Ece is in a BAD MOOD today! I told her so. She said, in a whining voice, "What does 'bad mood' mean?" I said, The way you are right now, whining, crying, sad face. She stamped her foot and cried, "I am NOT in bad mood! Nooo, I am NOT in a bad mood!" I was working with Defne on her lesson book, Ece wanted me to help her cut something with scissors, I said, "As soon as I am finished with this I will cut it for you." She began to cry and whine. I said "Be patient, it will only be a few minutes." She pitched a fit. I said, "Bad mood!" She said, "I am NOT NOT NOT in a bad mood!" I ignored it, so she proceeded to cut it out herself. Then she tried to open the tube of glue. I wasn't paying attention. She couldn't open the top with her fingers so she tried with her teeth and succeeded, therefore getting a mouth full of glue. She shrieked! She ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off, spitting as she went. It's rather windy outside today so most of the glue-spit blew right back on her. We washed her mouth out with water, brushed her teeth and tongue and gargled. I told her bad things happen when you're in a bad mood and impatient! She's eating lunch now, she says it tastes like glue. She's acting rather meek at the moment :-)

I knew the girls loved Barbies before I came here, and bought a book of Barbie stickers that say things like "You are awesome" and "Brilliant". This book of stickers is my weapon...or call it a bribe. If they don't behave during their lessons, they don't get a Barbie sticker. This is a terrible blow, the worst kind of torture, if they don't get their Barbie sticker for the day. Today Ece didn't get a Barbie sticker. Defne did, it said "Genius!" She asked what "genious" means, I told her "Very very smart". She was putting the sticker in her book and said without a smile, "Oh, like me."

I haven't been writing much in my blog lately for several reasons.
1. After living here for a few months things are starting to feel really "normal". Not saying I don't learn new things about Turkey/Istanbul every day (impossible not to!), but the differences aren't as glaring as they were when I first got here.
2. I have made some good friends and I have been busy doing things with them and with the family that I stay with. Knowing there's not much time left here I am spending a lot of time with the people I have come to know, and the kids...rather than being the tourist. Nihal wrote to me yesterday, "Briget Pls don't say to me 'I will leave' because I am feeling very bad . I am feeling that you are one of the my relatives."

I feel the same way :-(