5:00 AM Wake-up Call

Last night when I went to bed I was determined to sleep through the 5:00 am call to prayer. This is quite a challenge since the mosque is next door and I have had to sleep with the window open. But it has cooled down here considerably, so I slept with the window closed. At 5:00 am I hear the call to prayer and think “no, this can’t be happening, and now it sounds like a doorbell!” After a few moments, I realize it ACTUALLY is the doorbell. As I go to answer the door, I see it is our neighbor who lives below us. We got to know her very well last week since our toilet was leaking into her bathroom below us. Beth and I let her in, tell her we’ll turn off our toilet, figuring it’s leaking again. She says no, and points to the Turkish toilet, we open the door and there are 2 inches of water standing in that bathroom. She did at least bring her son this time, who speaks English. While Beth and I worked on mopping up the mess she told us she was calling a plumber, etc. After she left Beth and I could only laugh. What else can you do when you are mopping a flooded bathroom at 5:00 am?

The good news is, the plumber did come today around lunch time. He chalked the western toilet and fixed the Turkish toilet. So currently we have 2 working toilets! That’s right! And as a bonus, we have hot water! Our water heater was fixed Thursday evening. I’ve realized this is why I have lived in a house and not an apartment! Really it seems there were just a lot of problems that were not fixed before we moved it. It’s been a great lesson about who is really in control. As much as I would love to take care of it all, only God can. It’s also been a great bonding experience for me and Beth.