Hello from Istanbul - June 14, 2010

After 26 hours of traveling, I arrived safely in Istanbul and am now typing this entry at the house of my host Gökhan. Below is a picture of Gökhan and his two friends in front of the Bosphorus River, which separates European Istanbul from Asian Istanbul.

So far, Gökhan has been a very gracious host. Earlier, he took me for my first Turkish kebab. I understand now why some Turks eat them almost on a daily basis.

Since this is a journey in benevolence, I wanted to get his thoughts on the subject. Gökhan agrees with my basic proposition that the world ıs good, sayıng he believes goodness is "in the nature of all humankind," but he thinks that "fear often masks it."

Almost four years ago, Gökhan began hosting guests on CouchSurfıng. At the tıme, he thought people were pretty different in the world, but he said this experience has taught him that "people are completely the same, just the language is different."

Gökhan has hosted 30 people and never had a bad experience. Just as hosting someone takes a leap of faith, so does staying in the house of a stranger, but if the experience wıth Gökhan is any indication of things to come, I will be well taken care of in Turkey. Thank you, Gökhan.

Today, I also benefitted from the kindness of some Turkish strangers on the streets of Istanbul. I was pretty wiped out when I arrived after so much traveling, so I got a little mixed up with the public transportation. Two people went out of their way and actually missed their respective buses, so they could help me find mind, twıce! One man walked four blocks out of his way. This is yet another example of travel magic.

In the past, I was surprısed by such occurrences. Now, I have come to expect it.

I do not have much else to report. It is about bed time. Tomorrow, I plan on doing some sightseeing. I will try to update the blog as much as possible, but I must admit it is taking me a little time to get used to some of the differences with the Turkish characters on the keyboard.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please check back often. Hopefully, I will have gotten better with the computer.

It'sTime To Go - June 12, 2010

Almost ten months ago, I launched my mission, a dream that many of my students and adults said would be impossible to achieve. Tomorrow, I'm headed to Turkey to find out if benevolence will carry me through the country for a month.

It's a 15-hour flight to Istanbul, so don't expect to hear from me for a couple of days.

Istanbul is the only city in the world that sits on two continents. If you click on this link, you will see the European side on the left, and across the Bosphorus River, you will see the Asian side on the right. Look for the word Kadıköy in the lower right-hand corner of the map. That's where I'll be staying.

My host in Istanbul is named Gökhan, who I found through CouchSurfing. He's graciously offered to put me up for four days.

I'm touched by his generosity, but Gökhan is not alone in his willingness to host travelers. If you still don't believe benevolence exists in the world, you might want to check out some of the experiences of people who've used CouchSurfing.

When Gökhan read my story about how some of my students believed that the world was evil, he wrote me this, "I felt sad about your students and this idea. If any kid came to me and told me that the world is an evil place, then I'd probably do the same thing you did. I hope I can help you with your mission here and break the prejudice of some young minds. "

During my journey, I will do my best to update my blog frequently. I hope you will check in occasionally and see how everything is unfolding.

I'm beginning my trip with $330.54, but I remain confident that the universe will provide for my needs. Through the magic of the internet, I can still receive donations during my trip, if anyone is motivated to do so.

Since this is our trip and you are my benefactors, I will keep you updated on how your money is being spent. At the end of the trip, my friend Joanie has agreed to post a more formal accounting statement. During the trip, I'll let you know in my posts. I'm still hoping I'll have money left over after the trip to donate to charity.

I've said it many times before, but I wanted to say again how grateful I am for all of the emotional, spiritual and financial support I've received over these last few months. You are making my dream possible, and you are helping me to send out a very powerful message to my students that the world, and people in general, can be trusted.

Tomorrow, we'll finally all find out together if a teacher can travel around the world relying on the generosity of others.