The sun sets over Santorini. And over our life changing trip to Turkey and Greece.
I really don’t want to write this blog post.
It means that Jill and I have left Turkey and Greece and are headed back to Beijing.
In every way we feel as if we shouldn’t leave.
The friendliness of the people.
The amazing tasting, and healthy, food.
The cleanliness.
The lack of pollution and crushing crowds.
The ease of getting from one place to another.
The ability to quickly learn the basics of two different languages and connect with so many people.
The amount of different cultures intertwined and accepting of each other.
At some point, these countries will be our home.
We both feel like we have finally come home even though we were born in the USA.
I will be posting, over the next month or two, our full travelogue in Turkey and Greece.
There will be many pictures, many stories, and many wonderful experiences.
At this point, however, I am deeply saddened to be leaving and don’t want to even start blogging because it means that it has ended.
The closest I can remember to feeling this way was one time when I was returning from a trip to New York City after seeing my mom‘s art show at a gallery.
I was flying back to San Francisco in a plane loaded with passengers.
I can’t remember every feeling so alone.
I started to cry.
Not because I was sad but because of the amazing humanity, kindness and connection that I had felt on this trip.
It was just after 9/11 and people in New York were so kind and loving that it blew me away.
I wrote 5 pages of notes, on the flight, and still have them in my storage boxes back in the USA.
I’ll post them when I get a chance to find them on a visit home someday.
I know people think New Yorkers are rude, but they aren’t.
They just don’t suffer fools lightly.
If you are lost, and want help, they will be there in a second. Just don’t stand in the middle of the sidewalk and block everyone else.
Honestly, I respect this and that they have places to be, lives to live, and things to do.
People in Turkey and Greece are the same way.
They help you whenever you need it and constantly amazed me at their laughter, happiness, and joy about life and living it.
This is what being in Turkey and Greece also brought out in Jill and me.
We remembered how to be happy, carefree, and safe.
Most of all, we felt like we fit in.
It was a wonderful feeling and I almost don’t want to see any of it end as we get ready to pack up our belongings and get on a plane flight back to Beijing.
By the time you read this blog post, we will have landed, and been in Beijing for a a few hours.
Give us a little time, and we’ll be fine, but right now, it is hard.