Sunday, June 22, 2014

A New Day Dawns, But Why Didn't I Sleep Last Night?

Robert and I left home at 7am on Saturday, and arrived safely in Istanbul around 10am on Sunday.  We crossed from the European side to the Asian side of Istanbul, and got to the apartment we are staying at by noon.  There is a 7 hour difference between here and home. So that means, all told, we were in transit for 22 hours.  Not bad for going what feels like half way around the world. 

I want to say that the sensory experience of being back in Istanbul overwhelmed me, but it didn't.  I enjoyed seeing familiar sights again.  Hearing Istanbul's unique traffic and road noises was a comfort to me, and the smell of cigarettes and diesel fumes was oddly reassuring that I was in the right place.  Of course there was the first taste of Tutku, one of my Turkish comfort foods, to welcome me back. All of this, though, wasn't as emotional as I figured it was going to be.  It just feels like, "Well, I'm back and I have a job to do so let's get to it."

The job I'm here to do is run sound for some hip hop artists on a two week tour of western Turkey.

Today there are a few possibilities of what may happen.  Either I get to drive back the European side where the airport is and pick up more of our team that's flying in today, or Robert and I will squeeze onto a Dolmuş and make our way out to where all our sound gear is kept to pack up the gear van for our tour.  There is always the third possibility, though, that something entirely different happens.


I'm excited to meet the people flying in today.  We may get some sightseeing in tomorrow and then buckle down for rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday, but that's too far in the future to say for sure.  The key now is for Robert and me to stay flexible and serve the people here as best we can.

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