Stray Dogs

Turkey has a lot of stray dogs.
Some are really cute like the white Labrador puppies behind the Thermal hotel.
Some are so lazy or "dog tired"  that I think they're dead, but then then slowly raise one ear and an eyebrow when I wizz by on my bike.
Some are playful like the puppies near the trash dump who frolic around and tumble all over each other and fight over a plastic baggie dripping with grease.
Some are docile and tired from trying to find scraps of food or dead fish near dumpsters and behind restaurants.
Some are the lucky beneficiaries of an early-morning walker bringing treats like a bag of stale bread or left-over bones.
Many are tagged which means someone took them to the free vet to get spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies.
One or two are actual house pets complete with collars and leashes pulling their owners along for their daily walks.
And some just need to be killed....
              like the pack of five, tagged, so-they're-only-acting-like-rabid-dogs who chase me every day at kilometer 6 of my way to work.

I wish I knew enough Turkish to call a dog catcher.
Wait, based upon the number of strays, I don't think they have dog catchers here.

My colleague suggested pepper spray but I'm afraid I'd miss and spray myself while trying to keep their extra-sharp canine incisors from nipping at my calves.

Today I imagined myself buying a cheap steak, slathering it with rat poison and hoping for the pack's slow, painful death....


Turkey...it's time to do something about the dogs. You've got too many...

One Day Maybe We'll Be Old

Today's blog post title is actually the title of a song. I heard this song for the first time tonight because it's playing under a You Tube video my son made during an epic (his word/not mine) 24 mile mountain climbing/snowboarding trip he made this past weekend. Lately, his weekends have consisted of taking adventurous challenges, creating memories, and thinking that "getting old" is something that happens many years down the road.

I guess the reality that "one day maybe we'll be old" is one of the reasons that I'm here in Turkey the first place.  Moving here seemed like a good opportunity for adventure and to create some memories. And, although daily living here in Turkey is always an adventure (welcome or not), and memories are hastily stored in the camera folder of my phone and via this blog, the reality is that I'm not in a hurry to get old.

What made this song and the "getting old" part even more poignant was a conversation at today's school lunch. I was talking with one of my Turkish colleagues and  asked about her mom. I'd remembered that she had to travel to eastern Turkey to care for her mom during the semester break. Today I learned the visit was also to give her mom's caregiver a few days off to travel back to Georgia (the country - not the state). As it turned out, my colleague's dad died when she was 26 years old and her mother had a stoke that paralyzed her one year later. So, my colleague has had the difficult task of finding care and making difficult moral decisions for over 20 years. She reminded me how lucky I am that both parents are healthy. I agreed and we both pulled our earlobes and knocked on wood. (for good luck...to ward off the evil eye).

So many thanks to my parents for instilling the sense of adventure and the importance of creating memories in me as a young child. Maybe one day we'll all be old. But for now, let's keep the adventure alive.

International Women's Day

"Happy Women's Day!" was the greeting from many of my male students today at school. At first it caught me quite off guard. In fact, although I said the obligatory "thank you"  to the first greeting, it took me several moments to sort out just what he had just said...in other words, today felt like any other Friday..excitement about the end of the week and dread at a certain 2 class periods that I had to face....and nothing special.

To be quite honest, it wasn't until I moved to Turkey last year that I even became aware of a holiday for women or appreciated the significance of this day in a country where many women still don't enjoy the same freedoms that I do.

And, it wasn't until yesterday around 5:00 p.m. when my property manager called me to invite me to a neighborhood celebration for International Women's Day including give-a-ways for things like manicures and pedicures that I even remembered that March 8th is THE day.

Unfortunately, today's significance still didn't sink in until about the 15th male student yelled out a "Happy Women's Day" greeting. Finally, I stopped to ponder the reason for this day. After a walk from the high school building to the middle school building, I finally came to the conclusion that International Women's Day is a day to give thanks.

Therefore, I'm thankful for the many men and women around the world who have fought for basic human rights for women. It's easy to take their efforts for granted because:

- I had the freedom to choose who I married.
- I have a husband who supports me, respects my ideas, and encourages me to be the best I can be.
- I have a partnership and friendship in my marriage.
- I have the freedom to go where I want, when I want, and by bicycle if I want.
- I have the opportunity to read, watch movies, listen to music, and travel.
- I can choose the clothes I want to wear.
- I have the support to encourage my children to be confident and to pursue their dreams.

And, while I realize there are many women who do not have these rights, hopefully days like today will encourage the myriad young men and women of this generation to work towards assuring that all women have the basic human rights.