mother's day

traditional baby gifts

In Turkey, when a baby is born or when someone is getting married, it is tradition to give gold to the baby or the bride.  It sounds impressive and stately to foreigners - the idea of the bride being given bracelet after bracelet of heavy gold.  As if it were a country of Kings and Queens, princes and princesses.  More often, people buy gold coins - stamped with Ataturk's picture on one side and some national symbol on the other.  People can buy 1/4, 1/2, or a full gold.  And obviously more (but not a bullion, as my one friend asked).  When relatives or friends come to visit the new baby, or attend the wedding ceremony - they come up to the baby or the bride and pin the cold coin to their clothes, or place the bracelet or neckless on her.

Baba asked me, "Where are you going?" and then
"okay, I'll come with."  It was kind of cute.
But not sweater wearing weather.

Yenge had walked, to the outdoor mall,
 I drove and picked her up

My Yenge we haven't seen in a few years.  She is what Tolga calls his "second mother" because Yenge and Diger looked after them like parents, helping them financially at times, and always welcoming them in their home.  I haven't seen Yenge because she had a stroke three years ago and from her complaints - I thought she was still quite crippled.  But, while her movements are a bit slower and bit more unsteady, and maybe her mind is slowly going here and there - she still is managing the family, still going where she pleases and hardly batting an eye at the idea of a walk, still smoking cigarettes throughout the day.  She hadn't seen Tomris after she was born, and of course, this is her first visit to see Tuana as well - and even though Tomris is almost three - it's not uncommon to still pin gold upon the first meeting - and so she did, pinned a half hold onto Tomris and Tuana.

my mother's day gift

For mother's day this morning Teoman and Tomris both brought me a package - a purse and pair of shoes.

I've turned into my own mother.

I am a proud mama