Over the past couple weeks, everyone has been asking me why I'm going to Turkey or what's there (well, after getting done singing They Might Be Giants at me). My default answers have been "because I can" and "I'll let you know when I get back", which isn't far from the truth. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.
I've been out of the country before - Lithuania, Russia, a mad dash across Europe, Mexico - so I know what it's like to be in a place that's completely foreign. It has been seven (!) years since I've been abroad, and who knows how the experience of travel will be different since my life has become more settled, and I've established a routine. I am looking forward to the struggle to accomplish things I take for granted here, like buying a cup of coffee. I can't wait to have that thrill and exhaustion of everything being novel again.
Turkey will be the first Islamic country I'll visit. I am excited to hear the call to prayer and visit some famous mosques, but hopefully avoid the challenges of traveling to a place such as Iran. I'm curious to see how much antipathy I'll run into. With tensions flaring between Turkey and Israel, it will be interesting to see how that manifests on the streets of Istanbul.
So, what do I expect? Who knows? I'm treating this trip like the rest of my life - I show up, make the best of it, and see what happens.
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