Turmericans in Germany

2010-08-11T16:04:00.000-04:00

And Now I'm Back From Outer Space

2010-08-11T15:33:00.002-04:00

Hi,

I know its been a year since the last post. I became so frustrated because of our poor internet speed I decided to wait until we had high speed internet. A year later and bingo! We are back in this century. Unlike in the states, in Germany, Comcast guy doesn't show up in 24 hours. Its been more like 24 months. So, let this be the first of many new posts about life in Germany.

Linens, French Linens!

2009-06-15T13:59:00.002-04:00

Today we visited Gerardmer. It’s a small alpine town nestled in the Vosges mountains. As it turns out there are multiple fine linen factories, which also provide outlet access. Amazing! Amazing fabrics! Still pricey especially if you consider the weak dollar but worth the trip.

Village Sighting

2009-05-11T11:48:00.001-04:00

On the way home from work today. I turned the corner into the village to see one of my neighbors on his back deck playing this horn. After much debate in the house and a quick Google search I discovered that it's called a Alpenhorn. Granted my neighbor was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt but still, who could make that shit up?

Istanbul 2009

2009-04-11T11:03:00.002-04:00

We spent four fabulous but wet days in Istanbul. Our friend Tara made the trip from the U.S. We joined Bob and Angela. As always, we stayed at the Hotel Uyan. Nestled nicely between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia its the perfect hotel for a long weekend. The staff is kind and helpful. They set us up with a tour guide for a private tour of the old city.

This was the first time I had been to the Kapali Carsi. You could shop there for days. So many temptations...we decided on a fabulous lamp.

Of course the food was amazing.

Blue Mosque

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Bird Bath or Cat Water Bowl?

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Spring has Sprung

2009-04-11T10:16:00.000-04:00

Not Dead

2008-12-14T10:59:00.003-05:00

Hi all,

Nope I'm not dead. I've tried to write several times however, I've had difficulty uploading pictures, the system just freezes. Anyway, not much has been going on. I've been working longer hours and trying to make it to the gym before work. Going to the gym before ensures that I get there but I have to get up at o'dark thirty to do it. Consequently, I've been exhausted and kind of in a Bah Humbug mood.

Christmas has definitely sprung up all over Germany. I think this might be the best time of year to visit. People are in a good mood, even though the economy is in the tank. Houses and businesses are decorated. There are Christmas Markets everywhere.

Tayfun's parents arrive in about nine days. They are staying for about three weeks. I'm excited. I just hope they won't be bored when we are at work. But of course, they will have Ben and Zoe to hang out with! I am hoping for a few day trips, France, Belgium, maybe Holland. More on the Turks later!

Another Day of Tears

2008-11-08T08:41:00.004-05:00

Again today, when I watched this video I shed tears. It’s been five days since Barack Obama was elected and each day I have shed tears of joy and tears of promise for a better future. When I watched him at 5:40 am, walk onto that stage in Chicago with his family, when I listened to his speech and realized that we were embarking on a new era, I cried. When I watched videos of people all over the world celebrating his victory, I cried.

During this time we need to be particularly sensitive of the feelings of people who are not as moved by this outcome. When President Bush won in 2000 and more remarkably in 2004, I was dumbfounded. Living in Philadelphia in 2004 you could feel it sink into depression. Not one person I know, who voted for President Bush offered any solace. And in fact, I believe this is when he went on television and talked about all the political “capital” that he would be spending.

To progressive thinking Americans I recommend this: continue to wear your Obama buttons, t-shirts and hats but do it with a purpose. Represent Obama and open doors for strangers. Hold the elevator for others; let some one pass while you drive. Show those who have the losing shoe on their feet that in America you can have a different opinion and will not be told that you are unpatriotic; you can vote for someone else and will not be abandoned by our fellow citizens even if they don’t agree with you. Be an example.

