Turkish Women and PAIN!

This is just an observation: Turkish women have a high pain threshold.

How did I come to this observation? Well... some remember my previous post about making a waxing appointment. It has a lot to do with that. I've had waxing and laser hair removal treatments before so I am familiar with the pain of it but Turkish women take it a step further. Many of my female Turkish friends get EVERYTHING waxed and I'm not just talking about the bikini. They get arms, armpits, bikini, full legs, eyebrows and upper lips (if need be) all done on the same day!!! I can't even begin to imagine! And they don't seem phased by it at all, like it is the most natural kind of pain that there is. So, that's how I've come to the conclusion/observation that Turkish women have a high pain threshold. So next time you complain about that half-leg wax or regular bikini wax... think about the Turkish woman and what she endures to look great, be clean and hygienic. It will make you thank your lucky stars that you aren't compelled to wax your entire body.

Eskişehir

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to go to the city of Eskişehir with a group of new friends. Eskişehir means "old town" in Turkish but I didn't find anything about it old. It was a beautiful city that is easily accessible from Ankara by the high speed train (takes approximately 90 minutes and is 16 TL each direction). The city is FULL of college students and when we were there there was a basketball tournament (actually the catalyst to us going there, GO HACETEPPE!!!) and a dragon boat race going on. The city was teeming with people and the streets were crowded with young people. Most people we bumped into or that worked at restaurants and bars spoke English well enough that we could have gotten by. When you are there, you HAVE to go to the riverside, eat some çiğbörek which the city is famous for. You should also try to go to Traveller's Cafe... the food is excellent, the service was great and the decor was just fun and international. And if nightlife is your thing, then Club 222 is where it is at!! There is nothing in Ankara that even comes close to the kind of place it is... amazing. Below are a few pictures from our time in the city to wet your appetites for going... I highly recommend it!!



It might look a little like Venice, but I assure you, it's Turkey!

Me... the statue... making friends in the glorious sunshine!!

The big open streets and promenades alongside the river were simply amazing... it was a VERY European feeling place.

Telephone Translations...

Living in a foreign country is often hard and mostly amusing. It's made even more so when there isn't a shared language or culture. To illustrate just how funny it can be, I am going to give you the phone conversation I had yesterday in making an appointment for a waxing:

Me: Hello?
Spa: Hello.
Me: I'd like to make an appointment.
Spa: English no!
Me: Is there anyone who speaks English?
Spa: Bir Daka (one minute)
Spa: Hello?
Me: Hi... I'd like to make an appointment.
Spa: What?
Me: Can I make appointment? (I am now beginning to drop any unnecessary words)
Spa: Yes, you can do that.
Me: Thank you. Is Saturday okay?
Spa: Yes, um... hm... yes, Saturday okay. What you have to do?
Me: I need to get a wax.
Spa: Wax? What is wax?
Me: Hair removal... I need to take out hair.
Spa: Laser?
Me: No, waxing.
Spa: You must define this waxing, I don't know what you mean.
Me: Is this the spa?
Spa: Yes, it is spa, I don't understand you waxing. What means waxing?
Me: Um... (trying desperately not to crack up) well, you put hot wax on the body and then rip it off and all the hair comes too.
Spa: AH!! Waxing! Okay... what time?

hahahaha really? I couldn't keep it straight. I lost it at that point but was able to book a time for my waxing. Gotta love when things get lost over the phone.

Spring Break: Paris, France!!!

I know, I know... this post is a LONG time coming... sorry, gang, time just gets away from you sometimes. I also won't be posting ALL the pictures on here because... well... there are just TOO many of them. So here is a tiny taste of what it was like for me...

Everyday was a picnic!! This was the first full day and our host, Nicolas, took Sophia and I out around town and we stopped in this beautiful square (which was the first one ever built in Paris) to enjoy our noon meal... it was wonderful!!! And the park was loaded with people lounging about, eating lunch and soaking up the sun.
This is Nicolas showing us around that first day... so fun and so knowledgeable...

Moulin Rouge!!! hehehe Wish we could have afforded to go to a show there, but they are expensive!!

Self shots aren't always cute... but this one is pretty cute... it's Sophia and I at Versailles... we had such good weather most of the time that we elected to just be outdoors all the time. We only went inside one museum... and that was fine by us for this trip.

See? Why go indoors when you can enjoy this outdoors?!

In front of Versailles palace...

Sophia has a thing for eating FRENCH fries in FRANCE!!! And we both had a thing for enjoying the wine there with most meals... it was chilly this day, but we still sat outside with the heat lamps rather than be indoors...

Yup.... she's gone all Tex-ass on the Eiffel Tower... hehehehe

And this is me going all Asian tourist on it... hahahaha

Our one inside trip was to see L'Orangerie Museum which houses these, the Water Lilies by Monet... my all time favourite paintings.... so that was a must, and LOVE that they let you take flashless photos!!!!

And treat of all treats, I got to see two former students... Olga and Rovie... SO HAPPY to see them... they are beautiful, happy and successful women and it made me so excited to spend an afternoon with them. Blessings!!!

Ah... so NOT Parisian, but it made me SO happy... Dolsot Bimimbap... YUM!!! Korean food is a must for me when I can get it and here I got it and it was PERFECT!! ;)

If you haven't been to Paris yet... GO!! And go in the spring if you can. It really is amazing. It's one of those cities that just blooms and the people are sweet and helpful. At least to us they were... It was also pretty easy to walk around... all roads lead to the Louvre, pretty much and if they don't, just greet a Parisian in French (bonjour, comment ca va?) and then proceed to ask for help. Generally, they are only too happy to lend you a hand. Anyway, I loved it and would encourage anyone to go and see it.