Yesterday Ankara made world news with the sudden floods in Mamak. İnci wondered if we should go today; together we contacted all who had signed up... and we had a first: everyone who had signed up turned up, one even bringing a friend. What a day, your last. Celebrations of what we have experienced and shared, of the things we have noticed and appreciated.
"Every time I come to Güneşköy is different. Togetherness grows over the day, between core regulars and newcomers. Today has been even more specail because of the rain."
Yolun açık olsun, and think of Güneşköy as the trains taking you back to Zürich cross viaducts!
After a morning planting sacsful of potatoes and 750 tomato plants - running for shelter once or twice as rain drops became too frequent, we all gathered for İnci's kitchen teams offerings. Sitting under the Mandala gölgelik (still only one layer of shading) we were nearly cold under the heavy black clouds.
As I looked in the 3rd room for materials for next Sunday's "İlk Güneşköy Çocuk Şenliği" (our first children's festival - which realy doesn't sound so good in English!), a drumming sound started. The rain on the glass... So thick and regular, dimming the light. The drumming turned to clapping, louder and harder. Hail! Our newly planted potatoes will be happy, but what about the small tomato seedlings? We'll have to keep you posted!
All our plans had come to a stop. People sat around on the settees... needing an activity to focus on. So out came my pens and blown eggs. What concentration! A striking design was our driver's ODTÜbüs, with METU's greenery in the background. "İlk defa resim çizdim!" Selim's first ever drawing was on an egg; "I'd never have done any in a piece of paper..."
And where did this rain come from? Two weeks ago, Hisarköy villagers organised a Rain Prayer event! Twenty years ago, I attended another Rain Prayer in a village of Nallıhan; that night so much rain fell that it washed away a bridge... So "Be careful what you ask for!" Two Indonesian students joined us. We need to make sure others don't spend 4 years in Turkey without being able to get out of cities!