Ramstein and the Evacuation

I'm  currently sitting in the basement of a hotel by the Cologne airport on the eve of the 2016 Olmsted Ladies Trip.  Apparently, the hotel I booked a room with overbooked and this was what they offered me.  For $25 instead of the original $70, it's not too shabby.  And since I have to leave at 4am, it really didn't matter where I slept, as long as I had a bed.  So, as I sit in this basement hotel room, I have time to do a little reflecting.

basement living.  Not too shabby for $25

After Karen left, I had about ten days to wrap things up in Ramstein before heading out for good.  After a month of non stop travel and entertaining, a few days of nothing sounded pretty nice.  I ended up moving to a new room (definite downgrade) where there was no kitchen and it was essentially a bedroom, living room and bathroom, but I spent a couple of days unpacking.  I also watched A LOT of Netflix.  If you haven't watched Making a Murderer or Grace and Frankie, do so right now.  Making a Murderer will have you on the edge of your seat with your blood boiling and Grace and Frankie will have you literally laughing out loud.

Between episodes, I ventured out to the gym and to get things to eat, but other than that, I pretty much hung by myself.  That meant a lot of thinking time.  It's crazy to think that six weeks has passed since I arrived in Germany.  When we first got the word that I would be leaving, it was surreal.  My adrenaline kicked in and all I could think about was doing laundry, packing and planning for the evacuation.  Oh and recovering from the LASIK procedure that I thought was a good idea on the day of an evacuation notice.  Once I arrived at Ramstein, I went through MAJOR culture shock.  Hearing so much English was surprising and, after living in a country where rules are merely suggestions for 10 months, living on a military base with so much order and regulations left me feeling overwhelmed.  I spent the first week just trying to adjust back to the lifestyle that I missed so much in Turkey and found myself only venturing out for short trips before scurrying back to my apartment where things were quiet and calm.  If there is one word to sum up that first week at Ramstein, it would be overwhelmed.

Karen arrived the next week and was the perfect distraction.  I spent my time at Ramstein planning our next adventure.  We spent a week in Italy and a weekend in Munich, as well as day trips around Germany, Luxembourg and France.  I slowly came out of my shell on base and felt much more adjusted to life back in America. I didn't turn my head every time someone spoke English or check to make sure I wasn't breaking a rule as I crossed the street. If there is one word to describe that month, it would be adjusting.

After Karen left, I had ten days left at Ramstein and I think that is when I truly grasped what was going on.  It hit me that I'm not going to go back to Turkey. I'll never hear "Inshallah" or "Hamdullah" from a Turk (although I'll never stop saying them!) again and I'll never get those fresh strawberries from the market that I waited ten months for.  I won't get to say goodbye to my students and to my classmates. I won't be hearing the call to prayer any time soon and I won't be offered tea the next time I walk into a shop.  My life that had become very Turkish has changed. If there was one word to describe those ten days, it would be realization.

While I struggled a lot with adapting to life in Izmir, I now realize how much I love about Turkey.  I don't think I'll ever LOVE Izmir, but I can definitely say that I love Turkey.  Izmir felt very business like, with very little to do outside of summer. There weren't a lot of weekend activities (museums, concerts, etc) and it was hard to meet people, which made living there as an expat difficult.  That being said, the Turkish culture really grew on me. I love their dedication to their family and to their religion (Hamdullah = thanks be to God/Inshallah= God willing).  Their ability to take time to slow things down and really appreciate life drove me crazy at times because punctuality was not a strong point of theirs, but I love that they encourage you to slow down, drink a cup of tea and be in the moment.   Even though Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and is bigger than Los Angeles, it still had that old time feel.  There were markets every Sunday and everyone had a "guy."  If you needed a new carpet, you just had to run downstairs and ask the person on the street to take you to their brother/cousin/uncle's carpet shop.  It was almost guaranteed they knew someone.  Oh and the Turks' love for children? HUGE! It wasn't uncommon for a family with a baby to walk into a restaurant and get preferential seating.  Then, the baby would be passed around for all of the wait staff to hold and play with. Children are so valued and it's so refreshing.  There is also a great sense of community in Turkey.  Parents have no problem with their child being passed around a restaurant and, as the child grows older, they have no problem letting them roam around the neighborhood with a gang of friends. There is a trust in Turkey that everyone is looking out for everyone and it is what holds the Turkish culture together.  My eyes were opened, my horizons were broadened and my appreciation for other cultures deepened during my time in Turkey.  I became a more loving, accepting and a better person.

Leaving Turkey came before I planned, which made it shocking.   While the transition out of Turkey and the evacuation wasn't easy, it would have been a million times harder without the people at Ramstein.  Talk about community! Considering this was only my second real military move (the first being to Turkey, which I don't even really count because it was not a normal military move), I was pretty clueless. From the minute we met them at the airport, I felt welcome and taken care of.  They made sure we didn't have to think about anything, from transferring our health insurance to finding lodging.  I don't know how they did it for 700 families, but they did and they never once made us seem like a burden.  All I had to do was say "Sorry, I'm in the group from Turkey and need help with...." and before I could even finish, someone had jumped in ready to assist me.  For that, I'll be forever grateful.

