#14 Summing it Up (By Grandma)

Our greek salad at the cafe does not come with olives...

I thought I'd tell you what our life is like here.  All of you will remember our 5th floor walk-up in Egypt.  Well, this is a 4th floor, but it has an elevator.  But we have noticed that the heat rises with the elevation.  The lobby is about 10 degrees cooler than the hall for our apartment.  There are only 4 levels in our apartment.  As far as we know we only have 3rd floor neighbors.  There is a doctor's office on the 1st floor, and a bedding shop on the ground level.

BTW, the elevator isn't very big... Just 4 passengers or 300 kilograms.  I'm not sure how many kilograms I weigh.  Sometimes I try to be cute and punch all the buttons so we can stop at every floor.  It is a wonderful activity.  Since we have no TV it helps to kill the time.    Dad doesn't like the little game very much.

Our apartment is actually quite nice and totally furnished.  However it isn't furnished with anything I'd ever choose.  The landlord has fancy wine glasses, etc.  No one wears shoes in Turkish homes.  So we have a towel by the door so visitors can take off their shoes.  Dad keeps forgetting to take his off.  I tell him he is contaminating the whole house.  We have a king-size bed.  But it is hard as the marble floors.  We washed the sheets today and they look gross, very wrinkled.  I've already written a description of the so-called shower.  I crave a real bathtub and a real shower.  Can I survive 1 1/2 years taking spit bathes in a shower container?

I have only cooked a couple of meals because our kitchen is the warmest room in the house.  I don't plan to cook until September.  But we are having a guest tomorrow, so I'll have to come up with something.

We have an oven, of sorts.  I have no idea how it works.  It is a stove-top variety and the clock has been blinking since we moved in.  I've twisted a few dials, but nothing stops the blinking.  I assume I could bake something in it, but I have no idea how.

We have a dishwasher but all the symbols are in Turkish.  So I just punched a few the first time and the dishes all came out with the food baked on them.  So I tried again.  This time I could hear some water running and the dishes looked better.

Our washing machine is also a mystery.  I punch a few buttons, add some soap, and hope for the best.  So far it has churned out some clean clothes.  We have no dryer, so we hang the clothes all over the house.  But since the house is so warm, stuff dries very quickly. 

We have 3 AC units in the apartment.  But the AC only cools you if you are standing in front of it.  We have windows on 3 sides of the apt and you'd think there would be a cross-draft with the windows open.  Not so.  I work up a sweat just walking to the bathroom.

Two things are very frustrating for me.  The language... And that is a given.  But the other is getting things done.  It is a huge effort to do the simplest things.  We have to walk to the Post Office to pay one bill, we have to walk to a bank to pay another, and then there are other offices for other bills.  We have to pay our rent in US dollars.  So we have to change money, and change it back.  And we lose a bunch in fees.  WE brought some cash, but not nearly enough because we have not been reimbursed for anything yet that the church pays...  And we could do better with US dollars.  Someone is supposed to bring us a credit card next week.  Luckily our visa works indefinitely.  We've been applying for a bank account here... Visited 3 banks, finally found one to help us,  Visited them 3 times, gave them tons of information, and waited for our account.  Today we got a text saying they need more information.  And everything is like that.  We had a challenge figuring out how to order our 5 gallon water jugs.  And of course I wrote about being locked out. 

But we do enjoy being here and will enjoy it more when it cools.  It is supposed to cool in September.  We walk a lot and shop for little items a lot.  We are quite comfortable on the buses and metros now  We often take one and ride to the end of the line, just to see where it goes.  Dad does most of the grocery shopping.  He goes out each day and picks up items.  Walking along the streets is a little like Egypt, but more modern.  People are all out in the evenings.  Most young people are stylishly dressed.  There are a few traditional men and women.  And we see refugees here and there.  That is another sad story.  YOu might google "refugees in Turkey" to learn about the situation.  They are from Syria, trying to get to Greece.  

We go out to dinner every night.  We rarely spend more than $10.00  There are cafes EVERYWHERE.  They line all the streets.  We often get soup (lentil) and tonight I had a Greek Salad.  They vary quite a bit.

We think of you ALL the time and try to not even think about all the activities we are missing.  I can see the little faces and big faces of all the grandchildren and of Hannalynn.   I wonder how everyone is liking school this year.   Benson, I need a foot Massage!  I've walked millions of miles, and my feet need a break.  I need to do something with my hair, but I don't know where to go.

Your father has been a wonderful companion.  He is patient, and he is kind.  He doesn't nag at me to keep up with him.  During my earlier depression he just kept encouraging me.  He takes this assignment very seriously and is always trying to see if he can make a difference.  Right now it is very lonely for him to be the sole committed Priesthood holder in this area.  It is hard for me to see a vision of growth.  But who knows?

We pray for all of you, and love you very much.
Love,

Mother