Fortunes

On October 10 I had my forture told. 

It started out like any other Monday.  I don't generally work on Mondays so that day I had made plans to meet one of my new students for lunch with her mother and friend.  We met at the English school and taxied over to her place.  So far, just an ordinary day in my life...I arrived, and after some initial awkwardness (her mother was extremely nervous to have an English speaking teacher in her home!) every one was chatting and eating and having a good old time.  In the middle of our lunch (which was home made manti and börek - yummy!!) my student received a phone call and after some speedy Turkish talking informed me that her neighbor would be coming over for Turkish coffee. 

Traditionally, after you drink Turkish coffee, you flip over your tiny coffee cup (think espresso cups here) and someone looks at the remaining grounds and tells your fortune.  Usually you pay someone for the privilege of having this fortune told.  Not one to disrespect tradition, I didn't refuse when my student's neighbor looked at me and asked if she could tell me my fortune free of charge.

I drained my coffee and flipped my cup over and waited.  Normally, I don't go for these kinds of fortune telling folk - generally, they tell you generic stuff and you read into what you want.  This is what I was prepared for.  What I wasn't prepared for was this stranger who I had just met 20 minutes previously to be so eerily accurate with details about my life.  I had goosebumps as I listened to her - well, to my student because the neighbor didn't speak English and my understanding wasn't enough to make sense of everything myself.

She fortold 7 things about my life and so far 4 of them have come true.

1.  She said my sister was pregnant (she didn't know I had a sister) and that the baby would be a girl (my sister wanted a surprise so chose not to find out the sex of their baby).  She said that my sister must give this little girl our mother's name. -- This turned out to be true.  Despite everyone saying it would be a boy, my sister had a little baby girl on December 19th and she does carry our mother's name.

2.  She said my brother would be having some legal troubles soon.  He will want to get away from home and will be thinking about coming to visit me.  I must let him come whenever he wants and support him as much as I can.

3.  I would have trouble with my present room mate.

4.  In February, I would want to go home because my father would be getting very ill.  It wouldn't be life threatening but I would want to go to be with him.  -- Again, true - my dad was struck with shingles in February and it effected his eyesight.  I did want to go home at that time...

The things she fortold that haven't happened yet:

1.  In three years time I will buy a house in the Çankaya region of Ankara.  I will be married.  I will go home but I will come back here to live because my life is here now.

2.  I will have a very high paying position at a university in Ankara.  A man whose name has an M in it will help me to get this position.  Still waiting to meet Mr. M...

3.  I have an inheritence in my mother's home town.  My relatives are waiting for an appropriate time to give it back to me.  I shouldn't do anything to rush this though.

She also told me that I have a very strong force watching over me.  She asked if I carried my mother's picture with me - I said no.  She said it was very important that I get a photo and put it in my wallet right away because she thinks the force that is watching over me is my mother and having her photo with me will give us a stronger connection.  -- I do keep her photo with me now...I don't know if I feel any strong connection but it does make me feel better knowing that she's so close.