European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Above sgt. Ray Kwok holds his daughter hande in the living room of their apartment in Istanbul. Right fats Kwok prepares a turkish specially Borek made of layers of dough onions and beef. Far right the Kwok family. Mediterranean sea 0 300 Coj a Stria Miles finding it All in turkeys a photos by l Emmett Lewis or. By Janet Howells Tierney staff writers it. Ray Kwok is convinced he s found Paradise and he does t want to leave. Kwok 27, a special weapons technician with the 70th Ord co on Cakmak i pronounced chock mock Turkey is one of Only a dozen soldiers on the Remote installation Able to go Home to his wife after work. The Post has no command sponsored slots and service members Are discouraged from bringing their families along for the one year assignment because of the Lack of housing and limited support facilities. Most of the assigned 200 soldiers who have families leave them in the United states but some like Kwok meet and marry their spouses while in Turkey. Kwok met fats soon after arriving in Cakmak i and they dated three months before she told her father about the relationship. My father did t want me to marry Ray fats said. My father was t a Good Friend to me then. We were arguing Many  Kwok managed to win Over fatos1 father by agreeing to change his religion to islam. In Allah s eyes if someone converts another to islam they Are guaranteed a place in heaven Kwok said opening his Blue eyes wide. So now her father figures she has a place saved for her because i converted. We get along Fine  Kwok said the pledge he took to convert to islam was right out of the Bible and he has no regrets. So after knowing each other eight months the couple began making marriage plans. Paper work took about an hour and a half to process but Kwok found one of the military s requirements a bit strange. Kwok s commander had to Send a letter to his Mother in Oklahoma asking if she had any objections to the marriage. The Soldier said his Mother Only laughed about the letter but asked her son if he was sure he knew what he was doing. Despite doubts from both their families Kwok and fats were married april 9, 1987. Soon after the wedding Kwok extended for another tour in Cakmak i. Weeks after celebrating their first anniversary fats gave birth to a baby girl they named hande which Means Sweet smile in turkish. The couple took a taxi to a nearby turkish Hospital when fats began getting labor pains. Kwok sitting with his infant daughter cradled in his arms says if command sponsored slots were approved for the area he would extend again. He pays $153 per month for an unfurnished two bedroom apartment with a Large living room and Kitchen which is located on the Post s shuttle bus route. Electricity costs $4 each month and Coal for heat in the Winter costs about $90, Kwok said. In october the rent will go up to $200 per month but even that is Low he said. I m a Rich Man Over Here As a sergeant. Other people our age could never live like we  the couple recently  the last payment on turkish made living room dining room and bedroom furniture they bought soon after their marriage. Kwok buys some food in the Small Post Exchange but enjoys the Low prices of local meats and produce. Fats is Happy to be so close to her family and accepts the fact that someday she will leave with Kwok for an assignment in America which she has never seen. I feel i la be by myself around Many different people and far away from my family she said. When Ray s Mother came i feel better but still i am Little  Kwok s Mother visited the family in May and although surprised by the culture she left with a better understanding of her son s decision and a few turkish recipes. My mom was a Little shocked by conditions Over Here Kwok said. But by the time she had to leave she wanted to stay. She had a hard time saying goodbye to  Kwok feels his wife will do Fine when the family relocates to the United states except she May have trouble accepting fixed prices. When we get to the states my wife will go nuts Kwok said. Shell want to argue with the Guy in the store about the Price of their tomatoes. It just in t Normal to accept the first Price offered Over  Kwok has already decided to live on the Southern coast of Turkey and Start a business when he retires from the military. This is where i want to be Kwok declared. Everyone has this picture of America being so fantastic. I have it All right  Betty Lockhart launders clothes in the Barracks during the workday when soldiers Aren t using the facilities. Families rough stat Remote Sites by Janet Howells Tierney staff writer t hey Are warned not to , despite the threat of living without government housing medical support commissary or cars some military families come with their sponsors to Remote installations in Turkey. We weren t planning on coming Here said Betty a. Lockhart 29, As daughters Alicia 41/2, and Kristina 3, gazed at a fish aquarium inside Synop s military Community club. My husband was told we should t be Here. But they missed their daddy and i missed their daddy so much she said. It just was t Worth it so we took a Chance and came  what Lockhart and about 60 other families found was a bit of a Shock but nothing they could t get used to. Synop a fishing Village located on a Peninsula overlooking the Black sea is a 12-hour bus ride East from Istanbul. The City of Ankara is about 200 Miles South of the Village Over a mountainous Region. It reminds me of my Home in the 1960s," said sue y. Mast an army sergeant s wife who was born in Yungju Korea. The living is the same. A bit poor with old houses but very Nice  we pay $175 for a three bedroom apartment Lockhart said. The apartment is not what i m used to. M used to electricity All Over the place. For heat we have a Wood burning stove. The first time i had to Light it i could t get a fire started. It was really frustrating but then my husband showed me again and it was easy after  americans warned against drinking local tap water use bottled water and the laundry room in the Barracks. Lockhart always covers her daughter s Heads when they go outside because of the constant wind off the Black sea. She says her girls have never been healthier than in Synop maybe because of the extra care she and her husband have Given them. Most of the american wives agree that living in the isolated City gets easier with time. It s the Little things that you miss said Kay a. Knierim wife of a civilian contractor. You can t be Happy if you dwell on what you Don t  Knierim in Synop one year keeps Busy instructing her 5-year-old daughter Katie with a Home teaching program from the states and also with family trips to different areas on the weekends. Katie a constant smiler despite the absence of front Teeth also attends turkish kindergarten and if asked will sing a turkish song she Learned. The american spouses have found strength in numbers and have grouped together to make life easier. Although Many feel Safe buying fruit and vegetables from local markets there still Are Many groceries they can t get anywhere else but in a commissary. So in june 1987 some of the wives organized a Synop commissary Coop. It used to work that we would Send a Blank Check and our orders through to the Ankara commissary said Joey l. Eurglunes now the Coop s president. They would fill the order and then fill in the amount on the Check. It was t a very secure Way and it took a Long time she recalls. Also they would substitute some  Eurglunes said it took 16 hours to Type the first Coop order and then the commissary sent it Back to be categorized in dry chilled and Frozen items. In september 1987 the Coop elected five people As Board members and things began running smoother. Members pay an initial fee of $10 and place their order during the first week of each month from a listing of 1,800 items programmed into the Coop s computer. When the order is filled two or three weeks later the member picks up the food and pays the Bill. Food is stored in the Post s warehouse that services the dining facility and the club activities until picked up. It works Well when we All help said Eurglunes. Everyone placing an order is required to do two hours work that month. It s frustrating when they Don t put in their  the members can spend their two hours typing orders sorting items or packing them for the 15 to 20 families that use the service each month. Without the Coop you d have to take a six hour bus ride to Ankara one Way Eurglunes said. We Are still trying to get people to order More in  the military wives also Are starting a program to give information to incoming spouses about what they can expect at Synop. We Are trying to let them know the special things they can bring to make things easier while they Are Here said Yon Cha Campbell wife of an army Captain. That Way they won t be surprised like we  dealing with the strange environment is definitely easier for the americans who lean on each other. I feel isolated sometimes with my children but i be Learned not to stick to myself Lockhart said everyone needs to talk to a Friend and get things off your mind otherwise you might suffocate Here. Once i got out i found there s More a sense of Community Here than other places i be been she said. This in t Paradise but it s not the worst  Page 14 the stars and stripes monday july 18,1987 the stars and stripes Page 15