Oh, what 1 year can hold...

Today marks one year since I flew to Istanbul on a one-way ticket, knowing that I was going to learn Turkish and not knowing much past that. The first time I was here, I stayed for 4 months as an exchange student. This past time, it was with more long-term in mind. It has been an amazing year, with lots of blessings and unexpected surprises. Here's the run down of what this year has had lots of. 

>>>----------> Lots of visits with friends.

I started off the year celebrating my best friend's wedding both in a small village and then in the big city. I literally danced my feet off at both of these big events (in my mind, looking just like a Turk, but I know they were all just being kind). Months later, during the summer, I was invited to celebrate one of the holidays with a great Turkish friend and her family in Konya. And then, a trip to see my sweet friend Emily (of Emiloid on YouTube) became my first mini-roadtrip with my sister. We loved spending time with Emily and discovering her new city! Here's to hoping and praying that the coming year involves even more visits to see and spend time with my besties :)

>>>----------> Lots of learning.

My road to being bilingual has many more footsteps on it than a year ago. It has involved hours and hours of classes, watching foreign films, and getting up the courage to talk to strangers in a strange language. It's funny to even see that you have a different sense of humor when you speak in a second language. Learning another language definitely gives you a new insight into the culture and life of another people group, and even into yourself.


>>>----------> Lots of coffee. 

If you haven't figured it out, coffee is my comfort food. And maybe my love language. I love sitting down with a warm mug, whether it is with a friend or my journal or a great new read. My parents brought me my very own filter coffee machine (yes, that is a special thing here), and I love cuddling up with a warm mug on the weekends. To be quite honest, I had 3 pumpkin spice lattes...in the first 4 days of October. Yep. #pslatte #whyamihashtaggingmyblog #becauseitsthepslatte


>>>----------> Lots of friends from every nation.

I am blessed to call people my friends who have intersected my life here in Turkey but who began their journeys in many different places. Some came here to seek a new experience. Others were forced to flee their war-torn homes to seek freedom and opportunity. I'm so thankful for our friendships and also for how they help me understand reality better.

>>>----------> Lots of tears.

It would be wrong to act as though life is a walk in the park. It's not. Being on the other side of the world from my family is especially rough. To be honest, every time I say goodbye to them, I go through weeks of withdrawal: depressed spirit, lack of motivation, even loss of appetite. I would have a hard time going on if it wasn't for...


>>>----------> Lots of knowledge that I'm where God wants me to                          be.

Life may be far from perfect, but that is expected - it's not heaven yet. But this life with God is certainly good. And HE promises so much to those who chase after Him. It is worth it. It is all worth it. HE proves it to me day after day.

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 

Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Matthew 5:3-16 

(New Living Translation)

Thank YOU, GOD, for a great year. Here's to many more.

~ Faithful Nomad

If you give a blog a breakfast...

Saturday mornings. 
Seriously one of my favorite parts of the week. 
Especially since I have lots of relaxing time to make and enjoy breakfast and coffee! 

But really, when I go to bed on Friday night it is more than likely that I am already thinking about what I'm going to wake up and concoct in my kitchen the next morning. 

Breakfast is my favorite meal. 

There is just something about all the different ways to enjoy the beginning of your day that excites me.  Nowadays, since I have transitioned from flexible-scheduled student to early-rising career lady, it is really important to me to have a healthy, yummy meal in the mornings. I always wake up starving, so I love quick options that are easy to do in single-servings.Something that I can make on weekdays, and not just Saturday mornings when I have more time. And coffee. Yes, coffee is very important too.

If you are like me, these recipes below will be the halo to the wee hours of your morning. Or those later-than-usual breakfasts that pour into lunch on the weekends. Either way, try them, make variations on them, or comment below with your additions. Read to the bottom to see my all-important picks for coffee as well. 


{Creamy Breakfast Oats and Quinoa}

Now seriously, you are wondering what breakfast and quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) are doing in the same sentence. Quinoa is one of the best foods that you can give your body. Eating it on a regular basis is a sure way to improve your health. It's mineral, fiber, and protein content is off the charts. If you are a vegetarian like me, this is even more likely to catch your attention. I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago in my favorite-in-all-the-world cookbook -

 

It calls for cooked quinoa, which you make by cooking 1 part quinoa to 1.25 parts water, just like rice. Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, and after it is dry and light you fluff it with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes before using in a recipe. I like to make 1 cup of quinoa (which makes a huge amount of cooked quinoa) and put it in my fridge, so that I can make this breakfast super fast every day. 

