My Poor Ovaries

Hi all,
I've learned some nice Turkish traditions/customs that I've enjoyed finding out about, so I thought I'd share!

Not Only Good for Running With...
Yes, it's scissors. While watching a Turkish soap opera (or mini-drama, whichever you prefer) that seem to abound here, I noticed a funny scene. Seemingly reminiscent of the Princess and the Pea, two old ladies asked the young girl to have a seat - gesturing her over to an empty couch. She sat down, yelped, and immediately jumped up again. The ladies ran over and crowed, ho. Throwing their heads back and sticking their thumb in between their teeth. (Shakespeare style...). Confused, I asked G what had just happened. Apparently there is an old belief that if a pregnant women takes the test, whichever she sits on indicates the gender of the baby. I believe that scissors stood for a girl, and the knife for a boy. As for the thumb....

The Only Appropriate Place for a Thumb
The biting thumb gesture indicates fear (much like we would hold a hand over our mouths, I suppose). Now, if you hold your thumb poking out between your first two fingers, it's the equivalent of our middle finger. So, not recommended! And finally...

Yes, I Said Ovaries
In Germany it was customary to have "houseshoes" - essentially slippers that you wore at all times. So I was not surprised to find that they are also common here. Each house usually has a few extra pairs for guests, but not usually for women with my sized feet. It seemed to agitate my HM a lot, and her mother even more. Hm said that she used to walk around everywhere barefoot, which drove her mother up the wall. Apparently there's an old belief that walking around barefoot will cause you to somehow freeze your ovaries and become infertile. I get a kick out of this, as I always have cold feet, socks/slippers or not. However, as soon as she gets around to it, I'm sure another pair of crocs (I know, I know....sigh) will probably be parked by the door for me!

Anyhow, that's about all I have. There were many visitors and neighbors running in and out today, but nothing really too exciting happened. However, tomorrow is sure to be another long day (with perhaps more compliments from neighbor boys about my amazing goalkeeping skills?)...
Hope all is well,
Steph