oh beautiful day!

What a beautiful day :D
I had two friends spend the night last night (we didn't go to sleep till about 2am), and I made pancakes for all of us before we all raced out the door at 9 am today. Me and one of the girls then took an hour bus ride across town to babysit at a local Body that was having a conference this weekend.
What fun right?
I enjoyed it! There was a little 8 yr old girl who was endlessly patient with my language inabilities :D She actually got a kick out of making me say different animals with her... And once the other little girl, 6 yrs old, figured out my name... well, the game was on! She was so excited to get my attention and try to tell me things. "Кристина! Кристина смотре!" (Kristina, Kristina look!) Then, a precious little boy named "Nikita" who kept trying to go back to the main room where his mom was, but was perfectly content to be distracted by some crayons or legos that I found. (Speaking of Nikita, I still get a kick out of boys with names that end in "A" - probably because my Spanish brain loudly says "A-ending = female" He he :D ) There was also a little 1 yr old boy who wouldn't come near me- and actually started crying when I smiled at him... I tell ya, they start this 'no-smiling' rule young!
Anyway- on my bus ride home... a little old lady with a pink fuzzy hat asked me if a certain bus stop was near. Well... I didn't understand that she had asked me if it was 'near' until about 3 sentences later... So she proceeded to ask the lady that collects money on the bus the same question. By this time, I had my non-English brain geared up a smidge better, and I understood that all this nice babushka got in reply was a curt "This bus anounces the stops when they come up. Just listen." I thought, "Aha. she asked if M-bus stop is NEAR. I know the answer!" to myself. Then proceeded to say out loud (in the brokenest phrases and gestures ever), that I was an American, but that I thought that the bustop she wanted was not soon, and we were going to turn left, then right, and then finally reach her desired bustop. For my efforts, I got a sweet small smile, a compliment on my language learning, a tiny little conversation on what I thought of the city, AND when I told her, "Your bus stop is next." she said, "Thank you. You've been so kind."
wohoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe you didn't hear me properly...
WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! :D
A friendly encounter. No English.
Thank You Father!!
Like I said- it's a beautiful day.

RAIN!!

It rained a large majority of yesterday... I mean, really rained! The potholes in the street filled up to overflowing, there were rivers whooshing from low place to lower place, and I used my umbrella!I got it from a friend, so it's not the kind of umbrella I'd usually buy. It's pink and yellow, bright pink and yellow! And let me tell you... against the backdrop of the grey sky, grey buildings, foggy skyline, and everyone else's black or brown umbrella... it stands out! And guess what… I was still wet when I got to the office. :)

more than coffee

I had my first language lesson since I returned. (I know, I waited too long- but I needed to acclimate a bit beforehand!) So I was very nervous, but I haven't forgotten all my language! It was very encouraging.
However, during the lesson my teacher asked me to tell her (not in English!) what I had done in Turkey. In my limited ability I told her, “I went and had Starbucks.”
She corrected me, "You mean; you went TO Starbucks." To which I replied, "No, I DRANK Starbucks." Then she responded, "You drank a type of coffee IN Starbucks." And I said, "No, I drank STARBUCKS."
Well... then I lapsed (regretably) back into English. And tried to explain that, yes, it is a place. And yes, they do roast their own coffee that you can drink. However, there was more to 'having Starbucks' than just the physical act of imbibing a personalized caffeinated beverage. I was also going because it was a Starbucks place and concept.
So she asked me to describe Starbucks and not in English. Ha ha ha...

Forget my limited language ability. How to describe a coffee shop to someone who has most likely never even thought of the concept let alone experienced it?
The friendly, "What can I get for you today?" (customer service doesn’t seem to exist here)
The plethora of options to tailor my drink the way I like it at that particular moment in time? (A team member of mine has joked that you can go to any restaurant in town, even if it’s a fancy restaurant that you think is Mexican food and they will serve the same menu as everywhere else.)
The ambiance of green and brown, and quiet music in the background? (Um- yeah. Ambiance? Again- not thought of yet.)
The wonderful sound of clink-clink as the barista makes drink after drink, even the annoying buzz the blender makes when someone orders a frappuccino? (…hear that? That’s silence.)

Okay- I’m going somewhere with this other than bemoaning not having Starbucks in my city. I promise. :D But, here’s the thought:

I want to be able to explain to you that which you have never experienced. I have tasted, touched and seen; even though you haven’t yet. I want to be able to use this new language to convey to you, in words, Somebody that I KNOW is amazing. My heart is overflowing with a concept that you have no basis for, and couldn’t have a basis for, that you have no background in… yet I want it to spill out of me to such an extent that I MUST TELL YOU.

And it’s way better than Starbucks.

I'm HOME!

There seems to be some confusion on my facebook page...
... just to clear up any misunderstandings. Home is not in the States.

Home. Home is where my heart is. Home is where I need to be.

So right now... Home is where I still have problems reading signs. Home is where I have a headache after straining to listen and understand shopkeepers, telemarketers, and bus ticket ladies during an outing to the center of town. Home is where I get to buy thick, fur lined boots (which I did today!). Home is where women walk around on impossible stilletto heels that perfectly coordinate with their perfect purses and might even match their manicure. Home is where right now, it is neither too hot, nor too cold. Home is where my roommate welcomed me with nachos (because of a miraculous find of tortilla chips) and cherry cobbler (mmmmhmmm).

And after six weeks, I'm gonna go unpack my suitcases now. 'Cause I'm home!!