COULD BE THE LAST POST...

This is  a story about a land of contrasts. Local inhabitants are convinced, that many important pages of history have been written exactly here: Greek and Roman empires, Christianity and Santa Claus are just a few whits, compared to all the rest, of what this country, which unites Europe and Asia, can be proud of. 
One year ago, when I was pulling my luggage from the airport to metro to finally arrive in the centre of Istanbul, I had just a few peaces of clothes, books, some Latvian sweets and a stack of stereotypes and prejudices with me, which I took there just with one purpose - to break and get rid of them. I had no idea, what kind of emotions, adventures and experiences this country, to which many of us are looking with scepticism, is going to present me.

It is interesting, that during my year in Turkey I met just 2 kind of people: ones were counting seconds to get away from never ending uproar, crowd, noise, chaos, importunity and non-formal rules made by religion; the others were collecting every coin to return again and again under the bright-red sun of Turkey, hospitality and warmth of people, never relentless liveliness, amazing aromas of food everywhere, oriental music and culture, which wont leave anybody indifferent.

Maybe it will be surprising for some, but Turkey is not just 5 star hotels in Antalya, cruises in Mediterranean sea, amazing nightlife and shopping tours in Istanbul. Also carpets, Nargiles, bargaining and world-famous kebabs are not the major reasons, which attract thousands of visitors every year. There is something more, that you can`t feel while travelling just as a tourist. To really understand the attraction rule of Turkey, you must experience more than Mega-cities and tourist traps. You must become one of 80 million locals and live like one of them for a while. Just like I did.

I am sure, that I am not the only one, for whom this country ,even after one year there, seems confusing. This is the reason, why while telling stories about Turkey, we should not generalise. Every scope must be evaluated separately and at the same time, keep in mind, that all those scopes will stay forever connected.
Religion, location, culture, traditions, music, climate, politics, temperament, manners, impact of the outside world, history, heroes... This all make sense, while creating an image of Turkey. 

I am grateful for every second I spent there. Uhh, what a life experience I got. And amazing people I met. And places I saw. And dreams i fulfilled. And love, that I felt. Nobody will ever take those feelings and memories away from me.
I don`t know yet, if this year of volunteering will ever change many things on my CV, but I already feel how much it changed my heart and soul. 

This was the hardest goodbye in my life. I might be growing up. I miss those times, when the biggest pain was just an injury on knee and goodbyes we said just until tomorrow. Time passes, distances become bigger, love - stronger. Despite everything, I am happy that I FEEL. This is what makes me a human being and also teaches about life the most. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity and I was brave enough to continue until the end. 
Now it is time for new life and adventures. Isn`t it? :)

AGAIN