America is Reborn

2008-11-05T11:52:00.004-05:00

Second only to the day Tayfun and I married; this is the most wonderful day of my life. The last eight years have taken a toll on Americans. People look to September 11, 2001 as the day they first felt unsafe in America. For me it was just after the 2000 election. When you grow up in America, you indoctrinated in the belief that anything is possible in America, that the American people are generally good and that the government is there to protect the people. The 2000 election ruined that for me, it made me distrusting of the government and to some extent my fellow Americans. I woke up after the 2004 elections and could not understand for the life of me, who could have possibly voted for Bush a second time. It was beyond my comprehension and still is.

But today is a new day. The Bush era is over. Even though I physically living the farthest that I have ever lived from my country, I feel the closest I have ever felt to my fellow Americans. To me, the election of Barack Obama really does prove that the truths we are taught as children are alive and well.

To the rest of the world I say this:

Trust that Americans are generally good people

Trust that our government WILL protect us

Trust that America is once again a beacon for hope

Trust that ANYTHING is possible in America

If you are oppressed, if you feel like there is no end to your current leadership, face toward America, we will send the warmth from this election to you to warm your heart and give you strength. Look to us again as a place where dreams are possible. Help us work together with you to solve problems facing all people of the world. We are back and all are Welcome!

Holding My Breath

2008-11-02T14:39:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't written anything for while. Basically, I am holding my breath waiting for next Tuesday. After I watched Sarah Palin's "real America" speeches, I started to hear my heartbeat in my ears. I decided that it was time to lay low. We voted weeks ago. I sent mine off with a little kiss for luck. Luck that it makes it across the ocean, luck that it gets counted, luck that it makes a difference.

In 2004, I actually took the day off. I wanted to vote and enjoy the atmosphere on the street. I wanted to watch each state roll in for Kerry. Not a man that I loved, but one that could actually string more than one sentence together without completely maligning the language. But I wept in Philadelphia and realized that I was living in a bubble. It never occurred to me that there were people in the United States that thought so dramatically differently from me. I wasn't moved to hate them, the opposite I tried to understand.

Now I wait. I wait for Tuesday to come and go. I wait to wake up on Wednesday with the weight of the last 8 years-GONE. My wish is to add Nov 4th to my list of "The Best Days Ever"!

Sarah Palin says I'm not from the "real America". Really?

2008-10-21T16:18:00.005-04:00

I have tried to maintain some calm through this campaign season and I have vacillated as to whether or not to share my political opinions on this blog. The purpose of this blog is to share experiences of two people who are from different cultures but who fell in love in America. My husband chose to become an American. Not for economic opportunity but because he didn’t want there to be a chance that we would ever have to be separated.

That said, I learned today that according to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, I am not from the “real America”. Per the Washington Post and many other media outlets she has said, “We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe…We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."

"This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."

O.k., so let me get this straight, if we go with this logic, then my friend Jennifer who is from New Jersey and met her New Yorker, husband at ground zero as he worked on the 9/11 recovery effort and she volunteered with the Red Cross…are not from the “real America”. How about my friends at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s National Medical Center, that work long hours, nights, weekends, to help save the lives of children…they are not from the “real America”? Oh, and certainly not my friends in Washington, DC that work tirelessly to restore the lives wounded services members returning from war…I guess because they live in DC and come from places like, New York, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Newark, they are not “pro-America” or from the “real America”.

I can’t express how angry this makes me without dropping into some horrible string of expletives. I will say this. She is engaging in hate speech. It’s meant to be decisive. It’s meant to separate people of the same country, to make us believe there’s an “us” and a “them”. But here’s the thing. There is only one America. America is not just small towns, it’s not just urban centers. America is NOT homogeneous. That’s what makes America. And we are bound together. The sooner we realize this the better we will all be.

It’s too late for Sarah Palin, she drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago. Soon she will be nothing but a skit on a Best of Saturday Night Live DVD. We will ALL breathe easier knowing she is where she belongs.

But maybe I’m wrong and this isn’t the end of Sarah Palin. She has gone so far over the edge that it can only mean one thing. She plans on being the opposition candidate in 2012 and is building her repertoire now while Karl Rove is free to her and can feed her these tidbits of hate.

