By A Body of Water, says Erin

Mersin has a slight unfair advantage over other cities we have visited. We are by a body of water and from where I reside at any given moment, I am usually minutes away from that water. I love the water. I was likely a mermaid in a past life. Today we had a chance to dip into the Mediterranean. It was paradise - the hues of blues and the salty taste. A group of teenage boys were tossing a ball back and forth in the water and behind them stood the ruins of a castle: the modern world meeting the ancient without flaw.

I am staying with a very sporty family. There is a lot of tennis being played among the families we are staying. The host daught, Sevin and the host son, Levent, are some of the best players in their age division in Turkey. Their home is decorated with metals.

From my bedroom come the sounds of horns. Never rude horns. Horns here are used like a tap onb the shoulder *Hey buddy, would you mind staying in your own lane. Thanks. Or *Hey Ms., I am going to pass you. Just an FYI. Thanks.
When I use my horn in the states, I am usually angery. Drivers here are not so angry. It makes me feel safe. Sometimes when I am falling asleep at night, I will count the seconds between each honk. It is therapeutic, similar to counting sheep or goats.

I came down with a stomach problem yesterday. Thankfully one of the rotarians is a doctor. He came to the rescue. Now, I am in tip top shape and back on the Turkish diet. We are eating typical Mediterranean cuisine which is much lighter: more fish, less dairy, more vegetables and vegetable juice. Today I tried the turnip juice. That was the only time I plan to try this juice. There are few things Turkish that I do not enjoy, turnips liquified is one of them.

Flowers fill the city and seaside. The colors are rich, competing to be the very brightest we have seen yet. Orange and lemon trees fill the city streets, which explains all the orange jams served and Turks eating lemons in the raw as if they were oranges.

Yesterday was a vocational day. We saw one of Ataturk's homes. In nearly every office and home I have entered, a picture of Ataturk is hanging. Sometimes we see his profile, in others he is staring you in the eye.

May I finish by mentioning my favorite trait of the Turks: they like to sing and dance. Any time music is playing, there is a little singing and a little swaying. These people have natural rhythm and lots of it. I am trying to pick up some of the moves. They are not easy. They execute their moves with a certain kind of cool, big arm movement, hips in the mix sort of style. You would be impressed!