Caray, Caray!

lejos

Anyone up for a recap? Brief is fine.
 

lejos

It's preempted by fútbol on my NYC station tonight.

 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

lejos

Interesting about the preemption, dondi. It was my week to put up the pages, and I always check my DirecTV schedule for the whole week. It showed Lejos every day of the week. Guess I'll just have to see what happens at 10PM.
 

lejos

Well, my DVR didn't record anything at 10PM, but the guide showed something about one of those episodes where they re-visit what happened recently. My DVR is set up to record only new episodes of this dizi, as well as other programs. Who wants re-runs?
 

"CASILLAS"
Looking forward to seeing how Annoying Laura tries to get away from Crazy Victor.

 

lejos

You left us with a great question on Thursday, novelera: “So, if Sada lucked out with a fantastic man, why wouldn't she have gotten over what happened?”

Oops, I misspelled the new doc’s last name—it’s “Kılınç”. Sounds like it uses the dotless i but I won’t bother with that or the ç going forward. We will probably call them by their first names anyway, Ugur is the son and Fikret is the father.

I’ll have the Friday recap up later today.

 

OT – language learning

Novelera, I hope you’re hanging out on Caray this weekend, because this is a reply to a post of yours a while ago. You said you’d studied four (!) of the Latin languages, and I think you mentioned you have German relatives.

My family is Scottish/Irish, but in junior high I zeroed in on German for reasons I’m not exactly sure about. Maybe it was because my best friend and I were huge fans of the TV show Combat and I was absolutely electrified when a Kommandant said “Kommen Sie hier!” and I actually understood. I was dying to take German but it wasn’t offered in junior high. My father insisted I take Latin because it would give me a good feel for how a language is constructed. I hated Latin (nobody to speak Latin to! why learn it?) but yes, I did learn about noun cases etc.

High school offered French, Spanish and German. I thought French was too frou-frou (I later would take a lot of years of it and fell in love with it too), but here’s the thing: I didn’t consider Spanish because I didn’t think it was a foreign language! I grew up in a suburb of L.A. and because this land once belonged to Mexico before President Polk did a Putin and stole it at gunpoint, of course we had our place names and our Mexican restaurants and our Latino people, lots of them speaking Spanish. The neighbors next door were Mexican. I could understand a few words, but so what? That was normal for around here so it didn’t excite me the way understanding just a brief command in German did. It wasn’t foreign!

Back then (I’m a boomer) language was taught so we would be well-rounded and cultured. The concept that we might actually use it much in our futures wasn’t part of the plan. Though everyone in my school spoke perfect English, I did later hear harrowing stories of kids of my generation for whom English was not a first language being actually punished for speaking their native language.

So the concept that the best thing to do would be to learn a language that’s spoken around you never dawned on me. We had been taught to count in Spanish, and some phrases, and my grandmother who lived in New Mexico insisted on teaching me the chorus to Cielito Lindo because she said a person had to know that. Her house was decorated with Mexican pottery and blankets etc. My family loved the Mexicans and felt they were generally nicer people than we were. It’s probably true.

I was dying to go to Germany, not to travel and see castles, but to be where German was spoken. I signed up for the University of California’s junior year abroad and landed up in the 1,000-year old town of Göttingen, a university town (a Grimm brother taught there!), in all its half-timbered glory. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Beauty everywhere. Within a few days I was the happiest person on earth. I fell violently in love with Europe.

Now here I am finally learning Spanish, a language that’s actually useful here. Now people think of languages as superpowers, thank goodness.


 

Maggie, I LOVED your journey through languages. I also began with Latin, but at the insistence of my junior high school English teacher. He sneered at French and said Latin would improve my English vocabulary. I'll put up a bit more about my journey after dondi puts up her recap. I don't want to be posting in the middle of her pages.
 

lejos
#34 part 1

Slight rewind, Sada has a heart murmur. Dr Fikret Kilinc shows up and sends Sada into a quiet panic. He treated her way back when she was beaten and discarded by Ecmel. Does he remember her?

Based on her reaction to Fikret, Cihan asks his mother, what’s going on? She tells him we’ll talk at home.

