Jenni & Joe
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Adana, Turkey
Saturday, September 15 - Thursday, September 27
(We didn't keep a daily journal during these two weeks because we were so busy. Our time in Adana starts off with a quick pace.)

Joe is setting up a makeshift bureau, so he needs to buy supplies and hire some people. After a few days, the pace dies down and we are watching and waiting for an attack that has yet to happen. Adana is the fourth- or fifth-largest city in Turkey and frankly, isn't very attractive. Not many tourists come here, so there are few services we have become accustomed to, like a Tourism Information office, understandable public transportation. There are only a smattering of English-speakers. We are in a different role here - Joe is no longer a tourist, he is working. And we take our cues from the directions given to the American families stationed at Incirlik - don't go into the town, and stick close to home at night.

We are also staying in the Hilton, for several reasons: 1) there are few hotels in Adana, 2) the Hilton has a English-speaking staff that proves invaluable as Joe needs specific information, and 3) they provide in-room Internet access. For practical reasons, we eat most of our meals at the hotel. And staying at a hotel like the Hilton is very, very different from our other "homes" so far, and it takes some getting used to. Jenni struggles with the concept of charging a meal to the room. She appreciates the amenities, but far prefers a more local flair.

It's also a challenge to bring ourselves to spend money on a taxi - even though all these expenses would eventually be reimbursed by NBC. We eventually hire a driver and translator, Mustafa, a great guy who speaks very good English. Joe is overworking himself, staying up late and getting very little sleep. He is also getting sicker (we can tell because he can't eat very much.) His stomach has been feeling worse and worse every day for two weeks, but he refuses to see a doctor. Finally, Jenni calls the U.S. Consulate and finds an English-speaking doctor at the local hospital - a German woman who had married a Turk and moved to Adana - and schedules an appointment.

The doctor checked Joe over and the lab ran tests. It turns out Joe has tested positive for "Amip," which is the short name for a bacterial parasite. Joe named his new friend "Larry" and proceeded to get rid of him with antibiotics. He immediately felt better (his appetite returned). The doctor visit and the medicine together cost a whopping 50 bucks. And, despite what you might imagine, the hospital was very clean and efficient. We were seen right away and treated with respect by an English-speaking staff. We must say it was an ENORMOUS improvement over the chaos and disrespect we experienced back home at the Houston Hospital we visited earlier this year when Jenni's appendix was bursting and it took five hours to get seen by an emergency room doctor!

In between caring for Joe and helping to set up the bureau, Jenni still managed to sneak some touring in, checking out the new giant mosque built by the second-richest man in Turkey. It's right next to the hotel, and has six minarets - a really high number for a mosque. Jenni donated about $7 (10,000,000 TL) to the mosque when she donned her black shawl to cover her head and arms, and the guard let her go up to the third level of the minaret, giving a fabulous birds' eye view of the city.

We also went together to a barbecue party hosted by the Turkish journalists covering the story at Incirlik. We both felt right at home with these fine trenchers. Our language barrier seemed to disappear as we had more and more toasts of Raki (a liquor that tastes like licorice). They played Turkish music and even made Joe dance.

We feel lucky to have made some new friends during this assignment. But we don't much look forward to the prospect of ever having to go back to Adana.