I love the view of the neighborhood we have from our balcony; I love the way it allows me to notice things. I love the quiet of it. I often sit and look out into our neighborhood, and I’m thankful for it. It is a place where God’s faithfulness and rest meets me regularly

This is our balcony in our apartment. It is one of my very favorite spaces to occupy. God has met me there, sitting on the balcony, inviting me into a state of rest. The world feels so big, looking out at it. We’re often met with the noise of kids playing out in the bahçe, traffic, and the street behind our building. We live on a street full of restaurants that are alive at night. Turkish culture is a late night culture. It’s out on this balcony that I really appreciate every second and learn the value of time.

Ankara is a sprawling mess of hills dotted with apartment building after apartment building. Balconies are highly valued, as well as the bahçe (garden) outside the buildings. Turkish people are known for their hospitality. They love sitting out in the bahçe (garden) or balcony drinking tea, enjoying one another’s company. Tea becomes old after 20 minutes, and a new pot must be brewed. It’s the art of slowness, of noticing, of being.

I love this table. I got it from another family here when we moved in who was getting rid of it. I think that’s one of the fun things about the overseas life-- so many things are passed down and around from worker to worker. We sit at it daily, and I like to think about the past life it had, the other conversations and things it witnessed. My bible has been to 12 different countries with me, and this mug is the mug that sees me sleepy-eyed every morning. The journal I got with 3 friends from 3 different places who live in 2 different countries. This table cloth was a gift from a family in Ethiopia who needed a place to stay over a summer here in Turkey while we were in the States. I am excited to see the ways our story continues to weave its way through others.

Turkey has many good parks that are well trafficked and well taken care of. It’s a usual sight to see locals sitting in circles in the parks with their lawn chairs and small camping tables drinking tea or just enjoying each other’s company. There are a few man-made forests in the city and a couple lakes that are used for hiking and biking during the spring and fall. We also enjoy hiking and enjoying other parts of the country when we can get out of the city. Turkey has a lot of really great places to be outside that are not difficult to get to by car.

The trees bloom here in the spring with flowers. Springtime is one of my favorite times to take walks around our neighborhood because of this. God uses flowers to remind me of His promises, and every time I see something beautiful like this that catches my eye it feels like God is saying, “Here I am, I’ve got this-- and here you are, you’re in the right place.”

Hedgehogs are native to Turkey! We’ve seen them scurrying around in the early morning or late at night. This little guy was out for a stroll around 6:00am.

Growing up in suburban America, I wasn’t used to apartment life, so it definitely took some getting used to. We traded spacious, private backyards for small balconies and public parks. We traded miles of green trees for a dry climate and brown terrain. We traded curt and courteous “hey how are you”’s for language barriers and unsure “merhaba”’s. Outdoor cookouts are “mangal”s now, in the parks not the backyard, and lemonade is replaced with Turkish çay. Popsicles for dondurma and cookies for lokum. I guess outside still means the same thing: community. It just looks a little more Turkish than it did before.