They cut employee gossip in the kitchen. Ummu asks about Sada. Pakize says Sada got sick from jealousy because Cihan treats Alya well. Muzzafer tells his daughter to be quiet and make the tea. Ummu says everyone is upset. They are going to give Zerrin to Sedat and Kaya Bey is furious. She tells Kadir, if Kaya does something crazy again, you’ll be seeing your way to prison once more. God forbid, Muzzafer interjects. Kadir jokes deadpan, I’ll kidnap the girl again, and that’s that. Pakize threatens to pull all the hair out of his head. Muzzafer puts a stop to this talk.

Kaya asks Nare how Sada is doing. She’s okay, it’s nothing serious. I’m sorry about Zerrin, she says, but I warned you. Kaya really wants to speak to Sada. Nare says mom wants to talk with Cihan first. He doesn't want to wait.

Sada starts to tell Cihan about Dr Fikret. Kaya bangs on the door. I need to talk to mom now! Now is not the time, Cihan calls out. Kaya comes in anyway. Nare follows him in. Kaya insists on speaking but Cihan manages to get him to leave with Nare. Kaya is steamed. Cihan notes that Sada just got out of the hospital. She’s not in any condition to talk. Don’t pressure her.

How come you get to talk to her, Kaya asks. Why do you care, Cihan fires back. Calm down! Why are you so upset? Kaya explains, Zerrin is mine. You know there’s no way I’m letting them marry her to some other guy. I’ll crash the wedding and kill that fool. Have you lost your mind, Cihan says, you just got out of prison. You need to be careful. Your case isn’t closed.

Sada comes out of her room. Don’t interfere with her marriage, she tells Kaya. If she gets married, you will be free. Zerrin would have let you rot in prison. She is Ecmel’s kin. You started it, Kaya replies, you set off this series of disasters. If you hadn’t done these things to my uncle, none of this would have happened. Zerrin wouldn’t be forced to marry.

Cihan says that Sada didn’t start this. Kaya shouts, she did! She’s the cause of all our problems. Nare speaks up. What is it that we don’t know? Talk. Sada tells Cihan to keep quiet. Nare and Kaya demand to know what’s going on. Sada asks Cihan not to tell because she doesn’t want it to get back to Sahin and Zerrin.

Cihan puts his hand on his mother’s face. Mom, we have to tell them, or they will never understand. They need to know. Sada’s voice trembles, don’t tell them. She finally gives in with a nod. Cihan makes his siblings promise that they will not repeat a word of what they will hear to anyone. They promise. Cihan tells them that Boran is Ecmel’s son. Kaya and Nare are stunned. Cihan asks his mom to explain the rest.

Mine comes to see Alya in her office. She asks her questions about why she came back from the wedding so soon. Alya asks her how she knew about the wedding. Mine says from HR. Well, Alya answers, since you asked, yes, I went to a wedding in Diyarbakir. I was going to stay but I changed my mind and didn’t want to stay in a hotel. So I came back. Is that why you came to see me? No, Mine replies, the boss wants to meet with the doctors and nurses tomorrow.

 

lejos
#34 part 2

Mine invites Alya to her house for drinks. Alya looks surprised by the invitation. Mine says, I know it’s sudden, but I remember how lonely I felt when I came here, and since you are new… Besides, I think it’d be nice to get to know each other better. Alya smiles, how considerate. She accepts the invitation. It’s on for tonight. Mine leaves and Alya says, let’s see what you are up to. I’ll find out why you tell Cihan everything that I do.

Sada tells her story. She was going to tell Ecmel about her pregnancy but before she got the chance, he told her he was marrying someone else. I begged him, she tearfully says, I got on my knees. He hit me, kicked me, and pushed me down the hill. It was your father who picked me up and took me to the hospital. My Boran survived… and your father took care of us.

Nare says, if not for my father, you and Boran would have… Kaya asks, how could you not tell us? How could you keep this from us? I know, Sada replies, but I couldn’t tell. I had to keep it secret. If Ecmel finds out, he will take my grandson. Kaya shouts, he can’t, he won’t! Nare and I should have been told. Cihan puts his hand on Kaya’s knee to calm him. [gosh, one brother hardly speaks, and the other one can’t stop shouting.]

