My New Normal

          I came to Turkey 7 months ago today. I have been living in this amazing place for 212 days. And at some point in these past 7 months, "life in Turkey" became "life", plain and simple. The things that made me feel like I was impossibly far from home when I first got here are now just the everyday occurrences of life in my new home. And that makes me wonder, when and how did it all become normal? 

          I got to skype with my family earlier this week. While we were talking, the call to prayer started in the background. The call to prayer has become the soundtrack to my life here and I barely even register it anymore. But that wasn't something my family was used to hearing and they asked me about it. And I realized that I hadn't even registered that it had started until it was pointed out to me. My first morning with my host family, I literally jumped out of my bed when the call to prayer went off at 5:45 in the morning. And so I began to wonder, When did I get so used to that part of life?

          I was talking to a friend recently and she asked me what are some different things in the culture here. And I spent all day thinking about it before I replied, "If you came here, I'm sure you would think everything was so different but it's all so normal to me now." And I started to wonder, when did that happen?

          When did the houses I see everyday go from being run down and dirty to absolutely beautiful to me? When did the public buses go from being death traps on wheels to my favorite form of transportation? When did Turkish food go from being something I ate when it was put in front of me to something I crave? When did I start being able to sing the Turkish pop music and having favorite Turkish TV shows? When did speaking Turkish go from being a chore to being something I love to do?

          I guess I can't really say exactly when this all became normal to me. There wasn't one day when I woke up and suddenly everything was normal and I never got the "What the heck!" look on my face anymore. I still get that sometimes; I didn't suddenly become Turkish and completely understand their culture. But at some point in these last months, this life became my new normal. 

          I have 3 more months here. Less than half of the time I have already spent here until I go home. And that's really not very long. I've begun to realize just how much I will miss it here. Everytime I think of leaving, I start to get a little emotional because this country has claimed my heart. 

          But for now, I plan to thoroughly enjoy the time I have left here. I can't wait to enjoy the next 3 months of my new normal and my new life. Happy Easter everyone!