A Sad Farewell to Our Friends from the Hills

Last night my host mother and her friends were asking me not to forget them. How could I? The six days here have been entertaining, educational and relaxed. The language barriers generally keep us out fo the loop about the plans from minute to minute. This enforces a go-with-the-flow vibe among the group. We have no other choice.

Last night my host mother took me to the neighbors' house. We stayed up late talking about the differences and similarities between our two countries, ate cake and fruit, oh course drank tea, and laughed about how dependent we were on my little dictionary to get us by.

We have resorted to using sign language to communicate most of the time. It's actually quite effective. All those acting classes as a kid have paid off.

My host mom and sister took me to the hair salon recently. I had heard that this is a treat many Turkish upper class women indulge in. I for one am a fan. The Turks seem to love the relaxed life of great food and a slow pace. Getting your scalp massaged seems to fit right in to this speed.

Returning from the Black Sea yesterday was a spiral downhill ride with lush greens, mountain tops, working men and women, stray animals, and mosques. We had a delightful time along the coast, dipping our toes in the aqua-green-blue water, walking up steep stones to get the best views, and celebrating Euro-Vision. We all have the Turkish song (which ranked in fourth place) in our heads.

I could report on the Turkish food for far too long. My pants still fıt (thankfully.) The other day I went with my host mom to one of her friends' homes in the city to hang out before the rotary meeting. I have my fortune read whıch in Turkey is based on what the reader sees in your coffee grounds. (The coffee ıs served in a tiny cup and there are always grounds at the bottom of the cup that are best left uptouched. They taste lıke- well - coffee grounds.) So after my fortune was read, our host asked me if I wanted any more cake. I had just eated lunch mind you, so I had just a few tastes of the cake. I told her I was stuffed but thank you. She proceeded to fork me another piece and fed me the bite. Oh course I chewed it and enjoyed it but it made me laugh. This is a true Turkish mother. You will never go hungry here.