Simple Gifts

This was a folk song (by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848) we used to sing at Wallingford Presbyterian, and it remains one of my favorites. The tune may also be known to Catholics who are familiar with "Lord of the Dance".

"Simple Gifts" begins,

"'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free,

'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be"

And this is what I'd hoped to do tonight: compose a list of simple gifts, people and things for which I am grateful here. So, in no particular order:

Stray dogs are everywhere here. And they're mostly harmless.

Beans, Bread, Beyaz Penir (see item #2).

We make an onion, garlic, and cheese omelette tonight because our stove works.

1. my Turkish colleagues generally, who invite us to sit with them at lunch and join them for tea and make us feel very, very welcome
2. beyaz penir-- sheep's milk cheese, which Claire and I have consumed largely for dinner the last two nights
3. Yavuz, who stood in line for several hours Monday to help us get our residence permits; Yavuz also speaks fantastic English, has a delightfully "cool" sense of humor, and likes to watch Lord of the Rings
4. problems in the apartment solved (almost immediately): we now have hot running water, a washer that won't flood, and a stovetop and oven on gas
5. the running track a few minutes' walk from my house, and, as an addendum: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on audiobook ("read for you by Jim Dale!"). I wouldn't be getting any workouts done otherwise
6. the gentleman who runs around the same time I do in the mornings and who makes fun of me every time I quit sooner than he does
7. harran kebap
8. a legit bus system, even if I haven't figured out how to work it entirely
9. ayran
10. the beautiful views from my balcony and all the windows of my apartment
11. a body that strives to maintain normal function in the face of new places, bacteria, and stresses
12. critical pedagogy research-- more on this to come, instigated by the 3rd Black Sea ELT Conference in Samsun in November
13. the last two (if I'm getting this right) Champions League games: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City and Galatasaray vs. Manchester United-- Claire and I watched the highlights, and I've never capped off a day here so well
14. J.S. Bach's Cello Suites, which make housecleaning at 6am much more endurable
15. the pieces of jewelry from my family that I wear on my fingers, wrists, and ears everyday to give me a tangible reminder of home

The administrative building and the city. And my shadow.

The walk to my office in the morning.

The walk home on a hot afternoon.