Bless me

 November 15, 2020

Bless me reader for I have neglected my blog.  It has been two weeks since I last wrote, but I have good reason!

Jim arrived in Istanbul!  I am so glad he’s here.  I love experiencing the new sights, sounds, and tastes again through his eyes.  His flight was flawless.  No delays.  No bumps along the way.  He arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule. I was waiting for him at Door 9 of Arrivals.  No one is allowed in the airport except passengers and employees.  Everyone wears a mask.  Hear that America!  Everyone.

Jim’s first taste of Turkey was a delicious pastry (sorry I don’t know the name!) a dear fellow English teacher – Ekmel – brought to school especially for me to share with my husband.  Since then, we enjoyed pide, Turkish meatballs, lamb shish, manti, and doner.  And of course we’ve had Turkish breakfast by the Bosphorus!

Unfortunately, this week I left Jim alone to go work.  It was end of term and I had to wrap up all my grading and figure out how Enka students end up with a term grade. (It was a huge learning curve for me and a change of mindset.  This will likely be a blog unto itself. ) Every day  I came home to find Jim happy as a lark.  He quickly found his usual routine here in Istanbul – reading, meditating, watching some Netflix, reading the news, and he found CNN world news on the TV.  He ventured around Mashattan site –  nice grounds, some cafes, a small grocery store.  Once he did leave to go to one of the many Starbucks in walking distance.

Finally, my work was completed and I have a Fall Break week!   Friday night we joined the Hardins – Olivia and Robert and their two children Emi and Robbie – at a nearby burger place, called Fire Room, for dinner.  Olivia teaches English in the primary school and Robert is a counsellor at Enka.  They too are new to Enka, live in Mashattan, and American (Oregon). I have enjoyed a couple of meals with the Hardins – they are wonderful people.  We enjoy sharing stories of Enka, home, and past jobs.  Eveyone’s favorite story is how we came to be in Istanbul working for Enka School!

Yesterday Jim and I had a glorious Istanbul adventure.  My dear friend Emily – who is my daughter Maggie’s age – and her Turkish fiancé, Mert, guided us on our first look at the old city – the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Archeological Museum, and the wondrous Basilica Cistern.  I will have to write an entire blog about this experience.  Emily and Mert are great companions.  Probably our best time of the day was eating lunch overlooking the area which was once the Roman Hippodrome with a view of both the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.  The food was wonderful and our conversation with Mert (now an architect in Istanbul) and Emily (from Zimbabwe) delightful.   Truly a moment to treasure.