Recipe serves 2

1.5 cups milk, soy milk, or rice milk
1 TBSP honey
0.25 tsp ground cinnamon (or a generous sprinkling if you are like me)
pinch of salt
0.5 cup cooked quinoa
0.75 cup whole oats

In a small saucepan, bring the milk, honey, cinnamon, and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Add the quinoa and oats, cover, and cook until the mixture is thick and creamy and the oats are tender, 7-10 minutes. 

This is a great way to add quinoa to your day and reap the many benefits of this special seed.

{Super Easy From-Scratch Pancakes}

When I was in elementary school, I loved the Boxcar Children books (actually, I still do). Their independence and go-for-it spirit inspired me. This cookbook, The Boxcar Children Cookbook by Diane Blain has great recipes for things the kids made in the books. My favorite is their pancake recipe. 

Recipe for 3-4 pancakes

1 cup flour
1 TBSP sugar
0.75 cup milk
2 TBSP oil (like canola or sunflower)
1 TBSP baking powder
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients. Cook in a non-stick pan with a nice layer of oil in the bottom on low-medium heat.  Whips up in minutes. 

{Like-Your-Mama's Biscuits}

My Mom makes these biscuits from a cut-out recipe from an old magazine. They are absolutely delicious, and I personally love to drench them in honey and eat alongside scrambled eggs. These are also very easy to whip-up quickly in the mornings, or make them the night before and stick in the fridge.

Recipe for 4 biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
0.25 cups oil (canola or vegetable)
0.5 cup milk

Mix your dry ingredients. Then, mix in oil. After, mix in milk. Use flour on hands to form dough balls that are the size of your palm. Place on oiled pan or parchment paper and gently press down to make a biscuit shape. Bake at 450 degrees F until golden brown on top.

{Turkish Breakfast}

It would be absolutely criminal of me to not mention the specialty of my current country. Turkish breakfast is amazing and begs to be savored with friends for hours on end. Here are the essentials.

Boiled egg
Bread (Italian bread or baguette would be my choice if you aren't in Turkey)
Olives (both black and green, and definitely with pits)
Cheese (both creamy ones, like kaşar or mozzarella, as well as crumbly ones like beyaz peynir or feta)
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Variety of fruit jams
Nutella

And here for your viewing delight, a variation of Buzzfeed's "What Does the World Eat for Breakfast?" video (watch until the end for full appreciation). 

My Coffee Choices

Coffee is a staple. This morning, I am drinking Southern Pecan Cream coffee from Coffee Haus (if you live in Turkey, this is a great option). When I'm craving a more smoky taste, their Sumatra is also an amazing choice. When I'm States-side, I love Trader Joe's Fair Trade coffees, as well as any of the choices from the Dekalb Farmer's Market. When in Chattanooga, Rembrandt's Coffee is the bomb dot com. 

If you liked this post, here's what you need to do! 1) Go to the right-side and follow by email. 2) Share this post on your Facebook page so that others can enjoy a lovely breakfast. 3) Go follow me on Instagram at @faithful_nomad to stay up-to-date with my adventures. 

Later this week is my 1 year anniversary in Istanbul! Be on the look-out for my special anniversary post, all about this past year and the things that have happened. 

Afiyet olsun ~ Bon appetite ~ Enjoy

Snapshot of [Amsterdam]

Yesterday I was flying to America from Turkey and had an 8.5 hour layover in Amsterdam. So, I decided to "gezi" around the city and see as much as I could while I was there. It was everything I imagined! Check out this quick video to see my Snapshot of [Amsterdam].

Notes:
1] When I say that I had coffee... I really did just have coffee.
2] I found Kaelin Paradise at the amazing Openbare Bibliotheek, the biggest library in Europe. While wandering around the library, it crossed my mind that they were playing really great piano music...and then I realized that it was live! They have a piano that anyone is allowed to play for up to 30 minutes at a time. Watch at the end of the video to see a clip. Later on, a group came in and everyone joined in in singing the song with them!

While you are here, become a follower of Faithful Nomad (add your email at the right side of this post). Comment with your favorite things to do in Amsterdam below! Until next time...

When I Laugh on the Bus...

it's probably because I am listening to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! Like, sometimes I have literally had to start listening to something else because I was starting down a road of uncontrollable, that-girl-is-nuts, tears-streaming-down-my-face kind of laughter. All because of a podcast.

