Goodbyes

For the record I just spend 20 minutes trying to log onto this blog. That shows dedication right there....

My time is coming to a close. My mother, brother, and sister-in-law were here last week and it was great. I am happy to be able to share a bit of my last 8 months with someone from home. I am happy that they were so open minded and relaxed that it made the trip a lot more enjoyable for me at least. I think the best perk was they took all my stuff home so i only have a backpack to travel with! :)

I'm slowly saying all of my goodbyes. I had a friend tell me how cool it is to build "family" in different parts of the world. It has definitely been amazing getting to know the people here but how do you say goodbye when most likely you'll never see them again. I want to say, oh no problem i'll be back. But I feel like I'll be giving up a lot go come back and am not sure that is the best option. My students and my friends have really become my family here. When i have a problem, or a question, I bring it to my next class. They are genuinely very worried about me, which is what you need when you are living in a strange foreign place. I can't say the same treatment would happen in the USA which makes me sad to leave this place also.

Last night my girls class took me out for a "turkish dinner" We went to this area called "Kumkapi" where they have lines of restaurants, serving the same foods. You get meses, which are like appetizers (holly's favorite dish here) borek, fish,chicken or meat, fruit for desert and drinks. Then they fill this long dinner with dancing. I love these nights. As we were leaving the sounds of drums in every restaurant were echoing through the streets, Belly dancers on the tables outsides. Waiters dancing on chairs. Random groups of musicians serenading tables on the sidewalk. Its a wonderful sight and sound. Not to metion wonderful food!

One thing that was sad though, was that not all of my class could come because their fathers wanted them home. Two of the girls are my age. It was 7pm they had one hour before returning home. There family has even invited me to dinner b/c they talk about me so much, but they had one hour for dinner before being home on a saturday night. One of the other girls says to me, christy i am such a liar, I told my mother i was goign to my sisters house so i could come have dinner with you. She is 26.

It hurts me to see the lack of freedom these people have. They arent even trying to do anything crazy, but to have dinner with a bunch of girlfriends. I did hear the girl talkign to her mother in the car and she told her the truth, that she was going out to dinner b/c it was her teachers last day. I did hear her say yes, all girls many times and you can look on facebook to see the pictures.

Girls my age, will live like this until they get married when they will switch to thier husbands control. It made me realize how lucky I am. I have been given a freedom. It makes me feel bad that I fought my parents about curfews so much when i was younger because in reality i had it really good. I had a family that loved me, cared about me, and respected me enough to let me make my own decisions, To let me travel, to let me figure out my life, to let me become who I wanted to be. I think that was something very important that I have learned here. şanlıyım ve benım aılem benı sevıyor. I am lucky and my family loves me.