Turkey Burger

AHMETTTTTTTTTTTT

I talked to Ahmet last night, we haven’t talked in what seems to be ages, but merely only a few weeks. He said he finally quite his fancy smancy job at a restaurant in Melbourne and now is heading the Western Australia to go work in the vineyards. Sounds amazing and I wish I could go back to Australia, too bad I started school. In the near future we will work it out. I have to be quick though cause he is making his way back to Nepal. He mentioned doing a month trek in the mountains from Mustang to Tansen. Which would be amazing. We will see what comes, although I do have a ticket to anywhere at the moment.

Can you say WHAT?

Sorry for the delay in my writing, I haven’t been doing to much to keep myself from it.

The last couple weeks have been pretty interesting. Goreme is a very small town; I thought living in Angels was bad with all the gossip and what not, but Holy CRAP if it weren’t for tourism and gossip I don’t think this town could survive!

One day I was sitting by myself at the market and this girl, who I have seen before around town and know a little about her, came up to me and ask me why are you sitting by yourself? What’s going on? Everyone is talking about why you are walking by yourself? Then she begins to tell me that she knows my story and why I am here. I just sat back, listened and nodded. I just thought to myself who the hell does she think she is and why is it any of her business to know me or why I am sitting by myself. Shouldn’t she be taking care of her daughter instead of harassing me. This lady is just a mess, a drunk mess that is lonely inside, has no friends, and is jealous that I hang out with some of the guys.

Everyone is just a pure gossiper. People ask me things and I just think what/where/ who did you hear that from. It is unfathomable how people make things up or twist things around and it ends up being a whole nother story. I tell myself that I can’t let it get to me, it has already made me partially crazy and if I let it make me crazy I don’t know what will happen.

What a Week

It has officially been one week since I have arrived in this majestic country. What a week it has been from lounging around, being a bit stressed (DAMN you AT&T), and starting—ughhhh- I guess you can call it my job. It has been an absolute amazing week and I am cherishing every moment that has come my way so far. I am in a little haze of disbelief that I am actually here. I really came. Each day has had its own adventures that will and are turning into the memories that I will look back on and smile.

I have done a little bit of being a tourist, but now I am a “local” so I figure the rest of the touristy crap won’t be done anytime soon. Except when my boss makes me go on hot air balloon rides and wine tasting tours. I am fine with not having seen a lot yet, I want to take my time and enjoy it. Which I am doing, every which way you look there is something to see. You think looking at rocks and caves all day might be a little boring, but it yet has not and will not. The valleys that lay within Cappadocia awake you at dawn with their peachy ash pink crevasses, they are the stars in the show, showing off their beauty with shades of soft pinks at dawn and while the sun sets they are glowing with hints of blood orange.

Everyday I walk by the same places close to the same times. I see new faces as well as old ones. On the second day I was here I noticed a blonde hair blued boy, clearly not Turkish, but working at one of the markets/restaurants in the village. I would here him speak Turkish and wonder where he was from or if he was working and just hanging out like me maybe he was adopted my a Turkish family. I had no clue. Everyday I have been just walking by him keeping to myself. I didn’t know what to say or if it would be awkward, so I just let it be. Sunday we finally talked. He was wondering why I was walking so fast and told me to sit down and drink some tea. We talked, drank tea, at peta, ate ice cream, and talked some more. Finding out that he is originally from Vancouver, but about three years ago he woke up on morning and said to himself that he was moving to Turkey and left the next day. He did not know a single word in Turkish, but now speaks it rather fluently. Do I need to stay three years to become fluent?? He has only lived in Goreme for the past two months moving from Istanbul. He works for a Turkish family, that is his family now. He has introduced to me to a really neat Australian chick who had found a boy here a few months back while traveling. She left on her travels, but soon came back to meet back up with him. She will leave again on the 13th and we are not sure when exactly she will come back. We have a nice time just talking about shit, the town, and whatever other random things we can think of.

One night and one night only, I worked at the restaurant. I go there every night, but no more working there for me. It was too much for me; the language barrier, the stress, how others run a business, all that I can’t handle. I had a somewhat panic attack, it was almost as if I was working at Nordstrom’s again. I have not been that stressed since I worked there. I love them they love me, but it’s just not for me. Though I still eat there every night get my own bread, tea, place my own order, get one bottle of Efes bira, then glasses of wine the rest of the night it all works for all of us. I just sit and watch the tourist try new foods and wines, watch the fire listen to it crackle as the moon arises of the fairy chimneys while Music Man is playing the sakara. He thinks I am funny I think he is funny, but half the time we have no clue what each other are saying.

I did start working at the Kelebek on the 8th. I am not sure what day that was as I have not necessarily been keeping track of the date or time. Boy did you think working 8 hour days was rough try working 12 hour days! I get up around 8 come to work at 8:30 then leave around 9. I enjoy it though, maybe it is because I sit by a pool most of the time (as I am doing now) or cause everyone is nice. Nah, I think it is the food I get to indulge in, three meals a day plus all the tea I could ever imagine. Yesterday I broke my sandals, very very devastating. The cobbler who comes and sits in front of the mosque on Fridays will fix them for me. Though walking the streets of the village barefoot isn’t so bad. I frankly do it quite often.

I have been staying at the hotel for a week now. Tonight though I will move all my things to my new house or should I say cave, which over looks the village and sits in between fairy chimneys that decorate the town. I have a nice terrace that will soon have candles, a table, a few chairs, and a rug.

I am so grateful that everything has turned out the way it has. Even being stranded on the side of the road at 5 O’Clock in the morning really isn’t all that bad either. The moon still shinning bright as the sun is fast approaching is a beautiful thing. Eating unripe apricots that are tangy and sour as you’re flagging down vans with Asian tourist could never be funnier. I envisioned myself being stuck on the side of the road in the states and just knowing I would be pissed out of my mind if this were to happen, but I seemed to care less with no worries.

My Turkish is slowly progressing, sloooooooowly. I am listening and taking it all in when everyone around me is talking. I think in about two weeks, I am hoping, that I will be able to have a conversation. Not the hi, how are you? bullshit, but a real conversation. I carry my little journal around with me. Hasan, my manager at work asked me if I got it at Borders. Shocked that he asked me that, I told him yes. He worked at the Borders that I went to everyday on Powell Street. Joking that he remembered me coming in everyday too, but I was to busy to notice him.

Life is good at the moment. Missing a few things, but they will eventually come to me and that time while I am waiting I will wait patiently knowing to enjoy what has come my way.

I am Finally here.

I bought my one way ticket on Sunday, June 28 and left on Tuesday, June 30. I have been anxiously waiting for two months to come and did the anticipation finally catch up to me. I spent almost 24 hours traveling, starting from leaving Angels to arriving in Goreme. The sun never left my side the whole way. It is pretty amazing to have the sun be you companion while you are traveling to the other side of the world by yourself.

I arrived in Kaysier around 8:30 Wednsday night, then another hour by car to Goreme. It is a small town of about 1,900 people. Everything is wonderful here, but I am a little homesick, for a few good reasons. The food has been amazing. It is all so fresh and healthy, I haven’t seen any junk food at all not even in the stores. But, I still have some Pringles left from home. Haven’t done to much else, just been exploring the village a little here and there. I am still a bit jet lagged and just simply tired. In a few days that will be gone though when I start work.

Tonight I am off to bed, it is the first night I haven’t gone to bed before 4 a.m.