Merhaba everyone. Hos geldiniz! It's so nice to be back, writing to all of you again. I have missed it! I have vowed that this year I will be better about writing more frequent updates, so that when I finally do write an entry it doesn't take you a year to read it. Editing has never been my forte.
My inspiration for writing again was reignited after seeing Julie/Julia, the movie about Julia Child (who I'm now obsessed with) and a woman who blogs about her experiences as she cooks her way through Julia's book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I have now read Julia Child's biography, "My Life in France," and have ordered "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and the dvd set of "The French Cook," Julia's cooking show.
Something in me greatly connected with Julia Child as I watched the movie and read about her "life in France." Like me, her husband's government job took her overseas. After the excitement of her new surroundings wore off she wondered, "But what am I going to do?" She found herself in a new country, without a defined role and sense of purpose. After attempts at hatmaking and lessons in bridge, she stumbled upon what would become her life's passion and work...cooking.
When I first got to Turkey and had finished unpacking and had baked all the Snickerdoodles I could bake (and eat), the same question came to me "But what am I going to do?" After all, I couldn't bake any more cookies-my skinny jeans were about burst as it was. So after crying and bemoaning to my husband that "I had nothing to report to him because nothing of significance had happened to me that day," I decided to embark on finding my place and role here in Turkey. Though I did not attempt bridge and hatmaking, I did jump in and try a lot of new things (and have learned for the 100th time that yoga just is not for me, no matter how desperately I want it to be-let's face it folks...I hate being hot because it make me sweat, which means my hands get sweaty, thus causing me to lose traction on my mat and go from a downward dog position to a dog flat on the floor position).
The hard thing was, as it was for Julia, I had always been a person with a schedule, a defined sense of purpose, and a defined job. All the sudden in a new country, it was like I had no idea who I was anymore. Many things that defined me were now gone-my teaching job, my understood role in a professional community and church community, my close friends and family (not gone, but just really far away!), my ability to get around quickly and easily whenever I wanted (since we share a car and driving in Turkey cannot really be defined as "getting around quick or easy), my ability to get a gingerbread latte whenever I wanted (ok, that really didn't define me, BUT I really missed it). And so what happens, when one finds themselves in a situation like this...one must reinvent themself.
"Reinvent"....I love this word. It has been tossed around a lot by people when they are referring to Julia. Do you know that she didn't publish her book til she was in her 50's? She didn't even find cooking until she was in her late 30's. Our lives and situations are always changing. We can either go with it and "reinvent" or fight it.
I spent a lot of last year fighting it. As much as I loved my husband and Turkey, I frequently found myself thinking or saying,"But this isn't how I used to do it." "I just want to do ____ like I did at home" "I don't think I connect with people here." And on and on the list went.
Well, folks, I'm not fighting it this year. I'm embracing. I'm enjoying. I'm reinventing. And I'm attempting Julia's chocolate souffle.
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