As for me I will continue to not be from “real America” but just plain old America and that’s just fine with me.

www.voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/17/palin_clarifies_her_pro-americ.html

Ben Turns Over Security of the Yard

2008-10-18T17:19:00.016-04:00

Ben standing guard

A conference about potential threats

Since Zoe’s arrived, Ben has begun to mellow. After a summer of screaming to go outside even after it became dark, we are shocked at the change in his behavior. He has become the lazy cat that we knew before. Don’t get me wrong, he stills goes out but basically hangs around the patio or in the Gerrussians yard.

Now just blatant laziness. He insists on being carried everywhere!

Breathe deeply you're not in America

2008-10-14T12:13:00.002-04:00

Phew-I just had a surreal experience that just proves "you can take the girl out of America but you can't take America out of the girl".

I pulled into the driveway this afternoon and all of the neighborhood boys were in the Gerussians driveway. They all had guns. I sat in my car, just looking...."are they real? Certainly not….but they look real, they're metal and real gun colors...certainly they are not real". As we all know in the U.S., toymakers stopped making toy guns that looked anything like real guns years ago. I actually had to remind myself that my brother played with similar toys his entire childhood. I don’t know what that says about me but I’m sure it’s not good…

Look what I found on the hard drive!

2008-10-11T15:07:00.004-04:00

Tayfun is notorious for self-portraits. I found this one today. It was taken shortly after he became a U.S. citizen last June. His homage to that day has actually grown and most of the wall in the office is now covered. After all we went through with INS can you blame him? I love it! He’s received his absentee ballot and is ready to vote.

Wet Face, Happy Dog

2008-10-11T10:51:00.003-04:00

This is a happy dog! We went for our first big walk down to the lake. One of the interesting things about living where we do is that overnight a paddock appears and animals are living in a place they weren’t the day before. On the way to the lake today there was a herd of cows in a field that was used for parking over the summer.

All the way to the lake, Zoe had her nose to the ground and rubbed her face in the grasses and weeds. When we got to the cows, she looked at them and they at her. As we approached one in particular came over to the fence, Zoe sat down and they looked at each other. Then it was time to move on. Things must really smell different here. By the time we got home her face was soaking wet with dew from the grass!

Same Girl

2008-10-11T10:42:00.003-04:00

At 30,000 Feet Why Put the Seat Down?

2008-10-11T06:10:00.004-04:00

Dear Fellow International Travelers,

On my recent trip I was dismayed and disgusted with the status of the airplane bathroom. The toilet lid was DOWN. My fellow travelers, you and I both know that you don't put down the lid at your house. So why on an airplane? It just forces people like me to touch a seat with all kinds of body fluids on it. Eeeuuu.. I have thought long about why airplane seats even have lids. Other public restrooms don't have toilet lids. My mom says, that because the bathrooms are so small, you need somewhere to set your purse. I tend to disagree, I think its used for more physically contorting activities. Eeuuuu.

Again, I plead, when flying please leave the toilet lid up. Save your good behavior for home.

Two Peas in a Pod

2008-10-10T15:11:00.005-04:00

Zoe and Ben have always had a lot of love for each other. Well the love is mainly on Ben’s side. As a baby, he would have crawled up onto Zoe to take a nap. Given Zoe’s cold shoulder treatment to me I wondered if she would hold a grudge against another fur friend.

Well apparently, fur is thicker than water. Zoe came in the door and Benjamin met her on the stairs. It was just like no time had passed. As she sniffed out the house he followed her around trying to do a cat rub up against her and just so she remembers who really runs the house he jumped on the dining room table and took a swipe at her for good measure. Zoe and I took a nap and when I woke up, Ben was on the bed and they were butt to butt just like old times!

Furry Friend Reunion

2008-10-10T15:10:00.001-04:00

When we moved we decided that since we would be in some sort of temporary housing, it would be best for Zoe to come once we were settled. Two moves would be too many. That day came and when Tayfun went home for his citizenship ceremony he hauled her to the vet and completed the EU paperwork. But by then it was June in DC and over 101 degrees. Lufthansa said they would keep her in an air-conditioned holding area until it was time to get on the plane. We just weren’t comfortable. So, it was decided that she would stay.

