Hope all has been well since my last blog! I know it has been a while, I have been all over the place- finishing my first year of grad school, traveling to Turkey, and Miss Florida Orientation. I finally have had a little over a week to truly get my life back together and am now gearing up for Miss Florida and a few trips home!
Turkey was INCREDIBLE! Quite honestly, I never expected to like it so much. I just thought of it as the only option to travel abroad in graduate school. Once I got there, however, I realized I had far underestimated this beautiful, hospitable country.
Istanbul was this gorgeous, metropolitan, European city on the European side of Turkey (the country is in both Europe and Asia technically). Although it was a fast-paced city, it certainly didn't have a pushy feel (unless of course someone was trying to sell you Turkish delight, pashmina scarves, or any other of the million goodies we saw over and over again!).
The people there work to live, not live to work, and that was extremely refreshing to be around. My favorite part of the country was the call to prayer. Five times a day, people would stop whatever they were doing, take off their shoes, face Mecca, and pray to Allah. Loudspeakers all throughout the city would sound together in a foreign tongue. Although I had no idea what was being said, you could feel the profoundness of what this meant to the Turks and their lives. There is something slightly unnerving yet moving about hearing this methodically throughout your day. A constant reminder of a higher power and a bigger purpose is something we are not accustomed to, but maybe we should be aiming to.
There was one day when we were touring Topkapi Palace, the home of the former sultan, which also happened to be the same day that what seemed to be most of the school children in the city were visiting also. There were three of us girls walking along together when all these kids started pointing and whispering. Then, one came up and asked me if I would take a picture with her. Of course, I said yes feeling like a movie star! The other kids took this as a green light to circle around us and bombard us with picture requests and notebooks for autographs! I think I know what it's like to be followed by paparazzi now. :) I swear these kids had never seen an American before in their lives! So awesome to know that we made their day, and that they had a positive view of the US.
My favorite city in Turkey was Cappadocia. It was a lot like the western United States in that it was breathtaking with its valleys, mountains, and red rocks. We even got to visit the Goreme Open Air Museum which was essentially mountains which were hand carved out into churches, homes, and entire civilizations. It was incredible to see how much detail they put into it with the simple tools they had access to. There were ornate church ceilings, pews, and even kitchen tables with benches in these caves. These essentially underground cities were from when the Romans were trying to chase the Christians out of the area hundreds of years ago.
We then headed to Konya which is one of the most conservative cities in Turkey. This is where I flew out to go home early for orientation. The Konya airport is one room, and as I walked in, I've never seen so many curious eyes turn to meet mine and stay there an uncomfortable length of time. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I didn't wear a headscarf or the fact that I looked so different from them with green eyes and blonde hair. It was understandable at first, but after an hour of sitting there and being stared at, I was so ready to get home where I could blend in as one of many Americans. I'd never been so ready to board a plain in my life!
When I got home, though, I had to be ready to go again because a day later, I was heading off to Miss Florida orientation! All day Friday, I was running errands and workin' my little tushy off to get everything ready to go. Although I was exhausted, I was so happy to see Juan and Don the next morning. They were so sweet to meet me at my apartment and do my hair and makeup before the big day! I missed everyone so much!
The weekend was full of meetings, pajama parties, paperwork, and a lot of inspiration. Hearing how the job of Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen had given Jackie and MK the opportunity to reach out and make an impact on thousands of people gave me chills. The way they were able to articulate what the job gave back to them in return was so beyond their years. I have the upmost respect for the both of them.
Now, I am back to the grind of classes, mock interviews, dancing almost daily, working for eating disorders awareness and prevention, and seeing the people I love! I am traveling back to Indiana four times this summer for showers/wedding stuff and am SO excited to see my family and friends!
Wish me luck on the toughest part of state preparation- the month before!
Love and laughter,
Brittany
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