Goodbye 2007!!!!

This year had brought so much change and it all ended with the dreaded period of exchange...The "Holidays"...

İts starts off around my birthday, the 25th of November... İ received my first midnight birthday phone call...actually i got 2!!!! and in the morning another one who tried to call the night before but the phone was busy :) İt was a nice day....Started off with a big breakfast with my mom and dad. Next, Vanessa came over around 2 and we went out for dessert (cheesecake, a chicken dessert, and baklava) and coffee. İ was STUFFED! And when we got back, we called Pepe from Mexico to wish him a happy birthday (a day late) and talked for a while. Majo and Melissa came and brought face crayons so they decorated me...Slowly people began to trickle in...Leandro and Rafa, Julianna, Tuğçe, Ayp, Okan, and Bartu....Zelda and İbrahim, Nilgün (my aunt) and family...We decorated some more faces, opened present, ate (of course), and played this really fun turkish board game-type thing...İt was like a lie detector...it was interesting and we laughed SO much!!!! Around 8.30 people started to leave...İt was only my mom and dad, aunt and family, me and majo left...İ was very happy when İ turned on my webcam and heard "Happy Birthday" being sung by my real family!!!! For those of you there, thank you SO much! You made my birthday great! İ really enjoyed everything about it, and will never forget the speech my mom presented at diner. She welcomed us all to Turkey, to our home, and to our new family. İt was a beautiful speech and left one person crying... İt was a wonderful night and İ wasnt really homesick at all!!!!!

Pictures: http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11698&l=b3037&id=506247668

The weeks between then and Christmas, FLEW by, although they were hard...Since there is no Christmas here (its a 99% muslim country) the rotary was planning us a Christmas party...with all the exchangers in our district...Unfortunately, they postponed it because there is a Turkish holiday, called the Kurban Bayram (i will explain later)...Everyone was disappointed...and then some brazilians (go figure) wrote e-mails to the head honcho of our district. We didnt even know he exsisted...but he does and he got mad! Therefore, he yelled at our chairman, Dilaver, who yelled at the organizer, Gülin. Then she yelled at us, Ankara kids (even though no one in ankara wrote the emails), and then they cancelled the party all together. So we were all pretty bummed out about that for a while. Then me and Vanessa ran into Gülin decorating a xmas tree in a café so we got to help her...therefore, i got in the tree decorating...But it just didnt feel like Christmas...But İ had no idea what the actual day would bring...

The tree, Gülin, Vanessa, and Me: http://www.brapster.com/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2hzLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS9waG90by5waHA%2FcGlkPTMwMzIyMCZpZD01MDYyNDc2Njg%3D&b=15

The 19th-23rd is the Kurban Bayram. We went to Bursa on the 17th to spend it all with the family. Kurban means "sacrifice" and bayram means "holiday"....so it was the Sacrifice Holiday. İt originated back from Biblical times, to Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his son to God. So you can guess that some sort of sacrifice is involved, and from what İ had read before, half the ram would be donated to charity.But İ had NO idea what to expect. The days flew by...İ learned how to make Baklava (although i dont think i will be able to make it for you, since it took almost 2 days to make! and the cutting took a half an hour!) and one morning İ woke up and Nilgün (aunt) told me that the ram was here in teh garden if i wanted to take pictures of it...before it--you know...So İ ran down there and saw it as it was tied up. İt was quite sad but İ was taking pictures...haha... So they had it tied and then moved it to the dirt and took out a knife. İ couldnt look away as it began flailing as if it knew what was coming. They began singing nursery rhymes to it and laid a towel on it. They were so calm that when İ haerd a strange noise, İ didnt know what it was. Suddenly İ realized as blood was squirting and the ram flailed around more. The noise was something like when you get to the bottom of a cup of soda and the straw makes slurping noises. İt was DİSGUSTİNG! they didnt cut all teh way through so the ram was alive as it was bleeding to death. İt was cruel and mean and İ almost went vegen...my face must have shown it because suddenly my host mom was pulling me back inside. Liteally, THE grossest thing İ've ever experienced. And to think that it went on all around a country is GROSS!!!! Heres a fun fact, 2,600 people were injured and 2 died while sacrificing...haha...KARMA!!!!! :p
So İ met my cousin from İzmir, he showed me how to play some guitar, and İ sang while he played. İt was a good night. The next day was good too. We couldnt really go anywhere since he sprainged his ankle just days before...but it was fun anyways...We rented movies and vegged out. That night for dinner, we were served soup, which looked like it had chicken filets floated around the bottom. İ curiously ask what kind it is. Deniz (the cousin) calmly says "stomach" as he begins eating it. İ load mine with garlic, chili, any spice to drown out the fact that İ was eating stomach. İt was SO slimy and gross and it even had little buds on it!!!! İ politely declined more and they brought out the main course, cow tongue...İnstant flashback to Fear Factor camping last summer. Fortunately, if you can remember from Fear Factor, İ rather enjoyed the tongue and ate plenty :) The following day, İ had to leave, since İ wanted to be back for Christmas and the buses on teh 23rd were all booked. So İ got onto the bus by myself and travelled back to Ankara where İ was met by my 2nd host dad, İbrahim. We have a nice chat on the way to his house and a nice dinner together. Later, Zelda got home from İstanbul and we all went to sleep.