Now you know why I want to kill that bastard, Sada says. Now tell me, do you still want to be with his daughter? And (looking at Nare) with his son? Kaya stands up. Don’t ask us that now. If you had told us from the beginning, everything would be different.

Cihan tells his siblings, all we can do now is deal with the information we have and with the anger we feel. I know this is hard. It’s hard to hide the truth and live with that but we must. No one can find out. If you blurt it in a moment of anger, it will affect us all.

Sada says they are still in danger. Cihan asks, it’s about Dr. Fikret, right? You know that man? He was there when I told your father, Sada replies. We get the flashback again. Cihan wonders if Fikret might have recognized Sada. She says no… but what if he does? Nare notes that it’s been over 40 years. Nevertheless, Sada has a bad feeling. Cihan says he’ll investigate the Dr. He adds that Alya can’t find out about this. He takes Sada to her room.

When Cihan returns, Kaya asks him how long he’s known this. I just found out, he replies, I know you’re upset, so am I. You heard mom, carrying this burden hasn’t been easy for her, yet she managed to keep it hidden for so long. We can’t let her down.

You think I don’t understand, Kaya says, I do, and it hurts me. I get why mom hates my uncle so much. But this doesn’t affect my love for Zerrin. Whatever my uncle did, it was not her fault. And it’s not my fault that I love her. I love her very much. More than my own life. Do you think I’ll let her marry someone else? I can’t. Cihan warns, if you do anything to Sedat without letting me know first, you’ll regret it, hear me?

Cihan changes the subject. They are shipping merchandise today. I’m going to the office, but when I get back, I want you to have calmed down. Cihan leaves. Nare hugs Kaya. She asks him not to do anything impulsive. I don’t want Zerrin married, but I don’t want you going to prison either. Promise you won’t be reckless. Kaya can’t make that promise. He leaves.

Nare calls Sahin while he’s driving. We need to talk. Where? They meet somewhere in the mountains. He asks why did you call? I have something to tell you, she replies. Don’t let Zerrin marry Sedat. Why not, he asks, do you care that much? Yes, she answers, Zerrin doesn’t love Sedat. Why does she have to marry him?

 

lejos
#34 part 3

Sahin answers back, you loved me, but you married Ozkan. And unlike Zerrin… no one forced you. You got married on your own will. At least Zerrin has an excuse. She can tell Kaya she was forced, but what’s your excuse, Nare? You never told me. What are you talking about, she snaps back, I waited for you. I waited for you, and you never came! But I didn’t get married, he replies.

Nare calls him cruel. Sahin says, let’s see if Kaya is willing to wait forever, like me. Nare accuses him of showing his hatred for her family. He says he has reasons to hate them. She argues back—your father is a monster! Sahin turns it around. Sada is the monster, she brainwashed you and you’re starting to sound like her. This keeps going back and forth.

Sahin asks, what did my father do? Steal contraband? He just wants what’s rightfully his. He has that right. That doesn’t make him a criminal. Nare answers, do you know what your father did? You have no idea what he did to my mother! He says she believes the lies she was told. It’s a good thing my father married my mother and not Sadakat. You’re completely blind, Nare says, I thought you knew what love truly meant. You swore you’d never be vengeful. Don’t betray your pure heart. She leaves.

Ozkan has prepared a meal for Nare. Her favorites. She says she’s not hungry. Do you think this will fix everything? I don’t want to be with you, Ozkan. I know, he replies, this isn’t my intention. We don’t share a bed, but we live in the same house. We don’t need to be enemies. I want to have a good relationship and live in peace. You look pale, have you eaten? At least try it. She goes to the table. She won’t let him take her coat. She sits.

Sahin is at the hospital. He thinks of Nare’s words. Don’t let Zerrin marry Sedat. Don’t betray your pure heart.

Meanwhile, Fidan tries to reason with Ecmel to change his mind about marrying Zerrin to Sedat. Ecmel stands firm. Sahin enters and asks the women to leave the room. Ecmel wants them to hear what Sahin has to say. Sahin starts, if you don’t force Zerrin to marry Sedat… I’ll help you escape here.

