Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Snapshot From My Window



I took a mental snapshot from my window this morning and this is what I saw and heard..

three little dirty, ragged village boys riding down the center of the street on homemade skateboards.

my next door neighbor following her five year old son around the the perimeter of the house with a bowl of soup and a spoon bribing him with promises of ice cream later if he would please just finish his breakfast. (most Turks hand feed their children until they enter school and soup is a breakfast item)

a lady beating her large Turkish rug with a stick.

several cows grazing alongside the road with an old man bringing up the rear.

two more boys breaking bottles on the street. I shoo them away, but they will be back again tomorrow doing the same mischief.

I hear gun shots and notice, to my dismay, a seagull fall to the ground as a young man shoots and kills the bird for 'sport.' Three more perish within fifteen minutes. I quickly usher my children inside until he leaves. (shooting guns in populated areas is a real problem here and several people die or are injured yearly from this)

There's a beautiful blue sea in the far distance.

The call to prayer begins. Voices from several mosques throughout the valley ring out in unison, "Allah is Great!"



15 comments:

  1. Wow, I wish you could record it and share. Thanks for the great discription! It is great to see beyond my own little window. :)

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  2. I'm entranced with your life! I heard my ponies whinny and listened to my dogs bark at a runner. That's as exotic as it got! Thank you for sharing your life with us!

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  3. Why are you doing this to meeeeee???? What am I doing in the USA????
    Really, though, thanks for sharing. Bless you, Rebeca

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  4. Linda,

    The mother running around bribing her child to eat doesn't sound so different than many American parents I see these days. I do remember you describing in a post one time how children are treated and it was so surprising to me.

    Living on a hobby farm, I can relate to cows grazing (we have meat goats) but the rest of your 'snapshot,' well, it IS a different world over there.

    Thank you for the glimpse.

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  5. Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your "real life." It's remarkable how different and yet similar it is to life everywhere.

    --Barbara

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  6. My husband was arrested in Pakistan, once because he covered his ears in the marketplace because the calls to prayer were so loud and the speakers were piercing to his very, very sensitive ears. It was not in disrespect or rebellion.

    The only reason he was not punished was because the Pakistani that was with him told the police that he was crazy.

    You make it all seem so peaceful.

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  7. I can visualize that woman bribing her boy and following him with a spoon! What a sight that must be!
    The boys breaking bottles and the seagulls being shot...it must have you asking 'why?'
    Thank you for letting us peek at your world!

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  8. What a different view in your window. Where I originally came from is another.

    Thank you for sharing in vivid color.

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  9. Wow! Does your burden for these people burden you deeply?

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  10. lindafay,

    I really enjoyed your blog entry today. I am working on seeing and remembering things in more detail and this is a wonderful example of how to do that.

    I hope you don't mind but I will linking to your blog entry from my blog tomorrow. I want to share your lovely voice with my readers too.

    Barb
    Harmony Art Mom
    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/harmonyartmom

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  11. sharron7.8.07

    Last summer, before we moved to the country, we had a rather interesting family behind us. They had three pit bulls which they treated terribly. One day I was in the kitchen and heard something outside. I looked just in time to see one of the sons shooting a bird out of our tree. A cardinal!! I do not usually consider myself a big animal lover, but I stood there and cried like a baby. I was so glad that my daughter was having quiet time.

    I'm praying for you!
    Sharron

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  12. Ladies, I enjoyed reading your comments!

    Barb, I'm always honored when someone wants to link. No need to ask.

    Please understand that there are certain subjects I don't speak about on my blog for our own safety's sake. I can only give you glimpses into my life. Maybe one day, I can share more.

    Thank you sooo much for your prayers.

    Warmly!

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  13. Betty8.8.07

    lindafay,

    I think one of the ladies here put her finger on it, despite what is outside your window, it's what's inside that draws us to you and your blog. Of course the surrounding "landscape" and circumstances makes the peace and loveliness IN your home even more of a testimony. In Streams in the Dessert it says (loosely from memory), "He is not idle husbandman who makes these deep furrows in my heart... He proposeth a crop."

    Grace and Peace,
    Betty

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  14. dana8.8.07

    Your descrition feels 'worlds away', whereas blogging makes it seem you are neighbor next door.

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  15. I spent a year living in Amman, Jordan, and I remember those prayer calls well. After a while, they are like the sound from a train if you live near the tracks: you just don't hear them anymore! I do remember being assailed by the lovely scent of coffee each and every time I opened the door or window... I can still smell it today when I think about it!

    Just found your blog and am looking forward to further descriptions of your village.

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