Last week, my mom picked me up at Pete and Sharon’s and we headed south to her house. As we got out of the car, I could hear Zoe and Sunny barking. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it surely wasn’t what I got. I sat down on the floor and both she and Sunny came over and greeted me. When Zoe is really happy, she shows her small front teeth. She ran between my mom and I three times doing this. Then she stopped. I stood up and called her over to love her up. She didn’t come. In fact she bolted upstairs, across the cat-walk, and down the hall. I called her, “Zoe…Zoe…come here!” No response….”Where is she?”, I said, “Sounds like she’s in my room”, mom replies. “No way, really?” So I go upstairs and sure enough, she is lying on my mom’s bed. I lie down next to her…”Zoe girl, what’s wrong?” she turns her head away from me. By this point we're cheek to jowl and she won’t look at me. Between the jet lag, the time of night, and the rejection of my best friend of 11 years, I am really ready to start crying. Zoe gets down off the bed and goes into the guest room, where my mom is changing the sheets. She gets on the bed, my mom has to pull her off the bed. She then she positions herself between the bed and the closet with her head facing the corner and her back to the door.

“Come on Zoe, what if I had been in a coma, would you still be acting like this?” That night she slept in the room with my mom.

The next morning, I went into mom’s room. Mom, Sunny and Zoe were all on the bed. So, I climbed in too. Then it happened, the corner was turned….in a moment of beauty, Zoe crawled up between mom and me, making a small growl, purring noise, sniffing me loudly! We were friends again…..I went shopping that day with Caroline and when I returned there was a little bit of cold shoulder but it was easily over come.

Sometimes, it’s ok to be mad at a friend, especially if you don’t understand why they left you, but what’s important is that they came back.

Nat'l Geographic That's All You Got?

2008-10-06T13:31:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, one of the many things I was looking forward to on this trip was some good old fashioned television watching. We have a TV and a satellite but our choices are limited to either VERY lame but understandable (no hate mail from the UK please, we can't seem to get BBC) to likely interesting but NOT in any language we speak. Oh yea, we do have those pseudo porn stations which consist of girls likely from some former soviet block country lounging around in skimpy clothes, bad music and a series of phone numbers with little country flags before them indicating, I guess, which languages are available. But I diverge..

So I was sitting on the couch last night and turned on National Geographic which happens to be one of my favorite stations. First up was a show about ectopic pregnancies, the one where the Moroccan lady goes into labor 46 years ago but the baby is NEVER born and finally they take a 7 pound calcified baby out of her-SEEN IT! This was followed by a show on hoarders-ALSO SEEN IT. Now, I have been out of the country for 6 months, it's prime time on Sunday night, has nothing new come up?

I am thankful, I got to watch 2 episodes of this season's Entourage while Sophie worked on her tummy time skills....

Off to CONUS

2008-09-30T15:29:00.003-04:00

No more whinning! I'm out of here for a few days. I promise fabulous posts with many adorable baby pictures as well as the much anticipated cat and dog reunion! That is if Zoe will actually get into her crate...fingers and toes crossed.

All the good stuff is too smelly

2008-09-28T06:58:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I slipped over the French border to....grocery shop. Anybody living in an EU country today knows that slipping over the border just means slowing down to the impossible speed of 10km and waiting for the signs to change languages. For a type-A, rule follower, such as myself it also means making sure I have my passport and my international driver's license.

Back in the day before I went and got this highly prized document, which resembles something I would have made in the 3rd grade to allow entrance into our secret club which met under Trisha Cardilo's staircase, my heart would beat a little faster and I was always wondering where the French po-po might be. But now with the proper documentation which has been stamped...properly, it's like driving from Maryland to Virginia. Or is it.

To me France, even the border region, is totally different from Germany. First of all, it looks different. Tayfun says there is more color in France and I think I know what he means. And I kind of speak the language, a little. Like yesterday, an elderly man and his father approached me and asked me something about where some type of bread was, and could I show him…or I think….I mainly understand the content words. But once my deer in a headlight moment passes, I can usually answer, only this time I had NO idea what he really wanted or where it was. So I apologized, in French, at least and kept on shopping.

