One Week In & Disaster Strikes

Saturday morning started early for me with a 5 am wakeup call to bring D to the gym for an away game flight. After dropping him off I went back to sleep and woke up to a phone call from him a few hours later. "Did you see what happened?... there's been a bombing in Ankara". Immediately I turned on the news and to my horror, he was right. Two bombs detonated in the middle of Turkey's capital at a peace rally that morning, killing nearly 100 people and injuring over 250 more. My first thought was grief and sadness for all those innocent people and their families and my second was "Shit. I really hope my mom doesn't watch the news today". 

Ever since moving overseas three years ago, I've always been faced with mixed opinions of family and friends. While most think it's exciting and the opportunity of a lifetime, others worry for me and ask if I'm scared or feel safe abroad. I never quite understood their premise there. In America we can no longer go to a movie theater, attend church or send our kids to elementary school with peace of mind. To be honest, I actually feel safer living overseas. The thought of a bombing in my current country is undeniably alarming. However, violence, no matter how different the motive behind it may be, takes place in every country in the world today and that's unfortunately the society we live in.  

So here I am one week into my new city in Turkey and we are struck with a major national tragedy. D's away game was cancelled today as the country will spend the next three days in national mourning. Of course my mom inevitably heard the news and called me panicking, as any  mom would. I'm hundreds of miles way from Ankara, where the bombings took place, and I can assure you all I'm safe and sound in our little city of Giresun. (FYI- Turkey is a HUGE country. This would be like me calling a friend in Southern California after the Oregon shooting last week asking if they were okay). 

Although we were far from the action, Ankara does have two basketball teams and if you're interested to read an account of another American wife who is currently living there, you can do so here.

She ends her blog post about this week's tragedy with a beautiful verse that comforted me to read and that I will pass on to my mom and anyone who spent time worrying this weekend about D or myself.

6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.


Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

I debated writing this post as I didn't want to bring attention and cause fear and panic among my friends and family members who weren't aware of what happened on Saturday. Ultimately, I decided this is a huge piece of my life here. You guys often get to see the glamorous sides to how we live, the traveling and awesome places and things we get to experience. However it's important you get to see the whole picture. As much fun as we have living this lifestyle and all the positive wisdom that comes along with it,  it's moments like these that make me experience real growth.

I find comfort in knowing I am exactly where God wants me to be right now. I get to live in a beautiful city with my husband, while he gets paid to do what he loves. We are surrounded by awesome teammates and wives this year, and I thank God every day for this opportunity he has given us (and for all our family and friends at home who love us enough to worry.)

Season 4 Begins: The Return to Turkey!

There's nothing we overseas basketball wives look forward to more than the start of Summer. After 9-10 months away from family, friends and normalcy, we're practically begging for it by season's end. This Summer was one of my toughest to date. In the midst of the happiness in preparing for my mom's wedding, we were hit with the sudden and tragic loss of my grandfather. After burying him just a week before my mom tied the knot, we were then pushed back into wedding mode (ready or not), and after her wedding was over, I was flying over the pond to Lithuania for my sister-in-laws! Fast forward through a trip to Lithuania, Paris & Barcelona, I was suddenly back home and (pleasantly) surprised with the news of my brother's engagement.  He eloped a few weeks later and we through a small dinner party for him the following week. SO three weddings, a funeral and trying to squeeze in any bit of working on my business that I could, (while still trying to see all of our loved ones all over the USA), it was an emotionally exhausting summer. 

This summer was the longest I'd ever spent back home since moving overseas three years ago. Five months of people speaking English, being able to find what I want to cook in the grocery store, and not having to rely on anyone else in the world to get through my day. As much as I appreciate these little delicacies, oddly enough I start to miss the uncertainty of life overseas. I feel spoiled & unsettled by how easy life is. We call it "reverse culture shock", and it was slowly taking over my brain my last few months in America. 

D ended up leaving for Turkey in the middle of August to head to training camp, and I was set to join him the last day of September. One of the hardest parts about our lives is how much time we have to spend apart. Hats off to all of you long-distance couples, because I know so many of you do it for way longer than we do, you're the real MVP.

As this is our fourth season overseas, D pretty much knows the drill of how I will harass him with questions about our new city/living situation until I know for sure what I"m getting myself into. "Can you find ____ [insert: hot sauce, kale, good wine, brussels sprouts, chicken without feathers]"?, "on a scale of 1-10 how many dirty looks will I get going to the grocery store in lululemons"?,  "do you see me and the team manager going out for lunch dates and splitting a bottle of merlot or will I never hear from him all season"? "any cute grandmas in our apartment building that want to teach me native recipes"? You know.. the essentials.

D stayed in a hotel until right before I got here and had the daunting task of finding an apartment that he knows I wouldn't torment him about. After viewing several different places (and sending me one grainy photo from each.. seriously I hate men sometimes), he found us the perfect place! 

I finally made it to our city on Tuesday after a less than easy journey (lets just say I'd rather sit through an entire season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians than ever do that trip again.) The long JFK to Istanbul flight was rather painless as anyone knows I have severe narcolepsy and am able to sleep just about anywhere. After landing in Istanbul, I for some reason had to collect all my luggage and push it, UPHILL, from the international to domestic terminal to catch my next flight. After arriving drenched in sweat from an uphill climb in an un-airconditioned airport, I barely made my connecting flight and looked as if I had just competed in the Hunger Games. I was then seated next to a Turkish girl in her twenties who was so scared of flying that she actually asked to hold my hand for the duration of the flight. Here I am sitting, fingers interlaced, with someone I just met when I think "does this type of weird shit happen to other people"? As soon as things can't get weirder, she pulls out something from her pocket and offers it to me. I've never taken a xanax, but I can honestly say that after the day I had, I was rather hopeful that's what my new friend was offering me. Unfortunately, it was just a piece of the most tasteless, chewiest gum I've ever come across, and after sneaking Tucker onto my lap, I realized this girl is exactly who they make emotional support animals for.

I arrived in Giresun and was greeted by my handsome husband, flowers in hand. He took me to our new home and I'm so excited to spend the season there. Our apartment is on top of a hill right on the water and we have the most amazing views of the Black Sea and the city landscape. The only downfall is the 97 steps it takes to actually each our front door, but I've learned to just squeeze my butt-cheeks and repeat the mantra "Rock.Solid.Ass" with every step. 

Still not finished but a little peak of our apartment!

I truly believe with every season that we spend over here, God has his reasons for putting us in each place that he has. After living in the most beautiful city on Earth last year, it'll definitely be a transition and a learning experience adjusting to life in Turkey again. Walking through the city center, hearing the call to prayer over the mosque speakers and seeing the people take their shoes off and get on their prayer mats, it's a surreal experience. I never imagined I'd live in some of the places that I have, yet every place has turned out to be such a learning experience for me. I know God has some plans for D and I here and I'm eager and anxious to see what they are.

On top of Boztepe

Foot washing station outside the Mosque

the view from our balcony

On the gondola in Urdu!

Turkish Pizza is a thing & I'm into it.