The Istanbul Chronicles: Introducing Glenna

While living there I have meet some amazing people who have helped me to further open my mind in various things like food, other cultures, and people.

My best friend Glenna, I meet her while working at our first teaching job in Kadikoy, Istanbul. Our friendship was not an immediate one and it was only at school.  But one day I noticed that Glenna had not been to work for a few days.  I was thinking that she was sick or something, and the something turned out to be her damn husband whose name no one can pronounce, but we always called him Edward.  From there is where our friendship grow and became strong thanks to her now ex-husband.

Now keep in mind that Glenna and I were still getting to know each other before the following event happen.

One day I get a call from Glenna and she was very upset and scared. According the her, she and Edward had one of their fight where this time he had pushed her, she fell backwards and hit her head on the coffee table.  It caused her to have blood running down her face and a horrible headache.  She went to the hospital however Edwards had told the doctors and nurses not to treat her.  Now from what I was told, what is between husband and wife is between a husband and a wife, and normally I would NOT have butted in.  However, his actions towards his wife was not humane or was they Christian like.  Y'all, I was beside myself when Glenna told me this, and I was very concern for my friend's safety.

Y'all, I went looking for Edward's ass and I was freakin heated. Thanks to Glenna, she took me to all his hang out spots a couple a weeks age before this accident, and told me that if anything should happen to her, I should go look for Edwards at one of his spots.  I visited a few spots and asked some of his friends and they were liked he should not be coming here any more. (Sidebar: If y'all had meet Edward even y'all would have been like "This mother father here!") By the time I got to the church in which they attended, the pastor was there, and he and I go to talking about Glenna and Edwards. Little to my surprise, Edward's had been going on with his abuse towards Glenna for sometime according to pastor.

The Pastor and I also got to talking about various relationships that occurs between a man and woman on many levels.  Some thing that I will admit, never took the time to think about. I must have been there at the church for about two hours, and I was about to leave when Edwards came in the church.

It was the Pastor who started off the greetings, and Edward said "Hello, nice to you Victoria."  "What the fuck you mean "Nice to meet Victoria"? This is not the first time we are meeting; you and Glenna just had dinner with me and my husband."  Y'all forgive me, however those were the words that came out of my mouth in front of the Pastor.  And from then on . . . I could not stop with the tongue lashing towards Edward. That man caused me to curse his ignorant ass out in every scripture that I could remember from my childhood.  I started quoting some scriptures that I did not understood would have any relevance to Glenna and Edward's situation at that time, but I was spitting them out like I was MC Lyte of the baptist church in front of the pastor. The only thing the pastor could do was look dumbfounded, while Edward had a look on his face that clearly stated "What should I do now?"

The days that follow after that were light on Glenna; Edward wasn't so abusive anymore.  Well at least not the physical part of it.  They still had there moments and I continue to support Glenna in what she wanted and needed to do from her own survival there.  What I had learned in Istanbul I shared with Glenna; Edward did not like that. Oh fuckin well! was the mentality from both Glenna and I when it came it Edward.  There was a lot of things that Edward did not want Glenna to know about but as long as she and I was hitting the streets, we learned everything and anything there was to be learn about.

In a cynical way I am grateful to Edward for allowing me to meet such a wonderful woman who I was able to share many happy, sad, and tearful moments.

Even today, she and I still share happy, sad and tearful moments here in the states.   And just like two old hags, we argue about everything.

Coming soon, I will have more of our crazy ass adventures and moments that some of you will say "That did not happen!"

The Istanbul Chronicles: Hello Istanbul!

I met my ex-husband on August 25, 1999.  It was my Grandmother's birthday and it was the day that Istanbul had an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude.  Our first date happen because we had been talking on the phone a few times when I mention that I worked for a Jordian name Mr. M Swiess.  My ex knew him because he was the best friend of my ex's child hood friend. And I had know them a few years prior to meeting my ex.

My world wind marriage happened so fast that not even my family could believe that I had gotten married.  First they had to get over the shock of me being in a relationship then the shock of me getting married. They was like "what the hell happen?"  "Not Victoria!" "Did the world just froze over?"  Yes that was their reactions. I think that it took a minute to come out of their shock.

My ex husband sent me to Istanbul as a wedding gift to meet his family.  I met the grandmother, the mother, the brother-in-law and his wife, and the uncle, his wife and daughter.  I was there for two weeks and let me tell you. . .I was telling my ex to pack our things and moved back home for him.

While I was there I was breathless.  The beauty of Istanbul was overwhelming that I just melted with everything that I saw.  Even the aroma of the city was filling.  You smelted the sea, the spices, and the culture everywhere you walk.  There was so many thing to see that I really could not focus on just one thing.

I was so in all with Istanbul that when I did go home I did not realizes that I had left my heart there.  My ex-husband got so upset with me that we moved there 6 months later.  See my ex-husband was a Turkish man however I believe that he did had his heart on continuing to live in Chicago.  But at the same time when we meet he was already picking to move back to Turkey.   So us moving there turn out to be the best experience of my life and one that I can not shake off like I can with heartbreaks and disappointments.

On the day we left Chicago, it was -18 degrees and when we got to Istanbul, some 10 1/2 hours later, it 80 degree in March.  Yes we were over dressed and I was looking for some lighter clothes to wear.

When we arrived at his mother's place, I think we were in the house for about an hour when the ex and his mother was talking about the earthquake.  I am like "what earthquake?"  It has happen that fast that I did not feel it.  However they knew that it had happen because the light fixture handing from the ceiling was swing.  I come to find out that the average Turkish home does not have table lamps and will have multiple hanging lamps because of untimely earthquakes.

