Category Archives: summer

It’s been a while!

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I had hoped to keep blogging when I moved back to the U.S.  It’s obvious that it didn’t work out. I was too absorbed in living my life, instead of being an observer, to keep writing.  Many things have happened since.  I continued working for my non-profit, my career advanced, I made new friends and found a new community.  I have lived life to the fullest in Austin, taking advantage of the weather and live music and generally had a blast! I also got pregnant, had a baby, traveled for work, and continue to take advantage of the amazing city in which I live, with one more person in tow.

And now I am back! Four years after we left Turkey, we have returned for a visit.  It has been fascinating to be back in Turkey.  It simultaneously feels the same and different. While I missed some things, in others I am reminded why we wanted to move back to to the U.S.  While I am here, I hope to have a chance to blog about it.  This is one of the things, from my time in Turkey, I have missed.

Homestretch!

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I’m almost there!  After two years of chipping away, my Masters program will be ending in a couple of weeks!   I have loved being challenge and learning new skills and methodologies in TESL, but I am ready to have more time to study Turkish and blog.  With the past few months difficulty in blogging aside, it has been difficult to work all day, come home, do homework, then blog.  Many times after teaching all day, doing my own coursework, grading my students’ homework and cooking dinner there really wasn’t enough time or energy to sit down and create a post.

Now that I have three courses finishing up in two weeks, I am crazy busy.  I have been spending most of my time inside chained to a computer.  I am excited for my “summer” to start!  I want to go running and hiking.  I really want to go to the beach—swim a little and catch some sun.  Considering it is July, it is a little sad that I am still this white!

NOT THRILLED

Yeah. With the amount of work I have to do in the next few days my face still looks pretty much like that.

Chemotastic!

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This week we are back on chemo–Dad’s third round. While he does have some side effects and major fatigue he is in a pretty good spirits. When I came back he warned me that sometimes when he doesn’t feel well he is a ornery bastard (his terminology might have been just “cranky.”)  However, lucky for all of us he has been pretty chipper and not so cranky, though we would have overlooked it if he had been curmudgeonly.   His taste buds have  been slightly altered so we have been plying him with ice cream—so that have helped too!

Recently, we had some good news.  Apparently our darling SOB has started down the lovely path of telling Cancer to “F*ck Off!”  His nasty, fancy, rare tumor is starting to shrink significantly.  We just need it to keep doing so and his prognosis will alter dramatically.  Honestly, I think he is too stubborn for this bitch of a tumor to beat him.

I can hardly believe I have been home for more than three weeks. Alas it is true. On Sunday I drove down to Massachusetts with Bulent and dropped him off at the airport. We won’t see each other in person for a month. I will be exhausted by the time I get to Turkey. The problem is, I don’t sleep very well by myself. I am kind of like a toddler in that I talk myself to sleep–but I prefer an audience. Plus… I like to snuggle. My parents’ dog is too big and skittish to sleep with and the cat used to be feral and is not super cuddly. It likes to love you from a distance and on its own terms.  My brother will let me hold his hand during scary movies, but we are a little too old to cuddle.  Anyway he has a gorgeous girlfriend who he would prefer to snuggle with anyway.

So life in NH is going smoothly and without crisis.  Plus, the neighbors are still spoiling us with yummy soups and dishes like Pad Thai!  I may no longer be in the city or “Far from the Sticks,”  but our “sticks” are the place to be!

Moms camers 019

Coming Home, For A Battle

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If you have noticed, I have been blogging a little less in the past two months.  I have been preoccupied.  There is work, and my Master’s program.  And then there is the Big C.

My father has had cancer for many years.  He was given a crappy prognosis about 14 years ago.  He kicked major ass.  He refused to believe his life was over more than a decade ago.  He found new treatments, got into experimental programs and generally was a hard ass with the doctors and told them, No—I will not die—so figure it out.  And they did, and he won.

Well another battle has started.  A couple of months ago he started having some major health problems—turns out it is a new, more fancy*  cancer.  He has always loved to upgrade!

So, I am home for the summer.  Usually when I come home for a couple of weeks there is a lot of running around, visiting, friends and family.  This summer I will be home for eight weeks.  I will still be running around, but with a different agenda.  Running errands, taking Dad to chemo, doing chores to make the house run smoothly, etc.  I will be able to visit with family, too.   My mom has been amazing, taking care of the house, their business and Dad with good humor and grace.  My brother has been great too, as well as my parents’ community. People really want to help, neighbors and friends have been dropping by to help with house projects and leaving food.  However, this summer I am hoping to take over many of these things so that Mom can have a break from being on medical duty 24/7 and have time to work in the office.  I will also be the official “Kitchen Bitch” as we call it at our house.

It has been great to be home with my family, and be helping out.  I have been able to *do* something.   The last two months have sucked, nothing is worse than feeling impotent when your family needs help.

So, I am counting on my Dad being a stubborn SOB, and telling cancer to F*ck off again.  Because that is the kind of guy he is, never runs away from a challenge and never cowed by the odds.  I don’t do the God thing, but if you want to throw some good thoughts our way, positive Karma can is always a good thing.  Karma can be a bitch, and I want it to be our bitch.

WITH HER FATHER DAN

*fancy aka “wicked” rare.

Oh Summer!

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More details and photos about the Blue Cruise will be posted after an Internet connection is established. Until then I am doing the majority of my Internet business on my phone, which really makes posting a chore.

But today I hauled my tush to the Internet Cafe which is really impressive because it is HOT! I mean feel the asphalt burn you through your flip flops hot. It has been at least 100 degrees everyday here. Though yesterday, it was a cool 95. What was really funny is that it did feel cool to us!

It is actually so warm here we completely turned off the water heater. We take cold showers. I mean straight out the the ground cold, not luke warm, not cooling, cold! There is nothing more delicious on a burning hot day than a `Take your breath away` cold shower.

We spend most of our time in the shade in our bahçe during the warm parts of the day. We swim in the morning or evening when the sun is not as strong. Going to the beach mid-day feels like we may as well be taunting the Skin Cancer Gods to strike us down.

After an evening swim or walk we head to the bahçe again to read, talk or watch movies. I couldn´t have asked for a lovelier honeymoon, a more relaxing vacation or a more romantic summer!