I guess I should read your father's emails before I write my own, so we don't duplicate so much. I think he wrote up our last two weeks in a fine matter. As you know he does have a way with words.
But I might add a few additional insights to our trip. Most exciting for me was taking a real bath. I haven't seen a bathtub for 4 1/2 months. And this one even had hot water, but I didn't have a novel to read. When I have aches and pains, I keep saying that a hot bath would relieve me greatly. So I did soak for a few minutes.
I was able to break away from the conference for a couple of hours and go to the Grand Bazaar. We went there almost 30 years ago with four of our children. Remember when you purchased your leather coats? I didn't venture very far into the bazaar, but I heard plenty of "hello, where are you from", "step into my shop", and "come and spend your money here". I was determined to not buy anything. We have enough stuff at home, and we don't need anything else. But I did purchase a couple of bowls and was given some apple tea, and a nativity.
One one day I took the Metro to the Spice Market. I was looking for sage. I found sage, oregano, mint, and parsley. So I'm well-supplied now. A metro ran right in front of our hotel, so I was able to flee from the meetings now and then. Dad diligently attended all the meetings.
The meetings were actually very good. A number of participants were from BYU. There was always a moderator and then about 4-5 panelists. There were probably about 350 people at the conference and they came from all over the world.
I know you are all interested in the food. We ate very well. Of course, the hotel had breakfast. It was pretty typical of this part of the world.... lots of stuff, cheeses, breads, veggies, juices, eggs, even soup, cereals. I had lentil soup twice, because it is now my favorite soup. Sometimes luncheons and dinners were part of the event. I haven't eaten so much in a long time. And I do love the food here. Before each meal, I'd vow that I would only eat a small portion, but I usually ended up cleaning my plate, as I was taught to do.
The final evening we were taken by buses to a Whirling Dervish Show. We'd seen Whirling dervishes in Egypt and they were quite entertaining. But this was a religious spiritual show and quite different. It was an interesting cultural experience.
Twice we were driven to restaurants for dinner with a group of friends. Some of the friends were from BYU, and some were couples here, and some were new friends.
We were very happy to receive the care package from Debbie P. that you all contributed to. I opened most of it and repacked it. We haven't read the notes yet. I did notice some special Halloween candy, but it looked like all the good kinds had been pilfered. But thank you anyway. I haven't decided what to do with all the loot. I may wait until Christmas to bring out the M & M's.
We seem to be interconnected with the YV's here. They come to our apartment often to Skype. Today they came to dinner with 3 other members.... seven of us. Dad's counselor loaned me a crock pot, so I prepared an almost "normal" dinner. Beef is very expensive here, so I only had small portions of beef, with lots of carrots, potatoes, and onions. I even made a gravy without my blender and without drippings. I think it turned out okay. Most of the food was consumed. The YV's helped with the dishes, and the others helped prepare the food. I'm grateful for the crockpot. You cannot purchase them here.
We have planned our Thanksgiving dinner. We will go to a Hotel. You can't buy turkey here, nor pumpkin stuff. So that should work out fine. We've invited the YV's to go with us. We are the only Americans here. The MP wife showed me a flyer for the Marriott in Istanbul for a Thanksgiving dinner. So I checked with our hotel here, and they have a buffet dinner that night also. WE received special permission for the YV's to stay our a little later than their curfew.
Dad mentioned our experience yesterday of going to visit an Iranian refugee and bringing the sacrament to him. His entire living space is about as big as my downstairs office. He has lived there for 3 years. I've been helping him with his life story. He sends it to me, and I retype it. He speaks good English, but it is harder for him to write it. He joined the church in Armenia. He suffered many afflictions, including 7 years in jail in Iran prior to that. He hasn't seen his daughter for 13 years. But his faith is strong. He is positive. HE is gracious. He is teaching his friend about the gospel in his native language.
I'm amazed that Nashelle and Daniel are going to open a theater. Roger would be the perfect partner if he lived closer. He has helped with lighting and sound with a number of community and church productions in his city. And he loves doing that. He knows just what type of lighting and sound is best. Maybe they could consult him from afar.
Someone asked me what we do all the time here. I really couldn't answer that. Our days vary, but we seem to keep busy. Sometimes we respond to just what comes up. For example, the YV's may drop over because they have a skype lesson. And then I go into work mode and feed them. They had to find and furnish a new apartment. They still don't have gas. So no hot water, or gas for their oven. They have had event after event of disasters from IKEA, which surprises me. IKEA has really been awful to deal with. But they are really great YV"s and hold our feet to the fire.
Our condolences go out to the Moon family. They have posted lots of photos on FB. I've thought of the loss for Ann and Clarence... But Carol was also a mother, a sister, and a grandmother. So many people will miss her.
Well, I love you all. Thanks for your notes, emails, treats, and support.
Love,
Mother
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