Odds and Ends

I love doing postings like this, since I can be unorganized and discombobulated without having to feel bad: it's in the nature of postings with a title like this.

So, first, I guess some reasonably big news: Chris and I have decided that when we come back to the US, it will be a little more permanent than just a visit. I know, I know, it wasn't too long ago that I told you all that we were staying overseas another year, but I like changing my mind. So here is the current plan (also subject to change, of course):
We will come back this summer. I will work part-time while I crank out my master's degree in Library Science. Chris will finance said degree (the usual MO for us). Not sure where we'll live during this time, pretty much wherever Chris gets a job (and that is warm, I have gotten used to Izmir weather!). My program is online, so I can do it anywhere. After getting my degree, and a job in which I have summers off, we will live off my income, bank Chris', and then in the summers, travel on his money for 1.5-2 months. This way, we don't have to deal with bureaucracy stuff like residence permits, work permits, sponsorship, health insurance, banking, buying furniture for apartments, etc. And we'll actually get to travel, instead of living overseas and working all the time (that was Chris this year, not me). So this is our plan. However, if things don't work with this plan, we're keeping our options open as far as living overseas again. Who knows.

Other news:

The weather is FREAKING awesome! Low- to mid-70s and sunny everyday. We have been opening our windows everyday for some fresh sea air, and waiting for buses is actually rather nice now. Getting ON said buses is a little less fun, since they're roasting and stinky with a billion people packed on, but the waiting is nice, and usually we spend more time waiting for the bus than actually on it. This weather also means my students have been canceling in droves. I have two consistent students now, and that's about it. Which actually works well, since I quit my job...This is my last week. Then it'll be on to packing and getting ready to come home. A task that is a lot easier moving TO the USA instead of out of it...

Traveling and Trips:

Yesterday we went out to Yeni Foça to visit our friend Alis. For a place that's only about 40 miles away, it certainly took us long enough to get there! (I'm really really looking forward to having a car again!) First, we needed to get to the Otogar, our nemesis location in Izmir. It's from the Otogar that buses leave for all over the country, anywhere you could possibly want to go. However, it is a little in the middle of nowhere. Only a few buses go there, and not frequently (every half hour), it's not within walking distance of a metro stop, and basically just not fun to get to. I may have whined about it after our first trip to Ephesus, when we paid like 40TL for a cab ride out there...

Anyways, so we wanted to take the 54 bus that would get us there, but since we have to take another bus to even get to the 54 bus stop, we missed it. So before we got to the Otogar, we had to take a bus, the metro, then a taxi, all to get on another bus. Whew! However, once we got there, oh my....

Beautiful, peaceful, calm, serene...the list of positive adjectives could go on and on. You've seen the pictures from Çeşme, right? Well, Yeni Foça looks a lot like that only less developed and far less pretentious. A little more our speed (except maybe the pretentious part :D ) Alis' parents have a place that has a great sea view and a wrap-around veranda, which we sat on while sipping drinks, talking, and relaxing in the sun. Her parents also prepared us a HUGE meal, so good! We had köfte, marinated chicken, baked potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, all on a charcoal grill, AND side dishes as well as dessert afterwards! My stomach hurt for HOURS later because of eating so much! We also went for a quick drive around the bay, and Chris took pictures. Maybe he'll post them.

Getting back was another experience. But 3 hours after we left Alis', we were back home! AND we caught the 54 bus :)

We're hoping to get to Cappadocia before we go, all depends on timing. Cappadocia is another place that's not the easiest to get to. No train going there, you kind of have to go by bus. Another trip to the Otogar in our future? But our list of places that we really want to see before we come home is much longer than the number of weekends that we have left. And many of these sites, Cappadocia included, need longer than a weekend, since it takes at least a day of traveling to get there. So if we go, we'll keep you updated.

I think that's about it, everyone! Looking forward to seeing you all in a couple months!

* hugs