I’ve been very busy, so blogging has taken the back burner. BUT…husband out of town=more time for “stuff.” You all have “stuff” too, I am sure of it. Write me and let me know how you let your creative juices flow. Also, you might notice that we changed the button for the RSS feed. This is because my mother, without her reading glasses, thought the tiny “R” was an “A” making the button say, “something questionable.” As phrased by her email.  LOL.

It seems like I mostly get comments on the posts that I write about my life in another culture. So, I have a lot more of what you love! It occurred to me on Monday, when I was drowning my worries in chai with my girlfriends that I have never told you about my “gün.” A gün is a very traditional custom in Turkey. It is a gathering of women for the purpose of chai drinking, gossiping, counseling, and caring. It is also a personal savings plan.

Yes, I said, “personal savings plan.” There are several different ways of employing this plan. Traditionally, the women would bring a piece of gold, namely a coin shaped piece, for the hostess of the party. The party rotates from home to home until every participant has had the chance to host. However, a lot of güns these days operate on a cash only basis. I have also heard of girls bringing grocery items. The idea is that you are setting aside a certain amount that will return to you. The hostess doesn’t “make” money, but saves. The group that I joined this year met every other week and decided to give 50 liras each to the hostess. We had 10 participants, so…a total of 500 liras came to each of us.

The local ladies really get into the preparation for the party. It is typically served at lunch time and the menu usually includes a couple of sweet items, like cake or puddings, and a couple of salty items, like salads and stuffed grape leaves. And don’t forget the chai!! Many cups of it! Sometimes Turkish coffee is served at the end of the afternoon.

Last week, we went out of town a little ways.  I offered to drive, and we were able to squeeze seven women and three children into a five passenger car.  Whew.  I will write another time all about my road experiences.  When we arrived, we were greeted into the sitting room. I noticed upon entrance a rifle beside the door. Who else noticed?  My 8 year old son. I said, “NO!” with my eyebrows, and he quickly obeyed.  However, the hostess said, “You can touch it.  There aren’t any bullets.” Oh boy.  All three kids ended up holding it, but when my son tried to look down the barrel, I jumped to my feet, along with some of the other ladies, and said, “O.k…that’s enough!”  This was a first for a ladies tea party.

I have benefitted so much from joining these ladies. It is fascinating to see them cry to each other, laugh with each other, and even provoke each other.  A lot of the time I am sitting in stunned silence, my eyeballs floating from all the chai, trying to catch some part of the conversations swirling like dervishes around my head. Often they stop, look directly at me and say, “Tash, why aren’t you talking? Are you o.k.?” My reply? “Oh, I am fine. I am only trying to understand all of your fast Turkish!”  Then I get lots of giggles and “canım benim!” (sort of like, “Bless Your Heart!”)  Yet, each time, I do get the platform to talk.  Usually I am answer questions about my home or how we do things in America.  My favorite question so far?  ”Do you eat bugs in America?  When we come to your house are you going to serve any?” I couldn’t resist. For the lady that asked, we had a door prize. You guessed it. A plastic cockroach. How did the afternoon end? Squealing girls. LOTS of squealing girls.  :)

Tash