OCTOBER 23, 2017 | DEAR DAD
6:25 AM
Dear Dad,
Yesterday at the Pazar, I swooped in at the last minute and bought up the rest of the cucumbers and lemons a man was selling for less than $5 (while waiting for a lady to cook the me best Gözleme I've ever had). Pretty good, right? Jewel wanted to make pickles out of the multitude of small cucumbers I bought (probably around 2 kg of cucumbers), but I'm not sure she'll have enough - I've already eaten 5 today and ate 10 last night. So guess what? My cucumber obsession has only gotten worse since I got here.
I know our phone conversation didn't last more than 5 minutes and I was rapidly talking about my morning whilst walking so I'll retell it to you:) I woke up at 9 after talking late last night with Jewell. I went to the workout room in our apartment complex (I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who uses it haha). I did a killer leg workout, took a shower, and then tried to work on my Turkish - to no avail. I decided to incentivize myself to work on it by going to an adorable French Patisserie I'd visited before. When I walked it, the lady who helped me last time immediately remembered me and led me over to a wall with a cork board. On it, she had the note I left for her last time:
"Très bien!!! Je l'ai aimé. Je reviendrai.
Olivia"
I used all of my French knowledge (and Google Translate to back me up) to figure that out. I did the best I could and hoped kindness would cover the fact that I probably didn't say that perfectly. She knows Turkish, French, and a little English. I, English, a little French, and even less Turkish. So we use a mixture of all to communicate. Today I got a petite chocolate cake and cappuccino. Çok güzel! It was wonderful. Whenever I sit in that little French cafe I forget that I am not in France. I met the owner today, she was lovely. She came up to me and exclaimed, "So you are the lady who left the kind note - Olivia!” It is instances like these that encourage me to continue to scout little ways to show kindness to strangers. It was so wonderful to talk to her in English - speaking to someone in your own language feels like a luxury over here. I already told you about our conversation so I won't elaborate on that.
This week I will start looking for other places to move to if I have to leave Turkey because of the American/Turkey visa situation. Right now it is up in the air if I will be able to stay. If not, Jewel has a friend in Paris that I can stay with - what a dream. All the time I think about places I want to go but everytime I come back to France. Strange how you can long for a country so much that you have never been to.
Tonight I'll probably attempt to cook something fancy and then realize that I only have half of the required ingredients, so Pasta with Marinara sauce it is! If Mom could see me, she would roll her eyes. "The little French girl, always doing what is aesthetically pleasing instead of logical." Well, Davis got the logical side so I just have to balance out our family that way. Maybe Lilly will be the perfect mixture.
It's been fall for a few weeks now, but it's actually warmer than at the beginning. Most days I can go out without a jacket and be fine. The beautiful, white french doors in our living room are open right now. That's one of my favorite part of Turkey - how they always leave their doors open and don't often resort to AC and heating. It feels like you are outside the entire day.
Anyways, I should probably check something off my to-do list so I'll talk to you soon. Hope the family is well, I pray for you all often. I’ve been especially missing you all because I’ve been thinking of our fall traditions and Lilly’s birthday. Make sure to give them plenty of hugs for me.
Görüşürüz,
All my love,
Your Livi
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