Her little brother is learning English and we made a deal after dinner that he would speak English if I would speak Turkish; we both broke the rule many times throughout the evening! Not knowing what to expect of the evening, I was nervous and anxious during the car ride to the Cömert’s, but after a few short hours I realized the importance of family is realized in many cultures; laughing, sharing about our days, and simply enjoying each others’ company reminded me of the family dinners awaiting me at home.

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Helping Busra prepare the chestnuts for the oven.

December 10, 2007

Lesson Eleven: Basketball opens many doors

When I joined Bilkent University’s basketball team in October I did not realize the opportunities it would create for me this semester. Not only have I stayed in shape and maintained my basketball skills, but I developed friendships that will continue long after I return to the States. From lunch in between classes to hanging out on the weekends, I am blessed with welcoming teammates, and now friends. Being in another country is not only difficult because of cultural differences, but it is easy to feel ostracized from home; thankfully, my teammates adopted me as one of their own.

For the first time this semester, I witnessed a snapshot of Turkish home life and the experience of spending an evening with Büşra’s (one of my teammates) family is one I will remember for a long time. Mrs. Cömert’s cooking was phenomenal and we enjoyed many traditional Turkish dishes like stuffed peppers, handmade pasta, salad, meatballs, and soup. After dinner Mrs. Cömert taught me how to make Turkish coffee, a trick I cannot wait share with my uncle and grandfather on Christmas.