Knit Shop

My colleague and friend Miki gave me some beautiful yarn for Christmas with the idea that I could knit a Turkish shawl. So, today we met at the knit shop in the city center to select a pattern and get instructions. From the store front I would never have known what treasures this shop held, but as we climbed the two flights of stairs to the top floor I was in awe of the unlimited creative possibilities this store possessed. Floor to ceiling bins filled with skeins of vibrant colors and creative textures surrounded me. Hanging from the ceiling were samples of knitted and crocheted baby clothes, shawls, hats, scarves, sweaters, rugs, stuffed animals, and house decorations that looked like years of work.

Sitting in the middle of the room was an older Turkish woman knitting from "her heart" as Miki put it...no patterns here. I looked at the knitted samples surrounding the room, choose my shawl pattern and sat down for instructions. Miki translated the Turkish andwe each practiced making a flower while sipping chai. I now have the goal of completing 4 flowers per day so I can return and learn the next step while the weather is still cold enough to need a shawl. I was in awe of the knitting talent of these women.

Take your Daughter to Work Day

Today I took Ellen to school with me. I had warned Ellen ahead of time that she would be treated like a celebrity, but I think even she was surprised by the attention she received. What I loved the most was watching how Ellen handled the "stardom" with poise, warmth, and kindness. (We both agree that we are not used to or comfortable being so noticed) Ellen was bombarded with mobs of students, questions, hugs, and stares from shy but curious by-standers. She was snatched by my fellow colleagues to visit their classes and talk with their students. She had many students squeezing extra chairs in at the lunch table to say "Hello. What's Your Name? and How old are you?"

After lunch Ellen whispered in my ear, "And how many classes do we have left and are we finished at like 3:00 or 3:15?" (yes, she said "like") When she figured out that we still had 4 classes to go and school didn't end until 4:10, she muttered a soft "Oh no, I'm tired." But, she maintained a smile and kept talking to talk to as many students as she could. She joined in the remainder of classes, sang songs, helped me model conversation, participated in skits, and looked like a professional teacher.

It was very fun and helpful to have an assistant and a witness to some of the school differences I've mentioned in earlier posts.

Needing "normal"

I am very blessed to have this opportunity to travel and see all of these exotic places. But sometimes I am just craving the comfort of a life more similar to "home." New Years Day was one of those days. Granted I was lacking in sleep after a New Years Eve cruise that lasted until 3:00 am but the idea of standing in line to see Topkapi Palace was more than I could handle. So I asked Ellen if she would mind if we tried to find "Mission Impossible" on a big screen and get a dose of English and adventure. The quickness of her response led me to believe that she did not want to be a tourist either.

Thank goodness for google and translate. Within minutes I had located a 5 star mall and cinema. Five minutes later and I had public transport directions. The only thing that didn't work was purchasing tickets on line. So we headed out early.
Forty five minutes later and we found ourselves at Kanyon Mall, a very modern, contemporary, elegant mall, complete with aroma therapy on the escalators. We found the cinema, boughs tickets for the 7 pm show and then settled in for 2 hours of bliss: buying American magazines, sipping Starbucks lattes, sipping wine with a hamburger (unfortunately it still wasn't an "Eric special" on the grill) and people watching. I was at peace.

The movie theater was the biggest I've been to besides an IMAX and it had really comfy reclining/rocking seats. Wr settled in for a great movie and even felt like we were standing at the top of the Burj Dubai as Tom Cruise saved the world We ended the night with Ben and Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, a "normal" weekend outing.

I'm hoping this dose of "normal" will tide me over as I head back to malatya tonight.