Sorry it's been so long since our last post. We've had some computer difficulties, but mostly we've just been very busy. We've gone a few mini-holidays with our friends, who have been so amazing. Turkish hospitality is really unrivaled. We are still astounded when we think of all the nice things they have done for us, such as taking us on a wonderful vacation to the seaside! We went to a lovely seaside town along the Marmara about three-four hours from Istanbul. Then they took us sightseeing along the coast and through the countryside. Mom and I nearly died when we saw the turquoise Aegean peeking through the olive grove covered hillsides. We were ready to stop the car and settle down in a nice little village, until we noticed all the women of the area were the ones outside working and sweating like crazy. After seeing one woman carrying two extremely large metal containers of liquid (we assumed water) with no destination in sight, we decided maybe Turkish rural life was not exactly a page out of Under the Tuscan Sun. However, it still looked really wonderful, and I'm sure the people who live in the villa's on the seaside did not have it so rough. The second evening, Ozgun's parents took us for an amazing fish dinner right on sea. Marco really branched out from his regular fish sticks by eating a whole fish including the eye! (which grossed out his mother, but I have to admit that I really admired his adventures spirit). Then, on the last day they took us to swim in the Aegean. It was the clearest water I've ever seen. (I've never been to the Caribbean or South Pacific which everyone says is the best, but let's just say neither Virginia Beach or Santa Monica compare). Everyone had a really great time. The kids had a great time at the beach. Osman helped Marco and Carolina skip rocks and they all had fun splashing around. True to form, I stepped on a sea urchin and ended up with about 100 needles in my foot, which was almost as bad as having our new friends operate on my less then freshly pedicured feet. All in all it was a great weekend. We love our new friends, and love it here. I guess I just can't say it enough. It was really wonderful, and the vacation was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for us.

More pictures of our trip to Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia

More pictures

We had such a good time over the past couple of weeks, and I've been so busy that I haven't had time to blog. So there are about a million pictures and stories I'd love to tell you. First, as you may know Istanbul is very hot in the summer. Today, Marco looked out the window, and said, "It's damn hot today" We could hardly correct him because we know he's heard that from us everday since we've arrived. Next, Marco and Carolina are big time meet eaters (it's the Oklahoman in them). Marco has been in love with Turkey for its abundance of "meat on a stick." At first I was a little weary of all the meat vendors; however, after Marco cried " I want meat on a stick" about a million times, as I was trying to get him to eat a little kisir (not spelled exactly right), or some veggies, even a harmless looking baked potato stuffed with veggies, yogurt and cheese, the kids kept asking for "meat on a stick (doner) or would even settle by pleading, "can I just have some meatballs" (kofte), (The Oklahoman in them being supported by the Italian giving them uncontrollable meat cravings) I finally gave in and the kids have been eating their share of various meats with and without sticks, and hopefully all the tomatoes and fruits we're eating paired with the hiking around all these hills will head off heart disease for awhile.

Finally, here's a picture for Grandma Barb of Marco with her favorite, a yellow rose. Istanbul has an abundance of flower gardens. Sultanahmet has beautiful rose gardens. Roses are everywhere and only outdone by the hydrangeas. I thought Bogazici University had the best and most hydrangeas I'd ever see, but Topkapi Palace topped it. I hope to get the hydrangea pics up soon. I only wish I was here in the spring time to see the tulips (lale), the national flower and my favorite. We are also amazed by some of the trees. There's a sycamore/maple looking tree that lines the way into Topkapi and coastal road near Dolmabahce that we are trying to identify. We'll keep you posted.

BTW: I'm sure my brothers are terribly sorry they are missing all the flora and fauna gawking my Mother and I are doing on this trip. (we've suffered though many battles over fall foliage tours, botanical garden trips, and simple country road wildflower gazing, with Jimmy and Rickey who let's just say don't appreciate horticulture the way we do).

The halfway mark

Damian and my Dad just left for home this morning, and we already miss them. However, we had a very nice time while they were here. We did some site seeing, most notably Hagia Sophia, and an all day excursion to Topkapi Palace, in which we had an issue with our camera so we cannot post the pictures. Hagia Sophia remains awe inspiring. The Byzantine/Roman architects/commissioners really knew what they were doing. Sultanahmet and Topkapi Palace are also amazing. Its safe to say that whatever differences the various peoples who've populated this piece of the earth claim, the synthesis of culture in this city is impressive, and the evidence of cultural synthesis for thousands of years is truly inspiring. Istanbul is definitely a city for humanists of all sorts.
However, it only takes a short walk down Istaklal Caddessi in Taksim to notice the very young police officers with very big guns strolling among the crowds of tourists and locals out for a good time, or perhaps a murderous bombing at the U.S. consulate to remind you of the other side of the human experience here. The city is definitely in a lot better shape than, let's say during the Fourth Crusade, but with as much synthesis as I see the disparity between rich and poor, between the fat tourists (myself included) and the Iraqi refugees, and the near daily reminder of the tenuous relationship between the state and democracy when I keep forgetting that the government has blocked the use of youtube because someone posted degrading videos about Ataturk.
Yet, life goes on without youtube, and all in all the city, the food, the history, the sea, and our friends... they are all amazing (much better than anything I've seen on youtube!), and we really love it here. I promise to add some more pictures of the city when I get things worked out with my camera, but for now here's some more pictures of the kids and family that we took at the beginning of last week. As you can see the kids are really getting used to this summer vacationing in the Mediterranean. They'll be in for a rude awakening when we have to explain that we can only afford trips to Oklahoma or Lisbon for the rest of their life.

