Friends, this tale begins after my last entry.
"That was over a month ago," you say.
"Eh heh...oh really?" I laugh nervously. "Wow, where did the time go....?"
I have to say though, that's how things have been. December was this crazy whirlwind of...well, of holidays. You know how that works, right? The holiday season either drags on and on and you just can't stand it, or it flies by too quickly. For me, things were somewhere in between. See, sometimes all I wanted was to go home. I missed my family. I've never spent Christmas apart from the three people I'm closest to in the world. Plus, Mom, Dad, and Sam were all in California with my dad's side of the family (sans my lovely Vermont-based Alexanders...I LOVE YOU GUYS!), so I was missing out on all the loving and hugging and eating. Yeah, I was really missing the food.
I feel like that's a theme of this blog...but I digress.
Yet other days I couldn't imagine being anywhere but Turkey for the holidays. I taught my classes all about how we Yanks approach the grand ol' month of December. I spent Christmas and New Years with my fellowship, eating my weight in amazing Turkish and British cuisine. (Seriously, now I'll never feel like it's Christmas without mince pies!) I cleaned up a beach with John, Ali, and a number of our students and then went to a Trabzonspor basketball match. I spent so much quality time with my special people in Turkey...it wasn't a non-Christmas. It was a wonderful, parallel Christmas. Out of another universe.
Since we're way past the season, and because I get up in seven hours to head to the airport, I'm going to spare you the mighty mountain of specifics, but, truly, I will never forget this incredible holiday season. My heart ached, but it also soared. I feel so blessed to be where I am, with the people who make my life special.
The big thing you need to know is that a blog update will be imminent in a couple of weeks because I am going to spend the first two weeks of my month off from teaching (Yes, my break begins right when yours ends. Haha.) visiting friends in Edinburgh, Scotland and Bray, Ireland and London, England and that-place-outside-of-Paris-where-Caroline-lives, France. I'm so excited, though also nervous. I'm flying with Pegasus Airlines, RyanAir, and EasyJet, three airlines I've never used before with notoriously strict hand baggage policies...if they check you out at the airport. I'm nervous that my bag won't pass their guidelines and I'll be forced to check it for an exorbitant price...but here's hoping they won't be too picky? I have no idea what my carry-on actually weighs. Living on a prayer right now...and waking up ridiculously early to do it!
I'll try to give some intermittent updates via facebook, and I should be available by email, but I'm not taking any computer with me. I'll have my wi-fi access smartphone, though, hence my semi-confidence that I'll be contactable. Please pray for me as I travel to places I've never been. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity and the friends (and soon to be friends!) willing to make it a reality. Catch you all in a few weeks...
...and, really, I am sorry that it's been so long since I last updated you...it's been a crazy month. Lots of holidays, grading, and getting ready to go.
Later days!
