Adventures in Turkey

“If we aren’t supposed to go, then block our way,” was our final prayer as Bill and I set out toward the airport under torrential rainfall. We found three routes blocked by floods. And the fourth road closed behind us, just as we reached the airport. No going back. Many flights were cancelled. Ours got out.

The past ten days that took us to Turkey and back have been an adventure, from start to finish!

Turkey (Türkiye) was a fascinating place. Amidst the countryside, very modest houses are clustered around impressive mosques and under the watchful eye of minarets from which go out the calls for prayer. The scene repeated every mile or so across farm covered valleys and hills.

I saw women covered from head to toe, despite the warm weather, marketplace merchants hustling wares with inflated descriptions and prices, inviting negotiation. Everywhere I went, I clearly stood out as one who did not belong. This was another world, and I was the alien.

Yet people are people everywhere, and using the two Turkish words I learned from a man on the plane, "Hello" and "Thank-you," won smiles and an appreciation that I was trying to connect to that world.  Even so, basic German language skill (along with English) enabled me to engage in conversation with local people. Culture and language barriers between the woman in head scarf and long, shape-concealing overcoat and I (with uncovered head, a T-shirt dress and sandals) quickly dissolved when the topic  turned to motherhood and cooking.

To be continued