The air is crisp!

I am very excited about a real fall here! It will be my first fall in many years and its kind of exciting for me. The air is changing and the colors are changing and its getting crisp outside. I can't wait for making pumpkin bread and roasting marsmallows!(although I don't know if you can get marshmallows here)
I ate my first chestnuts the other day- they are quit tasty little delights. My father told me when he was a kid they used have vendors roasting them on street corners in Philly before the blight that killed them all. :( Oh how sad it is that we nolonger have chestnuts in the states(at least not local ones) you will be missed little chestnuts!
I am loving living with all the other teachers i always have someone to talk to and or something to do. This weekend I will be doing the 5k run/walk from Asia to Europe....I will be sure to post pics!
My Turkish is coming along ever so slowly, but then again languages were never my strongest subjects. Right now I know the words for foods, animals, and numbers and the only sentences I can put together are ones involving ordering food, but I guess that's all I really need -right? I am off to grade-the best part of my day!

DAY 35

I am getting used to my schedule now and my students. Sometimes I feel as if I am in alternate universe-at least as far as work is concerned. My boss asked how I was doing my first week and my initial reaction was" shit what did I fuck up", until I realized he was actually just asking how I was doing. The kids are great, no real discipline problems other than talking; I have a tea break in my schedule and an hour long lunch (granted I always have something to do at lunch, but even half my lunch is longer thatn it was at my old school); on Fridays I have a half day, I don't make my own photocopies, or have to buy or set up labs, and we had a dress down day at our school and the students paid not the teachers! I am being paid well, I have nice living accomadations that the school pays for and most importantly I feel appreciated, which I haven't felt for a long time at my job. I love all the "fluff' -the pay, accomadations etc., but I think what I was really missing at my last job was the appreciation thing, it makes such a difference about how you feel going to work.

When I move back to the states I hope to find a teaching job with at the very least the appreciation thing!

I have made it to day 35...which is kind of an inside joke between the newbies and me. We said at day 35 culture shock would settle in and we would be miserable. So last night we went to a wonderful wine bar in Kadikoy to celebrate. Things are still up and down I had to go to the eye hospital last week, because I had a horrible eye infection. I don't like going to doctors with translators; so hopefully my language skills will improve or more likely I am going to find English speaking doctors.

I am starting to find my way around here little by little, hopefully by the time people start visiting I will at least be able to get us out and back!

I have never smelled something more lovely than a fig tree blowing in the wind

So the first few moments here have been a whirlwind I fell like I have been here a life time already.....I have already experienced many wonderful new things and met wonderful fascinating people.
My first list of thingies

1. Love, love, love the food here!!! Unfortunalty the food does not love me yet got some Turkey tummy.
2. Love the little shops everywhere and love that fresh fruits and veggies are so cheap and wonderful here.
3. Assos and Troy I give two thumbs up-they moved my soul with their beauty.
4. Can't get over the amount of shopping..... everywhere there are things to buy and see.
5. My school welcomed me with open arms .....dinner and outtings for a week and a half straight its been pretty amazing.
6. My second day here someone asked me for directions in Turkish-so I guess I am already blending in!:)
7. I did have a rock thrown at me in a small village and in Assos and that was a real bummer...An old covered lady doing lacework thought I was taking her picture...I guess there are assholes in every country. (after that I took her picture and posted it on fb)
8. My school campus is beautiful it reminds me of charleston.....and the people in my department are geat!
9. There are kitties everywhere here...I mean everywhere and they are all cute....hopefully I will resisit the temptation to adopt another one.
10. everywhere you look there is history and everywhere you look its blended with the modern world ....it's a wonderful thing!