Six, Five, Four I count down the months until I leave Denver and make my home in Turkey for one year as a Rotary youth Exchange student. Right now I can’t let my mind speculate about the foreign landscapes I will see, the new people I will meet, and the unfamiliar culture that waits for me. In fact life still happens. My teachers expect my work in on time and lunches are eaten at the 1.25-a-scoup Chinese restaurant amongst the residential sprawl of Adams County. It’s a far cry from a sunny afternoon on the Bosporus.
Getting accepted into this study abroad program is not new news to me, I have been preparing for a few months now, raising money, studying Turkish, applying for a visa, and even though my daily routine has depleted its freshness, like my application essays asked for, I still question myself as to why I am doing this. First, comes my own motivations: I can become fluent in another language, make new friends, and experience the strange satisfaction of navigating alone through an exotic culture. Then I think about what my Mom tells me and how she shares my travel plans with everyone. The varied reactions range from, “that is great, I hear the people are so nice,” to ,” your son is going to get HURT over there,” or "isn't that were the terrorists are from?" My eyes on the street, my Mom has shown me that already, people outside my inner circle, if ever so slightly are involved in my trip.
Since I was young I have wanted to travel, my brother, who is currently a Rotary Exchange student in Peru, my teachers, family, and the few adventurers I have met, have all pushed me to purse a life of global citizenry. While that life starts for me, this trip is not only about what I am going to gain. I intend to share this journey with as many willing listeners as I can, in particular my community, in hopes that they too can be a part of this adventure. So drop by whenever you can, you might learn a Turkish word or that Istanbul was once Constantinople!
