There has really been nothing outstanding to report here in the last week or so. The weather is getting cold and rainy; I've bought a coat for the winter. Other than that, it's been Turkish class as normal; and time with various friends talking and doing random things together. That's why there hasn't been a recent update, but I figured I should let people know I'm still alive... just in case they'd noticed the absence of posts. :)

There and Back Again... Bulgaria

So, details since Friday, the train to Bulgaria left promptly at 10PM, just as scheduled. I was not sensible and instead of doing something minor like homework and then going to sleep, I read The DaVinci Code which I thoroughly enjoyed until about 2:30. Then I slept till being awakened at 3:30 for a long stop at the border, and again on the other side of the border and by customs..., I think I managed about 4 hours of sleep in the 11-hour trip, since I squandered the best sleeping time.
Upon arriving in Plovdiv, I commenced walking about the city. This first picture is of an area of the city that reminded me very much of NC in the fall (weather and atmosphere). The general terrain of the country reminded of Ohio... boring, small hills, and kinda brown.
I wandered the city for basically the entire day, seeing a good portion of it, getting lost only occasionally, finding little eating or drinking spots, learning tidbits of the Cyrillic alphabet, reading more of my book, spending time at the local McDonald's, :) and other various things. The second picture is the Ancient Stadium of Philippolis, according to the sign. The third one is the statue of Philip II of Macedon for whom the city was named (more famously, he was the father of Alexander).
The trip back was far more restful than the trip there although, and although it left about 2 hours late, we were only a half hour late getting back. I got the visa I needed and saw a bit of Bulgaria; mission accomplished.

The only other news that comes to mind is that today we started learning the future tense in Turkish class; it's very difficult to pronounce, but not hard to understand. :)

And this is just an interesting picture I took.

brief update

Well, I have passed Level 2 and am on to Level 3 Turkish.
I am also off to Bulgaria in about 15 minutes... visa renewal and a touch of sightseeing, all in 36 hours.
TTFN

Some news

News items

1. I have continued to have a very good and profitable time doing stuff with Dersan and Duygu. A couple of people have asked how my time with them has been, and it has been very good. We get along quite well and enjoy doing lots of random things together when we have time. Last night I took them out to eat because they have been very generous a number of times, and it was a small way to repay that. The meal was an outstanding Pistachio Kebap (kinda like have chopped nuts in a meatball... but that doesn't do it justice, you'll just have to come try it.) Then, today, I followed them and a couple of their friends around and we enjoyed spending time together shopping ("enjoyed"), eating (!), and playing games. :) 2. Language school: This month's course is all over except for the exams which will be held on Tuesday. Tomorrow is a national holiday, and so there is no school. I have to pass the exams in order to advance to the next level of Tömer. Please remember me in this.
As far as actual language progress this month: the first month's stuff began clicking practically; we learned the imperative and subjunctive moods, the past tense, and how to use the direct object. Some of that is simple and other of it is NOT! So, I will need much wisdom in taking the test.

Final section

I have been reading in Galatians, and just want to mention a few thoughts that I've had, since this was never meant to be just a news blog. :) Gal. 5:13 - For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
During this book, Paul has been arguing for a believer's freedom in Christ (particularly from the Law.) Now, Paul give two parameters for the believer's freedom: Do not use your freedom to give the flesh opportunity, and do use your freedom for loving service to the brothers. The following verses flesh out what this means. For those who want to fulfill the Law, the Law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor, not seeking to gain power over them or attacking them. And there are evidence of whether the freedoms are being used by the flesh or the Spirit (16-23). Consider how a freedom affects the flesh: because if it is really a Christian freedom, it will not encourage the flesh because those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh and its desires. (24) Thus, as believers (those who live by the Spirit), let us walk by the Spirit in humility, reconciliation, and contentment. (25)

Quotes from Bounds

"A holy life does not live in the closet, but it cannot live without the closet."

