I just have to tell the story, it's too good to keep to myself.

Customs finally got tired of dealing with us and rules/not rules about dual citizens bringing in household stuff. At 1600 today they told us to come and get our stuff the heck out of their storage facility. Gladly! The downside to this is that our house is not finished yet and now looks like it won't be done for at least another couple of months. Since we are currently living with MIL, the only other option is to stick all this stuff into our under-construction house. A few quick phone calls to the architect/contractor and we have it set up that the guys working on (not) building our house will assist with unloading the truck when we get there. Well, it takes darn near an act of God (plus a backhoe and some bags of cement) to get this huge truck with container up the curvy hill to where our house is. Once there, these guys decide that they are not going to help unload it after all without some major cash that we don't have--having given it all to the people at customs to get our stuff out. With much discussion going on amongst my hubby, the contractor, the truck driver, and the house "workers," our long-established Turkish neighbors start sticking their heads out of windows and eventually send the children out to find out what's going on. Before you can shake a stick at a sheep, we have half the neighborhood carting our boxes and furniture up the unpaved, barely graveled drive into our unfinished house. Meanwhile the guys (not) working on building our house are standing around watching the spectacle of all of us, including women and children, dragging this stuff around. Not only did these neighbors cart boxes and furniture for three hours, they built a makeshift door so that nothing could sneak out in the night, and the women gave us all tea!

Now if that's not the epitome of Turkish hospitality, I don't know what is!

Decent people, wish I could say the same for my neighbours... they are just a bunch of stuck-up snobs!! Good luck with house!

Kate, that's a great story! Thanks for sharing it.

Ahhh.....great how acts like this just make you feel that much happier!

Agreed Charly. Thats one of the reasons I love it here!