State of the Season Address

Hello again friends, family, and foes,

While things over here had been relatively quiet - yet pleasant - for a while, I do believe they are starting to gain speed once more.  Spring weather has been here for quite some time, but we're now feeling the momentum and expectation that come along with it.  

During a rogue midweek holiday, Hilary and I headed to neighboring Tarsus.  We had been meaning to go there all year, but it kept being pushed back.  We had ridden past it on the way to Mersin several times, but had yet to stop.  Finally, on Children's Day we boarded the train toward the site of many Christian pilgrimages.

Arriving in Tarsus with minimal preparation or research we thought we had an idea where St. Paul's Well was - the main tourist attraction.  Following my bravado and keen sense of place, we set out in what ended up being the exact opposite direction.  BUT- we found some delicious lunch at a local haunt.  Thus refreshed, we unsuccessfully asked for directions several times, but thought we were on the right path.  

At one point we heard someone yell,  "Mike!  Mike!"  It turned out to be two of our friend's students.  They seemed to speak less English than we speak Turkish, so rather than giving us directions they offered us a ride.  They drove like Turkish teenagers, but we made it safely to the well.  

I think they arranged these rocks after St. Paul moved away or died.

Well...

After that we walked through the old historic city center.  The old streets and homes reminded us of Antakya, which we loved.  Then we hit the main drag for a cold treat.  

Happiness > Manliness

Our school year is passing by quickly and we have long been considering what we'll be doing once it finishes.  From the outset of our plans to move abroad in 2012 we both felt ready to spend the following few years away from home (Minnesota) and were relatively open as to where they might be spent.  We've gone back and forth (in our minds) between South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Turkey among other places.  From one day to the next our preferences continued changing, with no clear leader emerging for most of the year.

Our boss approached us a few weeks ago, giving us until the end of April to decide if we were staying here another year.  After much praying, hemming and hawing, we decided not to come back to Turkey next year.  It was difficult, because we have really enjoyed our time here.  The relationships, experiences, foods and general growth this year have been huge blessings.  

However, we feel we have a relatively small window of time we wish to live abroad and there are more people to meet, places to see, things to do and ways to grow.  We love being in Turkey this year and we are extremely grateful for this experience, but we have faith that we are making the right decision.

So we narrowed it down to either South Korea or New Zealand.  Both have lots of pros and cons for us, but we can share more on that later.  This post has already grossly exceeded an appropriate length.  Let me just say this: After receiving lucrative job offers to teach ESL in South Korea Hilary and I (after loads and loads of prayer) decided to move to New Zealand in August 2013!!!

New Zealandish-looking tree in Adana

To make a long story longer, I have been getting really geeked about camping/hiking/backpacking lately.  So I forced Hilary to make the 3-mile trek along the river to the closest bit of nature for a local day-hike.  She lovingly obliged and we had a piece of the world to ourselves for a few hours.

Picnic in the Park

...and then the cows came.

We love and miss you all.  We're headed back to Minnesota mid-June for about a month-and-a-half.  We are trying to enjoy the present and experience today, but we are definitely looking forward to seeing the family and friends that await us home.  

Love,
Mike and Hilary

Marching Forward

While I'll probably never forgive myself for that title, it is certainly appropriate.  Our big winter break was behind us along with our lone visitor of the year.  Students quickly settled into comfortable study(?) habits.  Our extended family added three healthy babies on the other side of the world.  Our window of decision-making for next year is slowly closing.  We started thinking about summer plans.  Our close friends are steeped in the excitement and preparation for their own journey abroad.

There were still many positive things that happened in March, but it often felt like the world around us was moving along in a more interesting, meaningful way.  Facebook, Skype, and email showed us all that was happening around us without us.  Our adventures were mainly relegated to the classroom and a rogue game of Dungeons and Dragons.  I spell all that out not to throw a pity party, but to acknowledge that humdrum everyday life can exist in all corners of the earth and in many circumstances.

