Well, it’s been a crazy several weeks! First, there was the Kurban Bayram holiday, which gave us Thursday afternoon, Friday and Monday off. During this holiday, I visited the towns of Hasankeyf, Mardin, and Şanlıurfa. It was quite a trip. Mardin was definitely my favorite city, because every single building, be it residence or business, is old stonework from who knows how long ago! Pics are available at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390855&id=12622428.
“Bayram” is a general term for a religious holiday or festival. This particular occasion involved the slaughter of hundreds of sheep, the meat of which is cooked, eaten, and given to the poor. Everyone does this in their own home; they get together with friends and family to celebrate and “cut a sheep” as some of them have explained it to me. I actually saw quite a few grisly sheep deaths during the day that Friday!
The very next weekend, my Tourist visa was up, and since our administration could not give us clear answers about when our residence permits would be ready, three of us who were in the same boat took a day and a night’s trip to Northern Cyprus, which was also amazing! The whole ordeal was rather frustrating, but since it’s resolved now, I won’t go into too much detail. It is resolved not only because I renewed my tourist visa by leaving the country and coming back, but a few days later, we received our residence permits!
We don’t have our work visas, however, which is sort of contradictory, considering the residence permit says we are here to work! Oh well. Meanwhile, work continues as usual. There is probably quite a bit more to say, since it’s been so long, but for now, this will have to suffice. Hopefully from now on, I’ll be updating this blog a little more frequently.
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