{"id":2874,"date":"2015-11-27T22:06:36","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T19:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=2874"},"modified":"2015-11-27T23:29:06","modified_gmt":"2015-11-27T20:29:06","slug":"people-potatoes-and-feral-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=2874","title":{"rendered":"People, Potatoes, and … feral cats"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/strong>n our travels we see incredible countries that are historical and welcoming; yet people are what makes this World great.\u00a0 Without people, the World may be beautiful but\u00a0boring.<\/p>\n

So, let’s talk about a few of them.\u00a0 These are the good people who come to our office twice a week to clean.<\/p>\n

Nadjia<\/strong> – During the Halloween celebrations at the Embassy, she posed near some of the decorations so a friend could photograph her.\u00a0 So, I pulled my phone out to take some also.\u00a0 The one below is her with Camal.\u00a0 Then with her and Yousef.\u00a0 These images\u00a0 perfectly portray her innocence and love of Life.\u00a0 Only a very few times have I seen her quiet, which was usually because she was tired or feeling ill.\u00a0 She works 5 days a week at the Embassy, and the weekends cleaning other places, plus finding time going to school to learn English.\u00a0 If you ask me, she is more a success than a great many people in the States.\u00a0 Even among some of the arrogant American Foreign Service officers.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0171\"<\/a>\"IMG_0167\"<\/a>As I told you before how she learned the term, \u201cSee you later, alligator.\u201d\u00a0 Followed with her learning the response, \u201cAfter while, crocodile.\u201d\u00a0 Recently, she learned to say, \u201cOkey Dokey.\u201d\u00a0 Except her rendition is \u201cOinky Doinky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camal – <\/strong>Camal is quiet and friendly, yet I see where Nadjia irritates him at times, because she is so light-hearted while he is serious.\u00a0 She sings while she works and he mutters to her in Turkish.\u00a0 She just smiles and continues singing.\u00a0 Once Camal noticed I had cigars in a box on my desk, he asked for a couple for him and his friends.\u00a0 I obliged.\u00a0 The next Monday, he told me they were too strong and he didn\u2019t want anymore.\u00a0 But I still offer to him at times.<\/p>\n

Yousef<\/strong> – As Camal moved on to other cleaning jobs, Yousef took his place.\u00a0 Very quiet and extremely polite.\u00a0 He always smiles at me and I greet him whenever I see him.\u00a0 \u201cG\u00fcnayd\u0131n, Yousef Bey.\u201d (Good Morning, Yousef, Sir.)<\/p>\n

One of finest Turkish men I have met, is Fekrit Calim<\/strong>.\u00a0 He is the father of one of our Turkish Technicians, Aydin.\u00a0 Often when we go to Istanbul or Adana to work, he will come with us as they have relatives all over.\u00a0 He is one of those people who you want to stand when they arrive. He\u2019s only 11 years older than me, but I show him the respect that is given for the revered elderly.\u00a0 Below is him sitting with Aydin.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0034\"<\/a>I gave him the excuse of my mother being 900 years old and loves the pictures I send.\u00a0 He was delighted to oblige.\u00a0 The man speaks excellent English.\u00a0 Started learning it as a kid while\u00a0 working with the Intelligence agencies, cleaning their barracks.\u00a0 He has a good assortment of stories to tell.<\/p>\n

About a month ago, one of the cats on the Embassy grounds scratch a kid, thus prompting calls for their ouster. (cats, not the kids)\u00a0 Most likely, the kid had it coming, because the cats maybe a little leery of us, but they are non-threatening.\u00a0 Below is a image I thought was worth posting.\u00a0 Management said to quit feeding the feral cats.\u00a0 As a friend said, they obviously do not know the meaning of feral<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0169\"<\/a>Terese went with me to work on the G20 Summit down in Antalya and on the way back, we decided to stop and purchase some potatoes and onions from one of the many roadside vendors.\u00a0 We purchase a bag each for a total of 30 TL, which is about $10.50.\u00a0 Split it up and gave some to Serkan and Allison.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0187\"<\/a>Okay.\u00a0 Times up.\u00a0 But currently, I am having an interesting conversation with the Damn Cat and hope to share it soon.\u00a0 Until then, kick butt.\u00a0 D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our travels we see incredible countries that are historical and welcoming; yet people are what makes this World great.\u00a0 …<\/p>\n

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