The test that befell us was to embrace the present.  To enjoy this experience - that we wanted - now.  To make the most of life where we are, when we are.   Although we didn't pass with flying colors, we survived.  We're now into April.  We are still so grateful for this chance to be living in Turkey.  We've loved the experiences we've had and the growth we've felt and seen in each other.  We look forward to the experiences and growth yet to come.

We love and miss you all,
Mike and Hil

That's what friends are for

A few short weeks ago, we were graced with our first (and possibly only) visitor of the year: Reuben Haggar.  We were looking forward to hosting Reuben for months prior.  I will try to abstain from blindly flinging gross exaggeration and hyperbole across the screen, but enough good things can not be stated regarding his visit.

A brief history: 

Reuben is one of my best friends from my years at Bethel University.  We lived together several years and most of my strangest, most disturbing, absurd and hysterical collegiate experiences somehow involve that man.  For four brief but formative years our paths were greatly interwoven.

Since graduation, Reuben ran away from myself and the rest of the western world to teach in South Korea for three years and China for the past two years.  Although he's visited the States a few times, we hadn't spent significant extended time together in about five years.

When Reuben told us he was going to visit us in Turkey we were ecstatic.  When he told us he was staying for a week we were equally filled with anxiety.  To host someone in our tiny apartment in a relatively quiet city (no offense, Adana) for an entire week had the potential to turn problematic.  Add to that the facts that we had to work all week and that we have all possibly changed over the past five years, we were quite nervous about what to expect.

From our standpoint the week with Reuben exceeded all expectations.  It was one of the best experiences of our time in Turkey.  Spending time with such a close friend from home on the other side of the world created a unique and quite surreal air to the whole adventure.

Hilary and I took him to our school (where he got to see me bumble through a lesson), traveled to Gaziantep for the first time, introduced him to some of our friends, showed him Mersin and the Mediterranean, ate every Turkish thing in sight, and experienced the hamam (Turkish bath) among other things.  We even sent him out by himself on one of the castle excursions we tried in the fall.  

Reuben's visit really gave Hilary and me a chance to realize all the things we've learned over the course of our time here in Turkey.  We saw how far we have come and re-experienced Turkey in a surprising way.  This new found comfort and competence in daily life here not just as visitors, but as hosts in a place we've made our home was a pleasant side effect of the visit.

The most important and unforgettable aspect, however, was simply spending with Reuben.  Our friendship picked up where it left off and it was so refreshing to spend time with someone who we had so much history with.  We laughed a ton, recalled many great memories, spoke about our lives and hearts, and added more incredible pages to our stories. 

Saying our goodbyes the last morning as our bus arrived was one of our hardest days abroad.  Not wanting the great fellowship to end and not knowing when our paths will cross again filled all our eyes with tears.  

Reuben, thank you again.

Mersin's shore

We're on a boat

Peek-a-boo

The (inexplicably closed) Castle in Gaziantep

Deliciously toasty Sahlep

Everyone else is welcome to visit us also, of course.  Expect similarly glowing reviews and well wishes.  

We love and miss everyone and hope you all are well wherever you are,

Mike and Hil  

The Halfway Point

After several rain-checks and false starts, I've finally resolved to catch the blog up to date.  Here it goes.

Apparently time passes rapidly wherever we are in the world.  Currently, we find ourselves three weeks into the second semester and are amazed at how quickly the first half has gone.  

Two days after our return from Istanbul we struck out again to Pozantı with our good friends Laura and Can.  We spent two nights and three days in a mountain lodge reading, playing cards, talking, eating, drinking tea and - above all - relaxing.  We were so grateful for such a suitable follow-up to our frenetic time in Istanbul.  Connecting with friends and slowing things down was so restorative.

The community room where we spent most of our time

The 4-way fireplace with a beautiful view

The Taurus Mountains 

- enjoyable even when we weren't backpacking in them - 

Laura and Can

The next week we spent in Adana trying to resettle into daily life and jump-start our New Year's resolutions with mixed success.  Rest, reflection, and recuperation characterized the second half of our semester break.  With heavier workloads, new students, and an amazing week-long visit from Reuben, we certainly appreciated the extra rest beforehand.