Most of us spend some part of our days on a commute. You may spend yours in a car. I spend mine on a bus, metro, school shuttle and walking. But no matter how you get somewhere, there is always that little voice in the back of your head saying that you are wasting part of your day. But what if you weren't? What if you could reclaim that time? What if you could transform your commute into a time of learning, laughter, and growth? That's where this little tool comes into play. The podcast. Something that sounds so archaic can actually be the light at the end of the tunnel. Your underpass tunnel, so to speak. Or my metro one.

My Dad first introduced me to podcasts on long-distance road trips. Soon, after many silent and boring commutes here in Istanbul, I found myself downloading Podkicker onto my phone. This was indeed one of the best free downloads I have ever installed. Suddenly, my commute had all of these opportunities opening up in front of it. Did I want to listen to international news? Or learn about how perfumes work? Or get some Turkish studying in? The options were countless.

My main 3 podcast areas are these:

News
Listening to the news helps you to break out of the bubble of your reality. It helps you remember that the world is moving along just as you are. My favorite news podcast is the Global News by the BBC and I also greatly enjoy listening to the Diane Rehm Show.

Learning
I have started using some Turkish phrases in my daily conversations that I didn't even learn in class...I learned them from podcasts like Turkish Tea Time. Funny side note: Many of my friends here  in Istanbul listen as well to Turkish Tea Time, and it is actually produced here in Istanbul. We have heard the host's voice so much that we joke that if ever we hear him out in public, we are going to shout "Justin!!!" Podcasts aren't just great for learning a new language (which is a wonderful thing to do, by the way - http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27634990). Stuff like RadioLab, Freakonomics, How Stuff Works, Stuff You Should Know and more can help you learn about any and all topics.

Laughter
It's true. Laughter is the best medicine. And sometimes it's just what you need after a day at work or school. So try Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me or The Prairie Home Companion by NPR if you are up to getting a few laughs (and probably tears) in while you drive.

Comment below with the podcasts that you listen to and recommend, if you are already transforming your commute!

If you want to listen to some books on your commute, try out Audible! Doing the free trial also helps fund my traveling through Amazon Affiliates :)

He is all that matters.

Today, I donned my coat and sneakers and threw my journal into my bag. I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets and left my apartment, trekking up and down crowded streets, past bus stops, over rocky sidewalks. All the way to a secluded hill-top park bench. I could see the hazy skyline as the sun set, and the air was crisp, cold, and as fresh as it can get in such a busy city.  I needed space to clear my thoughts. I needed time to talk to my Maker. I needed to breath.

I do not have it all together. I like to appear as though I do, but I definitely don't. I myself am a mess. I'm falling apart. There are days that I feel under so much pressure. There are days when I feel as though I'm accomplishing nothing. Days when I wish I could see my purpose drawn with a permanent marker on the plans for my life. There are days when it's all I can do to keep from crying in public. I cried out to God today, I don't even know what I need. I don't even know what I want. There are days when I just wish that life wasn't such a struggle.

I can't hold myself together. I've tried. It doesn't work. But, you see, I'm not a hopeless case. None of us are. Because we aren't made to hold our lives together. We are made to entrust them to someone else. Someone Else.

He is holding me together. I don't know what I would do without Him. Him, being my God, my Jesus, my Savior. You see, even when I know that I'm a mess, that I don't know what's going on, that I feel out of control, HE is in control. There is a purpose for my life written by His hand in permanent marker, and I trust that even though it's not my place to see it, HE does. Some days it's hard to hand it over. To not worry. To trust. But He tells me that I can trust Him. He says that my life is in His hands. He says that my purpose is grounded in bringing Him glory and loving Him. He says that I wasn't made to hold my life together; He made me to be dependent on Him.


Corrie Ten Boom said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

It's hard. Because, hello, this sure isn't heaven that we are living in. And until then, life is a struggle, because we live in a world where satan is telling us lies about life and is successfully deceiving so many people. But I hold this truth so close to my heart:

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."    Romans 8:38

Nothing. No matter how I feel, no matter what I do, He's never going to leave me. He's never going to stop loving me. He knows my thoughts. I mean, He knows me better than I know myself, because He literally made me and shaped me. It's not like I'm going to have a bad day, and He's going to walk out on me. That would be impossible. I am convinced. I don't need to have it all together, because He does and that's all that matters. I don't need to know my future, because He does and that's all that matters. Nothing can separate us from God's love. He is all that matters.