Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

We’ve been staying in the city of Side, pronounced See-dah, but of course, it looks like the English word “side.”  So today, as we were driving around, we saw a chicken crossing the road.   I couldn’t help myself, so I asked Kaleb, “So why DID the chicken cross the road?” and he responded, “to get to Side.”  I didn’t even see that one coming.

Bjørn is the taskmaster of this circus we are part of here in Turkey. It’s so nice to have someone else in charge.  He’s been taking care of all the arrangements, he bought the tickets, he’s planning out the days.  It’s like a REAL vacation for me where I just show up and don’t have to do anything else.  He even prepares the meals, cleans up afterwards and takes care of the needs of everyone, including the twins.  Whatta guy!  I could get used to this.  Kory even said if he weren't already "taken" he might have to ask him to marry him.

After breakfast today, Bjørn went up to the management company that takes care of his condo here, to ask them about some of the tourist activities in the area.  Bjørn said each complex around here tends to attract people from the same country, so he’s in the Norwegian section, but just across the way is a condo complex with many from England.  It’s like the United Nations in this neighborhood as many countries in Europe are heavily represented in this part of Turkey. 

The management company provides all kinds of services for the homeowners here, not the least of which is travel advice.  They check on their place monthly, pick the residents up from the airport, tell them which is the best spa, where to go to the dentist, what kind of products to buy for particular needs, etc.  They are the ultimate resource for foreigners in a foreign land.  It makes being here so much easier, so I guess that’s why they do it - job security.  And each management company is conveniently owned by someone from their homeland, so today, Bjørn was talking with a woman from Bergan.  She’s married to a guy from Turkey so they have found the perfect niche.   Everyone is very helpful and friendly to the tourists, so it makes one feel quite special.  I was even allowed to access their internet from their office  so I could post my blog.  Sweet.

The kids and Inger laid around the poolside and sunned themselves this morning while Bjørn painted the hand railing off his dining room deck.  It seems his job is never done.  Kory and I went down the street for the ultimate Turkish experience – the Turkish Bath.  I think every block in this city has at least one spa, as that seems to be the big reason people travel to Turkey.  It’s understandable.  Kory and I splurged and spent a whopping $30 each on a 90 minute treatment.  How decadent!  I want to do it again.

We were taken into a round steamy room with benches along the edge.  It was just the two of us.  Every couple of feet were hot water spigots with sinks built right into the marble walls that surrounded the place.  In the center of the room was a large marble slab that looked an awful lot like an altar, but I soon learned it was a heated slab, meant for relaxing.  The only thing sacrificed on that thing was stress, as it melted away while lying there.

Upon entering that room, we were seated next to a sink and warm water was scooped out of the sinks with a bowl and poured over different parts of our bodies.  We were then taken to the altar and told to lie on our backs.  We were wearing our swim suits so it wasn’t too weird, but the body scrub that followed felt very personal.  I think they used some kind of loofa sponge and they didn’t miss a spot.

Our attendants didn’t speak a word of English, except “turn,” which we did when they told us to.  After the scrub, they did the coolest thing ever.  They had some kind of pillowcase type thing that looked like it might have been made out of jersey cotton.  It was soaking in a bucket filled with rose petal bubbly water.  They took the pillowcase out of the bucket and flapped it open to catch air, then sealed it with their hands so it looked like a huge balloon.  As they squeezed it, it created an enormous amount of bubbles, which they plopped up and down our bodies.  It smelled heavenly, as well as feeling pretty cool (actually, it was warm).  They also lightly massaged us with those air filled pillows.  Then we laid there for a long time, kind of like being in a bubble bath, but lying on a slab of marble instead, with a huge heap of bubbles over the top of us.  It was cooler than cool.

We were rinsed off with bowls of warm water and towel dried by the attendants (I had a guy and Kory had a woman.)  We then had to lie down and relax in a recliner for a few minutes in another room before we got an oil massage by other employees. 

I know I have some problem spots in my back, but the minute the guy took a look at my spine, he put his finger right on my worse area and just said, “Problem.”  I told him yes, so he avoided that area, thankfully.  When he got to my shoulders, he made some kind of huff that one makes when they can’t believe what they are seeing.  I told him “stress” and he said, “Yes.”  After I was done, he went and told some other guy something and that guy came and told me, “You need medical massage.  Come back tomorrow.  He will fix your back.  Twenty euros.  Thirty minutes.  Come back tomorrow nine o’clock.”  So, I guess that’s what I’m doing to start my day off tomorrow.  It doesn’t take much convincing to get me to have a massage.

