EXTRA Extra, read all about it!

News update, streaming ticker style:

1. FINALLY FOUND BEYKOZ (I thought that I was living in Beykoz, but I was wrong. The real Beykoz if gorgeous and quaint and by the sea) last week when I accidentally took the Mecidiyekoy bus in the wrong direction and followed the coast of the Bosporus north away from the Bridge. Reaction: BEAUTIFUL!

2. WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS - after making a joke about taking out a personal add in the local paper to find other nannies in the area (as my social circle is nonexistent in Asia), I decided it wasn't such a joke after all and actually put a want ad on the forum of one of the expat websites I am networked in (http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=31825). I have since been discovered by a nanny HERE in my very complex who has an entire group of Nanny friends here in the neighborhood. We all have a date to lie around the pool across from my house tomorrow. And I actually did get one hit on my post on the website from a South African girl who just got here, and will hopefully meet her one afternoon next week.

3. 3 MONTHS IS THE CONFIDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE THRESHOLD - for some reason, as of last week, all reservations are lifted about travelling alone and exploring here. I suddenly feel that I know enough of the city and language to move rather comfortable all by myself. Quel relief!

4. I'M THE NANNINATOR! - My long weeks of confusion and pussy footing around the family, children, maids, and drivers is over. I am now fully stepping into my role of teacher and ADULT with the girls. I AM in charge. I WILL have respect. And NO, you cannot have baklava for dinner!

How it all Began...GreatAuPair.com

The first thing you need to know is that i have wanted a Nanny job for over three years. I have been actively looking since January of this year (09). Late last winter I created a profile on AuPair.com hoping to find a position in a French Speaking family in Switzerland...To make a long story short, I got a whole lot of nothing but disinterest and creepy scams. (never never NEVER wire money to ANYONE you don't know!) June to November was a constant rollercoaster of thinking I would be leaving for Switzerland, England or France, only to have it fail at the last minute. Finally I gave up and tired of being unemployed applied for a job in my neighborhood...

Just when it started to look like I was doomed to spend the rest of my life right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan (my own personal Hell) an old roommate suggested GreatAuPair.com. With very little hope, I skeptically created a profile on Tuesday. Wednesday morning I had 7 messages from families all over the EU, one of which was a family in Istanbul Turkey. As soon as I saw their pictures on their family profile I knew they were what I had been looking for. I had found "My Family".

That was last week.

The mother, Sebnem, and I then began to exchange almost daily emails. Today, we were finally able to connect and talk face to face using Skype. I was able to meet both the mother and father, and they were able to meet a few members of my family (including my VERY relieved Mom) through the wonder of the modern webcam.

The date is set. We shall be buying a plane ticket from Chicago, IL to Istanbul, Turkey for February 1, 2010!

Merry Christmas Eve to me and to you too.