A view from my window

Today I opened a window into my soul and found that it's not there. It must be wandering somewhere in between where I used to be and where I am physically present now. I feel invisible to the bustling world around me. My new colleagues, the noisy children in their classrooms, the people crowding public transportation, the paddlers on the streets... none can see me because I do not exist in their dimension. And yet, I talk to them, yell at them as I never though that I could yell, push them away, buy something from them. It's a strange sensation to feel!

The gipsy settlement is right across from my parents' house on the other side of the railroad. Today, there is a concert of some sort. There is loud dancing music and a male voice is shouting something. We have just entered nine days of the Sacrifice holiday. The only significance it has for my family is that we get to stay home!!! Yay! And yes, my dad said the prices in the shops were a bit lower so people could buy food for their festivities. My mom came radiant the other day saying that President Erdogan gave all pensioners one extra salary to celebrate their holiday. She sarcastically joked that now she would have to vote for him in the next elections! :) Unfortunately, my dad rushed to disappoint her that it wasn't an extra salary but merely a pre-holiday payment of her regular one. She put the money back onto her account the next day! You can guess that she won't vote for Erdogan in the next elections even sarcastically! :)

Life in Izmir is slowly dragging me in. Even though my phone shows Izmir weather, it still is set to Fayetteville time. It's 5:09 pm on Saturday. It's 1:09 am here on Sunday. The crickets are chirping outside quite like they would in the trees in front of our apartment in Fay. Do crickets chirp, btw?  Tomorrow my dad is taking us to the beach. We'll be away for three days. Considering that it's 100 degrees in here these days, the trip will be a pleasant escape from the heat and the dust of the city. Expect some pictures soon from the picturesque landscapes of the Aegean coast. The kids will be thrilled, I'm hoping.

I still haven't written about my new place of work. It deserves a post of it's own, believe me. It seems things are slowly settling down there as well. They are desperately in need of a firm hand, though, for it lacks in organization. It was quite a madhouse there last week. In fact, nobody is officially in charge of anything, but when things get though, everyone blames everything on the English instructors! Quite an ideal place to work, isn't it? :)

Anyway, I am posting some fresh pictures from last Friday. First is the view of the campus where Eldeniz and I go from a café across; then, a pictures of the goodies you can get in the café. (Here I need to mention that one positive thing about Turkey is that being a teacher gives you immediate status with regular folk. Hocam or 'my teacher' is the accepted form of address, and with it come all the privileges and lots of respect.) And finally, there are Eldeniz and I at the Friday after school ceremony to commemorate Izmir's liberation from the enemy forces on September 9th I forget which year. Enjoy! :)

And this last one is for those wondering how the boys are doing! This is a new bunk bed we bought for them in my mom's very  non-child-friendly house! They love it! :)