Oh yes the real point of this post. So I’m going home, to see the BFs, hug my mom, eyeball Miss Sophie and put Zoe on a plane. Cora seemed like a good place to pick up a few airline approved small items. But all the good stuff was too smelly, like cheeses or too fragile like pastry. So I settled for a few jars of tasty nibbles and a couple of other goodies.

Sad News

2008-09-27T12:44:00.005-04:00

This week we learned of the death of my dear friend Jennifer D.W's father. Jennifer was the one who told me, "he's fooling around behind your back", when "he" was, she told me, "leave him and move into the city", and then helped me find an apartment and do it. She watched out for me when it felt like sharks were circling me at the hospital. To me her father was a very kind and gentle man. Jennifer's parents welcomed me into their home many times. He lived for decades in a house with four intelligent strong-willed women until finally the son-in-laws arrived. I'm sure he will be missed beyond words. I'm really sad that I can't be there to hold Jennifer's hand. Caroline is going to try and do that for both of us. Hug someone you love, today!

NeoCounter Plug

2008-09-27T12:06:00.002-04:00

I added the NeoCounter about two weeks ago. I love it. I'm always amazed that there are people all over the world visiting the blog! Anyway, they have a free trial with many different options. Just click on the ad on this blog to try it for yourself!

Bad Durkheim Wine and Wurst Fest 2008

2008-09-15T13:56:00.027-04:00

On Saturday it pissed rain. On Sunday the skies cleared, the sun came out and all was right in the world. Mel, Chris, Maren, our resident guru of German fests, Angela, and I set out for the Bad Durkheim Wine and Wurst Fest. It was one of the best times I’ve had in Germany to far. How can you have a bad time when the wine is sold in ½ liter and liter glasses. The region is famous for its whites. Angela schooled us in the ordering of wine. Each vintner had at least one tent. All of there offerings were listed and numbered. The drys are at the top and the wines get sweeter as they you go down the list. Mel and I dove into the sweetest of the sweet. Sweet Baby Jesus!

It was a totally different vibe than I get most days living among the German people. These were happy, smiling, joking people! Absent was the staring and I couldn’t find one rule to follow! For once I wasn’t worried that I might have completed some horrible social faux pas.

The food was amazing. We had mushrooms, cooked in a wine and garlic sauce that, I could have swam in. I ate only one because I was afraid if I ate another one I wouldn’t be able to stop. We also had these pizza-like creations with cheese and onion but no red sauce, yummy! There was meat everywhere, but we didn’t engage in it. The most fabulous morsel which defies description, was the Dumfnudeln. A fist sized ball of baked dough basted in butter with the perfectly crisp bottom which was slightly salty. We dipped it in a warm vanilla sauce! It was heaven. Sadly, Tayfun had to work but there's always next year!

Shots and Wurst

Corn on the CobMeat
Things dipped in chocolate

Men in lederhosenFake Dead Things
Mushrooms from Heaven

A little French Flair
and More Meat

What more can I say?

What about a new pair of socks?

Winter is Coming

2008-09-15T13:04:00.003-04:00

The sky has started to change. It's only a matter of time. We turned on our heat one night last week! Burrrr....

Ben Goes Green

2008-09-15T12:44:00.004-04:00

Germany takes the environment and recycling very seriously. Grocery shopping mean bringing your own bag or buying one once you get there. We have accumulated quite a few. The hardest part of the whole process is getting them back into the car so they are there when you go shopping. Tayfun isn't totally sold on the whole idea but as you can see, Ben is a huge supporter!

Homesick or What

2008-09-11T15:56:00.001-04:00

I’m a little type-A. Probably not shocking to those who know me but before we decided to move here I read a lot of ex-pat blogs. A number of them talk about the time when the honeymoon with the new adventure is finally over and even though you are far away from home you are finally into your daily pattern. Yep, I’m there. We have had a wild ride the last few months and it hasn’t been easy.

