Many of you have been reminding me to update this, and like many things, I knew I'd get to it 'eventually'. This eventually, became approx a year. So, I'll pick up at June this year.
We arrived back to Istanbul after packing up for a two week trip. In February. … three months later, we made our way back home. It gave me plenty of time to sense everything anew. While it’s nice to be home (even though that term is used pretty loosely these days), I had the day to ignore my urges to cuddle up on the couch with Central Standard time as my senses readjusted to life in Istanbul. I came up with a list of things I missed and things I didn’t.
Missed: My toothbrush. No foldable or gift from the dentist compares to the electric toothbrush I have in Istanbul, it's like a teeth massage, twice a day. The Bosporus. This city is hectic, chaotic and busy, but when you look out at the large body of water and it's simple rhythms, it's hard to not let that sink in. Bebek beagle. If you know me, you know that I have beagle-dar. I love the breed and the slightly overweight often panting beagle, who I connected the dots to conclude lives in Bebek. I smile every time I see him waddling along. Fresh bread smell. With many corner bakeries, it's hard to not pick up this smell. However, it's usually, bland white bread so it smells better than it looks. It reminds me of rowing up the Mississippi River on morning practices and smelling the bead factory that was along the eastern bank not far from our turning point. Sound of friend's voices on a local call. When away, I try to keep in touch with some of my friends, but with time differences and schedules, its hard to talk on the phone. So nothing compares to a real voice call. Bionic Dut. Dut means mulberry and I was born and lived in a house on Mulberry Street. Yes, I did receive many copies of that Dr. Seuss book, growing up. But I also love the fruit and am amazed at how big they are in Turkey. And this one in the photo was only the biggest one left, after I picked out all the mammoth bionic dut....
Things I Didn't Miss: Of course, there were a few things that I found didn't miss. Like the ezan. I know the call to prayer five times a day seems like something you can just tune out. But that is all dependent on how close you are to the speaker at the time of the fire drill. Downstairs dog, fighting samauri cats. The dog that lives in the apartment downstairs is programed to yip voraciously anytime it hears a decibel above that of a hairdryer on low- small dog complex. And the cats that get in street fights, anywhere, they sound like they are dying in combat or practicing horrifying operatics. At-my-convenience-service-model. That's all I am going to say about that. The micro-climates of big, bad city smells. This is mostly the trash that has been stewing in the sun, that you get a whiff of in passing. Always disgusting!
We arrived back to Istanbul after packing up for a two week trip. In February. … three months later, we made our way back home. It gave me plenty of time to sense everything anew. While it’s nice to be home (even though that term is used pretty loosely these days), I had the day to ignore my urges to cuddle up on the couch with Central Standard time as my senses readjusted to life in Istanbul. I came up with a list of things I missed and things I didn’t.
Missed: My toothbrush. No foldable or gift from the dentist compares to the electric toothbrush I have in Istanbul, it's like a teeth massage, twice a day. The Bosporus. This city is hectic, chaotic and busy, but when you look out at the large body of water and it's simple rhythms, it's hard to not let that sink in. Bebek beagle. If you know me, you know that I have beagle-dar. I love the breed and the slightly overweight often panting beagle, who I connected the dots to conclude lives in Bebek. I smile every time I see him waddling along. Fresh bread smell. With many corner bakeries, it's hard to not pick up this smell. However, it's usually, bland white bread so it smells better than it looks. It reminds me of rowing up the Mississippi River on morning practices and smelling the bead factory that was along the eastern bank not far from our turning point. Sound of friend's voices on a local call. When away, I try to keep in touch with some of my friends, but with time differences and schedules, its hard to talk on the phone. So nothing compares to a real voice call. Bionic Dut. Dut means mulberry and I was born and lived in a house on Mulberry Street. Yes, I did receive many copies of that Dr. Seuss book, growing up. But I also love the fruit and am amazed at how big they are in Turkey. And this one in the photo was only the biggest one left, after I picked out all the mammoth bionic dut....
Things I Didn't Miss: Of course, there were a few things that I found didn't miss. Like the ezan. I know the call to prayer five times a day seems like something you can just tune out. But that is all dependent on how close you are to the speaker at the time of the fire drill. Downstairs dog, fighting samauri cats. The dog that lives in the apartment downstairs is programed to yip voraciously anytime it hears a decibel above that of a hairdryer on low- small dog complex. And the cats that get in street fights, anywhere, they sound like they are dying in combat or practicing horrifying operatics. At-my-convenience-service-model. That's all I am going to say about that. The micro-climates of big, bad city smells. This is mostly the trash that has been stewing in the sun, that you get a whiff of in passing. Always disgusting!