Things that made me smile recently...

• I had dinner with my old roommate at her place recently and the neighbours saw me coming into the building gate, reported to my friend that I was on my way up, then came out to greet me and in proper Turkish style hugged me, kissed me, then while continuing to hold my hand wanted to know why I hadn't been coming around anymore, praised me for my wonderfully improved Turkish, invited me in for tea, expressed lament that I was leaving for Ankara next week...Turkish 'teyze's (aunties) make me smile.

• Moving again had me reflecting on the various people I've lived with over the years, I smiled as I realized the variety of nationalities that I've been privileged to share a space with thus far--American, Canadian, Turk, Swedish, Romanian, Korean, English, South African, Finnish and Austrian.

• On Tuesday night we celebrated the birthday of a Turkish friend, the highlight of the evening would have to be my friend trying to teach a bunch of foreigners how to belly dance, absolutely hilarious, our hips just don't move that way...I have pictures, though not digital unfortunately...or maybe fortunately...
  

• On my way to help at the Correspondence Course this morning, I saw an older man leaving his building with a big bag of cat food. He was immediately surrounded by tons of very excited, very happy street cats. He was grinning, they were purring, and I smiled.

• Once at the Correspondence Course office our Turkish friend Z told about her most recent street sharing escapade. She and some other Turks and foreigners are out every week and almost every week she has a funny story to tell about how after the iman yelled at them, the nearby shop keepers got to hear the gospel because they wanted to know what all the fuss was about; or about how once they were taken to the police station they didn't actually know what to do with them (it's not illegal) and then some police quietly asked if they could actually have some of the literature they had with them; or about how one little child was teasing them about their literature and then she gave him one and then when they came past again this kid was sharing the tract with his friends! She's wise way beyond her 20 yrs and so funny, she makes me smile.
  

• I had coffee with some friends at a Kahve Dünyası this afternoon, a Turkish coffee place that has a small bowl of chocolate covered coffee beans at every table and gives you a chocolate covered spoon with your drink, and they are cheaper than Starbucks...yep that makes me smile.