We left town in a mad rush. From the time we got the green light to leave, it took nine days to stop my job, get the travel arrangements settled, arrange for the movers and the packers, watch them work, get the animals to the vet, get the car shipped, the apartment rented and cleaned. We spent a weekend at my mom’s and then I left and Tayfun followed. Really after all the talking, planning and talking about planning it happened very quickly. I was exhausted by the time I arrived here.

I’m lucky. I don’t have to worry too much about speaking German. I don’t need it to survive (but I want to learn so that I can do more than just survive). I didn’t have to find a job and the job I have I pretty much already knew how to do. My boss and colleagues at work are amazing and it’s been the easiest transition I’ve ever had.

But still we have struggled. Tayfun has had a hard time being a “house man” as he says. He has finally found a job but it isn’t his dream job and when I look at him he doesn’t look happy even though if you asked him he would probably lie and say he was.
Our INS struggles are finally over and for that we are thankful. My dad is close and has been a tremendous help to us, keeping us afloat with guidance and weekend get-a-ways on his boat. But I miss my mom and my friends. Communication with them isn’t hard, it just isn’t always convenient. I can’t believe I went from talking to my mom every day to only a few days a week. Baby Sophie has arrived and I am yet to see her in person. I can’t wait to tell her about the time her father stuck green beans up his nose and sniff her baby hair.

I don’t know if I am waxing sentimental for America or if its just because the seasons are changing and the days are shorter but I am feeling a little bit weepy as of late. The good news is the dollar is stronger against the euro, the price of gas has come down, I am making friends, and finally working on my German! I will be going home for a week in October to officially meet Sophie, hug my mom, have a little girl time with my BFs and bring my best girl Zoe home to Germany. By the time our one year anniversary rolls around, I’m sure the struggle of the first 6 months will seem like a distant memory!

Don't Let the Rain Get You Down

2008-09-07T14:50:00.007-04:00

When we first moved here it rained everyday for 6 weeks. My friend Angela said, "you just have to get used to it and not let it stop you". This was really hard for Tayfun, tolerance for prolonged rain just isn't in his DNA.

However, I think we may be making progress. It's been raining a lot. When it rains, it dumps. I'm always amazed how hard it can rain here and it's starting to get a little chilly. Saturday we woke up to rain. After a lazy breakfast I was getting cabin fever. I've had it in my mind for a while that I wanted to drive up the Moselle river on the local roads just to see what there is to see. Tayfun isn't much of a meanderer. He likes a destination. So he chose Luxembourg. Luckily, the autobahn runs along the Moselle in spots so we were both happy. 90 minutes later we had arrived.

It was only a lunch trip. So a quick in and out. We didn't even have the camera, the pictures are from the cell phone.

Luxembourg seems more affluent and cosmopolitan than say Metz, our other local lunch trip destination. Since it's a large banking and fund center, I guess it can easily support all of the luxury stores such as Hermes. We parked the car and walked into the pedestrian shopping district. Unfortunately, there was a Pizza Hut and Chi Chi's as well as a McDonald's on the main square. Fortunately, there was also a band in the gazebo playing music. We got there at an odd time and a lot of the smaller restaurants were closed for the mid-day break. We had lunch at a Turkish place. Yes, my friends that means that we have had Turkish food in 5 countries!

After lunch we wandered into the store below. Tapis Hertz, has the most beautiful linens and item for the home from all over the world; duvet covers that were very fine cotton with beautiful prints, towels, blankets, all color coordinated. All the blues together, all the reds, all the yellows. On the second floor were hand made rugs. Tayfun and I are always wondering when we are going to learn about rugs. He called them carpets, I hate to admit it but I don't know the difference. We saw a few that really caught our eyes. There were finely woven almost akin to needle point but in some areas for accent, there were plush, raised sections. Amazing! The back of the carpet indicated that it was from Iran. Hence the reason my American eyes had never seen such a thing. Tayfun offered to cross the boarder with his Turkish passport and buy a few but I didn't think I loved it that much. I also didn't love it enough for the 7,500 euro price tag. But it was a piece of art.

