Friday, June 29, 2012

I can “play a car” and other awesome language mixups

I’ve been babysitting every night for the past week so am pretty tired. There is no internet today in Torba due to the wind (apparently) but I figure I should take advantage of some down time to write an update. I’ve just been for a swim at the beach followed by a glass of wine, calamari, cherries and Turkish coffee. Yum! Pretty standard these days though!


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On my Mondays off Sarah and I have been hiring a car and driving round the Bodrum Peninsular. Turkey is very pretty, even with all the white concrete box developments popping up everywhere. I’m hoping to go up to Ephesus next week

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I spend most days in the swimming pool with the kids, or under the big arches alongside the pool where we do art – painting, drawing, hand prints etc. It’s getting much busier and Anna is back to do art with the kids so we can split the kids by age and/or activity.

I’m slowly learning a few Turkish words and phrases but man it is a HARD language to learn. The sentence structure is difficult and the pronunciation is insane. A lot of the Turks I’ve met speak a little English but because they have a lot of words that mean many different things their translation can be pretty amusing. Also the insistence that I bring my ‘photo machine’ to take ‘model pictures’ of everyone. (Massive posers!)

Haha, I’ve got a movie on in the background and I’ve just noticed that they always blur out the cigarettes, or put a little kind of electronic sticker (which just seems to highlight that the person is smoking.)

Love you all. Send me your addresses if you want a postcard – also I miss hearing from you so email me pleeeeease!

x

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

CDA

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I’m feeling ridiculously contented and more relaxed than I’ve felt in months. I started with the kids last week and it’s been quiet but fairly busy (I realise that doesn’t make sense.) The past week has been swimming, painting and playing with children under 5, and good food, too much wine and beer, lots more swimming, a fairly even golden tan, reading my heart out, millions of mosquito bites, a smattering of Turkish phrases, an art exhibition, a wedding, lot of new friends (the Turkish are wonderful), late late nights and fairly early mornings, yoga, and a fair amount of frustration at the Turkish way of getting anything done.
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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Hope You’re Jealous

Still no photos but thought I’d tell you that I’ve been sitting by the pool, drinking gin and tonic in the moonlight (there is still a huge full moon) while the adhan is called in the background from the local mosque. I’m suitably golden from three days of doing nothing in the sun, and am (possibly but not certainly) starting work tomorrow. My new favourite breakfast is goat’s cheese and local honey on white bread. And local olives. With coffee. And the calamari at the little restaurant next door. Amaaaazing.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Amaaaaaaaazing!

I'm in Turkey! No photos yet, I'm waiting on the darling Sarah to show me around. I landed late last night (late evening, and later than scheduled) then stood in a queue at border control for and hour and a half. I caught a taxi to my new home in Torba and am currently sitting in the sun on the balcony overlooking our pool. I don't have to work for a few weeks since there are no children around at the moment so it looks like a holiday for a wee bit while I get to know my surroundings! And maybe master some Turkish.... maybe.