Two Months of Turkey

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After two months, I’m finally saying goodbye to Turkey (the country, not the delicious meat). I would like to stay longer, but I can hear India beckoning to me like a mother announcing Christmas dinner – and so many roads lie between here and there. My time in Turkey has made me a more well-rounded person, both figuratively and literally.

Figuratively, I’ve rounded out my cultural repertoire with another country’s customs, foods and language (even if it is only a few handfuls of phrases). And literally, I’m more round, especially around the mid- and hind-sections. As the guest, I’ve been required to finish any food left on any table and, no matter how much my stomach protests, my mouth can do nothing but eat more bread. I would hate to be rude.

The past two months have seen other physical changes in me as well. My hair has faded from the rich, dark brown it was before I left to a burnished copper. It’s a color more at home in a stable than on a human head – but, due to infrequent washings, I’m probably more at home in a stable too. Occasionally, I catch a whiff of myself after a few days without a shower and recognize the sour yogurt smell so prevalent in Turkish buses being excreted from my very own pores. It seems that Turkey has truly become a part of me. I’ll be forever grateful to this country and its beautiful people.

Next stop: Beirut.

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Comments

[geoffevans]

well done
I have loved your reporting on Turkey and am sad there will be no more. But I look forward to your take on India now. Please do not forget, and take care, I am on tenderhooks while you are trotting around the world. Nice things and people are obviously attracted to you. Please take care.