Turkey Wins!!

I've found myself in a lot of crazy situations overseas, but I think tonight might be the craziest so far. Since I know most of my readers have no idea what the Euro 2008 is, I'll give a little background.

Euro 2008 claims to be the second biggest soccer tournament in the world, after the World Cup. In a shocking come back against Croatia, winning by penalty kicks, Turkey put themselves into the semi finals next week. This is Turkey's first ever trip to the semi finals.

So, all that to say, things have gotten a little crazy here in the city, because Turks LOVE their futbol. I was watching the game at a friend's house, and decided I would splurge on a taxi home, just to be safe. Actually after midnight, that was pretty much my only option to get home anyway. I was a little nervous on the ride back as my taxi driver very excitedly honked his horn with all the other thousands of cars, as he continued to speed up with excitement while listening to the goals being replayed on the radio, and as he seemed to be paying little to no attention to the perilous road he was driving down. Then, we turned on to a side street which forced him to slow down, so I relaxed. I even laughed while sitting at a red light he did a special little back and forth cheer with the car sitting beside us. Cute. Then, we turned down my street. There's where the real excitement began.

The whole reason I was happy to be in a taxi was because I wanted to avoid walking down my street. It tends to get a bit extra excited during events like this. But, as we turned the corner, the mob that greeted us stopped us in our tracks. There was no driving down that street. The driver frantically asked me if there was another way to my apartment. I said, no! I have to go down this street. He apologized but said there was no way he could drive through that. So, I seriously almost asked him to pray for me, but refrained, paid my money and faced the mob. I quickly ran to the sidewalk and pressed myself against the building, under the nearest awning as I heard guns going off just feet from where I was standing. I actually didn't really know what to do when I heard the guns being shot, but as I watched several people duck and run for the awning, I decided that was probably a good idea. Gravity can be dangerous. Anway...I stood there a bit in shock for a few minutes, trying to figure out what I should do, when the mob seemed to disperse a bit. I took that moment to shoot the gap, and walked as fast as my flip flops could take me. If not for the dangerous flying bullets part, it was a really fun cultural moment.

I'm home safely now, listening to the serenade of chants and car horns. Did I mention that it's 1:30 am? Congratulations, Turkey!! Good luck against Germany next week!

hotel health care

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of caring for a quadriplegic while she attended a conference for a week. It was great to use some of the nursing skills God has given me, and it was also great to get away from the city and see some of the more beautiful parts of Turkey.


The Aegean only a few miles away from Ephesus















The view of Akcay, a town rumored to have the best air in the world. :-)

boat trip

A day on the Bosphorous is definitely one of the highlights of living in Istanbul. Every summer that I've ever spent here, I've been blessed to go on at least one boat trip up to the Black Sea. This summer I'm actually getting to go on two. This past Saturday's trip was a real treat because it was a nice small group of good friends, good food, and Dr. Pepper!! It was also sad, though, because it was our last day to spend with our good friends, Byron and Karen. Thanks, guys!

The water was too cold for my taste, but the weather was just perfect for soaking up some sun and beautiful scenery. Doesn't it make you want to come visit??? :-) I'll be waiting.















The Black Sea

someone must have prayed

Thanks, friends. I know someone must have prayed about the heat because yesterday a wonderful cool front came in. It was a really fun day. Some friends and I went to one of my favorite spots in the city where there is a jewelry/acccessory bazaar on Sundays. It's a cozy little neighborhood right on the water where ever Sunday they set up at least a hundred booths selling hand-made jewelry, scarves, paintings, purses, etc. There's also ladies making gozleme, kind of similar to quesedillas, and of course all the cay and coffee you could ever want. As we were perusing the jewelry stalls, the clouds darkened, it thundered a bit, and a cool wind blew through. This is absolutely my favorite kind of weather! By the time I got home and got my windows opened up, I was actually a little bit chilly. Ahh, sweet relief. Thanks to the Lord for sweet little blessings just when we need them.

More daily life

Early, early this morning I woke up and thought, wow, it's way too quiet. I'm one of those people who really needs the noise of a fan to sleep. So, the silence of this morning was so loud I woke up. Then I realized, oh crap, the electricity must be off and I needed to bake some food for a boat picnic today. It was then that the stuffy heat of summer in Istanbul overtook me and I began pleading with the Lord that the electricity would be restored ASAP. Ok, so when you're hot and cranky at 5 in the morning, life becomes a bit more dramatic.

This does bring me a to a simple prayer request for all of you blessed with the gift of AC. The next time you're enjoying the beautiful breezes of air conditioning in your home, in your car, in your office, in Wal-Mart, in the restaraunt...remember your friends sweltering in 88 degree heat with a fan that runs only if the electricity is working. :-)

On the happy side of living in Istanbul in the summer...I'm going on a boat trip on the Bosphorous today and next Saturday. It will be absolutely beautiful and I'll post pictures later. Happy summer!