So, as my time as an evacuee comes to a close, I can't help but think about how grateful I am for my time in Turkey and for the people who made the abrupt transition out so much easier.  I am thankful that I had a group of people helping me each step of the way.  There are so many people around the world who must leave their country out of fear of safety who don't have an entire military base to help and support them.  I only made it through this as smoothly as I did because of the hundreds of people who stepped in to help me and check on me throughout the entire process. So, if you're one of those people (in Turkey, Ramstein or back home....looking at you Russo fam!), thank you.  You have not gone unnoticed and us Turkey evacuees appreciate everything you've done.

As for what's next, you ask?  I'm leaving tomorrow for a weekend with the Olmsted ladies in Croatia. Then, I'm meeting up with Mike and friends who are on their honeymoon and so kindly let us crash the tail end of it.  Thanks Heberts!  After Croatia, I'll head home to the UNITED STATES for a few weeks.  My brother is graduating high school (!!!) and I have a god daughter to meet!  Plus, I know I've basically been living in the United States for the last six weeks, but there wasn't Chick fil a or Target, so I need to get my fix.  I'm well overdue.  The big question is what happens after that.  We've got something in the works and hopefully it will be solidified in the next week or two.  You know I'll keep you posted!

A Little Bit of Reflection

After days like those described in yesterday's post, I always feel a little ridiculous, but I think that's part of the experience of living abroad.  At least it is for me.

We never want our stories, pictures or this blog to come off as bragging, which is why I try to include some of the not-so-great days we experience, as well as all of our adventures.  If I ever sound like I'm bragging, please tell me. We simply want to share this experience with you.  One of my goals of this blog was to document everything we experience and see, but I also wanted to share our experience with our friends and family back at home.  I think it's important to describe what our life is like in Turkey because if you just knew what is described in the news, you'd think we lived in a war zone.  Instead, we live in a city that's bigger than Los Angeles and wouldn't know about any sort of fighting if it weren't for the news.  Our travels are incredible and instead of bombarding your facebook with pictures that you can't avoid, I try to post them on the blog so you can look at them if you choose.

I'm approaching the six month mark (Christmas Day!) in Turkey and Mike and I have been doing a lot of reflecting and talking about this experience.  There is a running joke that the Olmsted experience is the best deal in the military and I have to agree.  This has been the experience of a life time.  The not-so-great days are vastly outnumbered by the amazing experiences that we get to have.  I've traveled to more countries in the past six months than I have in my entire life.  How crazy is that?  I've been places that I probably would have never traveled to otherwise (Saklikent, Patara and Demre) and seen things I didn't even know existed (Pamukkale).

Traveling abroad is one experience everyone should have, but living abroad is whole other experience that is just as worthwhile.  It's definitely not always as easy and fun as traveling abroad, but it's truly life changing.  I have been pushed out of my comfort zone so many times and been exposed to so many different ways of thinking that I've become so much more open minded and confident in myself. Mike has had to deal with countless more hardships and struggles than I have, from applying and getting into his Master's Program to dealing with Turkish bureaucracy.  We're both missing bachelor(ette) parties, weddings, birthdays and holidays at home, which is more emotionally taxing than anything I've ever experienced.  Despite the hardships, we're learning and growing so much, it's an experience that I'm glad we're having.

While it may be the best deal in the military, I can't think of anyone more deserving of this experience than these military men and women.  Before we began our Olmsted experience, Mike was attached to a submarine.  He was working 10+ hour days five days a week, as well as two to three nights on duty.  He's spent countless weeks underway on the submarine.  His six month deployment turned to eight and was full of unexpected hardships. Our only communication when he is underway is through emails.  I'm sure that the scholars from other branches (and their families) experience similar hardships.  So, while this may be the experience of a lifetime, we know that it's going to end in just a year and a half and we will go back to the life of nights on duty, deployments and emails.  These scholars are some of the hardest working people out there and they definitely deserve a little bit of a break every once and a while.

I guess what I'm trying to say is,  thank you Olmsted Foundation and the Navy for giving a little bit of reprieve and letting us experience the best deal in the military.  It's been an incredible six months and I'm anxious to see what the next 18 have in store.

A Day in Siracusa

Let me just preface this post and the following two by saying that I don't expect every anniversary to be celebrated this extravagantly.  I'm sure there will be years where our anniversary comes and goes with not much more than a card and a kiss.  That being said, we are trying to take advantage of our two years here and a weekend in Sicily sounded like the best way to celebrate our one year anniversary!