"[Prayer's] results lie outside the range of human possibilities-they are limited only by the omnipotence of God."
(Purpose in Prayer, chapter 5)

The Dinner Party

And the first thing that comes to mind is a poem about a tea party (author forgotten): We had a little tea party this afternoon at three; 'twas very small, three guests in all: just I, myself, and me. Myself ate up the sandwiches, while I drank up the tea; 'twas also I that ate the pie, and passed the cake to me." Ok, so that was random and free.
Saturday night, Dersan and Duygu invited some of their friends over and we had a fun evening of great food, lots of talking, and a game of Bluff. (Next time they are planning to do Taboo.) We had lots of fun and ended up staying up till after 3am.

Other than that, I'm still working on the Turkish language; today we finally began learning the rules for the direct object in Turkish. That's about all the news that I can think to put up here right now. Till later...

The Sugar Bayram (Festival)

Well, I've managed to wait a while between blog updates again, but my excuse this time will be that I sent out an email update in-between, so for most of you, that would cover the gap. Life has been going pretty much as normal. Outside of the trip this past weekend, life is still concentrated on the Turkish language. The only other bit of news is that my plans for next semester are in the midst of shifting again, but probably not quite as drastically as the last couple times. :) Now, about the weekend...
The weekend summarized: I crossed the Straits of Dardenelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus Straits, and swam in the Aegean Sea. That's actually a really bad summary, but it sounds grandiose and exciting, so I wanted to say it. :)
The trip was from Istanbul to Altinoluk; the occasion was the Sugar Bayram [Festival] that is at the end of Ramadan; the location was Dersan's family's home. Dersan and Duygu and I left Thursday evening, arriving in Altinoluk around 6:30AM Friday. We got some sleep, had a big breakfast and spent the afternoon at the beach. I was one of the ones that got in the cold water for a second swim and got sick for my efforts; (about all that's left of that is the head cold now. ) We had a lot of fun, played games, and talked for the other major events of that day.
Saturday we spent a fair amount of time visiting people as is traditional for this Bayram. Then we ended up playing more games and talking till quite late that night too.
Sunday we didn't do much other than travel back to Istanbul. The trip started about 11AM, and we got to the house just after midnight... it's a long story. Nothing bad happened; things just went slowly.
During the trip, we had a very fun time trying to communicate over the weekend. There was lots of crossing of English and Turkish since none of us are really good at both languages. We had loads of fun, a lot of really good food, and good quality time together.
Over the course of the trip I managed to finish/read two books which was nice, since I haven't done a whole lot of reading the last couple weeks.
Two foods of note: Homemade baklava is incredibly better than what comes from the store (Zach, you have to come visit... it won't last through the mail.) Secondly, there's a meal called yaglama. It is amazing! The closest thing I can compare it to is a soft taco pie, but that really doesn't describe it well... it is layers of soft "taco shells" alternating with layers of a meat sauce that is very good. We ate well that night, even after we were full!!!

First October update

Well, somehow I managed to not update you at all since last Sunday. I hope this doesn't turn into a habit. :) Part of the reason for that is that I have been trying to devote myself to some extra Turkish study time. Thus, not much exciting has been happening, and there hasn't been a lot of time to blog. But I think it's been paying off, since I am finally starting to feel caught up to where we are supposed to be in the course... after 5 weeks, that's a good thing.
In other news, the soccer team that we (at this house) root for lost again. That was sad, especially since the other team scored the winning goal in the final minute.
This coming Tuesday will mark the ninth week that I've been here. I have learned a lot and am definitely starting to get an idea of what it should be like when I came back to live here.

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

Here is a hymn that I heard for the first time this morning. This text is very powerful and well worth the time it takes to consider the words.

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

by Anne Steele (1706-1778)

1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet

brief update

In the last couple days, I have primarily done two things: taken tests and spent time with some ministry friends that were here. The test-taking part ended up ok, although it did not go as smoothly as hoped. However, I did end up passing, and I have now started month 2 of language training. So far the other people in this class are ones that I know and am friends with from month 1.
Yesterday I got to see a new area of town called Findikzade. It is a pretty nice area, (although it gave me a sinus headache from the dust in the air.) We walked through quite a bit of the area, but there is still a lot of territory that could be looked at there. We stuck to the main streets pretty much. It was definitely an interesting time with a lot of good conversation and fun.
Last night I managed to be fairly sick, whether it was related to the sinus or whether I got some food poisoning as well, I'm not sure. But in any case, I seem to have recovered ok; so that's a blessing.