I was working here - left that job, start another in a month - I have a lovely boyfriend, with whom I have been living for the past 10 months, but no immediate plans for marriage.

Fact!

H.

Actually I hit it "lucky" and landed a smoker on the first try...

Joy.

H.

As a British woman living in Turkey - I shall feel duly honoured as An International Woman...

H.

(What about National Women?)

Smoking Statistics for Turkey

There's a 1 in 2 chance of any Turkish man you meet (in Turkey) smoking...

H.

What I meant was - in Turkey it seems like Christmans (December 25th, folks!) has been adopted by the Turks, but moved to the 31stDec/1st Jan.

* Christmas Trees
* Father Christmas (thanks Coca Cola)
* Tinsel
* Presents

etc...

It is a religious festival for Christians (with special Church services and songs - carols) but the new Turkish yıl başı celebrations are entirely material, as far as I can see.

Very surreal - I was in Capadocia for NYE last year (2004-5) in a bar surrounded by drunken Turkish twenty somethings with Santa hats on and tinsel round their necks!

H.

What about New Year (with the attendant yıl başı ağacı - isn't it some kind of surrogate Christmas with presents for the children (a relatively new thing, I think)...?

H.

So true mltm - Following the slippers/chair converstaion (during which I insisted that NO-ONE was coming into my house without removing their shoes) my boyfriend Can then said "Well what about M bey?" (my boss).

Good point - there are some people you *just can't ask* you have to hope that they'll be considerate enough to catch on!

H.

As my mum (64 last year) says - asking your guests to take their shoes off is fine, but you need to give them somewhere to sit when they do and some slippers or house shoes to put on afterwards to keep their toes warm (Gawd bless the oldies).

She had a point.

Can and I are saving up for guest shoes and a seat now...

H.