"Patience and Diligence, like Faith, move Mountains." - William Penn
So you may be wondering why I haven't gone South yet? Well... As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am waiting on Ziad, my guide, who is fluent in Turkish and Arabic, to take me down to the border. I didn't really want a guide but the Man with the Medicine already told him that I would be coming and that he could go with me down to the border. Besides, he may have some contacts down at the border that could help me get the most help into Syria. He has a teach-in tomorrow at 7pm and Thursday at 7pm to garner Turkish College Student support for the Syrian refugees and then we are off to the bus station right after. We will have a 16 hour bus ahead of us. He will help me buy supplies for needy families.
I sorta told Ziad off today. He's a chain smoker. And the smoke billows into your face. I finally picked up his ashtray and moved it to across the room and told him I have no problem with smokers, just have a problem when it invades my breathing space. I told him to take a different bus down if he plans on smoking on the bus. Thankfully, he is not allowed. I hope we don't have to have another no smoking and blowing it into my face conversation.
After buying the bus tickets today, which took forever.. I took the metro back on my own to my new hostel which is in the same square as the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. I stopped and got some salad and some tea and watched the spinning Sufi mystic. On my way, I heard these various comments shouted at me in broken English about 17 different times:
"Cowgirl, hey, hey"
" horse? horse?"
"American girl"
"Texas!!"
"Nice hat style"
At first I ignored it.. THen I figured that it would be funnier if I responded in the proper Islamic greeting in perfect Arabic (A universal greeting in Muslim countries) "Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatu Llahi Wa Barakatu"... I will try to capture what pure confusion on a local Turks' face when they assume you to be from Texas only to find out you speak fluent Arabic and that you are from Syria.
Okay... so there is this smell.. cant tell if its my socks or the pillows im sitting on.
We create every moment and define the memory it leaves on our soul.