Being a visitor is so much different than being a resident

Our "I-don't-care" boat

It has been some time since I write... but only two reasons for that: 1. I finally get something to do at my work - what took me about three day even I guess they expected me to work about two weeks; 2. we had Bayram vacations and I went with my boyfriend (!) to Izmir. Well yeah, I have a boyfriend, I should have started to call him that way to get used to an idea I am not single anymore. It has been about a month we are officially together. Strange innovation of my life but I feel calm...

This year's Bayram was the second Bayram holiday I have ever experienced. This time less traffic-wise. Journey by car from Istanbul to Izmir which usually takes about 7 hours turned pretty much to disaster due to traffic and a trip there took us over 13 hours. Yes, everybody had that brilliant idea to leave Istanbul early morning of Saturday too (but I have heard other times were pretty much the same). 

Seferihisar

Since two years that I was in Izmir for the first time, many things have changed. And as I always connect places to people, I have became to realize that being a visitor is so much different than being a resident: there is not any occasion once you visit people that live near you, it is nothing special, it becomes ordinary and they treat you ordinary as well. Sounds a bit sad but this is what happened to me and my friends: once close guys excited by my presence, today, after we all moved to Istanbul - we became super-ordinary. 

But it may have something to do also with a psychological factor, I guess: always I met with them before, I was a single girl in between a bunch of Turkish guys. Nowadays, I took one of their friends and made him to be my boyfriend and now, we are excluded. Makes me sad and upset how unfair it is but I just need to learn to get along with it...

Anyhow, holidays were lovely and very much needed. I wish they took longer. I visited Izmir, went for sailing trip to Seferihisar, spent times with other couples (me!) in Foça, even survived my first drinking game ever... 

Foça

And summarizing holidays, I have to mention one more story, maybe that may bring a bit of political glance to my blog... 

Rushing home, we stopped by to see a former high school of my boyfriend. I admired his desire to see it and also a range of respect he had towards it. I can't imagine myself doing the same, even I love my high school - certainly not that much. 

Almost running to its gardens, this really big and strong man realized that two main buildings, apparently some historically important, were destroyed and place actually looked like they have never been there before. I saw big teardrops he tried to hide. He was sure this was a pure political movement: in Izmir, this school is supposed to be one of the best, producing intellectuals and open minded people. Now, its capacity rapidly degraded. He mention under investment in Izmir by government: roads weren't repaired for ages, buildings - same story. Does Turkish Prime Minister have that goal? I will keep an eye on that.