Looking forward to the rest of the semester, we have much on the table.  Some of the things occupying much of our minds lately are teaching, traveling within Turkey, and deciding what to do next year.  Each are exciting, challenging, fun, and stressful in their own ways.  We have about three and a half months left of our semester and the weeks are flying by.

As always, we love and miss everyone,
Mike and Hil

Four Days in Istanbul - Part 2

As promised, here are more pictures.  We took far too many so I've been forced to show incredible restraint not to shove them all down your throats.  Breath easy.

Day 3

Archaeology Museums 

Mr. Yawn

The Grand Bazaar

Chora Church

View from the Walls of Constantine

Galata Tower

Day 4

Topkapi Palace

View from Topkapi

More Topkapi

And More

Deliciousnessosity at Chef Emer's

Homeward Bound

And now, the moment I have been waiting for...purely for my pleasure...pay no mind...

The Post-Trip Itinerary

Day 1

- Airport

- Preferred Hotel Old City

- Han (Restaurant)

- Hagia Sofia

- Basilica Cistern

- Hippodrome, German Fountain

- Random basement art gallery

- Grand Bazaar (closed)

- University of Istanbul

- The Aqueducts

- Spice Bazaar

- Supper

- Dessert

Day 2

- Bosphorus Ferry Tour

- Spice Bazaar - Lunch

- Galata Tower

- Istiklal Street

- Mano Burger - Birthday Burger

- Taksim Square

- Nevizade Street

Day 3

- Archeology Museum

- Grand Bazaar

- Cafe

- Church of St. Savior Chora (closed)

- Walls of Constantine

- Neoclassical Restaurant - Istiklal Street

Day 4

- Topkapi Palace

- Interviewed for a Euroliga Basketball documentary (Much to Hilary's mortification and my guilty pleasure)

- Chef Emer Restaurant

- Countless Souvenir Shops

- Airport

We were blessed with unseasonably beautiful weather, a million little things going seamlessly, and enough remaining sanity to get along with each other at the end of the trip.  Cool city, cool stuff.  Of course there is much more to the trip than can be shown in pictures or told in words, but I've reached the extent of my immediate sharing capabilities.

The End

Love and lots of other mushy stuff,

Mike and Hilary

Four Days in Istanbul - Part 1

Reading back through my journal entry from the first night on our trip, I think my biggest impressions from our trip were 1) an inability to grasp how incredible the reality of such a trip was and 2) an intense desire to fully appreciate and take advantage of our experience there.  I wished to honor the storied city and respect the good fortune that led us there.  

The result was four days of maddened scurrying from site to adventure to experience until our legs could carry us no further.  In short - we loved it.  Touring such a magnificent place that was new to both of us was so meaningful and special.  We want to hold onto the memories as freshly as we can for as long as we can.

On to the pictures...

Day 1

Waiting for lunch - Gözleme - at Han 

 Outside the Blue Mosque

 Hagia Sofia

 The Basilica Cistern

Day 2

 View of the European side from our Bosphorus ferry ride

 View of the Asian side

 The Galata Bridge

 My delicious Birthday Burger

 Nevizade Street 

More pictures from days 3 and 4 and a post-trip itinerary (to satisfy my insufferable fancies) to come soon.

Still loving and missing everyone,
Mike and Hil

We Still Are...

The first semester has reached its end.  We are proctoring several exams throughout the rest of the week, then our Winter Break officially starts.  The semester finished well and we are looking forward to some time off.  We have been without internet or television at home for a while now and though it has been difficult we have gotten by.  First world problems, I know...

Our İstanbul trip is on the horizon and we greatly look forward to that.  Reuben is coming to town in a few weeks.  We are really excited to spend some time with him and show him our new digs. 

Recent life has been interesting in many ways, but not in blog-worthy ways.  It seems that many life lessons are taught in tiny increments over long periods of time with low completion rates. 

Görüşürüz (See you later),
Mike and Hil