try it, i dare you

Nov 10 1938, at the age of 57 Ataturk the father of the Turkish republic died.

71 years later i'm standing in Taksim square just a mile or so away from Dolmabache Palace where he died.
At 9:05, precisely the time Ataturk died, most traffic stops moving except for a few motorcycles trying to make a timely delivery and most Turkish citizens stop moving and bear 1 minute of silence in rememberance of the legendary Turkish leader

Of course i'm slightly confused and stumbling around my room in the early rays of morning light at this time, because i'm not a morning person by any grand stretch of the imagination, i wasn't for the 12 years of life when my mother had to bribe me to get out of bed in the morning untill now where it is rough going to get up for a 11 o clock class

As i step out of the shower to start my busy day...one of the few i've had while here...a loud siren goes off..so loud that i am transported in time back to WWII and the bomb raids....that kind of siren. It throws off my foggy concentration and i slip and fall, but no one hears thankfully since the sirens are echoing across Turkey.

At the statue of Ataturk, of which many are situated around the city, police barricades have been placed and a fully dressed guard stands patiently in front of the flowered wreaths respectfully placed in front of every statue of him.

It's beautiful, the respect and honor the place on their beloved leader, and whether you like the man or not, you can understand and admire the way that his people respect him.

Of course, i am on a mission on this particular day, so i dont have time to take pictures and bask in the mourning. I have to guide a DU worker who has arrived in Turkey for a conference around Istanbul.

Feeling particularly like an expert, as Sara and I take Carol (the visitor) around i tell her what knowledge i have picked up and suprise myself with the extent of it. It suprising what you learn when you immerse yourself

At this time i must take a moment and tell all travelers- past and future- dont ever think you know anything...ever. When you go some place and you know alot about it, or live there and learn alot about it, i guarantee you have barely tapped the vastness of knowledge that exists for you. Dont ever be satisfied with what you know and what you have learned...just take it it, swallow and let it settle before going back for more and more.

Granted their are times i feel so overstimulated i'm sure i'll pop like a lightbulb when a power surge shoots through. which is why you must take you time, and take deep breaths...take time for yourself to process all you have taken in...then go back out there and give it another shot.

Carols visit was a great oppuurtunity for me to process all that i have taken in and see where the holes in my knowledge exist and where i need to reach out and try harder. For instance she mentioned that some students study abroad and have a hard time because it doesn't meet their expectations...here is my solution to that problem: have none...just take all your ideas of how it will be and throw them out the window...start from scratch! then you will get a more accurate drawing :)

Next item on the list...my day with Carol and Sara ended at 5 in a migraine and me hiding pitifully under my covers after taking a tour of Blue Mosque.

Moral of this story...drink lots of water and be sure to eat 3 square meals a day...or you will feel like death walking as evening hits.

2nd Moral of this story- get out of your box...seriously. what do you need a box for anyway! its dark and its boring and not very much room. you can't fit anyone else in their with you and it doesn't give you much room to grow, and familiarity breeds contempt anyways....so get out of that stuffy, stifling, uninteresting box and try something new...really new...beyond a new type of alcohol or a new route to work/school...i can't guarantee anything except that you have one life...and maybe, just maybe you should use it to live? i'm just sayin' :)