Joys of living here

I love having the chance to travel and meet people from all over the world. In the States, I know mostly people my own age, who are married, Christians, conservative....basically, just like me. In the past 10 years, I've befriended Kyrgyz, Turkish, Uzbek, Tatar, Russian, Uighur, Kazakh, Korean, and other people. I've enjoyed fellow Americans who are totally different from those I know in the States. I've especially valued friendships with other young women. Tomorrow I get to go visit a Turkish friend, who made a special dish called ashure today...depending on what you read, this commemorates Noah landing on Mt. Ararat, God giving Moses the 10 Commandments, the martyrdom of a grandson of Muhammad, and other occasions. I'm excited that my friend has invited me and to get to taste this "soup" made from dried fruits, grains, legumes, and nuts. An added bonus to these friendships is tasting so many delicious new foods and learning to make some of them!