A Bookend in Her Life

Graduation was Tuesday night. Wednesday was teacher check-out. We were set to fly to the USA on Sunday night. So, that left me three days in which to close out my classroom, set the house up to be left all summer, and get us packed up for our trip. But there was one additional crucial component this year. Firstborn needed to say goodbye to Turkey. I knew closure would be important, so I wanted to make myself available to help her in any way I could with this placement of a "bookend" on her time in Turkey. Yes, she will be back. She's coming for Christmas. But, as you know, it's never the same. She will be a college girl. She will be visiting, not living, in this country.

She wanted to go to Ulus, the old town. So, we blocked off Friday and went. We walked up to the castle one last time and popped in our favorite shop. This old couple knew us right away. How many times have I gone in there and taken visiting friends? He immediately instructed his wife to bring us some apple tea. Firstborn spotted some patchwork pillowcases made from old Turkish rugs. She settled on three of them. 

He serves you apple tea; he seals the deal. You sip, then you begin to think there is something in that store you should pick up. 

Then we went in the oldest restaurant in our city. We shared a couple of plates of lamb chops and enjoyed looking down on a quiet street on a Friday. 

I asked if salad and bread came with the meal. I needn't have asked. 

We also each got a bowl of their homemade lentil soup. I can't even describe the creamy, nutty taste. So good! 

We were down there on the holy day, which we normally don't do, but our time was so limited. We drove past Friday prayers. 

The other major goal for pre-Firstborn-moving-away was one last Saturday morning Turkish breakfast. CC had voiced to all of us to save this Saturday morning. We would go one last time. This has been our tradition since 2003. Nowadays, we go about monthly, as our kids' schedules are fuller now that they are teens. We enjoyed our meal together, laughing about things. I was so happy to be there. So happy to have all my children around that table. I asked Firstborn if she could have any part time job while in college, her choice, what would it be. She began to answer that she would like to be an apprentice for a taxidermist. (There is no joke in this. She is serious thanks to learning to stuff roadkill in her Anatomy and Physiology class.) CC heard "taxi," and said, "You want to be a taxi driver?!" It was light and fun. Just being together. It's really not the big vacations, is it? It's all being around a table together.