MEF International school is to the right of the marker in Ortakoy. The Bosphorus Bridge is within walking distance of where we'll be living. Our apartment is across from the school, so no excuse for the kids being tardy to school. :-)
There's no doubt our home will be smaller and simpler (yay- less space to clean). The laundry room, kitchen and dining area are all in one space. No dryer-so the girls will soon learn that they'll wear clothes until they're dirty instead of one time wear then wash. Hey, we can still hang the girls school work on the fridge! Had a wonderful trip to Istanbul. Enjoyed getting to know more about MEF International School and seeing how things work. It will be quite a learning experience for me as many of the practices are regulated by the Ministry of Education.
Felt fortunate to have been there at the height of the protests - its an interesting time for the country, with lots of hope for change. There are concerns about the government attempting to restrict some activities of the people which is directly opposite the beliefs of Ataturk who pushed Turkey into the western way of life. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Picture below is of the Bosphorus Bridge and waterway. The brige connects Europe and Asia. Mike The girls and I dropped Mike off at the airport Saturday evening. He managed to take 2 duffels and 3 suitcases. The challenge was getting every bag to weigh 50 lbs. Let's just call it a yard sale at DIA. Somehow he managed and off he went.
The next morning, I awoke to my dad's phone call at 7am asking if I'd watched the news. It's not how I typically start my Sunday mornings, but after I listened to his concerns I immediately tuned in by heading to the computer screen. Up to this point, I've felt very confident with the decision and how everything has unfolded for us as a family, but as the mother hen, my first priority is always safety. As I watched and read the news, my immediate reaction was, "What are we doing???" That...and...the need to go to church to replace the images from the computer with positive thoughts. I also needed to hear Mike's voice and be reassured that all would be okay. The reassurances finally came at 6am (yes, another early phone call) but this is one I'd been anticipating for the past 36 hrs. After talking with Mike for about 30 minutes, I let out a huge sigh. I was reminded that the media capitalizes on other's emotional responses, and unlike the violent protests that the media portrayed, this event was far from. The intent was a peaceful protest in respoonse to a green space that the Prime Minister hoped to replace with a shopping mall. Being raised in the 70's, we missed the protests of the 60's, so this is unchartered territory for us. It appears that the current government has been exercising more control, and, due to the reactive response of the government with this protest in the park, this prompted more citizens to respond to some of the restrictions they're currently feeling. Interestingly enough, the Prime Minister left with his family on a 5 day vacation. So....I feel reassured, and for those of you whom have also expressed worry and concern, you should too. It is an interesting time we're living in, and, seeing the citizens active response is actually a good thing, especially when one's freedoms are challenged. The only snag so far is that the bag with Mike's suits did not arrive yesterday. I'm sure that will get worked out as well. Promise to add a few pics from his week of orientation. Cia |
AuthorChrista Keppler Archives
July 2015
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