I have a rather unusual idea of what makes a normal vacation. For me it is spending time in Kapadokya. In a house. With friends. And their 6 children. (The house happens to belong to said friends and their 6 children - who are as we speak noisily on their way to bed.) I do occasionally take normal vacations to the beach or to the mountains. Once a year or so this happens. Sometimes once every other year.
The joy of spending this much quality time with a family of 8 cannot be fully expressed. Really. I'm not being sarcastic in the least. I'm not sure how to change my tone of voice in five words or less, other than to say "please believe me."
My life in Ankara gets so easily full, busy, fast-passed...you fill in the blank. I come out here for a dose of reality. People eat dinner together as a family. Friends come over. Kids go to school. It's a rhythm.
Tonight I experienced the rhythm of this life overseas. My friends had a couple and their kids over for supper. The couple (and their kids, rest assured) are headed back to Germany after living here for 6 1/2 years. By their interaction and conversation, I could tell that they had not only served together they had laughed together, struggled together, raised kids together and grown together. And tonight they said good-bye.
There really is a rhythm to it all. You pack your bags, you get on a plane, you find and apartment, you meet new friends, you learn a new language. You say good-bye. Sometimes as the one staying. Sometimes as the one going. More often as the one staying. You start to see other people come. They pack their bags, they get on a plane, they find an apartment, they meet new friends, they learn a language. Sometimes they stay. Sometimes they go.
It's an unusual life. Maybe that's why I find vacations here in the midst of family chaos so restful. It's a reminder of normal. Whatever normal is.
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