Good bye for now to Izmir

Today is my last full day in Izmir with the Inceisa family.  I've had a fantastic time with them, seeing how they run a small family business, learning about the way of life for a family with a young son, and of their concerns for the future for their son and for their country.  Mostly though, I have made new friends that I will have for life and I hope someday to be able to welcome them to Alaska and my home (if I every have my own again!)

This week we had a lot of rain, so I did not do much at the beginning of the week, other than hang out at the bakery with Derya and Hakan and work on my blog and take photos.  I have met many of their customers and have learned that although some say they do not speak English, they do speak enough to greet me in the morning and ask how I am.  And I am able to do this in Turkish now, too.   I've also met one current English tutor, a retired English teacher, a professor who lived in the US for three years, and a surgeon who speaks English as well.

Our daily routine includes breakfast in the "garden" - the front patio of the bakery.  Ege loves his Nutella with his "simit" or other breads, and I have come to like Nutella too!  Add a little of the homemade cherry preserves and I am off to a good start.

I brought a deck of cards with me and we've been playing cards all week.  We've moved up to crazy 8 and it serves as a good time to have an 8 year old boy sit for a few minutes and I can teach him phrases...."It's ON the table", "I am the winner", "Are you wearing a blue shirt?", etc.  The cards have "Alaska" written on them, and the rule I made is that when playing with the Alaska Cards, you must English.

Derya's mother comes quite often to help with the borak -- it is a long process and takes up a big workspace, so it really is helpful to have two people working on it.   Her sister came one day to help and I get in there too and help with little things while staying out of the way.  Hakan pretty much runs the sales end of things and keeps the tea cups full for the customers.  Also, some of the men just come by to talk to him.  Derya likes this as they have more of a profit off of the tea than off of the individual sales of borek, so if they have a couple cups, that's good!

Derya's English has also improved a lot in these last two weeks.  She's had English lessons before and used to use it in her old job in the textile business, but hasn't had much use for it with the bakery.  But, she wants to make sure Ege has at least two languages, as this is necessary any more for any of the good paying jobs.  Derya is quite a smart women and is always thinking about how they can grow the business and what steps need to be taken and which ones first.  She checks out rent on other locations that are bigger profile, knows where the profits are, knows her customers, and tests new products and watches what her customers like, and not just what she likes to make. but what they like and buy.  She is an outgoing, happy young woman, who likes to joke and be with her family.  (She is sitting here, and said to say, "and make more money".

I have found that Turkish people use their hands to speak, probably as much as the Italians!  I had no idea.  And I've enjoyed watching these same gestures used by both Abdullah, Derya, Hakan, and their families. Below are a few I captured.  But I missed taking pics of a couple of others.  The wiping of the hands together to show something is done.  And a brushing of the hand away from the body with a "tsk", meaning, "forget it".

A click of the tongue and the lifting of the chin means "no".

All the fingers together means "very good" or "Chok Guzel"

And the thumbs up means good, the same as we know.

And a picture of the happy wonderful new friend I have made.

Besides doing a lot with the bakery, Hakam is also an engineer.  In December he will be going for the month to Nigeria where a friend has a business concern and needs an Engineer to sign off on it.  He will be gone for the full month and Derya is asking me to come back to help.....anyone want to come and stay with a fantastic family for the month of December -- you know, get out of the cold Juneau weather!!!????  Walk Ege to school so Derya doesn't have to close the bakery, make dinner so she can focus only on the baking for the business, etc....

The other night Derya's mother and father and sister, Marian and her fiance' came over for dinner which we ate outside the bakery on the front patio.  There are always 2-3 "salads", i.e., side dishes, usually a soup and always a main dish with veggies and meats -- usually tomato based.  (Derya's mother wears a scarf while cooking and also when she prays.  She is still wearing the scarf in the first picture.

On my last night, we went to dinner at Hakan's parents house.  They have been in Kasadasi for the summer and just returned.  We had a nice dinner, followed by Greek Ouzo for dessert!  Yum!  Didn't know it was so good!  We ended the evening by joining Derya's sister and fiance for a cup of tea at a local place along the waterfront.  

Izmir was a great place and I am so glad I decided to stay there.  Makbule did a great job of matching me with first her father and then her friends.