Bozcaada

"Once you are there, you will not want to leave anymore". This was the common statement by all people we met on our way to Bozcaada, a little island in the Aegean Sea, west of Turkeys mainland. And they were right. While walking from one side to the other, I endulged in thoughts of a) reasons not to leave the island anymore, b) making a living on it. I am wondering if they might need a german teacher in their one and only school?

Talking about wondering - readers of this blog might wonder why all of a sudden there are entries from Turkey instead of Afghanistan. I am tempted to say that I have transferred myself permanently to Bozcaada, but that wouldn't quite match the truth. Truth is that in countries like Afghanistan, most organizations who employ "expats" have some kind of R&R system - rest and recreation. This means that every three months, I am getting five days off, in addition to my annual leave, to recharge my batteries somewhere outside Afghanistan. What a luxury - some of you might think. But fact is that working for an american organization, my total annual leave is meagre 15 days, combined with R&R every three months, I reach a total of 35 days. Not a lot, but still better than nothing. And even better thanks to the existence of places like Bozcaada

And you see, the good thing is that living in countries like Afghanistan (and please dont misunderstand this, I really like living here!) makes you appreciate and realize the value in the most normal, daily things, such as walking on the street, staying out as long as I want, not having to do radio check at eight pm, not having to cover my head when driving around, ...