Adjusting

It’s 4 o’clock in the morning, and I should not be awake. I could blame it on jetlag, but I had the same sleep pattern problem in the US. Go figure.

I am adjusting to life back in Erzurum. I quickly discovered after 5 weeks away that all my clothes are very tight on the belly area. This is a distressing and depressing development. I’d like to blame it all on Baby, but I think the real culprit was sweet pork quesadillas.

I’m also dreaming of the showers back home. We’ve once again lost heat in our little hose. E wants to know if he should say something. I’m not sure. Maybe it’s better for us to stay under the radar since we’re technically living here with no firm job contract.

I’m staying busy teaching distance classes to an English teacher at a university in Afghanistan. Her English is lovely, so I’m not sure what I will accomplish, but she has an interesting story. She is married and has a toddler but is clearly dedicated to her education. Several years ago, she was making great progress at university, but when the Taliban came to power, women were barred from education. So for 6 years, at great risk, she took private courses to maintain her English. Clearly, I should not be complaining about our shower.

Last night, we went out to dinner with a great couple. The woman is American, the husband is Turk, and they have a 3-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. I met Anna last year when they were living in Erzurum, but they moved back to the US over a year ago.

Although Anna is probably a few years younger than I am, it was a little bit like looking in the mirror—three years down the road. It was great to hear their experiences having children in Erzurum, getting a visa to the US, and living as a multicultural family in America. I wasn’t happy about their nightmare visa stories, but the Turkish husband, who loves his country, felt very strongly that raising his kids in the US was the right decision. They said that maybe by the time E finishes school in a few years, our paperwork will finally be processed. Ooff!