Thoughts at Sunrise

Yesterday, being Friday, was a bit lower key than the first two days. There is a swing of things here completely unlike the United States. Pacing is not frantic and there isn't the same social pressure to constantly multi-task. Those readers who worked with me at Caffino might be thinking, "Frantic? Multi-tasking? Alex never even came close to either of those, ever." But think of some of our customers, drinking two lates, a fresco and talking on a phone while scribbling something on a PDA. They wouldn't exist here, at least not in the numbers we see. It seems there is level of mutual respect that must be observed at street level that keeps people from becoming too self-centered. Maybe that is just a hopeful observation on my part.

The environment at work continues to be wonderful. I hang out with the workers and they keep teaching me little bits of Turkish. The people here are such wonderful hosts, it continues to blow my mind how well I am treated here.

I think I'm really going to miss the call to prayer when I leave. This morning I woke up a bit before it (5:30) and just stood by the windows listening to the echoing calls from the mosque.

My one complaint. These people don't know their coffee well, at least not where I have been. Even at this ritzy restaurant we went to they had this push-button nestle hot chocolate / coffee / cappuccino / mocha / espresso disaster of a coffee machine. The locals don't drink much coffee, but damn it, I need it.

7 am, the traffic has started and the grey dawn is beginning to slowly shift to an overcast morning.

Sorry, no pictures today.