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The transition from Scandanavia to Turkey
The transition from Scandanavia and the clean integrity of Helsinki to Istanbul that sits on the cusp of the entire Middle East has been radical. We flew right over Europe (the flight was only 3 hours and we did not change time zones) but Finland and Turkey are worlds apart both geographically and culturally. This transition, combined with the duration of time we have been on the move since leaving New Mexico, feels like a real turning point in our journey.
Now four weeks since we left the United States and after staying a week in each of the countries Belgium, Britain and Finland, our travels feel as if they have taken on a life of their own. Any hesitation about being away from home or halting emotion regarding the why or the wherefore of this trip have since worn off, and so now it feels like we are streaming through time and place. I am reminded of some of my travels as a young man—hitch-hiking across Canada after high school and travelling to India for six months in 1989. The extended travel serves to slough off outer layers of expectation, inner and outer judgment, hopes and fears. At this time in my life the journey is not only a personal one—it is familial and professional. This adds layers of complexity. The needs and demands of a 5 yr old are large enough, combined with the wishes and demands upon Surya and I as a married couple (we had our 10 year anniversary last week in Helsinki) combined with the demands upon me professionally to teach and guide students are all significant. However despite these demands, we have found our travel rhythm together.
Surya asked Eno last week, “do you miss being at home in New Mexico?” and Eno responded, “No this is good right here”. Eno has a remarkable capacity to adapt, given the multiple transitions we have undergone on this trip so far—in and out of taxis, trains, elevators, hotel rooms, people’s homes, different kitchens and bathrooms, doorways, foyers and street corners. On an intuitive, cellular level this trip is such an education for Eno to be in the world, to move through the world and to experience such array of language (Flemish, Finnish, Turkish and the English with their charming accent), sounds (the police sirens in Helsinki, the sound of the approaching tube in the London underground, the blasts of the Black Sea barges here on the Bospherus in Istanbul), to be received by all of our hosts (Nicki and Dex the South African studio owners in Antwerp , Graham and Elizabeth in London, Eija and Anouska in Finland and Rebekka– from Berlin– and David Cornwall– from Ireland –here in Istanbul). I think of how this travel for Eno establishes a karmic sense of reaching out into the world and embracing it. This karma, too is something Surya and I share. Upon arriving in Turkey, as Surya was reminiscing about her days in Saudi Arabia, Kathmandu and Goa, she said, “I have such a strong wander lust streak in me”. And so this trip is a manifestation of our impulse as a couple, to move—to roam and explore and experience of ongoing difference.
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