preparing to go

Tomris in bed with a fever

Tuana - 10 weeks and I found my thumb!

they alway want to snuggle with their sister..

It’s been a big few days in preparation for our bus trip to Kusadasi.  I have to return to work May 10th, and we had planned all along to go to Kusadasi for a couple of weeks.  I wasn’t overly anxious to go in April - markets haven’t all opened, the weather is pleasant, and somedays too cool to be eating outside (which is the only place our dining table fits - a plastic outdoor table), but I had left the decision to Tolga who was sending us around his work schedule.  He told me over the weekend he would bring up to the bus station Wednesday night - and I had a small freakout: but it’s still cold, I have appointments to go too, I’ll miss the last Bible study, but, what about…  

Kusadasi is beautiful and wonderful - but it comes with a lot of work too.  Having a newborn, I’ve fallen into a safe simple routine - and Kusadasi was adding a lot of nervous excitement.  

Tolga came home from work Monday afternoon.  The kids were about to sleep, but didn’t once they realized Baba was home.  The gave enthusiastic hugs and Teoman immediately been asking when we were going to Kusadasi.  We went to the mall together to eat and get new swimsuits and gifts for the cousins.  

Tolga also emptied the car so he could turn it in to Toyota as part of our trade in.  (Side note: emptying my car was like emptying a huge junk drawer - it’s amazing at our affinity for collecting things).  

We went to the dentist together on Tuesday.  He had to have a bridge re-placed, and me for a general cleaning.  I have yet to find a good dentist - or maybe I should say, an American-like dentist.  This dentist - like all dentists thus far in Turkey - asked me:

Why are you here?

I might have a cavity.

Does it hurt?

No.

Let me take a look.  Hmmm…your teeth look fine.  What did you want to do?

Just a general cleaning.  

Okay.  I usually only treat tooth problems here . . . this is different.

And it becomes apparent as she stabbed my gums and sanded my teeth.  (Why was I voluntarily going to the dentist?)

We had Tuana with us.  The dentist and her assistant were cooing over Tuana and at one point Tuana got scared and cried.  The dentist said,

“Her stomach is hurting, you should cover her head so she won’t be cold.”

“That’s a Turkish belief, I come from a cold country.”

“But in Turkey it’s different.  Even my dog that went out onto the cold wet balcony got sick.  He got diarrhea.”

I started packing this morning - I should have started earlier, but it takes a lot of mental preparation first.  And then, when I start packing - I have to compete with the kids for their attention and their curiosity.  I spend a lot of time running in circles trying to remember what I was looking for or chasing the kids down to retrieve something they “found” in the suitcase.  

In the midst of this - I also wanted to go to the hair dresser - which is no small commitment in time.  I love getting my hair done.  It’s three-four hours of doing nothing.   I don’t get bored - I can read, or listen to music, or look at magazines - or absolutely nothing - just sit, and zone out, or rest while my head is massaged, washed, combed, cut, highlighted.  It inspires poetry in my mind.

Except…

The kids wanted to come this time.  I said fine, and they watched, and ran, and Tomris sat on my lap.  It just wasn’t the same experience until Zuleyha finally took them home.