Simi has a much-loved pair of cowboy boots that he troops around
in pretty much everywhere. They once belonged to Cem, though by the looks of
them, they were passed down from the Lone Ranger himself. It may be 100 degrees
here, with 90% humidity, but Simi considers every day a good day for cowboy
boots.
Imagine my amazement when, upon noticing Simi's footwear, Turks
would exclaim, "Dallas! J.R.! Cowboy!" Not once or twice, but over
and over. One of our initial shocks about Antalya was that very few people here
speak any English. Yet almost all of them know about Texas. They love it when
they find out that's where I'm from, and though their perceptions are a bit skewed (soap operas aren't exactly accurate),
I like that they get excited about my home State.
When we got married, Jonathan and I spent two years in Texas
before we moved to the Middle East in 2006. Over the next eight years we would
hang our hats in three countries, including the U.S. And when we were in the States, our
"homes" were far from my original home State.
I was somewhat bewildered when we landed in Turkey last year and
people asked me where I was from. I didn't know what to say! Many years and
several homes, inside and outside of the U.S., left me wondering if I had much
of an identity at all. Jonathan dealt with this issue ages ago, growing up in
the Army and living in at least seven different places before college. The question "Where are you from?" is still the hardest question for him to answer. But he has his go-to answer of,
"I'm an army brat, but I call Georgia home."
We've sold and given away entire households of belongings three times. Landing in Turkey, I literally felt stumped. Where was I from?
I admit it, the feeling was a little weird.
Recently, however, as we've become more accustomed to our lives in Turkey, I've been marveling at the fact that we've been
able to make homes in so many places, each vastly different from the other! Each
time we lived somewhere, for however long we settled, we were able to call that
place "home," and our lives were enriched by experiences and people we lived alongside.
We've learned to be flexible. We've seen God provide for our needs in miraculous ways. We've learned to appreciate the
things that make different countries and cultures unique, even in America. Texas and Georgia, though both in the
southern U.S., are very different from one another. When each of them thinks of Mexican food,
they are thinking of two different things!
The longer we stay in Turkey (and I hope it's a loooooong time), the more easily I remember that I'm from
Texas. If you are a Texan (or maybe just my parents) you can breathe a sigh of relief that the crisis has passed. But I'm thankful to say that my home is in
Turkey, and my heart is at home in many places. My guess is that, if you are
reading this, you live in one of those places we've been in over the past ten
years. Thanks for loving us on this journey and for making us feel "at
home". You've made our lives richer.
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| They may not know "where they're from," but Grannie and Papa will make sure our kids know they're at least half-Texan. |