Tobias had lunch waiting for us when we got back home.  Kaleb wasn’t feeling too well, I’m sure it was due to lack of sleep, not enough water, and warm temperatures, so he was a bit whiney all day today.  After lunch Bjørn drove us out to Perga (where all but one photo from today was taken), a very old city mentioned in the Bible from Paul’s travels.  It’s also one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelations.  Kory was fascinated by the verse that says because of their faithfulness, God will the give the inhabitants “a white stone with their name inscribed on it” and only they will know the meaning.

The whole time we were in Perga, Kory was hunting for white stones as we walked among the ruins. I’m sure it wasn’t legal to pick up anything in that place, but he found white rocks, some bone, an old glass shard, and a rusty nail. It’s one of the best preserved ruins in all of Turkey, but maybe not so much after Kory went through there.  Kaleb said, after seeing Pompeii, in Italy, it pales in comparison with that archeological sight, but still, it was incredibly impressive.  Kory even found a white rock in the shape of a heart, just for me, because I love collecting heart shaped rocks.  It was a God thing.

All of us were in agreement that it was a spectacular outing, so I’m glad we got to do it.  Markus kept shouting “HALLELUJAH!” and throwing his hands up in the air as he stood upon toppled columns and pieces of ancient rubble.  It was pretty funny.  Afterwards when we were at dinner, he didn’t stop with the hallelujahs and he even got the local Muslims to join him in a few rounds!  Kory has some stiff competition with that kid.

Bjørn treated us to Irish coffees and baklava for dessert back at the house.  Kaleb fell asleep in my lap before we even got a chance to play cards.  But it was a long day, full of some good memories and we’re all looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. 

This photo is from Bjorn's house and it's of him, jumping in his pool.  Nice place. 

Getting Settled

It was a full day today and I had only one thing in mind – to buy a bed so I could get a decent night’s sleep. Last night I got the couch, Kaleb was on the floor and Kory was in Aunt Ruth’s single bed. I hardly slept, both due to jet lag and the fact the couch wasn’t long enough for me to fit head to toe. I woke up pretty crabby.


Kory’s only task for the day was to meet with his two neighboring aunts and go through at least the furniture and kitchen things and divide up what has been left behind. That was not at all an easy thing for anyone but at least by the end of the day most of the big stuff was out of the condo so we had room to start settling in. There is still about thirty boxes of things yet to go through – mainly books, linens, photos and some decorative items, and that may well take the entire time we are here to complete.

The process they use to divide things up is very time consuming. Each item must be talked about and analyzed and written on a list. They had several methods for dividing up things, depending on whether someone else was interested in it or not. I finally couldn’t stand the painstakingly slow methods and left to go buy a bed, a desk, a few lamps and some decorative items at the local Salvation Army. That was way more fun. Nothing in our condo has any sentimental value to me (nor was it attractive enough to keep) so it was fine with me if they just tossed it all out, but others didn’t feel the same. At one point I just said that all I needed was for everything to be gone, one way or another. Later I was pulled aside by a cousin who told me that was a hurtful thing to say because the two sisters to Aunt Ruth were having a hard time cleaning out her place and it was as if I just wanted her gone. They weren’t in quite the hurry I was as it’s taken some getting used to, that she is no longer their neighbor. I had to apologize for my crassness, but the aunt’s said they took no offense, so that’s good. I think they were just being polite, but the good thing about being in Norway is, people are VERY tolerant and forgiving so it’s not like I have a strike against me for opening my big mouth and saying something about it. I blamed it all on lack of sleep and only thinking about my own needs.

I took Kaleb to buy a bus pass today so he has begun his life of freedom. He took the bus over to his old school and waited outside for all the kids to come out. He was loaded down with a backpack of American candy (at least 10 pounds of it, I’m sure), which I guess he literally tossed at them like a parade or something. The excitement over the candy was secondary to them seeing him again. He said they were all squealing and gushing over him being there and several of them skipped soccer practice so they could play with him. He couldn’t have been more pleased. I let him stay there until dinner time and told him to catch the five o’clock bus home. He missed that one, so he ended up walking, which took him nearly an hour. In America, I get nervous if he walks down our driveway to get mail by himself, but here, he can walk for miles from home with no worries. That’s gotta be one of the best things about living in Norway.

