I My Name Is Ipek

         Merhaba ArkadaşlarI        

I my name is Ipek

I live in Istanbul, Turkey

My friend’s name is Ismet

We like to play Long Donkey

We speak Turkish

And now we’ll say “Güle güle”

Long Donkey

This game is played by girls and boys. The chosen “It”  is the uzun eşşek (long donkey). The other players take turns jumping over the “donkey’s” back. For each jump, a player says a line to the chant that roughly translates:

“It’s one,  it’s two,

     three, fly, 

     four, throw the handkerchief (a kerchief is placed on the neck of the “donkey,”) 

    five, take the handkerchief (the kerchief is taken off) 

    six, gather the apples…” etc. 

If a player forgets to say the words or fails to jump over the “donkey’s ” back, he/she become “It”.

 

References

Turkish Culture Foundation

 

 

Here is a video clip of the original A My Name Is… jump rope chant.

                                                                                                      

 

Welcome to my 2019 Blogging A-Z Challenge. Each day in the the month of April (except Sundays), I will bring you a memory of games and a jump rope song. It is similar to the classic A My Name Is…  Do you recognize the chant? A world of children will greet their friends and skip through the alphabet alliterating their name, a friend’s name, and their home city. They will also state their country, the language they speak, and their favorite game. Descriptions of the games are included. I chose games that are played on playgrounds or streets where children negotiate their teams and terms. You may recognize your favorite games that differ only in name.  As the alphabet progresses, it becomes apparent that the pursuit of laughter and fun are universal

 

 

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.

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