Daily Life in Eskisehir

Cay (sounds like chai) but it’s tea is an everyday occurrence from morning to night.  We were actually shocked when we went to eat at a coffee place the other night and they didn’t have cay!  People do drink coffee here but cay is the main drink.  It comes in little glasses (best described as hour glass shape with the top cut off and no handle) in most places but we’ve found cups in some restaurants.  During my shopping day last weekend with Ayse we stopped at a pet store where her husband was visiting a friend.  The first thing the owner did was ask if we wanted cay and of course you say yes.  He had an intercom to a delivery tea service and within 5 minutes we were all drinking our cay. We had noticed people walking across the street carrying glasses of tea on a tray but didn’t quite realize what it meant until last weekend.   Except for a few of the chain restaurants like Burger King there is very little ice here.  We buy cans of ice tea but I have yet to see ice sold anywhere. Cay is always served with sugar, none of that fake stuff served in any of the restaurants although you can find artificial sugar in the grocery store.  We use the artificial stuff  at school but use the sugar in the restaurants.  It’s just what you do.

We were walking down the street this morning coming back from breakfast and the manager of our weekend breakfast cafe saw us on the street and invited us into a new restaurant he is helping open just a block from our apartment.  Of course we had cay and he and the owners (a delightful couple who own three other restaurants in a partnership and speak English) shared their new menu and invited us back for their opening tonight.  Halil, the manager, has assured us that he talked to the chef and he can fix us vegetarian options.  They also have fish on the menu which is not very common here since Eskisheir is so far from the ocean or a sea.

Last night coming back from dinner I heard “Carol” and it was one of my kindergarten students with his sister and parents who speak English.  The mother is from Canada. We will probably see them on Sunday when we go back to school for the kindergarten parents meeting. (Last weekend was the parents meeting for the older kids) Turkish people do work long hours and it’s not at all uncommon to work 6 day weeks.

Today, Jerry and I were walking down the street talking and someone said to us, “you speak English”.   He had just returned here after being gone for 18 years and was anxious to speak English with someone.  We had a nice conversation before going on our way.

Today is sunny and warm after a few cold rainy days.  We’re off to see the movie Red at our neighborhood cinema.