One month ago we arrived in our new city. On one hand it feels like we've been here ages, on the other hand we feel like we've just arrived.
It feels like we've managed to find some semblance of routine and normality fairly quickly. I do Turkish study first thing in a morning while L gets the boys up, fed, dressed etc. Then I look after the boys during the day while L does Turkish study, computer programming, job researching and hunting.
We are enjoying having a choice of parks within a 1 - 10 minute walking radius - all with grass and trees next to them! We're meeting neighbours as well - news of our moving-in has obviously spread through the building as every neighbour we meet seems to already know of us. It's not every day you get a foreign family moving into your building in this part of the world!
We are so glad to be out of Istanbul but at the same time we miss our friends and the community that we had in Istanbul. Moving from one city to another in a country that isn't your home country is an odd thing. We're used to living in a different country from our friends and family in the UK so although there are certainly painful moments saying goodbye to them still, it's a familiar set of emotions. But now we have also gained a whole new set of people to miss, and the routines and life that we shared with them. We knew when we went to Istanbul that we would only be there for a couple of years but we consciously made friends knowing that our time in Istanbul would be temporary. And I'm so grateful to our friends in Istanbul, who knew that we wouldn't be staying long term but still invested in friendships with us.
But we are not pining for life in Istanbul. We love having a bigger flat and not living in an area so dense that it was sometimes claustrophobic. We have been so welcomed by our believing family here and it is a privilege to join with them. Having moved to a much more conservative city, we weren't sure what kind of reception we'd get from our neighbours but everyone so far has been very friendly (thankfully we live in an area that is probably more welcoming and tolerant than other areas).
God is good :-)