Moving to Istanbul I was excited and nervous to embark on a new life with my first marriage.  We had a lot of things to prepare for like getting Nick in school and finding a place of our own.  We did not have to worry about furnishing the our place. My ex-husband's family had furniture waiting for us to go into our new home so we found one cross the street from his grandmother's place and across the hall from his brother.  I later learned that it is the groom's family responsibility to a) find a new place for them to live and b) furnish the apartment.  And when I say furnish I do mean furnish from the living room to the dinner room to both bedrooms (our bedroom and my son bedroom) that included the bedding for the beds.  My kitchen with all cooking pots and pans, dishes and a few others things for the kitchen.

Now how many of you past and future brides wish that you can a wedding gifts like that?

At that time I did not expect anything for my new life however I got more that I could have ever image while living there. The things that I learned and the things that I go to do that I would never otherwise get a chance to do back in Chicago.

Moving forward I am going to share some of my experience along with Glenna and she got a few stories that I think some of you will find funny.

So I do hope that you will enjoy my stories.

Coming in January!

Happy New Year Everyone!

How many of you are happy that the Christmas holiday are over with?

January is here now and it is time to start thinking about what we want to accomplish in 2016.  First let's acknowledge that it is 2016!  WOW!  The only thing I can remember about 2015 is my son accomplishments that I am so proud of him for.  Not one but two MOS in the US Army and is now living in Seattle for his new job.  He's adapting and I am praying for him to have much success while he is there.

In 2015 we seen more event things that will specificity impact on our culture in the years to come.  U.S. has had to deal with the forth coming of racism between City Police and African Americans because of several shooting that were not necessary to use.  Because of this our nation has had riots that have gone beyond the extent of "How could you?" and "Why would you destroy your city like that?"

ISIS has made itself know throw the world with some events that will have a lasting impressions on our hearts like the two attacks in Paris and the one in San Bernardinas, CA and the destruction of a country like Syria where it's people had to run to other countries to seek protection and shelter.  And ISIS is getting on everyone's fuckin' nerves by trying to cause a new world war that has now included France, Saudi Arabia and Russia.  And ISIS should understand that they are fuck when Russia start striking against them.

Then there was Donald Trumps who has given most of us a new meaning to "Fuckin' headache!" with some of the things that have come out of his month.  Offending not just most of us here in states but also often other ethic groups from around the around.  And our government, wait I mean that there were some politicians who not only us a new meaning of the word "stupidity" but has also given us some classic stupidity moments.

Now as for me, the one thing that I don't do is make New Years Resolutions.  Why? And I am not the only person who does this or has did this, and that is because I have always broken my New Years Resolutions.  It is usually for one reason or another (only you know what your reason(s) why you broke yours.)  Me . .  .I just say the hell with it.  I figure I will get around to doing it some day but for now I have to worry about this next class. However I did set a goal for myself to complete within 6 months.  (Y'all are going to have to wait and see what the outcome will be from my goals).  But for now I have started on my journey to get it done.

Now some of you, I know you are happy to have your child(ren) back in school.  Peace during the day is what you were longing for during those two weeks.  (A show of hands that I told the truth here!)  The flip side to that is that now you have to started with the holiday cleaning of all those Christmas decorations.  For that I am going to say and wish you good luck on your clean and try not to break the other ornaments that the kids or Uncle Sal did not break.

A show of hand of those of you who dreading to see your next credit cards' bill!  I am so sorry and I will pray for your insanity as you worry about them.  You see, I cut my credit card up before Thanksgiving because I know me and how I shop.  So to prevent myself from getting into trouble, I just destroy the card and I will order a new probably at the end of the month or whenever.  I am really trying to stay out of trouble and I would rather have it when I really do need it, which will probably be around the time I complete my 6 months goal.  Good luck to all of you with your credit cards' bills.

If you have not already done it, then you probably will start exchanging those Christmas gifts that you did not like and for some of us wait until after Christmas or New Years to go Christmas shopping for all the last year's items to be at 70 - 90% off and to be the first to shop for all the new items that will be hitting the shelves.  (I will be the first to admit that is when I go shopping for clothes for the year especially summer. Because they will be 30 -40% off before advertising starts.)  Don't you just love it when certain family buy you clothes that you either (a)don't wear because it is too short and it is their way of telling you to lose some weight, (b)don't like style of clothing, and (c) brought you something for the stake of buying you something.   How rude! Simply fuckin rude! Go ahead and tell them to get you a gift card instead.

With the coming of January it means that you have start making out this year's vacation time, tax exemptions, and health care programs.  Go shopping instead! At work while you are trying to figure when and where to take the family for vacation, you first got to fight with the co-workers for the dates you want.  And I am sure that you have one or two co-workers you want to slap the shit of out of, right? (Pick a good dark late night for that!)  Going shopping would be easier than deciding if you should exempt or not and of course, how much! Hell, going shopping is so much easier to go than your doing your taxes! You can't get confused with shopping, unless you are an idiot!  If you have already figure out which health care program is better for you as an individual and for your family - congratulation to you!  I am still confused with my Blue Cross and Blue Shield that I should have stayed with the Badge Care plan.

My plans for 2016 is to focus more on my writing in my blog, put all the notes to together to write a book about my grandfather, and entertain everyone with my our stories from Istanbul (that Glenna and I sharing our many unsafe and crazy adventures).  I have asked my family for some of their fondness memories of my grandfather and I can not wait to hear some of the things they are going to say.  Of course I do plan on getting out a visiting my family members threw out the states.  I am in the mood to share my love and give myself extra joy by torturing them with my love.  What is family for?

Y'all, Happy New Year! Please stay safe.  And thank you for reading my blog.