Adventures of the Curlicue

I never thought I’d be spitting sunflower seeds off the back of a fishing boat, sailing along the crisp, Mediterranean waters of the Bosphorus Strait. But there I was: 23 years old; a college graduate. What was I doing in the middle of Istanbul, in the middle of March, when I should have been home, drafting a resume, applying for jobs, and planning my life? Well, nothing. I was doing nothing; I was doing everything all at once. Having grown up in a comfortable suburban neighborhood, my childhood fears were not having enough sprinkles on my ice-cream cone, and not getting a push on the swing-set at the park. My over-achieving self sailed through both high-school and college with ease (save for a broken toe senior year), and I was headed onto the expressway of adulthood. The plan was simple: graduate college, secure a career, and get pregnant by age 25. Boring. Super, incredibly, painstakingly boring. I felt the need for something more in life. Something exciting and new, something that words would fail to describe in any letters home. I needed to make my parents nervous. What better way than to buy a one-way ticket to Turkey to backpack around for three months, alone? So when I arrived in Turkey on February, 1st, 2010, with enough insulin (oh, I’m type 1 diabetic) and underwear to last till summer, I knew that I was on the “adventure of a lifetime”. I unplugged my computer and went tweet-less and text-less with no regrets. I never felt better. I felt alive. My journal became my best friend. I met people who never considered a visit to the US, or McDonald’s. It was humbling. I stayed up past my bedtime to study Turkish and the country’s customs, drinking lots of chai, and becoming acquainted with my new home. I really learned what it means to be independent. Independence is not saying, “I’m doing alright”, nor is it a polite way of saying, “I need alone time". Independence is being fulfilled and whole. Independence is grasping what’s around, embracing the good and bad, and literally working with what you got. Independence is loving your body, mind and spirit. Independence is freedom.
The experience, the sleeping on the floor of a train station, eating lamb intestines, being pick-pocketed, and getting to know people across cultures and geographical time and space builds character and I’m a better person because of it. Traveling gave me an opportunity to grow wings, and to fly. I am now ready to embark on my journey, and I finally feel free.