My first independent international travel

I'll never forget the day that marked my first international travel, all alone. Tired yet excited after a 10 hour long flight, I patiently checked out from Ata Turk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. It was my first independent international travelling experience. Soon I realized that there was no one to guide me in English language and to my disappointment, I had no clue of Turkish. After moving around the duty free area of the airport, at least 10 times, I finally found the meeting point where the team of 'Turk Arab Youth Congress' was waiting for me. After two hours, I was escorted to a private van which had to take me to Surmeli hotel.

Istanbul had a unique and hospitable ambiance. At least one Turkish flag after everyone kilometre depicted the strong sense of nationalism thriving in this country. On my way to the hotel, I tried to capture as many glimpses of the 'city of mosques' (Istanbul). As a print journalist, my job was to cover the Turk Arab Youth Congress 2013. Apart from the responsibility, I was personally amazed at organization and structure of the congress that aimed to create a sense of unity between Turk and Arab youth. After handing over the final reports, to the relevant authority I hastily took my money and went out to explore Istanbul with my colleague who came from Lithuania.

Owing to the excitement and impatience, I completely forgot to remove my name tag. On Istaklaal Street, one of the shopkeepers clearly called out my name and invited me to his shop. This was a surprising gesture. A lot of Turks wrongly identified me as either an Indian or a Bangladeshi. However, upon knowing that I was a Pakistani they became ecstatic and mentioned the brotherly ties between Turkey and Pakistan. 'Kumpir' (Turkish fast food) and the fresh fish burger near Golden horn, were the two most relished food items during my shopping time. Turkish tea freshened us with its aroma and flavour. The Bosphorus cruise was a serene way to end the 'shopping spree'. Next morning, I had to leave Istanbul with a heavy heart.

The logistics team of the congress was kind enough to drop me to the airport. On my flight back to Pakistan all I had in mind was that the five days spent in Istanbul will remain studded in my memory like a beautiful dream.