Here in Our Anatolian City

We've been here in Turkey three weeks now. By we, I mean me, Hubby, Kid.01 and Kid.02. Jet lag is over and reality has set in. We are living in a mid-size Anatolian city with a large university, where I start teaching this week. It's possible we are the only Americans here.

Railing Follows Sailing

Took the train from Istanbul to our Anatolian City (Hubby requests our specific locale not be posted). The train is so comfortable after a 24-hour plane trip: wide seats, tea and French fries in the dining car, quiet. Turkish countryside is lovely and wild.

Further Smooth Sailing

Getting into Turkey is so easy now! Used to have to open bags and boxes, have electronic equipment noted in your passport, explain yourself to customs. This time, just picked up our bags and walked out of the airport! Here we are taking the ferry to Hydarpasa train station, Topkapi Palace in background. Istanbul is just the most beautiful city on Earth!

Smooth Sailing

OK, back to the story, as my salvage failed...

Amazingly enough we had no problems traveling from LAX to Istanbul. Kid.02 and I got chosen for a secondary search once (he's a shifty-looking five year old), but otherwise no glitches or delays. This from a girl who once lost a dozen suitcases on an international flight from Turkey. Also, it's a lot easier to travel with kids who are not in diapers and have a game-boy and portable video player (how is it OK to show violent action movies on planes for impressionable young 'uns to absorb, even if they aren't allowed to listen to the sound tracks???).

Time Out for Salvage

Well, I was going to continue telling you about our arrival to Turkey, but the computer I have the story on is being used to try to salvage MY ENTIRE HARD DRIVE that I brought with me from SoCal. Which is my entire life. Funny, it's strangely freeing that, for the moment, I'm a clean slate here, no digital baggage.

Anyway, here I am in our garden back home. It's hot there and it's raining here. A real autumn, for a change.

Summer Memories

It was the summer of otter pops in SoCal. Better than I remembered, and only about 30 calories each! Here in Turkey we won't be eating from the freezer much.

Our lives for one year in eight suitcases, 400 pounds

It was amazing packing. I panicked when I realized the luggage weight limit was no longer 70 pounds, but 50. I don' t have that many fluffy clothes. (In hindsight, I should have filled all airspace with tampons of the non OB type, sigh).

Newbie

I've never done a blog before, so please forgive my blunders and crude maneuvering. I've been planning this for a few months, but it's taken me a while to get up the nerve to start. Plus I'm a bit lazy... (Oh yeah, also had to pack up an entire household for a year).

Kloe Among the Turks

This is my blog. I am Kloe among the Turks. I'm not planning to write too much (as much as I can plan--I'm flying by the seat of my well formed pants). But I'll appear in every photo.