Excuse me ma'am, your american is showing

Excuse me ma'am, your american is showing...and failing epically. Showing in the form of a pumpkin pie from scratch and failing in that it was awful. Stupid pies, I hate baking you. Never again. If anyone reading this, sometime in the future, hears me talk about baking a pie please, kindly remind me of the time I tried to bake a pie in Turkey and remind me that I hate baking pies. Luckily enough no one here had ever tried a pumpkin pie before and thus didn't know what it was suppose to taste like. They thought it was fine. I tried to inform them that it was a sheer abomination.

 

picture of the stupid pie

Other than the stupid pie thing, I finally got about to romping on the hill behind the garden, ya, it took me a month to get around to it. It was magnificent. The arid conditions, steep accent, and oaks (not sure what genus) reminded me very much of california. The hill was also covered in life. Lots of lizards ranging from lime and emerald green to a deep brown and small rodents scurried everywhere. As I was merrily hiking I heard loud rustling coming from behind a slope to my right. The creature made so much noise it was evidently an animal of substantial size, deer, wild pig maybe? I didn't make a move, hoping that it hadn't heard me earlier, and would make its way into my view of sight. A minute passed and the noise got louder and louder and finally, at the edge of the slope, a little tortoise head popped up and he slowly drug his hefty shell onto the flatter ground. "What immense luck!" I thought, and then proceeded to examine the little guy. Don't worry, I didn't touch him, animals deserve as much respect as humans. I wouldn't go running up to a german tourist, start petting him, and loudly declaring how cute he was in a baby voice. 

I was so happy to have been able to see a tortoise, and after I took a bajillion photos of him I continued down the trail. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds before I ran into another tortoise using the trail to expedite his travels. So of course, I followed him. For about 10 minutes, and about 50 feet, I watched him trudge along, occasionally stopping to chomp down on a leaf he thought looked delectable. His shell also showed signs that a larger creature had unsuccessfully tried to gnaw on him. After another bajillion photos and mental observations on his mannerisms, my patience finally wore out and I passed up the little dullard....and then 10 minutes later I ran into another. The hill was apparently crawling with tortoises and by the end of my hike it was, "oh, another tortoise." I even got to see a territorial dispute!

 Tosbağa (Testudo graeca) The spur-thighed tortoise or Greek tortoise 

(he's a little bit bigger than an American football)

Other than that the week went on like normal. The workers came, we worked, we ate, and we were merry. During the potato harvesting though, I kept running into these disgusting, bulbous larvae in the soil. They are about as long as your finger and apparently metamorphose into a beetle. 

They are apparently ravenous eaters,  and horrible for a crop. So, they had to go. Where did I take my prisoners? you might ask. There is only one place to take prisoners, and that is to 

The Colosseum!!!!!!!

I've come to the conclusion that it is a very good thing I was never a Roman empress...

Anyhoo, another interesting tidbit, I apparently have rather generic european features, because people seem to mistake me for being from whichever country I find myself. In France, everyone thought I was french, and in Turkey everyone thinks I'm turkish. This is, of course, before I speak. Yes, I know, your first reaction was,"...but you look nothing like the turkish." and that is when your pre-created image of the turkish comes into play (if you had one). While I was in Istanbul I was astounded by how diverse the features (facial, skin color, body shape, etc.) were among the inhabitants. Turkey is where the East meets the West, and this is very evident with the people. When they first see me everyone mistakes me as someone from Karadeniz (meaning Black Sea) characterized primarily by blue eyes, lighter skin, and slender figures. Hell, I can't wait until I go to the UK/Ireland, with my last name, features, and skill with an irish accent I can go completely incognito!!! MUAHAHAHA feeeel the power.

Oh, I've also started to use a miswak along with my normal toothbrush/toothpaste, it's a natural toothbrush made from the root of the Salvadora persica or toothbrush tree

"[They] have been used for over 1000 years, especially by Islamic populations in India, Arabia and Africa. Several agents occurring in the bark and wood have been suggested as aids in prevention of dental caries, such as antimicrobial agents that suppress bacterial growth and the formation of plaque. The tooth stick is also said to relieve toothache and gum disease." World Agroforestry Center <== this site is amazing, check it out

"A 2003 scientific study comparing the use of miswak with ordinary toothbrushes concluded that the results clearly were in favor of the users who had been using the miswak, provided they had been given proper instruction in how to brush using it." Wikipedia

Ever wonder how africans get their pearly whites so pearly white? They use the toothbrush tree!

Nature FTW ^_^

Berin and I are off to the city, Adapazari, today to go shopping for necessary supplies so I should get dressed and eat. I guess I should also inform you all that I have decided to extend my stay at Jade Farm another half a month. I'm quite happy here, and though my vagabond feet are twitching, I think it will be good for me to stay a while longer. 

I hope you all are doing well

Much love ^_^ 

Oh, I've also opened up the comments thing so anyone can post without creating an account. I didn't realize it was blocked. 

Toodles!