Ecmel asks, are you willing to work with Demir? And speak of the devil, Demir arrives. Sahin says yes. Ecmel wants his word. Sahin gives it. Demir smiles and nods. [Oh no…does Demir have his eye on Zerrin?] Demir leaves.

Ecmel calls Zerrin closer. If you swear that you’ll never go near Kaya again, I will call off the engagement to Sedat. She promises. He warns, but if you don’t keep your word… she interrupts—I’ll never see Kaya again. Ecmel says he’ll call Mahmut. Zerrin cries and hugs her brother. She apologizes to him.

Erol has some info about Fikret for Cihan. He worked at the state hospital in Diyarbakir for many years. He was the chief physician. He’s a respected doctor who is loved by all. Now he’s retired. Cihan asks if he still lives in Diyarbakir. Yes. Cihan asks about Ugur. Erol says Ugur followed in his father’s footsteps and became a doctor. He spent a lot of time abroad and he’s a renowned cardiologist.

Why did he choose to live in Mardin, Cihan asks. Erol says his mother got cancer. He moved here to be closer to her. Cihan comments, I hope she gets well soon. He’s a dutiful son. Why Erol wonders why should we care about his character? Cihan replies, that’s my business, not yours. Is he married? Why, Erol asks, do you have someone in mind for him? Cihan gives Erol a look, are you feeling alright? Erol says Ugur is single. And since you seem desperate to know, he’s never been married.

 

lejos
#34 part 4

Muzzafer knocks at the door. Halis and Hasan are here. Halis wants to talk about tonight’s shipment. Cihan says there’s a cemetery near the border. A cave is next to it. There’s a tunnel through that cave around 300 – 400 meters long. It runs across the border and then connects to the sewer system, 50 meters from where we’re moving the merch. We’ll do the shipment through the tunnel. Everyone must be very careful. Halis agrees. This is important. If the Jandarma surprises us, we’re in deep trouble.

Alya sees Zerrin in the hallway. Are you alright? I heard what your father is planning. Zerrin says Sahin spoke to him and she’s not going to get married. Good news. Fidan and Sahin come down the hallway and Zerrin goes to them. Alya nods in acknowledgement as they pass. Fidan just looks at her, but Sahin nods back.

Alya calls Nare. She gives her the news about Zerrin. Nare is happy. How did it happen? Alya says Sahin convinced Ecmel. Nare is all smiles. Have you told Kaya. Alya answers yes, I called him before calling you. Nare is pleased thinking Sahin’s pure heart won the day. But she doesn’t know he made a deal with the devil.

Kaya calls Sahin. He asks, why are you calling me? Kaya wants to know if it’s true. Did you convince your father not to force Zerrin? It’s true, Sahin answers. Kaya says he owes Sahin. He won’t forget this. I didn’t do it for you, Sahin replies. Even so, Kaya thanks him. I did it because I want what’s best for Zerrin, Sahin says, you can’t go near her again. Zerrin hears this. Kaya says he can’t ask this of him.

Sahin says, Zerrin isn’t yours. Nothing good will come if you insist. My father will try to marry her to someone else. I won’t be able to stop him this time. Stay away. Sahin turns to Zerrin, you heard me. Don’t go near him. She replies, after all you’ve done for me, do you think I’d go near Kaya again? She hugs her bro.

Cihan joins Kaya on the terrace. Kaya says Sahin asked him to stay away from Zerrin, or else she’ll be married to someone else. Sada appears, chipping in her 2 cents and says Zerrin should have married Sedat and ended this. Kaya replies, was anything solved by Nare’s marriage? Unfortunately not, Sada says, but it’s different now, after I told you what that bastard did to me. Find someone else to start a family with. Cihan calmly asks his mother to go.

Kaya can’t believe what Sada is suggesting. Cihan notes, you knew this was always a difficult situation. Kaya answers, who’s situation is easy? Nare’s? Yours? Know what? The frustration is eating me alive. Cihan sighs. How did Sahin convince his father? Kaya doesn’t know. Cihan changes the subject. We’re leaving at nightfall. Kaya goes.

Sada returns to speak with Cihan. He warns her, Kaya is on the edge, don’t pressure him. I’m not, she replies, his situation is clear. What will happen if he insists on marrying Zerrin? Who will give this family a male heir? Cihan laughs. This again? He changes the subject. I investigated Fikret. He lives in Diyarbakir. He only came to see his son. He’ll leave in a few days. Sada says she’ll find another doctor.

