In Turkish, the words for ‘thank you’ are ‘tesekkur ederim,’ pronounced tesh-e-koor eh-dare-em and a way to remember it is to say ‘tea, sugar, a dream.’ I just wanted to break out of the ‘writing mode’ for a second to thank everyone for their thoughtful responses to my last post. I was very touched by all the wonderful and heartfelt comments I received—some from old friends from ‘way back when’ and others from brand new friends that I’ve met recently during my travels. It is so amazing to me to be so far away and yet so many friends drop what they are doing to send me an email to give me heartfelt advice. It brightened my spirits tremendously. The most common thing I heard was how many were surprised that I hadn’t had these reflective moments sooner. I think I have here and there, but not this intensely simply because I’ve had a lot of time in Istanbul to get lost in my own brain—a sometimes scary, scary place! I am trying to NOT worry about ‘what I will do when I get home… or for the rest of my life’ now. It’s not always easy, but I do want to live in the moment and that is what I should be doing. I have really enjoyed this trip and have found myself smiling while I tell others about it—so I know it’s been amazing.
Instead of going for a ‘Visa Run’ after my three month tourist visa expires, I will most likely say goodbye to Turkey and head north to parts of Eastern Europe. I do like Turkey and could easily stay here… but there are more places I want to see to feel like I’ve ‘completed’ my journey. I have stayed here longer than anywhere else I’ve stayed on my entire trip and I really do like Istanbul. It is chock full of some of the friendliest, most helpful people I’ve met anywhere in the world. And I will probably be in tears the first few days after I leave Istanbul too… because I have really made a nice circle of good, kind friends here—who even dragged my ass out during my down in the dumps day and made me feel better too. It’s great to always have friends around me physically and in spirit, even when I’m this far away!
Tea, sugar, a dream.
Coffee, sweet & low, a dillusion. This means "you're welcome" in a language I have yet to name. First I need a country and some natives to speak my new language. I'm guessing this will take me most of the day to complete, so I'll get back to you with the particulars.
Glad your "ass" and the rest of you are out of the dumps. Europe has been warned of your impending arrival. Word is that several countries are vying for the position of being the first one visited by you. It appears wagering is even part of it. Monrovia and Albania are offering the best paying odds at the moment. This could change in a heartbeat though. Lichtenstein is moving up on the board. France is offended of course because……well, their France. Tea, sugar, a dream. Toodles