Thoughts on Istanbul; Behind the Iron Curtain

I'm in the airport waiting to board my plane for Egypt. The last five days in Turkey have been thought provoking. I was waiting in the park to board a boat for my Bosforous cruise last night and I was directly across for an islamic family. This was not unusual as most of the people I sat next to were Islamic, but this interaction caught my attention. The family was made up of of a married couple and a boy of five or six. The man was older in his late forties of fifties.. He wore a collared shirt not unlike one you would find on any golf course in America. His son wore shorts and an designer branded t-shirt, I believe it said Gucci. He was running around in from of the Haiga Sofia with an ice cream cone. It is the mother that caused me the most curiosities. She was completely covered from head to toe, sparing a two inch strip for her eyes. A veil covered her  nose and mouth. she was attending to her son and in the most affectionate way, beside her was a cup of ice cream. Periodically she would carve out a smallest spoonful of desert, lift her veil and the spoon would disappear beneath. During one of these momentary lifts, i caught a short glimpse of her mouth. She was wearing bright, beautiful, red lipstick. She was a lovely woman and couldn't have been a day over 30. She had spent time putting makeup on in the mooring, only to hide her face from the world. 

There is so much about this culture that i don't understand. It captivates my imagination. Does she spend time in the morning only to veil herself as a ritual for her own pleasure? Is the act for her husband but his eyes only? 

     

Approaching Departure, Visas and Medical Checks

                                       

 Well, things are moving along. We have shipped over all of our academic credentials including: degrees, credentials, and birth certificates. A few weeks  later we were sent our health clearances, which to put it plainly, were alarmingly through. Everything needed to be tested, urine samples, glucose level, thyroid, cholesterol, hepatitis, HIV, full drug panel, full physical, and countless other tests I'm not fully aware of. They wanted the results of these in a matter of days. We had them in a few weeks. I wish I could convey the disappointment I have with the machine we call health care.

1. Make primary physicians appointment
2. Request countless test
3. Make appointments for blood test
4. Go back to primary to get results of blood tests
5. Get all tests certified my the physicians office
6. Pay $78 dollars to have our entire medical histories shipped off to be carefully examined

I would describe this process as both exhausting and hillaruos.

Case and point- Steve could not have Kaiser perform his drug screening. I mean this is only his health care provider, its not like they were completing all of his other tests, except that they were.

So we have to drive down the hill on a Friday afternoon to our not so local drug screening facility. Now, if you have never been to a drug screening facility, don't go. Turns out the people which frequent these business are not always there by choice, and they are not always pleasant, or even human.

*We had the guy to my immediate right. A 20 something kid who was there for the second time in two days. He was ordered here by the court, for the safety of his child. He was more than happy to describe the process, along with all of his experiences, to us in great detail as he was the local authority on the subject.

* There was the SUPPER skinny blond pregnant girl. This was also a multiple visit for her. Evidently babies are the new filers since her las test was inconclusive due to a lack of urine in the test. Thats right her urine is water. This turned into a dramatic monologue by the woman regarding how she is supposed to dehydrate herself and her baby for the court.

* Lastly there was the large woman to my left. I mean scary large. She was Samoan with more fascial piercings than I could count in my fleeting glances. She was angry, and insisted that she didn't need her ID for this.  She lost that battle but won the count for profanity for this expedition. Its a good thing she brought her 10ish son to witness her triumph.

Going Bamboo

      Well, we have taken a position. Starting in August of 2013 I will be working at Beacon Academy in Jakarta, Indonesia. I am excited, nervous, and relived. I am hoping to teach 5th grade. To start my journey I have purchased three guide books on Indonesia and one solely on Bali and Lombok. I want to learn as much as I can about my new home before arriving. Rosetta stone looks to be a firm possibility in my future. My largest concern currently is maintaining a minimum level of organization as we plan this transition. There is a lot to do: Shots, medical supplies, breathable clothing, and its hard to plan for something when you have very little idea about the reality of life over there. What will my apartment be like? What will my curriculum and school day be like? It still seems less than real. I hope to arrive in Jakarta about a month early, set up the apartment, get to know the neighborhood, and do some touristy travel before I have to get to work. I hoping for Bali but who knows what will happen. All I can do know is wait, read, and finish grad school.