Ecmel asks Demir if he notified the Jandarma. Of course, Demir gleefully replies, don’t worry. Ecmel says he’ll wait for his share. Calm down, Demir says, you’ll get it. Ecmel says that Sahin accepted. I’m out of here tomorrow evening. [is the snitch someone at the meeting in Cihan’s office. Hasan? Halis? Erol?]

 

lejos
#34 part 5

It’s nighttime. Cihan is ready to go out and he sees Alya is getting ready to go out, too. Cihan asks if she’s going to work. No. He asks her where she’s going. She complains, I never ask you when you go out. We talked about this, he replies, I won’t let you do anything without notifying me first. But you can, she snaps back. He blurts—I’m going to smuggle merchandise. Want to know where, so you can call the police? Call them. Do the right thing.

Alya rolls her eyes. Cihan continues, go ahead call them. If you don’t, that makes you my accomplice. You’re this close to being an Albora, he snarks. She replies, even if I asked, you’d never tell me. I would have, he answers, but now it’s too late. Now you tell me where you’re going. Alya says someone from the hospital invited her to their house.

Someone from the hospital, Cihan asks, a woman? She responds, can’t I go out with men? Of course not, he replies, you’re married to an Albora. She says it’s a woman. Who? Mine. [not much better than going out with a man in Cihan’s view.] She invited me over for a drink and I said yes.

Cihan says, you’re not going. It’s dangerous to be out so late. Alya says sometimes she goes to work at night. Cihan says work is different. Alya tells him, your men will take me and more will follow me, right?

Besides, I know Mine is your spy, Alya says. Doesn’t she work for you? He says yes. She asks, what’s the big deal? Is there something I don’t know? Cihan says, you know everything. She supposes, maybe you’re scared because your spy knows some secrets that I don’t. You don’t want her to accidentally tell me. I don’t tell anybody my secrets, he replies, I receive information from Mine, that’s all. Good, she answers, if you trust her, there’s no problem.

When did all this happen, Cihan asks. Alya is frustrated. Do I not have permission to leave the konak? Don’t I have the right to friends or a social life? I have to start somewhere. What’s wrong with it? Get out of here. Your contraband is calling you.

Cihan goes downstairs to gather the troops. He asks for one minute while he makes a call. He calls Mine. She smiles and doesn’t answer. Cihan is not a happy camper. Kaya asks him if something is wrong. Cihan replies, yes, but we don’t have time for that. Let’s go.

Cihan’s group watch in the distance as the merch is being handled.

 

lejos
#34 part 6

Sada stops Alya before she leaves the konak. Are you going to call the Jandarma? Alya snarks, no I’m going to call Demir and let him handle it. How are you feeling, Sadakat Hanım? I’ll live, Sada replies, don’t get too excited.

Take care of yourself, Alya says, instead of wasting your energy on annoying me, use it to get your son out of this dirty business. A mother’s duty is to guide her children down a good path. Sada replies, you’re going to lecture me about motherhood? Alya says no, this is just her opinion. Sada notes, you’re here for 5 minutes and you’re ordering me around. You don’t know anything about these lands.

I’m trying hard to learn, Alya says, but there are things that I’m sure of. And one is that Cihan doesn’t want this life and is suffering very much. Sada asks, do you think you will save my son? I wish I could, Alya replies. What’s going on, Sada wonders, first you wanted to leave, and now you think of Cihan?


Alya responds, what I’m saying has nothing to do with leaving or staying. It’s because of my values, how I was raised. Sada looks at Alya’s hand. She doesn’t see the diamond on her finger. You took off the ring that Boran gave you. Alya admits it. Sada asks, are you ready to give me an heir? Alya tells her to stop.

Let’s clear something up, Sada says. You know I don’t want you here. And that I’ll never let you sleep with my son. So don’t even think about it. Alya tells her to stop the nonsense. Sada adds, my son’s lineage needs to continue. If you care so much about him, then stay away from him. Divorce him immediately.

And we are out.

 

lejos

Kaya is a lot. I suppose he's meant to represent impulsive youth. I like him best with Deniz.

