Istanbul, we have arrived!

2011 World Championships - Istanbul, Turkey - September 10-11, 2011

My first entire day in Istanbul is in the books and I'm ready for some much needed sleep. I caught a short nap on the plane ride, but that's been all I've had since I left my house at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning. I did have a great flight followed by an eventful day, so I'm glad I've stayed awake.

The flight from New York to Istanbul took close to 10 hours. Over half of my time was spent talking to my extraordinary 81-year old neighbor. She's the epitome of a world traveler and is on her way to the Holy Land by way of Istanbul on a cruise ship. She was a fascinating woman who was full knowledge and life. In addition to her wonderful traveling stories around the entire world, her first husband was a B-17 navigator. My grandfather was a B-17 pilot so we had a lot to talk about. We shared many similar interests when it came to American history, especially WWII, and politics. It was a very enriching experience for me and I reveled in the moment. It's not too often that I get uninterrupted conversations of the kind. It inspired me to make more time for conversations like this with my grandma. This woman is indeed a superstar traveler.

My own travels went without a hitch this time, which is uncharacteristic of my trips. Well, I guess it went without a hitch today...not so much yesterday. I arrived in Istanbul, found a ride to the hotel immediately and spent the day exploring our routes to and from the airport, venue, mall and other hotel. There were some unforeseen adventures, but that just gives more substance to the experience. In a way, it becomes a journey. I was very happy when I finally saw the rest of the team, coaches and team leaders. We have an amazing delegation. Our team leader, chiropractor, athletic trainer and coaches are like a family. It makes everything a lot more fun, that's for sure.

I have accepted that I'm going to be comedic relief for many others on this trip because of my passport debacle from yesterday. They even found humor in my Mighty Thor t-shirt (which is absolutely awesome!). I'm secure enough in who I am to be able to take this kind or ridicule for a week. Because we are like a family, we poke fun at each other a lot. It's somewhat amusing to all how interested local men seem to be in me and not the 15 women I'm traveling with. Oh, there's only so much that words in a blog can explain.