Lisa Thomas, Seni Seviyorum (TRAVEL 2022)

When I was first told that I would be going to a small village in Turkey for my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding with 700-1000 people attending, I didn’t really know what to expect. I assumed I would just be one in a crowd. Language barriers amongst a group of people who have rapport and familial bonds would get in the way, mixed with social anxiety and sticking with the comfort of the small group I travelled with. What actually happened was so contrasting to that and so special that I find myself different somehow than before I left. I was welcomed in fully, completely and graciously. I’m honoured to have been not just included but integrated, and a part; of the wedding, of the process, of the family. I don’t have the words to describe how moved I am by what transpired in Istanbul/Keşan and Ibriktepe. The whole wedding was open to anyone in the village or anyone passing by to come and join in the festivities. The more the merrier, and we definitely were.

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