Sadakat just doesn't understand being in love. She tells Kaya that, if Zerrin marries Sedat, he'll be free. And she's moved heaven and earth to keep Nare from Sahin. As I mentioned before, why does her smoldering rage against Ecmel seemingly outweigh life with a good man, Azem? Is it possible she never loved Azem and just faked being happily married?

Kaya is right. Sadakat started the war by framing Ecmel. She got her brother to lie about something. Rats. I've forgotten what Hasan lied about.

Kaya: "How could you keep this from us?" Kaya, Kaya, what mother would want to tell her children that she became pregnant out of wedlock. She says the reason is fear that Ecmel would take Deniz, but she kept that secret long before Deniz set foot in Turkey.

Disgusting Ecmel made Zerrin swear she'd never see Kaya again in order to free her from a forced marriage to Sedat. And, yes, Sahin, a basically good man, has now made a deal with the devel. And, dondi, what gave you the idea Demir had his eye on Zerrin? That never occurred to me.

Sada says she'll never let Alya sleep with her son. Huh? Isn't she the one who locked the room Alya had been using so she was forced to share a bedroom with Cihan?
 

Ecmel had told Demir that he could get Sahin to help Ecmel escape (which would turn Sahin into a criminal subject to criminal prosecution and prison.) Ecmel did get Sahin to agree to help him escape. I'm not sure there was ever a serious marriage contract with Sedat. It may have been just a ruse. Perhaps there really was a contract - if he didn't care that Sedat attacked his daughter or if Sedat was the only available alternative to Kaya.

 

Lejos

Excellent excellent recap, Dondi! Before I comment I have to adjust my brain. Novelera said she was going to wait until Dondi put up her recap. Her? I thought you were a guy! The reason is that when I was a kid there was comic strip called Dondi about a little boy. I thought Dondi was a boy’s name. Oops – ha!

The general approach to storytelling seems to be shifting and I’m all for it. The characters are actually having long conversations and telling each other what they think and feel. Yay!

I can’t wait to see how the girl-time with Mine goes.

Kaya said Sadakat started all these problems and I agree. Sure, she’s justifiably furious with Ecmel, but look at how her revenge has affected so many people. Couldn’t she just arrange some 2-family event and then use one of those little bottles with eyedroppers that TN characters always seem to have on hand to poison his tea? Why get everyone else involved?

I’m with you, Novelera – first Sadakat leaves a sexy nightie for Alya and now she’s saying she won’t allow her to sleep with Cihan. How would she prevent that anyway? They have adjoining rooms.

 

OT

Maggie, here's my tale of studying languages.

As I said, I took Latin in school. I actually loved it. I took two years, and I'd have taken 3 if it had been offered. A good part of the reason was our Latin teacher, Ms. Mostenic. She was the classic old maid schoolteacher. But she was passionate about Latin. I remember her sort of tearing up when she mentioned the assassination of Julius Caesar. We read parts of his Gallic Wars, in Latin of course.

When there was no more Latin to be had, I took a year of French. Not nearly as enjoyable as Latin. It's really all about the teacher, I believe. Our French teacher seemed obsessed with our learning the names of fruits and vegetables and not so much on verb declensions. One thing I do have is an ear for languages and an ability to develop decent pronunciation. So, when I was in France, briefly, people usually thought I knew more than I actually did, which sometimes caused misunderstandings!

In middle age I became very much an opera fan. So I signed up for two years of Italian. I also had a fantastic Italian teacher, a woman from Northern Italy. I saw nearly all the great operas at the San Francisco Opera House, standing at the back of the Dress Circle. At that time, you could stand for under $10. You had to arrive at least an hour and a half before curtain. The usher would open the doors to standees an hour before curtain, and we'd begin a foot race to the best standing spots. As a runner, I had an advantage. Then you'd put your jacket on the back of the Dress Circle. Everyone honored that, and you could then go sit down for a glass of wine. I'm 5' 3" and could not risk not being in the front row of standing I traveled to Italy, of course: Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, and Verona.