They have hedgehogs, we have a snail!

2008-09-03T13:41:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago we went to dinner at the home of our friends Chris and Mel. Before dinner, Mel put out a bowl with cat food for the barn cats that live next door. Pretty soon, two cats arrived at the french doors. They were quickly followed by a pair of hedgehogs! About the size of a small mellon, they have black faces with long noses. We were able to turn the porch light on and watch them eat. I loved them. The next morning I went into our garden to and found this snail. Strangely not at all the same!

Look Who's Talking!

2008-09-03T13:15:00.003-04:00

Here we find Sophie. At one month old she now weighs 10 pounds! Her head has also grown one inch. Clearly this is to hold her massively large brain! She has started talking. In this picture we find her discussing the vetting process of Sarah Palin!

Love Shack is a Little Ole Place Where We Can Get Together

2008-08-06T12:55:00.004-04:00

All of our neighbors have these little houses in their backyards. I thought they were for storage. The one below is in our landlord's yard. It has a basement! He built the structure in 5 days. So then I decided they were love shacks! The neighbors behind us have a small version. I looked inside one day and saw a built in dinning table and bench seating. So finally I had to ask someone. As it turns out they aren't love shacks, what a bummer! Some people call them "winter gardens", some "summer gardens". I've been told that you go there to eat and enjoy your garden. Mind you, you are still in your own yard and your view is likely your own house! Love shack would be a better story!!

Need I Say More

2008-08-05T14:06:00.001-04:00

Metz for Saturday Lunch

2008-08-04T12:39:00.011-04:00

Miss Sophie Deep in Conversation with Grandma Joyce

2008-08-04T11:52:00.007-04:00

May I introduce, Miss Sophie. She was born to Pete and Sharon on 29 July, weighing 7 lbs 6 ounces. At 5 days old you can see she is already working on that double chin. My mom has confirmed that she has all 10 fingers and 10 toes! Strong work Sharon and Pete, keep them coming!! I am so excited to meet her. There has been some chatter that I may need to go to Washington, DC the end of August for a conference. I'm not holding my breath but it would be nice. Either way I am going home for a week in October to spend time with Sophie and bring Zoe home!!! Tayfun says he wants Sophie to call him Amca (pronounced Umja) which is Turkish for uncle! Aunt Julie will be just fine for me!!

Freaky Storm

2008-08-04T11:29:00.004-04:00

Starting last night we had a huge storm. There were tornadoes in northern France which is far from us but which were part of the same freaky storm front. The rolladen's started to shake, it sounded like a gorilla was pulling at the windows.

When we got up this morning the sky was grey and cloudy. Then it started to down pour, just like it did for the first 6 weeks we were here. It's about 68 degrees outside. I'm not complaining, we don't have air conditioning and I'm grateful for a cool sleep.

The upshot of the rain was that all of our plants got a well deserved soaking!

Baby Watch

2008-07-29T13:58:00.002-04:00

Sharon is in labor! I can't believe that I am going to be an aunt of someone without a tail!!

Ben Trains for the Circus

2008-07-13T05:51:00.005-04:00

I swear this is the last random posting about our crazy cat! Ben loves the unkept yard next door. We bent a part of the fence so that he can go through as he pleases. Recently, he has started jumping on top of the post to get to the other side. He looks like a lion! Well sort of....

Yellow Lady Bugs Caught in a Compromising Postion

2008-07-10T13:08:00.002-04:00

Today while working on the planters in the front of the house I saw what looked like yellow lady bugs. Have you ever seen yellow lady bugs? Better yet have you ever seen yellow lady bugs humping?

Ben Goes Outside

2008-07-09T14:28:00.005-04:00

Once we moved to the new house Ben started crying to go outside. We were really neurotic about letting him out. When Tayfun went back to the states, Ben’s behavior escalated. Finally, I had enough of the screaming. I put his harness on him and walked him around the backyard. I’m sure the neighbors thought I was crazy. The walk abouts kept him happy for a few days but then the unbelievable happened. One night he wanted to go outside but I was cooking dinner, plus he had already been out. So he’s screaming at me in the kitchen. Then he stops. I look down and he’s sitting on my purse. My good, woven purse with the bamboo handle. Then I heard it…..he was peeing on my purse!

