The Landing

Can I just say how enigmatic Istanbul is? Every time I land here ("every time" might be an overstatement - this is only my third arrival) I seem to find a different city taking up the same physical space. I know of course that this magical place shape-shifts and name-shifts constantly, but I guess what I'm responding to is actually how I shift in it. Getting into Atatürk yesterday was the easiest it's ever been. I was the only person in the visa line, and though customs did take a while, I found myself lodged in the middle of a big Israeli tour group. The girl directly behind me spied my American passport and said with a slight accent "excuse me, the people around us are speaking a language I don't understand. Do you know what they are speaking?" When I told her it was Hebrew, she said nothing. I asked her where she was from. Iran. Ah, yes. When I got to baggage claim, I found both of my bags had been helpfully taken off the conveyer and were standing up waiting for me. I walked by that aggressive wall of lecherous drivers and saw Aydın walking towards me with a big smile. And guess what. All that anxiety and nervousness and awkwardness? Gone.

I've been sprawled on his couch in my favorite beached-whale position for the last two hours in a half stupor, wondering what I did to land myself here. Ever so handily I can read this blog and remember easily, but I just feel so fucking lucky for once. Aydın and I had dinner in Taksim last night and, waiting for Victoria and Ido to meet us in the square, we took a little jaunt down some of the smaller streets. I made him wait for me so I could document some really excellent graffiti, and then we both made a beeline to a used camera store that also sold such treasures as VCRs, 8 mm film projectors, rotary phones, and the device used to tap out Morse code for telegrams. I love that kind of stuff, but was surprised to see a grin just as big as mine on Aydın's face. He said "I love old technology."

This morning he turned on the light (apologetically) to iron his clothes and started laughing. "What?" I said.
"Your hair... is crazy."