Life: Idiotropic

Turkish night is always popular, may be because Turkey is the most unique of the IWC countries, but also because they always have something very special planned.

This year they were supposed to have whirling dervishes which many looked forward to, but for some reason they didn't show. Still, they made up for that with art and belly dancing.

Strong cheese, sesame covered biscuits, and little sweet bits of candied fruit sat on our table for us to snack on while we watched an artist create beautiful marbled papers right in front of us. He worked quickly, yet precisely making his work look easy. A Turkish man from Roermond, NL sat for almost an hour churning out one beautiful marbled paper after another. Applying color to the opaque water surface, moving it around, adding more, then laying the paper on top and pulling it up for us to see. The backgrounds didn't have the traditional marble look like I would have expected - these definitely weren't the Italian designs I'm more familiar with. But he did lovely, simple florals on various colored backgrounds.

I am getting better now after a couple years to remember to snack a little before these events. You never know how much and when you'll be fed. Tonight we ate very well, but only after the long paper marbling demonstration. After that we had absolutely delicious doerners (Turkish gyros) and a anise flavored liqueur mixed with rosewater from the earthy smelling Terra cotta pitchers sitting on our table. It smelled delicious, but even with the rose water, no one at our table could finish it. It was much to strong.

Food was followed by belly dancing both by a Turkish woman and then by some unsuspecting ladies who were brought up for lessons. Then dessert -- a crunchy donut shaped dessert and a mild lemon cookie with coffee.

The door prizes were very nice with a lot of winners of traditional foods. Everyone left with a little gift as well - a small figure of a whirling dervish. I didn't win with my tickets, yet I went home with two prizes due to the generosity of my Turkish friends - one gave me the pistachios that she'd won and another let me take home one of the earthy Terra cotta pitchers that they used to decorate and serve that night.

This place has changed me - and for the better. When I got here I was terrified to dance. It wasn't comfortable and I was horribly self conscious. I won't lie and say that I feel completely at ease, but thankfully, from the beginning of my time here, I've pushed myself out of my comfort zone realizing that one of the best places to meet and connect with these ladies regardless of any language barriers is on the dance floor. I still feel strange and a bit aware of how awkward I must be, but these ladies can teach a lot in their confidence and the way they embrace their femininity. All sizes and shapes come together to dance in all different ways. They laugh, they act silly, they act sexy, and they have fun. Tonight Dilek and Hale pulled me to the center of the circle to dance and I did and it felt great. Until 11 we sung and danced to Turkish rock and roll - myself, a couple Italians, and a couple French Canadians the only ones left in the group of Turkish at the end of the night. It felt like we were lucky participants in a private party. I'll miss this most of all when I go.