Reading: Station 11 and I just don't know how I feel about it. It's been recommended to me by multiple people and I'm not loving it yet. I'm about 30% through, so I'll stick with it, but it's not my favorite so far.
Listening: So many good things! The new Adele single, which I swear will never get old, has been on constant replay. I've also rekindled my love for podcasts and have been listening to The Moth and This American Life whenever I can. Now, if only Serial would come back....
Doing: I decided I needed to change up my gym routine, so I've added the following 30 day challenges to my gym routine. I'm only on day three, so they're super easy, but 100 squats and 22 Up Up Downs on day 30 do not sound like fun.
Smelling: I'm still obsessed with the pumpkin cheesecake candle that Matt and Katy sent us and I light it every chance I get.
Eating: I'm not a huge quinoa fan (what is all the hype about?!?!?!), but this quinoa chicken parmesan was pretty good.
Planning: Mike and I have wanted to host a Thanksgiving dinner for Turks ever since we found out we were moving here. We're going to be celebrating our anniversary the weekend before and then we'll both be working or at school on the actual day. We thought about doing it the weekend after Thanksgiving, but one of Mike's classmates who he's become good friends with is going to be out of town. So, instead of trying to cram it into a weekday, we decided we're going to host Thanksgiving next weekend!! As in NINE days from now. Cue the freakout. I've never made an entire Thanksgiving dinner myself and I feel that it is our responsibility to show our foreign friends what Thanksgiving is all about. We've invited some of Mike's classmates who are from all over Europe, so it should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.
Learning: Lots of Turkish! This class is definitely going better than the last one, although we got split up into two classes today because there were so many of us and my teacher seems a little flighty, but oh well. I'm definitely enjoying it more and am hopeful that I can actually be able to speak with people eventually.
Teaching: We talked about the education system in Turkey in one of my classes and I think my heart was about to explode. I could talk about the education crisis in America to anyone for hours on end, but it was fascinating to hear about education in Turkey. They have the same problems the United States does x10. One man, who is older and I was worried might not be as progressive when it came to education, summed it all up when he said "I don't understand why in the United States and in Turkey there is not equal education for everyone. Poor children need to learn too." MY HEART!!
On that note, here's what I've been thankful for the past two days....
Wednesday: I'm thankful that I get to teach here, even if it's not exactly the type of teaching I want. I saw some of my students from my Monday night class on my break last night and they were SO EXCITED to see me. They bought me tea, gave me hugs, and were just so happy. Mind you, they are only one floor away, but they were so excited to see me last night during the break.
Thursday: I'm thankful for the commissary. I know, I feel ridiculous saying that, but it's so true. When I walk into the commissary, it's like a little piece of America here in Izmir. I went today and I was able to buy my contact lens solution right away. Can you imagine trying to ask for that in Turkish? It would never happen.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? Least favorite? Let me know so I can add/subtract them from the menu for next weekend!
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