Thankful Things

Last week I was out doing something (yes, this is grand revelation!) and I was struck smack in the face with my recent thought patterns. I start by knowing that God wants me to be obedient to some task. I then realize how much "easier" said task would be if I was living in the States. I proceed to inform God of this fact. This would also be known as complaining. As my final step I either do the task with a complaining heart or I choose to be 100% disobedient and not do the task at all.

Repentant prayer and thoughts later, Tuesday afternoon found me preparing to lead our weekly co-worker gathering/planning/talking session. As those newest to the country and culture, we often take time to share new cultural or language insights. Combined with this, I knew I wanted to spend time in prayer. It's easy for me to spend a lot of time talking about my requests with friends and very little time, if any time at all, praying with these friends for my requests.

Introducing the list of things we are thankful for specifically because they are easier or better than in the States. (I want to preface this by stating that this was NOT an America bashing hour, as can so easily occur when one is surrounded by other ex-pats. We could have made a list of things we will be thankful for on home assignment because they are easier or better than here! We have the privilege of living in two lands, two cultures, two continents and of enjoying the benefits of both countries.)

1. Toilettes. Yes, we are thankful for what is lovingly referred to here as the TT or the Turkish toilette. It is much more refined than what probably comes to mind as a hole in the ground. Enough said.

2. Less processed food. The processed food craze is newly arriving to Turkey. May it be very, very, very short lived!

3. The ability to make friends with shop keepers. While my mom and step-dad were in town they related to me that in the States some companies require that their employees refrain from chit chat with customers and shoppers so as to create a more professional atmosphere. Here it is common to get into conversation with shop keepers of regularly frequented stores. The conversation can be short or long and at times results in tea, a chair, and in my case, requests to give English lessons.

4. Public transportation. Not a single one of us has a car/drives a car in this country at the moment. We can. It is completely legal. It is also slightly frightening (rules?) and very expensive (Turkey has some of the highest gas prices in the world). We can get almost anywhere we want with great ease due to an extensive public transportation system.

5. No shoes in the house. People here remove their shoes as soon as they enter a home, sometimes even before they walk through the door. This practice makes the cleaning of rugs and floors much easier.

6. Flexibility of people's schedule. Plan for the afternoon cancel? Call another friend! It's very possible that they are free. The longer I live here, the more I find planning more than two days in advance slightly stressful and unnecessary.

The list could be longer, but we'll leave it at that.

For those of you who may be wondering, we did spend time in prayer thanking the Lord for each of these things. Yes, it is totally appropriate to thank Him for toilette situations and opportunities. I do believe that He has actually commanded us to do so. Thankful in ALL circumstances.

Streets

Roads here are a curious thing. A while back I learned the hard way that one should never run or walk quickly (or walk at all) without looking down. You never know if you are going to fall into a hole. Equally important, you should look up once in a while. You never know when a car might be driving towards you down the sidewalk. Crossing the road, now there's a chance to potentially take your life into your hands. You've heard of car games - games played while driving across America. Whoever spots licenses plates from the most states wins. Here we play road games. Leap frog anyone? You leap from one lane of traffic to the next. I have on more than one occasion found myself standing in between two lanes of traffic, both traveling at over 50 km/hr, while waiting to finish my crossing attempt. Having my parents come to visit strikes home that these behaviors are now normal for me. One should always be prepared for a car or motorbike driving down the sidewalk. This normally occurs when they want to park on the sidewalk, exit a parking garage, or go the wrong way down a one way street. Double parking is a must (otherwise there's no room to walk on sidewalks!). And waiting for traffic to stop in order to cross the street is a waste of time. Those who come to visit: be warned. Those drivers who I may offend when I arrive back to the States for home assignment in a year and a half: my apologies ahead of time.

Istanbul

Riding through the streets of Istanbul is strikingly different than riding through the streets of Ankara. Old houses and new mixed together. And by old I mean Ottoman Empire old. They're old, wooden and falling down but for one reason or another cannot be torn down. So they sit. There are the fish sellers. They occasionally sell fresh fish and occasionally they sell fried fish sandwiches. There are the fresh stuffed muscles on the dock. Yes, the dock. Three famous bridges, several famous docks, uncountable ferries, tours of the Bosphorus, tankers and freighters, and various fishermen plying the choppy waters in various forms of fishing boats. Ankara is where I live. Istanbul is where I wander.