sayonara Sarigerme

Muhammed is laughing as he reads the translation on his phone.  Pam has asked him a question about getting her car registered and he can't think of the word in English.  "My phone speaks better English".  Muhammed runs the local real estate office in Sarigerme so of course he knows all the ex-pat residents. In his younger years he went to Germany and worked there through the winters, returning to Turkey in the summer.  So his German is better than his English.  He has had a slow year.  We call in regularly to say hello at his office and enjoy a Turkish glass of tea, two sugars thanks.  Sometimes he gives us lovely sage tea.

the oranges are perfect

Muhammed's family name is Teryaki.  We wondered if he had some Japanese connection.  When Ataturk began modernising the country after the collapse of the Ottoman era and the birth of the new republic, one thing introduced was family names.  Up until then, you were simply known as son of or daughter of whoever.  Muhammed's grandfather lived in a small village where the chief was obliged to write down everyone's new family name.  He asked the other men what they should call his grandfather.  The man liked his coffee, his tobacco and the name means, here Muhammed explains he can't ascribe the right Englishword, "it's something like addict".  Epicurean??

Joe used to go swimming with Muhammed and Mike, an Englishman who also lives here with his wife Linda.  They are back in England whilst we are here, but Mike returns in our final week with Pam, so we do at least get to meet him.  He used to live down the road from us in Manchester.

watching the waves crash in

The winter is drawing to a close.  The days are getting longer.  The storms are fewer and further apart.  We have had a fabulous time here with Pam and as she points out when we leave, the circumstances are not what any of us had wanted, but we're glad we've been to visit and we are certain we will see Pam again.  That spark of friendship that she and Joe kindled when we first met ten years ago remains alive and strong. Thank you Pam.