Cocoons and Other Sharing

This morning we arrived at the center and the women were cleaning silk worm cocoons. The woman in charge had started raising silkworms to show the children about them, and then she got so many that she started selling the cocoons to raise money for the center. This was a great opportunity for us to work alongside the women. (Photo) They laughed with us at our attempts to speak Turkish. They hugged and kissed us, and were delighted when we tried to talk to them. I loved how excited they got over the pictures of my family and they asked me so many questions. I could ask them questions, but then I didn’t understand the answers. Sigh. But communication is 90% body language, and they know we care even though we can’t always speak well. They make this beautiful lace, and Cindy bought a crochet hook and thread to have them teach her to do it. She wasn’t exactly successful (it’s hard!) but the women were excited to teach her. (See the lace on the woman's lap in the photo. The Turkish woman MADE that.) When I see traditional Muslim women (especially the ones covered from head to toe in black flowing robes), and have a chance to talk and laugh with them, I hope that their prejudices about Americans (that they are immoral, arrogant, greedy, and rich) are being extinguished by us, just as my being with them is erasing my preconceptions about them.