Friday, January 31, 2014

Welcome to ...



the world of squatty potties!  When Glenn and I landed in Istanbul, Turkey, the first stop was the ladies room.   Wouldn't you know the first stall I went into had a squatty potty.  My mom always said, "Once you don't succeed, try, try again", so I persevered until I found a regular seat potty! Phew!



Two weeks ago we attended a week-long training on how to debrief people who have gone through a crisis such as a break-in, earthquake or deportation.   The conference was held in a brand-new hotel (so very few guests) and it was off-season so the rates were exceptional!



The hotel is near Izmir (a one-hour flight from the capital) on the Aegean Sea.  It was windy but the sunshine and 65 degree temperatures made it very pleasant compared to our normal January snow and gray skies.  Way too cold to swim, but in the middle of the afternoon it was nice sitting out by the pool with a light jacket.  Not that we had any free afternoons, except Sunday!



This was the most intense training we've ever attended, both physically (loooooong days) and emotionally but it was so good and therefore, well worth it!



Out for a stroll during our 30 minute break.



The hotel is huge but there were probably only about 50-60 guests most of the week.  There was plenty of room in the dining hall but on one of the more pleasant afternoons, we took our lunch plates out to the deck to enjoy the sunshine with Jerry and Kathy.



Sorry for the date stamps on the photos.  I'll turn it off on my camera in the future.  



Flying from Izmir back to Istanbul I saw this add for Fritos corn chips!  Don't you know that led me to check out every grocery store we passed in hopes of finding those elusive corn chips!?!  Alas, I NEVER found a single bag!



After the conference ended, we spent a couple of days in Istanbul so that we could spend some time with six of our member care team mates who live there.  One afternoon, Kelly took a couple of us to the lively, colorful spice market.  I do believe I could have spent 3-4 hours there in the market!


Istanbul is the ancient city of Constantinople and much of what we saw seemed to have been built back in those days.  :-)



We ate at several Turkish restaurants.  This was one of my favorite dishes but I don't remember the name of it.  It is basically a very, very thin crusted pizza with some kind of ground meat (not pork!) and peppers.  



My tomato soup was served in this very interesting bowl!



While Kelly, Jerry, Kathy, and I were out one afternoon, we walked and walked and walked and walked and walked.  You get the idea.  I was going to say,"we walked in the old section", but then I realized the whole city is old.   



They are, however, adding quite a few very modern-looking buildings on the outskirts of the city.  It takes an hour just to drive across the city because of the bumper-to-bumper, impatient, horn-honking traffic.



On a side note, we stayed in a guesthouse and I found this devotional book on the bookshelf!  



The highlight of the trip, aside from the conference, was the dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts that Jerry bought to go with our movie one night.  They were the real deal!   Thanks, Jerry!  We know they cost you an arm and a leg!

We're back in Budapest for the next month.  Home, sweet home!










2 comments:

Senegal Daily said...

Ah, squatty potties. I don't miss those at all. Give me a bush in the desert anyway!

The resort looks lovely. Glad you guys got to enjoy it (some) during the conference. Sounds like some interesting topics. You'll have to fill me in on Skype.

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