Then I had a Brazilian boyfriend for a while. I was able to find a class in Santa Clara for Portuguese. I took a full year of that language. The pronunciation was different because the teacher was from the Azores. And the Brazilians speak dramatically differently. I went to Brazil alone and had a terrific time. I started in Rio de Janeiro. I had a Brazil Air Pass that I purchased in the U.S. Brazil is large! I visited Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Ouro Preto, Fortaleza and Manaus. From Manaus I took a guided trip in a small boat through the Amazon. I could speak Portuguese to the man running the boat, and some Italian to a couple on the boat. There were Germans, and they, of course, spoke English!

My job that I held for more than 30 years was as an accountant in a construction company. I was so relieved to say goodbye to tech bros! Construction in California means lots of native Spanish speakers, some of them documented and some of them not. Thus...Spanish. I was able to explain our health insurance to the guys in Spanish. And I also found a fantastic teacher at the local high school's adult education night school. Started studying in 1990. There are classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced, so I was very lucky to continue to advance.

Of course, Spanish has been the most useful. Not only in my working life, but in my enjoyment of telenovelas! I like opening a conversation with a native speaker and watching the surprised expression on their faces. I am a regular old white person, descended from Germans, Swiss, and Scots-Irish. They don't expect my fluency and correct pronunciation. In Spain I was told I spoke "neutral".

I took one quarter of German two years ago, also at the adult school, but it just didn't grab me the way the romance languages had, and there weren't any more classes than the first one, anyway.
 

OT/TELEMUNDO:
Novelera: I would love to see more Brazilian Telenovelas on Telemundo in the future.
 

lejos

Thanks for the comments. Yes, Maggie, I’m a girl, not an Italian boy orphaned in WWII. Dondi is my childhood nickname, a mashup of my first and last names. BTW, I used to read that comic strip.

Here’s where I got the idea Demir is interested in Zerrin:

In the scene where Sahin promised to help Ecmel and Demir in exchange for Zerrin not marrying, Demir turned his gaze to Zerrin before he left the room. She noticed him looking.

There was an edit to the convo where Demir and Ecmel spoke about informing the jandarma. Demir told Ecmel it was good that he didn’t give Zerrin to Sedat. It would have been a pity. I think Ecmel caught on, he seemed a bit irritated. He sighed and turned his head away from Demir. Demir kept his eyes on Ecmel and smiled his slimy smile. What a choice: Sedat or Demir!

novelera, Hasan lied about his identity to infiltrate Ecmel’s business. Then he ratted him out to the authorities.

Anastasia, there was never a formal engagement with Sedat. We were told Mahmut had permission to come and ask for Zerrin’s hand, which Ecmel was ready to give. I think the main reason was to keep Zerrin away from Kaya. Maybe he hoped Sahin would bargain.

“I can’t wait to see how the girl-time with Mine goes.” Me, too, Maggie!

Sada’s been sending mixed messages on the CihAl marriage since the beginning. My head starts spinning.

Thanks for sharing your language journeys with us, Maggie and novelera. An interesting and enjoyable read.

 

OT

I absolutely loved reading your wonderful language-learning tales!!!! I have many thoughts but no time today. I’ll catch up Monday. Or maybe Tuesday because I don’t think anybody looks at Caray before the evening shows

Maggie
 

OT.languages
Okay , i'll play . My maternal Grandmother lived with my family . She and my grandfather came here from Germany when they were teens . She spoke German to my mother and my two aunts , but never outside the house . They never taught my sister and me German because they could speak without us knowing what they were talking about . However , many locals spoke PA Dutch , which is a form of German, so when I was a kid I learned some words . My husband's mother and her parents often spoke PA Dutch.
In high school starting in ninth grade, we could take Latin, German , or French. I had two years of Latin followed by two years of French ( because I thought it was romantic, and I could be "Suzette) ). My teacher taught English, Latin, and French. We mostly learned to sing songs...All of which i can still sing . Latin is great for anyone going into law or medicine . When I taught in a senior high after college, I questioned why Latin wasn't taught and was told that they couldn't find anyone to teach it anymore.
I taught ESL for many years , so I've taught people from many places . The language that was easiest for me to learn to speak and understand was Arabic . My students would teach me words ,and I would write them phonetically.
Spanish , Italian ,and Portuguese speakers can usually understand each other. Susan .