Friday actually started out on Thursday night.  Our flight was at 4:00am on Friday, so we decided to head to the airport around 10:00 on Thursday when I got back from work.  We have access to the priority lounge there (thanks AmEx!) so we figured we'd sleep there for a few hours while we still could use the metro and lower the risk of missing our flight.  It's a debate we have every time we book flights.  Is the decrease in price and the lack of people at the airport worth the early flight?  I think it is, but I doubt we'll be sleeping at the airport any more.  It was FREEZING in the lounge and neither of us slept much.  In the future, we'll just enjoy our bed and say a little prayer that we don't oversleep.

When we arrived in Catania, we grabbed a cab to our hotel and passed out for a good two hour nap.  I think Mike was ready to rally, but I needed that nap. I felt like a whole new person. Our trusty guide (the Lonely Planet books) told us that Syracusa was only a train ride away and definitely worth the journey, so we headed towards the train station.   This was our first venture out into Sicily and it was everything I imagined.  The old buildings, the cobblestone streets and the feeling of authenticity was so real.

We stopped for some pizza before boarding the train.  Mike took the opportunity to read and sightsee out the window, while I took the opportunity to nap. 

Once we arrived in Siracusa, we had two options.  The first was the Artifacts Museum, which is where we went.  What we forgot was that Italians take siesta, which resulted in the ticket booth being closed, even though the park was open.  We could see some of the ruins from outside of the fence, but it didn't seem worth it to wait around for, especially since we've done our fair share of ruins.  Instead, we decided to walk back to Ortigia, which is the heart of the city. 

We had been in Italy for about six hours at this point, which was too long to go without gelato, so we stopped and grabbed a few scoops before continuing on our journey.  We had already decided that since we were in Italy and it was our anniversary weekend, calories didn't count.  if only...

Ortigia is the heart of the city and it has this feeling of charm and history.  It's an islet, so it has water to add to the ambiance, but the buildings themselves are quite a beauty.

There are statues everywhere and our only qualm was that they didn't have signs telling us what they were.

The Piazza Duomo was amazing and breathtaking.  It's located on a square where people are just sipping coffee, kids are playing "football" and everything is just very Italian.  I half expected people to walk by just saying things like "Mamma Mia!"

Just past the square is the water.  If you thought things couldn't get more gorgeous, you were wrong.   This view is absolutely breathe taking.

I made Mike pose for a photo shoot. 

The sun glasses had to stay on and the hair had to stay up because I hadn't quite recovered from our overnight journey, but the background definitely makes up for it!

 On the way back from the water, we decided to venture into the duomo.  If you thought it was breathe taking from the outside, you've seen nothing! The inside was just as stunning. As a born and bread Catholic girl, I always appreciate a good Catholic church, but even Mike, who was not raised Catholic, is usually taken aback by their raw beauty.  Plus, I just love walking into a church after being out in the hustle and bustle of a city.  It can be super crowded in the church, but there is this solitude and this understanding that you are in somewhere special.  It's a favorite of mine.

After leaving the church, we had to head back towards the train station, but it wasn't a dreary walk.

After an hour and a half train ride, we were ready for some (more) wine and dinner.  We found a pasta restaurant and shared some mussels (nomz!) and tried some pasta dishes and wine before heading back to the hotel.  Not a bad first day in Italy!

Turkish Lessons: Round Two

I started Turkish lessons again yesterday.  I took four weeks of Turkish lessons when I arrived (here), but it didn't go that well and I ended up just being frustrated after every class and definitely didn't feel confident enough to speak and practice.  My teacher didn't speak that much English and I had a hard time with the vocabulary.  Plus, there was only one other girl in my class, who's father was Turkish and she already knew a little Turkish, so it just wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.

Mike had been taking Turkish lessons every day and I definitely wanted to get back into them. We tried to sign me up for a class that only met three times a week, but that didn't work out., so I decided to take lessons at the same school as Mike, even though they met every day.

Yesterday was my first day and I was shocked to see how many people were in the class. Today, we had fourteen people from all around the world.  There are three Russians, two Ukranians, two Syrians, two Italians, a German, a French man, a Saudi, a Palestinian and me!   Most of the people know random Turkish sayings and vocabulary, but we all seem to be in kind of the same spot.  Plus, my teacher knows English.

Overall, I think it will be a better learning experience.  I definitely do better in classes where there are more people.  I'm not the best at languages, despite my French minor, but I would like to learn and be able to feel comfortable engaging in basic conversations. Mike has a copy of Harry Potter in Turkish and I'd like to be able to read that by the time we leave.

I'll keep ya posted!

On another note, since it's November, I've been trying to think of ways to be thankful for things.  I've seen a few people on Facebook start posting one thing they're thankful for as their status.  I like seeing these types of things sometimes, but sometimes they get to be a little too much.  That being said, I'm going to try and do something similar here.  I'll try to keep it fun and a little unique.

November 1st: I'm thankful for democracy and for our government.
November 2nd: I'm thankful for Turkey not changing back the clocks.  We were able to watch the end of the World Series before we left for Turkish lessons.  Congratulations KC Royals!
November 3rd: I'm thankful for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which we have a constant stash of in our house.