The Slaughter: http://www.brapster.com/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2hzLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8vL3Bob3RvLnBocD9waWQ9MzAzMjM0JmlkPTUwNjI0NzY2OA%3D%3D&b=15

The next day, Vanessa came over around 4 and we went to the store for shopping, and then to eat Lokman (turkish pizza) it was a fun night filled with giggles and pictures. We webcammed for a while...which i enjoyed very much...and then watched a movie and drifted off to sleep. The next morning we began making food for a dinner that night. We cooked and got dressed up, and then it was only me, vanessa, zelda, and ibrahim. But it was fun. We put on Christmas music and they surprised us with shirts! Mine black, Vanessa's white for a present. İt was a wonderful night. Afterwards, we went to Joonas's house (remember him from Kaş??) where İ was reunited with all my Kaş friends. İt was also fun. We all sang songs, and tried to eat more, but couldnt. Around 12 we picked up Corinne and Majo...they were waiting for us after church...and went home and watched The Grinch. Everyone fell asleep except me, and İ have to say, that in the final few moments of the movie, İ was a little homesick, but it really felt like Christmas... The next day, we all went to Thassila's house for a xmas dinner and secret santa gift exchange. We danced and all had a great time. İ had Julianna, and gave her candied chesbuts (a bursa specialty), a J necklace, and a xmas tree ornament...Oliver had me and gave me a beautiful turqoise necklace. But it really wasnt about the presents, it was about being together, as a family... When İ got home, İ actually used the phone and called home! Despite how many times we webcammed, İ got teary when my mom answered the phone...The rest of the convo went good, and İ ran out of minutes...hahaha...it was a great christmas too!!!!!! Although İ wish i could've been home to celebrate it with you guys! But there was a lesson learned this Christmas...İts not about presents, decorating a tree, or cookies...it really is abot family and friends...İt helped me to realize that İ can deal without all the normalities of Christmas, but İ cant deal without my family and friends. İ love you all SOOOOO much!!!! And İ miss you TONSSSSS!!!!! especially on these special days and special times we've shared...Thank you for the letters, e-mails, packages, and everything! İ love you all!!!!

Cooking with Vaness and Zelda: http://www.brapster.com/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2hzLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8vL3Bob3RvLnBocD9waWQ9MzAzMjM1JmlkPTUwNjI0NzY2OA%3D%3D&b=15
The dinner: http://www.brapster.com/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2hzLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8vL3Bob3RvLnBocD9waWQ9MzAzMjM2JmlkPTUwNjI0NzY2OA%3D%3D&b=15
The Christmas Party...Row 1, Rafa, Melissa, Thassila...Row 2...Majo, Olivier, Vanessa, Me, Corinne, Leandro...Julianna in back: http://www.brapster.com/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2hzLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8vL3Bob3RvLnBocD9waWQ9MzAzMjM4JmlkPTUwNjI0NzY2OA%3D%3D&b=15

New Years is a different story...But İ will have to tell you about it another time since my computer lab is almost up!!!!! Love you and Miss you alllllll!!!!!!!!!

Kisses!
Öptümler!
Beijos!
Besos!
MUAH MUAH MUAH*MUCUK MUCUK MUCUK! Turkish noises ;)
Emily, Em, Emi, Er-Dogg