Vacation!

Last week I took a short vacation to the beach with some other workers here.  It was such a beautiful place to rest my brain from language study and be refreshed in the grace of the Lord who loves me even when I'm doing nothing. We swam out to explore the castle on the island and feasted every night on table-long bread.  It was my kind of vacation!

 I got up one day to watch the sunrise over the Mediterranean and praised the Creator for all the beauty and diversity of our world.  It was good to be able to stop and spend time with the Lord outdoors...

and stop and smell the flowers....

and of course, eat ice cream!
Thank you Lord for rest and the simple joys of life!

Turkish Music Concert

My friend Bilen invited me to attend a free outdoor concert of one of her favorite bands.  Apparently these guys are famous here because a lot of people came and sang along.  I really enjoyed the music. They mixed rock with traditional instruments and melodies with a great effect.

Here's my friend Bilen amongst the crowd of men, women, and children clapping and singing along.

One of my favorite parts was the fireworks show over the lake.

Zoo

I continue to go to language school 3 days/wk for 4 hours each day.  In the next few months I hope to finish school and soon after that go on the my next language!

For a field trip with my class we went to the local zoo.  This lion was unnervingly close!

They also had cats and dogs in their own exhibits.  Pets are just beginning to be an "in" thing here.

Typical Tea Time

An older lady I met on the bus invited me to come to her house for tea and here is what she served:

She expected me to eat all of it too and was almost offended when I said I really couldn't eat any more, even though it was delicious. 
My conversation skills are improving though I don't think I will ever understand everything people say.  But it's encouraging to have people say, "You've only been here three months, but you speak Turkish!"  I especially love when I am out shopping and don't say much and they ask me if I'm a Turk.  More often they ask me where I'm from as soon as I open my mouth.
This culture is much more relational and they really love to talk.  You can never have too long of a visit.  But that can also be a challenge because I want to talk about what really matters, but for now I am content to just be able to communicate anything meaningful.

Demonstration

Because of where I live political demonstrations are common.  The number of police in the central park tell you what is going on for the day.  The military and police provide an enormous number of jobs for people here and they never seem to be short-handed.  I was on my way to go shopping when I about a hundred ran past me in full riot gear with helmets and shields and guns.  They half-blocked the street and made a wall with their shields and then all just stood around as if this was totally normal.
















I guess that's because it is.  It was just a small group of students shouting about wanting free education.

But because there are so many people around who might decide to join them they don't take any chances.  I am thankful for the safety of life here, though I cannot take anything for granted.  We know who is really in control.