2nd day in Turkey

It was snowing today! I went out and walked around for a bit. I definitely bundled up so it wasn't too bad- I think it was around 35 degrees F. Only my face was a little chilly. I haven't worn so many layers in a long time- tank top, long sleeved shirt, hooded sweatshirt, big puffy warm jacket with a hood, jeans, socks, boots, and gloves.

There were still plenty of people out and about. There were stands ın the street with what looked like warm pretzles. I saw some candy stores, shoe stores, small cafes, small grocery stores, and lots of banks. My host dad told me the number one thing to watch out for is traffic, so I was sure to cross at the cross walk with a light and other people! Sounds like Taipei again haha.

I got up earlier than yesterday so I think I'm pretty much caught up on my rest. I actually heard the call to prayer 3 times yesterday so maybe I missed the other 2. The family isn't very religious. They are actually worried Turkey is going to turn into another Iran in 10-20 years because of the way the government is heading- I guess the current people in office are more hard core religiously. They have a president which is elected by parliment but the main person is the Prime Minister. They can vote for the party and then the PM and parliment is filled that way.

The mom's name is Özlem, the dad Emre, and the son Mert which means brave in Turkish. They are really nice and welcoming. The son doesn't know as much English as I thought but I hope to help him improve it or at least make him more comfortable trying to speak it. The dad has worked at Citi Bank for 15 years and currently he is the head of customer service for the corporate side (so not dealing with every day customers like you and I). The mom has her own business supplying decor and houseware to bıg hotels (they said the 4 or 5 star ones) so she is especially busy right now with people coming into town for the new year. Speaking of new year, happy new year everyone! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009! We decorated the living room yesterday with streamers, lights, and some balloons.

Dinner last night was good- potatoes, salad, lentil soup, meat patties, bread, and of course yogurt. The pizza I had for lunch yesterday was interesting but good- I think it had corn, bacon, and some other weird but good things. Definitely not stuff we get on pizza back home. Their apartment is really nice and modern and spacious. They are on the 8th floor kind of on a hill so the views are really nice. There is a public primary school nearby so I can see and hear the kids when they are outside at recess. Mert goes to a private primary school further away.

I hope I will get used to this keyboard. Where the normal ´i´ is there is ´ı´ so I apologize in advance.