Oh my fecking God! Yes it is a little chilly outside but, please, people, calm the feck down. Let’s not lose our head about this. What is cold anyway? To those of you visiting from the UK it is in fact rather pleasant in Mersin at the moment. Yes there is a chill in the air. There is a fresh layer of snow on the mountain range behind us and yes it was raining earlier in the week but is it cold? Ummm, I really don’t think so.
Right now I am wearing short sleeves although I admit you definitely need a cardigan at night. Around me though people are dressing as if we were dealing with a polar vortex, discussing whether they need to dissect a Tauntaun (sorry nerdy Star Wars reference) and deciding whether to wait it out in the New York library with Jake Gyllenhaal (well alright if you insist). Sorry folks it is just cold and it is not really all that cold for that matter.
You know once the weather changes here Turkish people literally lose their minds. They verily believe that if it is not 400 degrees then you need to layer. Actually even if it is 400 degrees you still need to layer but not with the same intensity. Cover your back! Cover your neck! Do you need a scarf? *Sigh*
Flash back – middle of summer and I take Daughter and her cousin to the park. Daughter is running around in shorts and a singlet and Tatli is wearing – a singlet. A t-shirt. A long sleeve top. And she is carry a jacket with her. A jacket! She must keep her jacket with her at all times. OMG! It is literally – literally – 400 degrees in the park and Tatli has a jacket! Calm the feck down people! Daughter is drenched in sweat in her singlet and is throwing water on herself at any opportunity yet she’s the crazy one?
Truthfully though right now Daughter is sick. I am told by my kardeş (sister) that it is my fault because I have allowed Daughter to go outside in 25 degree heat wearing her short sleeve school shirt and without woollen stockings. Diagnosed with akut bronşit (bronchitis) she has spent the past few days in bed. Actually that is not accurate. She has in fact spent the past few days lying around on the couch, surfing the internet and watching old episodes of Pretty Little Liars. She has been prescribed a butt load of medicine (which she is, of course, taking reluctantly) although the clinic doctor is well aware of how I feel about enjeksiyonlar (injections) so he refrained from prescribing the Turkish equivalent of a headache tablet – the all secretive aşı (vaccine). This “vaccine” is suggested every single time I go to the clinic. What is this secret shot? God only knows but I can assure you I am not pumping Daughter with some unknown aşı by our neighbour whose official title is “village injector”. Trust me Doc once the antibiyotik kicks in you certainly don’t need the magical aşı pumped into your ass twice a day for a week!
So yes it is a little chilly here. Will Daughter wear a jacket next week? Probably. Is there a Snowpocalypse forecast? No, but if you are coming to Mersin in November, bring a cardigan alright?
Rant over.
janeyinmersin 
Love the star wars reference.!
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Only a hard core nerd would relate so thank you
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😀
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Yep. An ENT here told my friend her earache started because it’s cold outside. A medical professional! Same in Russia though. After I had a sinus surgery, my doctor told me to stay away from AC so as not to catch a post-op infection.
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Spot on… we fired up the heating for the past 2 nights; first this season, whilst most have been burning for a good month, lol. I remember a great shot I took at a hotel in Antalya one winter. There were to very young kiddies playing on the grass in late November . One was Russian, and wearing just a nappy/diaper. The other was Türk in a hoodie, boots etc. Go figure.
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I used to get told off by strangers in the street for not putting socks on my baby daughter in August.
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Yes that happened to me so many times I lost count lol!
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My hubby since he came here, to the UK, 12 years ago has done nothing but complain about being let down by the NHS cos he can’t get injected if he sniffs twice in a 24 hour period!
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Hope your daughter feels better soon. We are having a heatwave here in Queensland and it’s pretty warm in Melbourne too according to a friend of mine. Even I think 25 degrees is lovely and warm! Cheers, Jane. 🙂
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It is warm. If i was in sydney with 25 degrees id be hitting Manly beach for a swim. All Turks are crazy!
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Last injection I had for an ailment was for migraine, and it was administered in my backside. Cured my sore throat an absolute treat!
Hope Daughter feels better soon.
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Hmmm you would no doubt love The Injector here then. He swears by his needles (but frankly I find him more scary than a Turkish Freddie Kruger)
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. . around here everything changes on a set date – on go the cardies and coats, the ladies tuck their jim-jams into the obligatory grey woolen socks which are underneath the ‘baggies’ which are almost swamped by the ankle-length, home knitted weskit – all this regardless of what the weather is doing – or not!
At least they now stock ice cream in the village shops during the winter as the myth that you’d get flu and die if you ate any after first week in October were disproved by the foreigners!
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Snow came late to Cappadocia this year – it arrived 3 days late although everyone knows that the first snow always comes on 19th November every year, of course. And our bakkal stops stocking ice-cream on 15th September every year. Geçmiş olsun to your Daughter.
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Turkey is very consistent with its change of weather isn’t it?. Here in Mersin there is usually one massive storm and suddenly you find yourself pulling out cardigans and blankets.
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Interestingly, Poles act the same way as Turks do about the weather! Every bus and tram I step into is like 1000F already and it’s not that bad with highs in the 40s right now. In September, I saw a Polish child dressed like in a full snowsuit while I was wearing a tshirt and jeans…and sweating!
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Hilarious because I could write the exact same post only substitute Northern California. When I commuted I routinely saw people sitting on the heated train (because after all its’ under 20 Celsius) wearing down coats, scarves, glovesa nd double sweatshirts.
I walk a lot since being a house husband and think they’re all nuts. I see them bike riding in long sleeve black pants when the sun here is like Saudi Arabia most of the year. If it’s under 70F or 20C, they all bring out clothing I didn’t wear as a Canadian expat until it was several degrees below the freezing mark. I’ve never worn anything but light sweatshirts here and that’s only the first few hours of the day before the winter sun routinely warms us up to warm (even hot sometimes in winter) but they all wear winter down coats, vests, gloves adn even wool hats.
Crazy !!! Thanks for the post that reminds me I’m not crazy, they are !!
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