The cousins were all here tonight helping us move furniture in and out and to bring up some of the boxes of our things in the storage unit in the basement. It was like a bee-hive of activity for several hours. While the rooms were empty I was able to wash down the walls and floors, which was a good thing as it was pretty dusty in some places. We still have several days of work before we are going to be living any kind of normal life around here, but today felt fairly accomplished and wonderful. I really like our new bedroom set – it’s high quality furniture from the 1940s, in very good condition. We had to buy two twin beds and attach them together because double beds are pretty rare. We got the entire bedroom set (2 beds with headboards and mattresses), a dresser with a cool art-deco style mirror, and two bedside tables for about $215. I also bought a leather “Stressless” recliner chair with ottoman for $21. They sell new ones for about a thousand dollars. The economy of things here is so weird because no one likes old or used things. Now, if I could just find a “used” food store, we could stretch the dollar even further.

"Rest" Party

Today was my official day to skip school so I could prepare my lesson for tonight’s Bible study. All went well as I savored the quiet of the house. Kory was off to work, Kaleb to school. I prayed, I read, I studied. Days like today go too quickly. The sun was out so I took my new bike for a spin to see how it rides with new tires, and it’s like a different bike. I am so “fornøyd” (satisfied.) I rode down to Kaleb’s school to meet up with him for the ride home. It was such a nice day.

Kaleb did his homework in record time and then we went for another bike ride together on a little “explore” around the neighborhood to see where different paths lead. He complained a bit that we had no specific goal in mind, but the problem really was that he’s been without electronics for so long he wants to make up for lost time and riding a bike with his dear old Mama just wasn’t his idea of a good time today. I took the hint and we headed home. Kory came in the door all hunched over and immediately had to lie down as he strained his back at work, so that was a bit of a bummer for him. We had an early dinner and then our Bible study group came, so we worked our way through the fourth chapter of the book of James. There’s some powerful stuff in there so it was good to have a discussion about it.

I got a text message today from the woman who schedules The Praying Women (a weekly meeting I attend as often as I can.) Kristen wrote me in Norwegian, and I understood the words, but not fully the context. The message, when translated, said she apologized for the short notice but wondered if I was available to come to a rest party tonight at her house at 7:30. I wrote her back that I could come if it was OK I came late because my Bible study ended at 7:30. It was. Then I spent the whole afternoon trying to figure out what a “rest” party was. When we meet for prayer at her house, we often do “soaking” prayer – where we all lay on the floor and are just still before God. Sometimes one or two of us falls asleep. I was wondering if that’s what she was referring to as “rest” and maybe she forgot we called it “soaking” prayer, but then I wondered about the word “party” after it – because it’s really not a party when we are praying. Then I wondered if it’s some kind of party like a Tupperware party, but they just sell things used for “resting.” Norwegians delight in doing nothing, so it would make sense to me there could be a company that would try to capitalize on that one. I just couldn’t figure it out, but I knew enough to know I better dress up a little, as any and all parties in Norway are cause for a bit of formality.

After our Bible study was over I drove over to Kristen’s house. (I’ve only driven our car a handful of times since we’ve been here – and never more than a mile away – so this was a big outing for me tonight as she lives several miles away.) When I got to her house, I immediately understood. Kristen’s daughter had her Confirmation this weekend. I found out it’s customary after weddings or confirmations to gather up all the leftovers and have another party a day or two later to eat up the REST of the food. Her daughter was confirmed on Saturday so she had a small family party yesterday to eat the REST of the cold cuts and regular food, but she saved all the cake leftovers for us Praying women and the women in her own Bible study group. Two points for Kristen! There were about ten of us there tonight, facing at least a dozen partially eaten cakes and it was as if I’d died and gone to heaven. I don’t know why or how Norwegians can make such good cakes, but there is just nothing that can compare to them in America. Normally I don’t eat cake as there is just nothing to them, but Norwegian cakes are incredible. I had to have a little piece of each one and plenty of coffee to go with it so I’m sure I’ll be awake all night. (I keep thinking I’ll start losing a little weight one of these days, and then something like this happens.) I like this “rest party” very much. The women were surprised we don’t have such a thing in America but I told them we usually pack up leftovers and send them home with people - but this Rest party idea is way better because it extends the celebration just a little bit longer.

Kristen asked me to share a few stories with the women – including about how my foot got healed. We talked a lot after that about why God heals some people and not others and how hard it is to accept His choice when it seems to make no sense to us in the here and now. Of course we don’t have God’s perspective on things and there are no easy answers, but as the old song says, “Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God… through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His word.” He hasn’t let me down yet, and I don’t expect He ever will.