No River, No Woods, No Grandmother's House, but still we Celebrate.

Over the hill and through Ankara 10 feet at a time.  

Reliable??? But mostly lost transportation.

Our historic adventures continue.  Thanksgiving day 2013.  We are thankful that sister Ermatinger needed her thyroid operated on and that she got her wish to travel to the US to have the surgery done.  First order of business- she is doing well and she really did look forward to going home and leaving her family behind so she could have the surgery, visit friends and most importantly shop in the states.  They are an expat family that has been living outside the US for several tours.  He is a financial guy at the embassy and they love the extra money paid for oversea assignments and the perks of being state department employees.  But like all expats when you really dig into their lives, they would really prefer to live in the states but would have to give up too many special benefits and live on a lower wage scale.

Oh but I wander in the story.  We offered to do some of the preparations for Thanksgiving if they would provide the location for us and the 6 elders to celebrate.  Sister Ermatinger was ecstatic, now her family would be with someone for the holiday and she would not feel the guilt of abandonment.  They have access to the US Commissary so they can get literally any US food for a discount (American Tax Dollars at work) no matter the expense of getting it in country.  No Turkish food for the American expats!

Nori made the rolls, the side dishes, the vegetables and cooked a ham provided from the Commissary, no pig in Turkey it is harem.  Brother Ermatinger cooked two turkeys, made dressing (stovetop) and can you believe it he made pies.  The Elders brought the drinks, some of the amazing fruit juices that are so prevalent here in Turkey.

We had committed to be at the Ermatinger apartment by 2 PM to finalize the preparations to eat by 4 PM.  The Elders are allowed exactly 2 hours to celebrate and return to the city parks and buses to look for interested people.  We of course wanted to start on time so we could bless the Elders with the opportunity to help clean up after the meal.  They really like to help and they are truly willing to work.

  

Branch Photo Nov. 18, 2013

Nori prepared food on Wednesday and finalized rolls and cooking early Thursday morning so we could leave our apartment by 1PM cause it is all of a 10 minute drive to their home, if you were living in a traffic regulated country like the US along with good wide roads and appropriate laws.  In Turkey we worry that an hour is hardly enough to go the 6 kilometers especially if you have to travel on Turan Gunes Bulvari.

Let the adventure begin …..

We carried crock-pot, bags, containers and cooking paraphernalia down the three flights of steps and hailed a taxi from the corner.   We knew everything would stay warm, because every cab we have ever ridden in has the heater turned full up and furnace hot.  After all it is “very dangerous to get too cold”.  Actually we should have planned to just warm the ham in the cab there was plenty of time and it was hot enough.

The Ermatinger's and the dinner table.
Before it was set.  Cat anyone?

Like always I handed the taxi driver an address and directions in Turkish.  He like always he drove up the street one block from our apartment, got out and began the typical discussion/ argument with his fellow cab drivers as to where we were trying go.  No GPS here!  I suddenly remembered I had forgotten any money for cab fare and got out of the cab, leaving Nori there while I walked back to the apartment to retrieve some cash.  As I emerged from the apartment, I hear a crash and see that a car has hit the cab in the rear end.  Keep in mind that this street, Kuleli Sokak is all of barely two cars wide and the cars are parked on the sidewalks and buses have to pass each other on a regular basis.  Of course there is yelling, screaming, arm waving and the all-important honking of horns from every car in sight of the problem.  In Turkey, if you honk long and loud enough, it will solve all traffic problems, eventually.

With the name calling complete, the driver at fault just drove off into the oncoming traffic creating another rash of honking and yelling.  Our young driver in frustration wandered aimlessly around the cab muttering some fine Turkish words then angrily got in the cab and headed up the street still muttering to himself.  Not a happy Turk, but the cab still ran so what the big deal?

As we approached the intersection at the top of our street, the traffic was backed up, as usual for nearly a block, so like all good cab drivers our rash young professional simply pulled into the on coming traffic and headed for the front of the waiting line of vehicles.  Unfortunately as he attempted to move over far enough for an on coming car to pass, he hit another car waiting in the line.  Let the cacophony begin!  Yelling, honking and everybody sharing their opinion our driver simply screamed back and then just made a multiple point U-turn and returned to the cabstand down the street amide blaring horns to where the adventure began.

Ignore anyone in a white shirt and tie

He jumped from the cab, loaded all our stuff into another cab and walked off muttering into his cell phone.  I had to chase him down and retrieve the address instructions and the trip began anew with the obligatory debate of where we were actually going and where it was located.  Bottom line on cab drivers in Turkey, no one has a clue where anything is located and no one actually understands Turkish, not even the Turks.

After getting lost at least 4 times and stopping for directions from other cab drivers who knew nothing, our driver finally listened to my instructions and took us where I told him to go, the whole time telling me he speaks only Turkish and German and no English even though I was speaking Turkish (at least my rendition of Turkish).  My dear companion simply sat in the back reminding us we were late and that I did not know where we were.  Of course as usual, I knew where we were and where we were going, just not the exact street to turn on.

We had a lovely meal, even though the Ermatingers are cat lovers and the cats have free rain of the house.  We ate with the 4 Ermatingers, Brian, Solomon, Ryley and Brigham as well as our 6 dear Elders who cannot be named because it would violate some rule of the mission.

Brother Ermatinger and 4 of the unknowns.

We are blessed with the friendship of good people and that we survive the daily routine of life in the land of the predictably unpredictable where chaos rains supreme and logic cannot be found.

 

Simple picture, powerful message ...
NORI'S Homemade rolls.
Note the cat in the window?