Another trip, another book, another stories. I am in the
house of Ahmet, Spikey on a sofa of
old Anatolian style. CouchSurfing Spirit. I can sleep anywhere. On floor, wood and on land. I am in Cerci village, on the outskirts of Kaş, I'm
at heights 300-350 meters above sea
level. This is so natural, roosters, chickens, sheeps are walking around. In my pillow there is smell of pillow where I
slept in İspir, Erzurum. As human ages,
he wants less sleep and desire more to see new places. I want to tell more and
share more. Mehmet and Laureen meet me in old Kas port. They drink malt beers
in an Fiat-tipo car.
Mehmet works in Kaş Marina. We enter to road from old Kaş port
and pass rough and hubby roads and arrive to Flag area where a big Turkish flag
is waved. Scene is wonderful. Kaş is under our feet. While we drink
our beers we put our feet under cliff, and we enjoy the freedom of wind blowing
to our spirits. Our topic we share are; Kaş, Israel, Chicago, future,
urbanization, constructions, globalization and speed. That is the moment we
are lost. She tells me about the port cities Eilat, Chicago and Michigan. I
asked about Eliat how was it. How is its water? Laureen tells about red sea.
She is a member of American Jewish family, her origins is Askhenazi, dating
back to Poland and Germany where they migrated from. Next cities are Ashdod, Jerusalem,
West Bank. Naturally we make comments about demeanors of today’s Israeli
government. When it comes to politics there is a silence and we go quiet. Our
next step is Academy of Dreams.
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Summer camp where our disabled brothers &
sisters live. I am so lucky that I have found opportunity to see this beautiful
place two days before the camp ends. I take a trip to the library which I fell in love, where I have wanted to sleep between the pages of those many books. We chat with
children with Down syndrome and spastics.
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My sincerity with them starts in
meal, their trainers two sweet girls say that I should sit near them I could
make better conversation. I like temporary tattoos on Gönül’s arm and I tell
her then she look better and differently. She smiles inside her eyes. A young boy, whose name i can’t remember reads a disabled poem. Even I am not that good to
read a poem like that. How he is smart and he like poems, it is even a long one. There is fat boy at the end of the table. Brother what is your name he
shouts? Brother Berat, are you a body builder? Very sincere, he says I will
also start to the bodybuilding. Waves hit land. If you ask me he is smarter
than me, Berna and Yasemin teacher. I take other trips to the extended garden.
They have beach volleyball fields climbing areas and football pitch and
basketball areas. It is like another world here, so large, green and clean.
With abundance oxygen, this camp presents human serenity and silences. We start
for night chatting on wood chairs made of crapped woods. Chatting circulates
from one point to another. Wherever the wind takes us. Berna teacher was so sincere
and shared her their two months period in camp of dreams. I like this very much
and I tell her about my project to visit other parts of the world for helping. She says no need to go
such far, we also need people here around. How man’s life is sufficient for
such projects, how to reach hearths and hands of other people. In this camp question to be asked is that:
what do humans need in fact? And how much these children, our disabled friends
need us? We all need each other whether we are disabled or not. Life needs us
and we need life. People accept to need as something vulnerability and not disgraceful.
Today’s human struggle, is to be able to be self-sufficient. Life is faster
than before, and human should work so much in a short time and they think that
human should produce most of the time. General belief is that nobody needs anybody
is the most correct way of living. Deep
issues, humanity is concerned, the most sensitive point. Maybe, while there are
such disabled people in need of others to this extent, to talk about other needs
is very painful and very impertinent. I thank to Mehmet for he bringing me here
and Kaş means Academy of Dreams for me, from now on.
Republican square of Kaş is the most
authentic part of Kaş.
While there are construction in hills, this area is full
of Ottoman and Greek houses with balconies which protected old architecture.
There is an old bookstore, many shops selling old things and a few shops. I meet
with Ms. Feride in an old book store and we talk about old Kaş. She says they
collect Kaş photos from leading families of Kaş and they have their prints.
Very nostalgic, in Kaş of 1950s and 1970s there are 7-8 houses near old Kaş
port. Today, skirts of mountains covering this are over constructed. Maybe I came here in the best possible
season. Then we walk some streets and go back to Cerci village. We watch the
town with night wind and night lights. Water melon that Spikey cut and delivered
maybe is the tastiest one I ate recently. Spikey lays down on chair, I get
pleasure of the night and I read İlber Ortaylı’s Old World Travels book… My friend
accompanied me during my Kaş travel my book and my good spirit fiend Ceren
Özbaylı. We are in the roads of Lycia with many shades of blue and green all
around us.
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