Our trip to Istanbul has so far been filled with good food, good weather, and lots of walking. That's the way I like it. Early impressions of the city are all positive: great people, really positive attitudes all around. The girls are huge hits here: random people on the streets kissing them and giving them things. At the park, a group of young girls came up and grabbed Mei to play with her. At the cafes, the waiters pick up Naomi and take her to the table: I love you, you're beautiful! In another world, this might bother me, but in this world, it seems all free of malice and bad intention. The people are just, it seems, genuinely kind to children, especially ones they perceive as beautiful. A guy on the street finally said it after chasing the stroller down to kiss Mei:
You are American? he said.
Yeah.
And your wife?
She's Japanese.
Great combination!
That is, I suppose, one way to say it.
Thoughts, of course, on Islam, paternity, the other, but too much to type out on the tiny EEEPC keyboard.
