Present Day
A very smart friend (Janeen) suggested that I leap forward in my blog to the present. It is her opinion that I am in danger of getting stuck trying to catch up. Considering that my last blog post was in September, she may be right.
At the present moment, I am sitting in the Turkish Airlines business class lounge at Ataturk airport in Istanbul. I am on my way back to Canada. Yes, business class, yes, Istanbul. I have not won the lottery, nor have my financial circumstances changed radically. Over the last few years, I have been seduced by business class, first by an upgrade, then by a promotion. This time I actually handed over the credit card and closed my eyes.
Besides flying business class (if I ever get on the plane, it has been delayed by 2/12 hours), I am doing something else different this time. I'm an official flight volunteer. For the next 15 or so hours, I am the owner of two beautiful golden retrievers. When I arrive in Canada, I will hand them over to the Canadian Golden Retriever Adoption Service. As I have already fallen in love with them, that is going to be tough. It's a good thing I'm going to say with my sister and her (my) three cats, so I won't be tempted to abscond with them.
As always, the end of the school year, and the beginning of summer vacation is an emotional mash-up. There are so many different types of goodbyes - people I will probably never see again, people I will see in a few months. I am relieved not to be in the classroom for a few months, but sad about not seeing some very special children ever again. I am so sad and worried about leaving my cats for months, but excited to be spending an extended time with my sisters.
So - Istanbul! Those of you who have followed my blog in the past know that I visited Istanbul in 2014, and fell in love with it. I had the opportunity to come here to teach and jumped at it. I am happy to report that after 10 months, I am still madly in love with this city. Turkish people are kind and generous, and Istanbul is like an incredible, historic, gorgeous onion. Every layer you peel back, you are further astonished.
Okay, I'm supposed to go to my gate now. Yay! Next stop Toronto.
