What Christmas I see

 December 19, 2020

I am in Istanbul, Turkey lockdown.  Not what I imagined, but I'm okay.  I am visited everyday by my Turkish students and often my Turkish colleagues, as we meet in grade team meetings weekly.  I can walk to the grocery, and I even got a hair cut, manicure and pedicure yesterday.  But, restaurants are closed, stores are opened limited times on the weekdays, but closed on the weekends. And listen America, everyone complies! 

I am busy all day. Unbelievable so.  Which is good because it wards off loneliness and homesickness.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm doing what I want to do, but I'm actually trying not to think of the fact that it's Christmas this coming week. It comforts me to think if I am ever going to miss Christmas, this is the one to miss.  The coronavirus is keeping all my children at home, and our always fabulous Christmas at Elsie's - my mother-in-law - is cancelled.  So sad since she thrives on holidays like Christmas and decorating her home for all her company. And I miss hosting my siblings and their families as I did last year.

In Istanbul, Christmas is not celebrated by many.  I look out my window at hundreds of apartments windows and see 2-3 have Christmas lights or a tree in the window.   My Mashattan  - pronounced   Mas -HATTAN I recently learned - apartment site strung lights on an evergreen tree by one of its three entrances.  I can see it from my apartment window at night.  This one lighted tree looks out of place with its blue, yellow, and white lights.  I suppose someone did it as a gesture to the Christians living in the complex. How sad it looks compared to the Christmas lights in America!  Not all the world is Christmas obsessed.

However, in my Mashattan Site, there is one florist shop with red poinsettias in the window and small Christmas trees.  I ventured there this week.  I have been invited to a couple of homes for Christmas and Christmas Eve and I want to take a "hostess" type gift.  I picked out two poinsettias - 150TL which is $20.  But, when they were lifted from their baskets, they were all stems - about 2 feet until the blossoms  appeared.  UGH!  I asked if there was a basket or a vase to put them in.  Nothing.  Drat!  The shopkeeper just didn't know what I was use to seeing in America.  I would be horrified to bring this stemmy, stork-like poinsettia to someone as a gift!! In the end, I opted for gift boxes arranged with candles, artificial flowers and sparkly notebooks and pens.  Not what I had in mind, but it would have to do, since the mall is locked down. 

Surprisingly, Enka School allotted two days off this week.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Hurray for Christians!  The real day of celebration for Turkey, is New Year's Day.  When I left the flower shop, the shopkeeper called out "Happy New Year", not "Merry Christmas."  Knowing this is a time for gathering and Merry Making, the government has ordered a strict lockdown for New Years.  So, I won't be celebrating with the Turks this year!

Every week I look forward to Sunday Zoom with my family.  Usually, I see everyone - Pamela, Elsie and Kevin; Jade and Eric, Maggie and her pets (if we're lucky, Dr. Ross is home!) and of course, the family patriarch, the love of my life, Jim. I love them all so much!  They have all been so supportive of my coming to Istanbul and continuing to teach.  I am preparing for a visit, hopefully, from all of them during my time in Istanbul. I'm already planning where to go, where to eat, what to eat...I will miss them terribly on Christmas.  But, we will Zoom.  As we do,  I will look out at the lighted trees I can see from my window, miss them, and love them all the more.




Comments

  1. BeckyDecember 21, 2020 at 1:53 PM

    Covid has changed so much in this year like no other. Like you, our family will see each other only on Zoom or FaceTime for Christmas. That will be true for many families this year. Thankfully, we are all still healthy & safe. Considering how dangerous & deadly this disease has been, we are definitely thanking our blessings. Take care of yourself, and along with you, we will look forward to a better new year.

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