Introduction to my Turkish family and home in Istanbul

My last day of work for the summer at my university job in Memphis, TN was 2 Fridays ago. A week ago tomorrow is when I flew the friendly skies to Atlanta, then to Amsterdam, then over Bulgaria and Romania and the Black Sea to Istanbul, Turkey. I will be spending most of my summer in Istanbul (a few days in Ayvalik -- a small seaside village --Israel and the Greek island of Lesbos) before returning to the states on September 13th.

I am staying with a family in the section of Istanbul called Ulus...considered an upscale neighborhood. I am tutoring the two daughters, Ece and Defne, age 7 and 5, in English and I am being treated as a guest. Turkish hospitality has a reputation for being amazing, and this is how I have found it. There is a live-in nanny/housekeeper/cook from Bulgaria. Whenever I wake up in the morning, a Turkish breakfast is served to me -- olives, various breads and cheeses, thinly sliced meats, tomatoes and cucumbers. Cay (tea) is served from a double stacked teapot - one pot has the tea and a glass (not a mug) is filled half way with strong tea, and the rest of the glass is filled with steaming water. Sugar cubes are used for sweetening...I haven't seen loose sugar.

The neighborhood is landscaped very nice, with winding stone paths and all sorts of vegetation and flowers -- it looks like a resort and extremely hilly. We live on the side of a mountain and there are almost always nice breezes. Down one path is the swimming pool, which I go to every morning! The wife, Nihal, is very nice. The husband, who is a doctor, is rarely home It's late and I am going to bed - more tomorrow!