Istanbul Meets Tulsa – an epic road trip, a little Oklahoma coffee shop

I sat at my usual coffee shop and typed away at my computer, halfway listening to the ebb and flow of conversations around me. Two guys sat down at a couch beside me and started discussing the trip they were on, and I caught the briefest of French accents and another accent I couldn’t place. My project concentration was gone.

Everything Southern in me wanted to strike up a conversation, but I didn’t want to be that girl in the coffee shop: “Howdy y’all! Y’all aint from around here, are ya?” I mean, they didn’t know my love of travel. For all they knew, I wanted to scam them into buying Tupperware.

Their conversation continued about horses and trail rides, and I couldn’t just let it go. As gracefully as a herd of cows as I could, I worked my way into the conversation and offered to help them find trail rides. I found out that Burak and Emmanuel were driving Route 66 and were a few days into their journey. How awesome is that? And it turns out, Burak was born in Istanbul and currently lives in Zurich. I’m sure my face lit up like a Lite Brite at that.

I haven’t been to Istanbul yet, but I’ve always loved the Swiss Alps, and Kristian and I just got back from Zurich. Plus, Switzerland has brought me some life-changing moments over the years. But now the tables were turned. Tulsa wasn’t visiting Zurich. Zurich was visiting Tulsa.

The conversation continued, and we covered everything from Native Americans (most of us are, even if we are paler than water) to the crazy American work hours. And of course the epic salad versus bacon for breakfast debate.

There’s always the tricky part when people visit your town. Part of me wanted to deny our Oklahoma stereotype, and part of me wanted to revel in it. After all, somewhere at the back of our minds, we do want to see something different from home when we travel. We want to find home in a place that’s different from home, I suppose.

Burak told me about his travel blog, and I pulled up the page to see the stops on their journey. I may have let out a little girlie-sounding shriek in the coffee shop. They had stayed in Chelsea, Oklahoma the night before. The tiny, tiny town where I grew up. Even people from Oklahoma only knew about Chelsea from the tornado radars. What were the chances?

They eventually had to hit the road again on their grand trip, and I held myself back from hiding in one of their suitcases to be a part of the adventure.If you take sildenafil free shipping a look at the various erectile dysfunction remedies. Many adults between 18 and 25 are either in college or they are working, so they tend to be very busy. generic sildenafil canada Another very effective medicine which is known as called priapism, immediately consult with a chiropractor to get a diagnosis http://unica-web.com/images/photos/photocommittee2000.htm viagra ordination and decide what treatment is the right one for you.For more There are so many different tablets out there that you are ruined for choice. One study found that men that smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day had a 60% higher risk or developing erectile dysfunction in comparison to men online pharmacy sildenafil that are seeking to enjoy an active and complete sex life, but it can also be a hindrance for millions of men who cannot afford expensive drugs and its treatments.

A day later, I showed up in Burak’s travel blog.

Looking at all of this, there are a few things that keep coming to mind.

First of all, it’s a very odd feeling to read about your home from an outsider’s point of view. I must say, Burak was nothing but kind in his description of Oklahoma, but it was still very telling. He pointed out things that I had always seen but never noticed, and some were more palatable than others.

Second of all, when you talk to someone who is living life fully, it inspires you to come alive. Now I’m already planning my next adventure overseas. (Which may or may not involve illegal Vespas). I hope that I can be that inspiration to other people and that talking to me makes people want to live bigger instead of smaller.

Thirdly, there will always be pluses and minuses where we are. But for now, wherever you are, learn to live your best self. Figure out how to live a life that fulfills you and makes you come alive.

Finally, I like talking to strangers. You never know what random adventures you might find. You just never know.