I took great care this morning to grab my hard boiled egg at the breakfast buffet with the utmost respect, channeling all of the holiness I could muster. It wasn’t enough, I guess, becuase a diplomat from Kazakstan, irratably pointed and and waived her hands at me and my sorry little egg. I told her I dont speak, ehhhh whatever language she was speaking, and that I was very sorry.
The language, customs, and even body language are completely, totally foreign to me in Turkey. It’s much different from traveling in South, central, or North Amercia. And planets away from most countries in western europe as well. I felt a bit stiff and un-relaxed. I needed to get my travel legs back!
I found them again when a very nice, well spoken and flawlessly speaking English Turkish man forced a conversation with me, and was prophetically relatable. ‘California? Thats my favorite place in the world, that where my family lives.’ Tolgan announced. He claimed to be studying english at University, and stated the only reason he wanted to talk was to practice his english. That sentiment lasted only until he had me engaged in conversation. Then he stated with complete convction that I wanted to come visit his shop. What kind of shop is this? He act showed a fracture of weakness. Not broken though, he said it was very very close. Not out of my way at all. I did want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but perhaps I have been jaded in that way from my past travels. When I’ve given people like that on the street the benefit of the doubt, it has always ended bad. In Rome I was, nearly robbed. More seriously in Paris, I was very cornered by drug dealers and nearly taken for everything I was worth. So, Tolgan didn’t win today, atleast not with me.
With confidence that we will find our way back to the airport through the thick hookah smoke, that’s it for my time in Turkey. Saw the Mosques, picked up an egg wrong, and left as holy as I came, subjectively speaking.
The Pursuit of Happiness 