Over the weekend and during almost each meal this week, I met with my Turkish friends. This week is Bayram, a Muslim holiday, so many students returned to their homes. It's very difficult to say goodbye to so many close friends, but thankfully email gives hope of maintaining contact. I'm also considering the option of graduate school in Istanbul (sorry Mom and Dad, this is the first time you heard this idea), so I pray these “good-bye”s are really only “see-you-later”s.

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Eating chocolate goodness with my basketball team.

December 20, 2007

Lesson Twelve: Parting is anything but sweet, but memories are filled with Turkish Delight

In the midst of packing and finishing academic obligations, I begin to say farewell to the many wonderful people with whom I shared this Turkish semester. From America to Holland to Italy to India, my friends will scatter across the globe, and many more will remain in Turkey. It's strange to think I'll send e-mails all over the world to stay in contact with my fellow exchange students, but I find the hardest part of this final week comprehending the distance I'll physically create by returning to Kentucky.

I began the difficult task of bidding farewell last week at my final basketball practice. When we concluded practice, my team revealed a delicious chocolate cake with the words, “We love you, Morgan.” We enjoyed each others’ company as a team together for the last time and reminisced about all my embarrassing moments, most due to the language barrier. They love to remember when I yelled “DEFENSE!” during our game versus Hacateppe, apparently with an extremely obvious English accent; everyone in the gym stared at me, and it became quite noticeable I'm not Turkish.