I walked to the door and opened it. Now he is Benny the Outdoor Cat. Still relatively lazy but he does chase bugs through the yard and jump off the wall into the Russian’s yard.

Ben gets into the German culture

2008-07-09T13:44:00.004-04:00

Here we find Benny, a little jet lagged but not to far from his normal behavior. Then he started looking out the window and he saw a German cat. You can tell it's German because its Nordic Walking even in the rain.

France for lunch

2008-07-09T13:06:00.006-04:00

France is about 30 miles away. Not far from the boarder is a town called Metz. Last weekend we went to an antique fair there and then went into town to the farmer's market. There is a lovely pedestrian zone with cobbled stone streets and numerous shops. At the farmer's market we smelled amazing cheeses, meats and spices. There was one stall selling "things in oil", like olives, sardines and lemons. Really lemons, what does one do with a lemon that has been soaked in oil? Maybe its the oil your buying. I will investigate this and get back to you.

The sun was shining and glorious. We sat in the main square for lunch. On the way out we stopped so my friend could buy pastries for Sunday breakfast. Standing there I had the strangest deja'vu. Then I realized the town was so perfectly French it was like being in a movie set, or Disney or Paris hotel in Las Vegas. Only much much better!

The "I'm not a Tourist" Party

2008-07-09T13:01:00.004-04:00

Finally, we were able to celebrate Tayfun's citizenship. Dad came up from France and all of our friends came. We served a mixture of good old fashioned American food and Turkish delights! I introduced the German/Russian landlords to Mojitos!! "Very fine, very fine" they responded. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate.

Please Keep Checking

2008-04-21T11:01:00.004-04:00

Hi, Tayfun, Ben and I all made it to Germany in one piece. We've had limited Internet capabilities since we left the states and "blogging" from work isn't an option. I am currently sitting in an Internet cafe near our temporary apartment. I've been keeping a list of all the things I wanted to write about. I hope to start writing those in the next few days so PLEASE keep checking back. We can be reached on our email accounts. I am able to check that from work. Hope you are all well. We look forward to hearing from you. xoxoxo Julie, Tayfun and Ben.

March 24 or should I say 24 March

2008-03-13T20:44:00.003-04:00

It's set! I scheduled the movers for next week and we fly out on the following Monday night. Thousands of little details to work out but the hardest parts are finished! I keep waiting for the pit in the stomach was this really a good idea feeling but it hasn't happened yet.

BTW I was advised to clear the house of garbage and pets. Apparently, both have been packed mistakenly by movers! I'm hoping it was a hamster, not a dog!

What about the Kids?

2008-03-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

We don't have two legged kids. The four legged ones cause enough anxiety. Zoe and Ben will be joining us. Ben will fly with the Storm and I when we leave. Zoe will come once we've settled on a house. We've purchased their traveling crates. Ben is in LOVE with his and spends as much time as possible in it. Zoe is a different story. She will not go near her crate. Which BTW is large enough for a small family to sleep in. I purchased some Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP) to spray all over it. Don't laugh that stuff really works. Since we started using the wall unit, she will now go into the kitchen and is off the Prozac!

I spoke with Lufthansa today. They have an Animal Lounge at Frankfurt where we will go to pick up Zoe. It's kind of like the Ellis Island of Europe for animals. She will be taken off the plane, transported there, have her papers stamped, quick health check, little stretch and then she's all ours.

Blogging Fear

2008-03-11T20:15:00.001-04:00

Well, we've done it or maybe I've done it! First Facebook then a blog. My quest for total Internet anonymity has finally ended! As the Storm and I set off on our move to Germany, I suddenly felt like I needed a way to keep in contact with my friends and loved ones. It's not rational I know, they have phones and the Internet in Germany. Plus whose to say anyone will really care about our fumbling around with a new country, language and culture. But if you do care keep reading, I'm sure something interesting is bound to happen sooner or later!