Traveling in Istanbul

Hello Everyone, Damian here.

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on our travels in Istanbul. First it's good to be here and see the kids. It's amazing how much they have grow in 3 short weeks. Marco and Carolina are running wild and Leila is not far behind. Marco is able to wave down taxis like a seasoned pro. Carolina is afraid of flies so tries to kill them with a fly-swatter. And Leila is crawling, well she is crawling backwards, but that counts for something.

We've spent all of our time in Istanbul so far. But tomorrow we are looking to go to Ephesus. There are many ancient ruins in Ephesus and hopefully we can make it there and back without any hassle.

Enjoy these new photos from our travels in Istanbul. We were able to visit the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia two very beautiful buildings. It's hard to understand how they put these buildings together without modern equipment. (Note: Pictures are of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia pictures to come.)

Having Fun with the Kids

In case anyone is wondering who the beautiful woman traveling with me is, I thought I would disclose that it is my mother. She took an unpaid leave of absence from her job to take care of my children while I work here in Turkey. The kids and I are so lucky to have such wonderful support from our family. Here are some pictures that mom and I took of the kids clowning around the neighborhood for the rest of the family and friends who are missing them this summer. We are already missing you too.

Our First Trip to Asia

We decided to take a taxi to Anadalu (Anatolia)/the Asian side of the city last Sunday. We spent the afternoon in Kadikoy where we enjoyed the famous bazzar. The narrow streets of the market are filled with everything from fresh fish to ipods. We were mostly just looking as it's pretty difficult to really shop with the kids. However, I would say it is must see for anyone traveling to Istanbul. The taxi ride was a bit expensive, so we opted to take the ferry back home. The view of both sides of Istanbul including the awe inspiring Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque as well as the cerulean color of the Bosporus is breathtaking. We are looking forward to taking a longer boat trip up the strait in a couple of weeks.

Daily Life

Classes began on Monday, and forced us to snap back into the reality of daily work and life. I am, after all, here to work. But may everyone's work be so enjoyable! Fortunately the ten or so miles between where we live and Bogazici University are lively. The excitement of getting to know a new city and the amazing views of the Bosphorus from campus make me look forward to traveling to school each day, even with the twenty minute up-hill walk to the bus stop. I've admittedly taken a cab more than I should because I've left the apartment too late to make it on time by bus (for those of you who know me this should come as no surprise).

Back at the flat, "Grandma Cindy" and the children have been getting along well. We live only a short walk to a park, so they have ventured up the hill several times to play. We are practicing playground vocabulary, because Marco is desperately looking for someone to play "PowerRangers" or dinosaurs with him, and Mom and Grandma are barely adequate. Otherwise, my mother has been having fun keeping up with Carolina who stays busy pressing all the buttons on the washing machine, in which we cannot read the settings. We are never sure what Carolina makes the laundry do but so far it comes out quite nice. In the evening we've only ventured as far as Etiler, but hopefully after we are totally recooperated from the jet lag we'll get out more after school. For now we are saving the big trips for the weekends. Thanks for all the support, and constructive criticism, (Rickey).

The Adventure Begins

Traveling with three small children was just as exciting as anyone could imagine. The kids were actually very good...considering. Here they are having a little fun while we wait patiently for the workers at AlItalia to finish their important conversation and assist us. We were already so tired that I think I actually may have considered letting the kids go ahead and baggage check themselves to Istanbul.
Our first night in Istanbul was amazing...... and a little terrifying. The taxi ride from the airport lived up to the legend posted on every other travel blog. Traffic was insane, and the driver insisted on going as fast as possible every inch we moved and then coming to a screeching halt. Despite all the action, we were so tired we kept falling asleep. We knew that if we could sleep through that we must of been beyond exhaustion!
Driving through Dikilitas, we perked up with the excitement of seeing our home for the next few months. It was "a bit hilly" like my Turkish friend warned. Speaking of this friend, there is no way we would have made it these first few days without her and her family. Not only did these friends find the apartment for us, but also went to great links to get us acclimated to the city, including warning us that if the Turks won the soccer match that their may be a few people shooting off guns.
Well, the Turks won. We woke up to about an hour of gunfire-supposedly mostly fake. Again, my Mother was so tired she slept through it until I woke her. After the hills and the gunfire we were getting a little unsure of ourselves; however, we decided to get brave and take the kids on a trip to Ortakoy. It was wonderful. We love it here! The Ortakoy harbor was beautiful, and though it is definitely a little touristy we started feel like we were really in Istanbul. The kids had a great time feeding the pigeons, watching local boys jump in the Bosporus, and eating grilled corn on the cob. People told us that Turks love children, but we are still always shocked at how nice everyone is to the kids. Carolina's and Leila's cheeks and thighs are probably sore from all the pinches. We were a little freaked out by everyone wanting to take Carolina's picture. She is the most popular girl in the city. Everywhere we go we saw people snapping photos of her, and many people would just jump down next to her and take their picture with her. Suri and Shiloh eat your heart out! Its still a little frightening, but she's enjoying it. We just hope she doesn't start acting more like a diva than she already does! All in all it was a good experience for our first day out on our own, and we took some awesome pictures. We'll keep you posted on how the rest of the week goes.