Lifestyles of the Rich and the Turkish

So let's see what I can remember of arriving. I remember the drive here was tedious. The kids were irritating each other the whole time...I kept being asked to fix it despite the fact both parents were in the car. I was a human trashcan, snack supplier, etc. D asked me, "Did you check to make sure all of our luggage was here?" and for some reason it really pissed me off. I get that I'm responsible for all the kids' stuff...fine. But keep up with your own mess, I'm not your personal assistant.
"No I did not, you were standing there when they loaded everything, were you not?"
"Yes..."
"Then you would know better." Duh.

Anyway, we got here and checked in, blah blah and met some of their friends. The men are always pretty polite but this one women actually walked into me, backing me into the wall, and never even saw me. It blows my mind everytime. We were told where Alaura's (Df's friend) room was so we went there until our's was ready. That's where I met Laura, Alaura's nanny. She's 26 and from England and a little...I don't know if intimidating is the right word. She was very nice to me right away but it is clear she thinks of herself as the older, wiser, worldy one and I'm just a new piece of meat. But that isn't exactly false so I can't really be too upset I suppose. She offered to let me check my facebook then asked me if I knew anyone in Istanbul, "besides me now". I told her no and how I had come to be here and she told me a little about herself..she's traveled all over. I asked her where her favorite places was and she said, "It depends...for partying: Thailand, for experience: India..." and so on and so forth. She's job-hopped like no other and really knows her stuff. She talks in a lazy, soft English accent, calling people "darling" and sprawls herself all over the bed when she lays down. She pulls up her shirt to play with her bellybutton piercing and twirls her hair as if we're close friends who always chat on beds.

It was so nice to talk to someone about the same things I experience every day and them know exactly where I'm coming from. Eye-rolling, heavy sighs, and cursing in the right places. Very appreciated. (I mean maybe not the cursing...but you know what I mean.) So we talked for a little bit and I can't remember what about now but then D came and got us to see our room and Laura offered to take the kids to the pool so I could unpack all of their stuff. Thank goodness!

So I did that...and experienced a little bit of panic when I found only about three ski sweaters for Df compared to E's nine. A would kill me when I told her and I spent a whole day figuring out how to fix this when Laura called me and said Alaura had some old stuff that wouldn't fit and did I want it for Df. Praise Jesus. So then she brought them by and helped me hook up my internet, "You have to have internet in this job...I already added you on facebook." So true.

So then we played some Uno with E until we all went down together for dinner which was quite the experience. "There's only three things on the menu" I asked.
"It's more of an idea, "Laura said. "They fix anything you ask for. Try the steak, it's fantastic."
Didn't have to tell me twice, I miss red meat. And it really was FANTASTIC.
"Just go ahead and get fat...it's our only comfort." Also so true. I plan on it for this trip too...the bread and chocolate is too good to pass up. It was so crazy, there are like seven families here all together so obviously seven nannies to go with them. Laura told me which mother was nicest...unfortunately not her's. She was the one that bumped into me like I wasn't there. And it's true...she looks like an ice princess. The one she thought was nicest I agree with...she's the only mother who noticed I was a new face and actually said hello. I said I thought she was naturally pretty and Laura laughed, "it's not natural."
"Oh, really?"
"I'll tell you all the gossip when we're alone."
Keress came late because her kids are the toughest...children to the second richest family in Turkey (152nd in the world) and both suffering from ADD. She's American and also 26. I didn't get to talk to her a lot then though because she came so late. Heather is 32 but doesn't look it. She's from Canada (when I asked her what brought her here all I got was, "Boredom) and is the lucky nanny to the nice girls. She buys her alcohol on the job and gives her money to go buy new clothes. But yet...she doesn't pay for her phone like Laura's does so everyone has their own perks. Heather isn't a live-in though and Laura rents a place from her on the weekends so they're really close. Laura said at first she didn't like her because she's very intimidating. I can see it...she intimidated me for sure. They were talking about Twilight and I said I just didn't want to get into it due to the cult, vampire following. She was on my case immediately, "Yeah, well Harry Potter was about wizards and witches and it was good" and it was said in a tone indicating that I must be an idiot. Well that was fast...
It was odd to watch all of the parents interact, dressed to the nines and sitting about...even though they are going out to dinner?

So then we went to the cinema room, which Alaura had rented and watched Ice Princess before putting the kids to bed. The next morning was a little crazy, trying to learn the ropes of a skiing trip. I got the kids up, dressed, down to breakfast which was being eaten with A and D, always makes me a little uncomfortable...like I'm being surveyed to see how I'm keeping up with everything. Breakfast was good...of course...then I got them set for skiing, met E's skiing instructor (all of the kids have their own you know) and was told to meet them at 12:30 for lunch. "How would I go about that...?" to which A gave me some kind of 'figure it out' response but Karess walked by and said, "I'll meet you at 12:15 at reception and we'll go together." She told me her room number and told me me to come by if I got bored before then. Wasn't that sweet?

So I headed back to my room, took a nice long shower (with the nozzle ABOVE my head! Yay!) and took my time getting dressed and clean looking. Then Laura stopped by to visit. It was a very helpful talk...which I will say more about at a later time...I have to take the kids to dinner.

PS A called me to say, "Guess who's staying here?"
"No idea."
"The king and queen of Jordan"
"What?! You should get in their good graces, huh?"
"I know! I actually know their nephew but it's still very exciting."

So at dinner we saw them come in. I never would have known it was them if Laura hadn't pointed them out to me because she had been to Jordon. She said their pictures were everywhere...she is especially popular because the people love her-She does a lot of charity work and what not. Anyway, she's very young looking and beautiful and their nanny is here with their children. They look just like regular people but they really stepped up security...they brought their own cameras and everything. I guess their choice to stay here really supports that fact that this is one of the top hotels in Europe...go figure.