Sorry to all my friends and family who have been following my posts so far. We went from Bodrum to Kuşadaci and lo and behold, no wi-fi at a 4 star hotel! Ah well. I used that time wisely...no wait, I didn't, but it was just too fun to actually rest! ;-)
Kuşadasi was the location of the district conference, and boy, was the hotel gorgeous! We left Bodrum a little after 11am on Thursday ( 5/14/10), had lunch at a lovely seaside restaurant, went to one of the smaller and poorer villages to see a school that was being renovated with the help of Rotary money, then went to a Masi village where the woman make those famous Ottoman rugs by hand. I finally worked out some of the things my fancy smancey camera could do and got some great video of the women as they were working at the loom. Can you believe it, but the woman make about two dollars an hour for the work that they do?!? Wow, I better stop complaining about my work!
We were about an hour away from Kuşadasi when we got the phone call that they were holding on the opening ceremonies until we got there - oops! We were about an hour late, but I really didn't think we were as integral as that phone call implied! I had a bit of an epiphany then - we really are cultural ambassadors from the US and for many people, their impression of us WILL translate to their general opinion of Americans! Wow. It was rather humbling to realize that, and I knew then that I must always strive to maintain an image that will do my country and my sponsoring Rotary Club proud.
We did our presentation the following morning and it went very well. I had several Rotarians come up to me and comment that I was very polished in my presentation - guess I must give thanks to my years of surgical training and my professors who believed no method was better than being put on the spot! After the presentation, we had some free time to put up our feet, let down our hair, and just vegetate. Ahhhh....
On Saturday, Shu-Shu was kind enough to arrange a bus for us to visit Ephesus, the supposed site where Mary (mother of Jesus) spend her last days after her son was killed by the Romans. The chapel was small but peaceful in a way I cannot describe adequately with words. Outside, there was a prayer wall, sort of an equivalent to the wailing wall outside of Jerusalem. As I walked out of the area, I could only think of one thing - how God must weep about all the blood that has been spilled in His name, whether it be Allah, Jesus, Yehovah, Brahma, or any other myriad of names we have given Him.
Sunday saw us packing up our bags yet again and headıng out to Edremit. I rode with Yosha and her host family, Mehmet and Betül Semerci. They were wonderful conversationalists and we all hit it off from the start! As Lana has told you in her blog, we went to a site (on the way to Edremit) called "The Devil's Footprint". I don't know about the footprint, but the vista was absolutely gorgeous! Lot s of pictures were taken on that hilltop...now if I can only download my pics!
I met my absolutely wonderful hosts when I reached Edremit - Dr. Çetin Serim and his wife Arzu are some of the kindest people I have met. I also met their handsome 7yo son Ege (pronounced Eh-gay) and theır beautiful mischevious daughter Ada, who ıs only 4years old. The Serims couldn't come to pick me up from Kuşadasi because Çetin was on call the entire weekend.
Çetin took Monday off to squire me around the town, for which I am profoundly grateful. He took me in the morning to see the hospital he works at, and I got to meet not only his surgical partners but also the head anesthesiologist. The timing was just right for me to observe an induction and intubation, and it was fun to see the similarities and differences between American and Turkish practices. Then it was off to an olive oıl producing factory and museum. From there we went to a soap factory and learned all the different ways of making soap. Huh - I didn't realıze how complicated it can be! The owner of the factory was very kınd and gifted us with several of his soaps, which I briefly considered passing on to my friends as gifts, then just as quickly thought, "Nah! It's all mine!" ;-) Dinner was at a seafood restaurant, since Edremit is especially known for its great seafood. Yeah, but not so good for a vegetarian! The waiter looked stumped when Çetin politely inquired about vege options, then finally turned to me and said, "Ma'am, this is a seafood and steak restaurant - we don't get many vegetarians here!" Hmm, he has a point....;-)
We came home and Çetin and his wife were very kind in letting me phone home. Huh. I didn't realize how much I missed my parents until I heard my mother's voice.....thank you sooo much. Çetin and Arzu, for letting me hear such a beloved voice after almost 3wks!
Well, I think I have brought you all up to date! It ıs 120am and I really must catch some z's. Please continue to read me and comment! I
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