If every day were like today, there would be absolutely no question which season I prefer. Although I woke up shivering (again), the weather today was fantastic. No clouds, a light breeze, perfect temperature. It was my half day today and I usually would sleep but I got so much sleep last night (I went to sleep at 8:30 last night!!) that I woke up with a pounding headache. I got moving and into the showers where I used the last of the lukewarm water and then got ready for…nothing! What a nice thing to have to do.

So I ended up going to the store, an event in its own right around here, and then to the coffee place where the better part of my group of friends had all coincidentally congregated and we sat around and drank coffee and killed flies (I did, at least - that was the most combat action I’ve seen in my 5 months here) and eventually had lunch at the Turkish cafeteria.

There are some things I never would have imagined before I came here, and that is one of them - I have a great friend here who is in the Turkish Air Force and shares his culture with us any chance he can get - we’ve had a huge spread of food one night, some traditional chi köfte (a special dish made of kneaded meat) another night, Turkish coffee, baklava, and today was a lunch of a stew made of meat and beans with rice pilaf and a tangy tomato spread. I’ve had such great experiences with them that I am so grateful to have had here.

Unfortunately, my Turkish friend is leaving soon…as are all the rest of my friends…and then me. To be honest, leaving is bittersweet. I’d heard before I came here that I would find unbelievably close friendships here, and that I have. I do not look forward to saying goodbye to everyone and not knowing if I’ll ever see them again. We’re scattered all over the world, from Turkey to Hawaii (well, soon to be Hawaii) and everywhere in between, and it’s hard to believe we’ll all get together again. Fortunately, the memories of my friendships - of our dinners, long nights at the cafe, conversations lasting to the wee hours of the morning, laughing, crying, singing, dancing - will stay with me always. I can say with certainty that I could not have done this without my friends.