Oh yea... Antalya

I almost failed to mention Antalya - a coastal oasis of pure splendor whereupon a sizable group of Fulbrighters descended to a final group goodbye. Because I arrived late at night on a flight from Ankara, it wasn't until morning that I was able to catch a good view of the crisp greenish-blue ocean water, the jagged, looming mountains resigned to the background, and the vast shining sky. I half expected to walk strait into a green-screen by virtue of the too-perfect view, but the sea, the mountains, all of it, was real.

The Fulbright conglomerate stayed in an "all-inclusive" resort - a shameless push-back against the "native lifestyles" we've been leading for the last nine months. About 35 of us hung about the outdoor pool by day, even taking brief excursions to the ocean located across the street. At night, I was lucky enough to escape, with a good friend of mine, to a local cafe to reflect on our experiences and to avoid the brazen assemblage of middle-class Eastern Europeans that occupy such places.

It was a nice to realize just how similar our experiences had been, in terms of our own growth and how our attitudes and sensibilities have changed over time. The focus on a theme of connections and similarities between peoples and cultures has so far evolved my thinking in my capacity to see things for what they truly are. The sense of liberation stirred out of an absence of overpowering allegiances has allowed for a seemingly more objective approach to the world. This catalyst in my intellectual trajectory has felt nourishing and deeply personal, and I hope to maintain that sense in the presence of overwhelming and conflicting intellectual enterprise.

I got sunburned, but not too badly. Hours of fun on the water-slide (yea, you read that correctly), regardless of the layer upon layer of SPF, will get you if you're skin is near translucent-white, as mine was. It was one hell of a weekend, and I'm especially thankful to the colleagues who bit the bullet and organized the whole shabang. Kudos where they're due.