Final Thoughts

I don't know why but I'm crazy about soap - the handmade bar soap. Whenever I see it vacationing I always buy one. I've have been to France, Italy, Germany, and small towns from Maine, to New York and Massachusetts. I've taken soap from every one of them. Last weekend I'm pleased to find a Turkish soap.

Truthfully, not much going on this weekend. No new lands to conquer. Some students have left, going to their summer places around Turkey. I had mentioned a couple ideas to go to the beach - it never happened. The guys talk about going out for last night but during Ramadan they will not drink. Plans are tossed around but fall through. I spend most of my time at the pharmacy. Life cycles on...

I'm not sure what to say to this. In a way, we have come full circle. The journey ends as it begins.

Friday I come in and Erdem is playing R.E.M. on his laptop as if it had occurred to him to remember how good they were, songs I haven't heard in a while, music we both grew up on. It's nice...

I've had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here. I've met some amazing, truly incredible, warm people. I have friends from Antalya, Tunisia, and Egypt who would be happy to have me at their home next week if I wanted. It's been absolutely incredible. With the blog I've done my best to put just how special this time has meant to me into words and pictures.

Be that as it is, part of the success of being here, after all, is what I will make of the experience when I return and that's an even longer story that will continue to unfold long after I leave Turkey; to keep in contact with these people, sharing information, thoughts, ideas...

I once had a sociology professor who had traveled many places all around the world and he said, for every one, when the journey was over he was always happy to return to the US.

I think I'm at a point now where I'm starting to understand just what that means.