I am tired, smelly, and disoriented in the Turkish Airport

yet another late post from my trip to Moldova....I wrote this in Turkey....I wish the grammar were better, but I don't have much time to clean it up:

As the title of this post suggests, I’m exhausted. So I will try to make this brief. We landed in Turkey at about 3:00 AM NY time/ 10AM Istanbul (and Chisinau) time. Unfortunately, the excitement-induced sleep-deprived state I was in prior to this trip has been compounded by the time change, the layover, and my freakishly lanky frame (which made any rest aboard the first flight impossible). For that reason, I’ve decided to try to stay awake until I get to Chisinau in an attempt to tackle jet-lag HEAD ON(*apply directly to the forehead). Anyway, we leave for Chisinau at 10:40AM NY time, 4:40 PM Istanbul time.

Oh yeah, also this: I might smell. You see, the temperature outside is about 90 degrees and I am wearing a suit, with a thermal shirt and a t-shirt underneath. Why would any person in the world put themselves through 24+ hours of travel dressed this way? Well, allow me to plea my case: My luggage is completely full, and its weight is approaching surcharge territory. Therefore to conserve space and save money, I decided to wear as many clothes as medically possible. I think I have accomplished that. Furthermore, the Peace Corps wants us to arrive looking presentable. Some are choosing to change their clothes just prior to the flight out of Istanbul. I however, have chosen a different path. And, I see no problem with that.

I’m not the only one who is tired. Those who began their travels the day before me may be worse-off. The group’s exhaustion level however, has in no way diminished the feelings of excitement and enthusiasm – which are palpable in conversations, gestures, and expressions. Perhaps you could say this about every Peace Corps group but, these are truly fantastic individuals: the least of whom will change tens or hundreds of lives, and the best of whom will pull together disparate flecks of granite humanity into a smooth marble tableau. I can only hope to hang on and keep pace.

With all of that said, I’m tired and nothing is really happening here inside this airport food court. So I will leave you with two notes:

1. The Turkish airport is nicer and much more interesting than JFK. For example, there are free samples of “Turkish Delights” candy – in five different varieties. They have pecans, dates, and a lot of other flavors that I can’t identify. They also were giving out free samples of Patron and other fine alcohols earlier in the duty-free shops. In other words, what I’m saying is this: Next time your family plans a vacation, just fly to the Turkish airport and live here for a few days. You will save on hotel accommodations, you can dine on exotic Turkish candy, enjoy the nightlife at the Duty-free shop, and get pampered by the Aquamasage (you have to click on this, it’s pretty awesome.)
2. The only other noteworthy thing I have done in Istanbul is taste Turkish coffee. In case you’re not familiar, it is a thick, dark coffee served in a tiny espresso cup. It is not really filtered and has some pretty strong grounds floating in it. Apparently, you are supposed to drink it fast, but not eat the grounds that it leaves on the bottom of the cup. I ate those grounds. Then I proceeded to implore everyone who inquired about it to do the same. It was not until later that a more ‘enlightened’ member of the group informed us that such consumption is patently absurd; you really are not supposed eat them. Nevertheless, if I get Turkish coffee again, I think I will still lick the cup clean.