It have a mattress and a thin blanket. IM FREEZING.
After layering in my mountain gear and climbing into bed, I thought hard about an earlier conversation I had with Hisham's brother (the coordinator of all the donations here)
"What do you need most?" I asked when I first found out he was doing all these amazing things.
"We need heaters for each family." he replied.
"How much are they" I inquired.
"120 TL each which equals $65 US. We hae 400 families here but probably only 150 really need it. The winter is getting colder down here."
I said I'd see what I could do. If I bought them all, I would have nothing left, probably wouldn't even be able to buy all of them. I called my mom to see if she could do what she does best, network within the community back home.
I got out of bed to put more layers on. OKAY if you know me and how many layers I like to wear, now just imagine me as a double-me. I'm determined to not leave this town till we get enough heaters. I slept through that cold and my room, I'm sure, is WAYYY better than the other rooms. Some rooms don't even have doors, like the second family I had visited in Istanbul.
Perhaps any of you reading this may want to contribute to one or two heaters? Imagine sleeping there knowing you gave warmth to an entire family. How much warmer and cozier would your night be?
Okay, I still have to tell you more about what happened today... but Im a bit sick and need some rest now. Gonna go put some more layers on and then climb in again. Thankfully I brought my silk sleeping bag liner that insulates. Gigi gave that to me on my last trip to South AMerica and I'm still using it. Thanks Gigi!