bean bag loungers on top of the boat!?!

After a day bursting with activities and finally crawling into bed, do you ever reflect on what you would title the day you just had? The bean bags were one of the biggest surprises today. 

Upon entering Turkey I was issued a 90 day tourist visa, and so were all my other class mates. Today was to be the visa renewal day. Did you know that there are companies set up to assist foreigners with this endeavor? There are a lot of people who love in Turkey on a tourist visa and simply make runs to Greece to renew their visas. This is were the term “visa-runs” I suspect was termed. Today’s adventure with six other  friends was visa-running.  We shuffled into the big white van that came to pick us up at 7:45 this morning, and traveled for two hours.

Here is a discovery I have had: I miss transportation. Mindless transportation that takes more than 20 minutes. What do I mean by that? I miss going into autopilot driving (or even being a passenger) where I just drive and think. Or ride and think. Dream with God, pray, reflect, organize my thoughts. I used to drive quite a bit in Nashville and enjoyed my time thinking.  I had two solid hours of staring out the window of this van thinking and praying and dreaming with God. I treasured it. The silence was sweet. My i-device has ceased working and so encounter more moments of silence these days. 

After a two hour drive the road signs informed us we were in Cas (the “s” has a tail which makes it sound like Cash). Here we boarded the “Meis Express” and after a 20 minute ferry ride on top a boat seated in a bean bag chair we were in Meis, Greece. A horse-shoe shaped island with a plethora of pastel colored buildings, homes and shops surrounding the water. We also saw two churches (both locked), and a stairway going up the top of the mountain which I decided I didn’t want to climb. We walked around the almost deserted island and sat in the sun for the afternoon. 

I met Sonia, a Spaniard, who three months prior had married a “Turkish boy” . Those were her words! She was twenty seven and told me they communicated in English—which was both their secondary languages. I was quite surprised as I often struggle with communication between others who share English as a primary language and  have a Western background!

At 2:30 we skedaddled back on the “Meis Express” for the return ferry ride. I again opted to ride up top, in a bean bag lounger, with the sun on my face. Once back in Turkey we waited until 4:00 for our passports to be re-represented to us with fresh and new visa stamps. On the two hour ride home I was seated in the back of the van between Elysa reading Redeeming Love and Seth. Now, Seth had an i-device and I had ear buds. Together, combining our powers, we listed to a pod cast discussing Arminianism (freewill) and Calvanism (predestination) theology and the authorship of the book of Genesis. When I got home? I watched The Blindside  starring Sandra Bullock with my roommate Jordan and friend Megan. I have had a day full of peace, sunshine, friends, culture, God. Beautiful day.