2013 To Do List

This is more of a to-do list than a list of resolutions.  I reckon that the second to last item on the list would be classified as a resolution, though, and the last item fits into both categories.

-Visit Hong Kong.
-Visit Holland and/or other countries.
-Hike in Great Falls.
-Take my mother to Cappadocia.
-Choreograph a difficult piece of music.
-Be ridiculously selective about the dance engagements I accept.
-Spend a month or more in the US.
-Write a lot.
-Read a lot.
-Dance a lot, and in interesting places.
-Prepare an elaborate, multi-course, gourmet vegan meal. Serve it to some
omnivores.
-Practice yoga a lot.
-Have a temporary extension put in my hair that is hot pink or
some other outrageous color.
-Party more than last year.
-Cook my way through the Veganomicon cookbook my sister gave me for giftmas.
-Wear even more jewelry.
-Talk a little bit less sometimes.
-Chill out.

This post was inspired by Tia’s New Year’s Bucket List.

Taking a(n Impromptu) Hike

Last night, a few friends and I were admiring the city lights over the bay and the starry night sky from our perch a few stories above  Old Town, on a platform in the fortress of Kotor.  I was so inspired by the tranquility and the view, I decided to wake up frightfully early (just after 8 am) and return to the spot the following morning with my yoga mat.  I’ve been living in crowded quarters that are not conducive to undisturbed yoga time, and I hadn’t practiced yoga in nearly a week.

I made my way to the fortress gate.

Hello, there!

I’d forgotten that during the day, there’s an attendant at the fortress gate charging an entrance fee.  I paid it, walked up a few flights of stairs until I reached the stone plateau from the previous night.  Such a perfect spot!  It could have been designed with a yogi in mind.

View from my yoga paradise

After half an hour or so of sun salutations, I considered heading back down to town to visit the market and head to the beach, but I couldn’t bear to let that 3 euro entrance fee and that golden opportunity go to waste, so I started up the stairs that led to the top of  the fortress. . .

Up I go!

It felt as if the stairs would never end.

One hundred thousand ninety-one, one hundred thousand ninety-two. . .

Sometimes the stairs disappeared, and leaving only rubble and rocks.

Ah, Jesus Sandals. Is there anywhere they can’t go?

Finally, I arrived at the top!  The very top!

The sign says “Increased risk zone”, but I wasn’t scared!

One more backbend for the road.

Definitely worth the (very hot) hike!

 

Why Turkey?

*Klasik bir soru: Neden Türkiye?

People, especially Turkish people, are always asking me why on Earth I choose to live in Turkey. Upon meeting a new person, I am more often than not faced with this question, usually followed by a half-joking: “We Turks want to go to America!”

Well, here is my reply.

For one, Turkey’s just plain interesting. My, what vast contrasts it has! It’s modern and ancient and cosmopolitan and quaint at the same time. Take this guy, a karpuzcu, selling watermelons off of his horse-drawn cart.

You don’t see that in Washington, DC!

I spotted him on my way to a charming bakery for Sunday breakfast in a chic area of the city called Nişantaşı. As luck would have it, when I returned home two hours later, he happened to be parked on my street.

Mmm, watermelon.

Another reason I’m still in Turkey is because it is beautiful. Take Istanbul, for example. It is a bustling, chaotic city, but you don’t have to look very far for a beautiful view of the sea.

You might even get lucky and have a friend or a work contact who owns a boat where you can hang out and do a little yacht yoga.

Camel pose, tree pose, cheeky pose

As the “unusual and interesting” foreign dancer, you get opportunities to perform with internationally renowned musicians. You might even get a chaise lounge in your dressing room!!!

BaBa ZuLa concert at EcoFest Istanbul. . . Note that my backstage pass reads “ARTIST” in Turkish. Please also note my glitter gel.

And of course, while doing what you love for a living is delightful, doing what you love for a living while on a boat is divine.

“I’m on a boat, m***** f*****.” –T. Payne

So, there you have it–my answer to *the classic question* “Why Turkey?”–here in photographs.

 

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