Gel keyfim gel (Easy Going)

Today was picnic day. Because of the protests, plans changed somewhat, so instead of having my in-country orientation today, it was spend time with your host family day, so that's what I did. My host family went on a picnic with their son's best friend's parents, and it was quite the picnic. I wasn't expecting it to consist of three meals. I have eaten so many new foods that I don't know what to do with myself. Probably my favorite Turkish food thus far is simit, which is kinda like a giant bagel but better than a bagel. Also plenty of köfte, (lamb meatballs), mushrooms, cucumbers, tomato, onions, and cheese. And eggs. And other bread. It was very good. And potatos cooked on coals. That is the best way to eat them, trust me.

Leave them here for a while and then they are charred on the outside and wonderfully flavorful on the inside.

The park itself was nice too, although it was somewhat muddy. It's Mavi Göl Parkı, or blue lake park, named after the blue lake in the middle of it. The name is very original. :)
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Park is also a bit muddy...

This is a fantastic photo, which I took with Gürsel's camera. Note the skyline of Ankara in the background. It is beautiful.

Mountains in the background.

After going for a stroll around the park, and watching some Turkish backgammon, and sitting in the hammock, and drinking plenty of tea (tea should be made at ALL picnics), it eventually started getting windy, and later raining. This led to my host mom and her friend insisting that I should wear a table cloth while I was sitting on the hammock. 

I like hammocks a lot. You can tell.

Never before has anyone looked so ridiculous on a hammock.

Eventually that became two table cloths and a hammock. Then it started raining and we carried stuff back to the car. I get the impression that it is very important to cover your head in Turkey when it's raining, especially if you don't have an umbrella, which is why I carried stuff wearing a table cloth and a plastic bag on my head. Because I didn't mind much, Gürsel told me I was "gel keyfim gel ", I went with the flow of things. (Today's title.)

Best host family photo ever.

On the ride back from the park there were some people standing on the streets waving Turkish flags. They are against Tayyip's supporters, and things have been going on today as he has just come back to Turkey (hence, orientation is tomorrow.) Turkish society seems fairly split on Tayyip Erdoğan (the ğ is silent, hence the hat.) But, even though the main protests are taking place in Kızılay, an area I have avoided, though one close to me, I've still seen civil disobedience around. Before leaving the park, I noticed a man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, and during my walk last night, there were people banging on pots and pans. As a noise music aficianado, I definitely approve of these “pot voices.” Tonight I can hear them in the street at 9:00 as well. It's a very nice form of protest. 

And, as a last note for one Dan McFadden, who seems to get name dropped every other post, the most common car used as a taxi in Ankara seems to be the Hyundai Accent.