like two months. It seems like forever. We have done a lot. We've barely gotten started. The future is wide open and we are still figuring out exactly what it is going to look like. At least we are trying to figure out what are our priorities for the next few months.

Last weekend our team took a little planning retreat to do some planning (go figure) and it feels like we barely scratched the surface.

It is a good thing it rained most of the time, because I didn't feel too bad about being stuck indoors. There is so much to talk about, but I'm tired. We had some great discussions. Pretty intense at times, but necessary.

And for your enjoyment, a little accidental video. I was trying to use Teammate R.'s camera and kept getting it stuck on the video function. I can't wait to get my camera back from Sarajevo. A really miss that little guy.