More Turkey
Posted on September 16, 2023 • 9 minutes • 1742 words
We lasted a total of 10 days before we needed to get out exploring a bit. Not having figured out the buses or subway yet, we caught a cab to the center of Ankara. Also being only $9USD, we might take a while to figure it out. :) If felt good being in the heart of the city and taking in all the sights, smells, etc. It took a bit to find the castle entrance from where we were dropped off, but we finally figured out we needed to just walk straight up the huge flight of stairs. It is a castle after all.
Walking through the old town to get to the entrance within the entrance, found wandered past some exposed walls of old buildings that seemed to use some of the same construction techniques we say in North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Wood intertwined with brick. I really need to understand this better…as it’s something we wouldn’t do today, but they have proven to be able withstand years and years of life.
View of the castle from below as we were still looking for the entrance. Thanks to the nice local guy who pointed us in the right direction, who was then thanked by 3 excited kids with ’tesekkular!'
We climbed the walls, explored the small nooks and got some great view.
A couple asked me to take their photo and Sam decided to get in it. After asking (yelling?) at him to get out of the way, the couple embraced it and signaled for him to stand with them. I love nice people.
Not the coolest castle of the trip, but it filled what we needed filled…some adventure and feeling some Turkish culture walking around…and some sketch construction fixes that just boggle my mind.
We found a restaurant that was within the city walls, And Cafe. Sometimes places like this (so close to a tourist place) aren’t the greatest, and while the coffee was terrible, the views and breakfast spread was superb.
There were tables in old towers and on old lookout points. To eat, you had to stay in the main area, but we headed up to where one would enjoy an afternoon cocktail with the sun setting…without children.
As we headed out of the restaurant, we walked right into a guy making candy on the street. Impossible to say no, I at least convinced the kids to share the giant pure sugar candy. Really good actually and I probably ate more than my share.
We wandered through the old town a bit more to get some things for out house. We a couple mugs, neatly painted bowls that each person got to pick out for themselves and a Turkish coffee maker…basically a small metal ‘pot’ with a long handle.
We somehow ended up in an artists’ area that was an old hotel that had been converted. You walked into the old rooms to see all the different hand-crafted things.
If we were heading straight home after this, I would have not been able to control myself…but the sane part of my mind knew I didn’t want to cart it around for 8 more months. We did get Max the cutest sweater, that he insisted on wearing the next day, despite the heat. Notice Ben in a short sleeve.
As we were heading out, we found a guy selling fresh fruit. We got a bunch of giant figs and he kept pointing at Sammy and saying something. I kept saying in my limited Turkish “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” He then stops a lady walking on the street, who thankfully spoke English, and she says to me “He wants to know what team his jersey is for.” I laughed and said “Harry Potter.” When she translated, we all got a big laugh. Passionate about their football here I believe.
We found a park, sat on a wall, ate figs, found a cab and headed home.
The next week we continued with our newly adapted loose routine. We do some school in the morning, usually writing, head out to run around or go to the family center and then do math and reading in the afternoon. There is a part of me that wants the kids to still do worksheets here and there because they will have to do them next year in school, but the other part of me (and Dan) wants to teach with what is around us. I agree this is better and what we had done all summer, especially since when else will you get to go see the walls of Constantinople after reading about them, but I worry about Sam being able to focus in school next year. Well, we’ll worry about that later, I guess. Seriously, that kid’s butt can not stay in a chair!
So as a family, we are loving learning about the area we are in. Essays on Mesopotamia, a newly found interest to go to Paris to see Hammurabi’s code (what? There’s more to see there than the Eiffel Tower?), learning countries names and capitals, documenting all the cats on campus, learning about the Mongols, the ancient silk road, the world’s first tablets…hint: not apple brand. Sam and Ben have field journals they bring with them where they can jot down notes or sketch something they see. Some days it’s not in the cards with Ben where he just wants to look around, but Sam loves that journal! And I’m learning a ton!
I still struggle a bit keeping them all occupied during a class session as Max loves to talk, Ben likes it quite and Sam wiggles so much he has fallen out of his chair numerous times. Also, Ben’s work take the longest, Max can only write and color so much and wants to go play…which then in turn, distracts the others as his lego tower comes crashing down and he gets upset…only to have 2 very anxious brothers jump into help rebuild it.
Not going to lie, there is bribing with and episode of Octonauts or Wild Kratts being the reward. It works and I love the random animal knowledge I am usually presented with at dinner.
We live right next to a track and I had enjoyed some morning runs by myself. I did find a friend to run with me a few times, but then she just got too busy with work. I started really having fun bringing the kids. At 7am, there usually isn’t more than 1 or 2 people there and the kids are really good about picking a lane and staying in it. I usually don’t get many miles in, but I get a few and that is a super bonus to be able to run and have the kids not get into trouble…and triple bonus if they burn off some energy. :)
Bilkent University (where Dan is teaching) put on a welcome reception for all the faculty the next weekend. Dan forgot to mention the dress code, so I felt a little underdressed, but that’s kinda the story of my life. It was on the grassy area of a big mansion; a place you’d expect to attend a wedding. Fully catered and lots of open space for the kids to run around. We mingled and because it’s an English University, everyone speaks English. Make it nice to chat with Dan’s colleagues, but at some point I felt I forced the conversation to be in English, even though everyone else knew Turkish. After a bit, I went off looking for the kids. Dan goes “there’s Ramsey!” Dan had met a family the week before with Sam on their way to the market. They are from Canada and ALSO have 3 boys about the kids age and they were there too.
I hung out with them for most of the rest of the time and Dan went back and forth, probably feeling a bit like he had to mingle with the faculty. It was so nice to talk to another mom going through a lot of the same moving/travel/kid stuff that I was AND with kids the same ages. We all sat and drank beer and the kids ran around like crazy humans. She mentioned she was taking the Turkish class offered to faculty and spouses, but I said I couldn’t because it over lapped with Dan’s class by 30 minutes one day. She assured me the teacher wouldn’t care if I missed a quarter of a class one day a week. I was elated, as I really had wanted to take the class.
That night Dan and the older boys had tickets to go listen to the music from Lord of the Rings. All dressed up, they headed off super excited. I think they thought they were going to see the movie, even though I reminded them numerous times it was just the music. Well, they did see some of the movie as they played parts that matched the movie. They LOVED it.
Max and I were going to have a chill night when I got a call from Onur to see if we wanted to join them at the skate park by our place. It was great, they grabbed us and we drove a total of 3 blocks…and now I know where it is! Deniz skated a teeny bit, but more played with Max as they ran up and slid down the ramps. Onur, Gizadeh and I sat in chairs and drank beers. It was a long day and it was good to finally turn in for the night.
Ben finished his first book! (Dan has taken photos and we plan to make a pdf, but are slacking). He read it to us and we loved it!
He worked on it for weeks and we really wanted to celebrate in a big way…it deserved a celebration. Sam had the idea to surprise him with sushi, so we did!
Still apple season here and we are always picking them. We have made a couple apple crisps, one with the reddish fleshed apples.
So, still loving it. Dan is really liking teaching and being in on lab meetings, but it’s a good balance where he takes the kids for about 30% of the day hours. It’s working with my work and his.
And we found a babysitter so we can go out!!!!!
And all of us are still loving the food…all of it!
