The sound of turkish delight

Posted on May 11, 2015 Updated on May 12, 2015

This post will be a response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Journey.”

I have travelled a lot. I have gone to Asia, Africa, USA and Europe even though I am just 29 years old. Every journey has given me new memories and lessons that has made me to the person I am today. But a journal is not only going to places physically, it`s also the mental travelling that expand and enrich our worlds. I have chosen to share one of my travel memories with you. It reflects how I try to experience new things while being with people I love.

I was in Turkey in 2012 together with four of my best friends. The two last days were at the same time as my birthday, and it was a wonderful day for the most part. This is just an excerpt from the whole experience, but sometimes it is necessary to focus on the most important memories in detail.

I am in Turkey. Beaches of ordinary sand feels like silk and dirty lakes as the source of life. Since I arrived at Kemer, I have walked in the odor of the hotel`s sewage system, had a shower in the ambivalent sea (alternating between cold and hot) and endured tiresome flirtations from Turkish men. One of those men, were of an especially annoying type, and I will call him the "snake-man" from now on. He was the waiter at a local restaurant where we ate Friday evening. Friday had so far been pretty good. I had dyed my hair dark, communicated with a lovely caramel-skinned kid and soaked myself in sweet sunshine. But still, I was in the worst mood so far that week. I had slept badly and hadn`t eatern since twelve. It was now seven and we arrived at the Restaurant. My mood elevated since I finally could eat Turkish food. But my fragile calm just lasted for a little while, since a waiter of questionable caliber came walking toward us. The first I noticed was how his tongue came in and out like a snake. Each time he said something that he believedwas funny, for example that he could "rub our delicate bodies with lovely food" he stuck out histongue and licked his mouth like it was he who wanted to eat something. My discomfort increased when he also smiled in a very unattractive manner. I decided to ignore him, since my inner traffic light was dangerously close to red. I managed to ignore him for a while, but the illusion soon burst when he came back to take our orders.

The nightmare started when I told him I wanted to order a vegetarian dish they had on their menu. In a confident voice, he declared that it wasn`t good. I was fine with that, but then me and Torunn wanted to order some wine. We told him we wanted one of the cheap wines, and he was immensely offended. He told us we had to try another one, but we declined. He kept assuring us that heknew best and that we had to follow his brilliant advice. He told us that we were "SO INCREDIBLESTUPID" to order that wine, at the same time as his tongue flickered in and out as if he was the devil himself. Me and my friend don`t care too much about the quality of the wine since we barely know the difference between red and white, and just wanted some wine that we could relax with. I tried to convey this in a calm manner. I have nothing against people recommending different types of wine if it`s done in a courteous manner, but when he for the SIXTH time started to claim that he knew best, and that we could not take the "bad, terrible wine" I felt my frustration rising. My patience was gone, so rudely I replied that if we didn`t get what we wanted, we would leave. Despite clearly underlining this point, he still did not get it. I had to shut my mouth tightly and look down,since tears were threathing to roll down my cheeks. He did not realize how tired, angry and sad I was, but after a couple more terrifying tongue gestures he finally disappeared. I actually managed to block him from my mind and had a good time after that. We went to a karaoke-bar, the best I've ever been on, and I got to sing until 24:00 when I had my birthday.

My birthday became a tear dripping affair. I got three happy birthday songs, where one of them was performed by about 30 guests at a restaurant. I got free cake, many hugs and greeting from a lot of people I love. I simply had a fantastic evening with my dear friends. Without people, we feel so small, no matter how old we get. I was touched by all the people who did their best to show me they cared.

I hope that one day I can give as much back as I have gotten from the people around me. I am lucky to have met so many nice people in my life (except the snake-man).