Second Day

I just woke up after sleeping about sixteen hours. My whole family and I stayed up until about four in the morning watching TV and talking, me because I couldn't sleep from all of the tea I drank, and them so that they could eat really late at night. This is to keep them from being hungry the next day, when they are fasting. Right before I went to bed, I went and got my mother because I heard this faint rhythmic drumming going on all over the city. It turns out it was coming form the mosques reminding everyone to wake up to eat before they have to fast at sunrise! She warned me not to be afraid, because at "four half past clock" the imam (the leader of the mosque) would say the call to prayer from the minarets. I told her it wouldn't wake me anyways, and she laughed.

I woke up and took a shower, and it was raining very, very hard. They say "bardaktan bosanircasina yagiyor." This doesn't literally mean it's raining cats and dogs, but it's a similar phrase! Also, my anne (pronounced AH-nay, meaning mother) managed to tell me in broken English/Turkish combination that I am beautiful when I sleep. I can't believe how lucky I am to have another darling mother.

I must go eat dinner now, as it's almost six pm, or 18:00.

Hungrily,

Natalie