March 21
First of all, I think I wrote
yesterday’s journal entry too early in the day. I figured it was going to be an uneventful evening but I
wasn’t entirely correct. Just
before dinner I slipped on the glossy marble staircase coming down from our
room. My Bible and my laptop went
flying and I bashed my right forearm pretty hard on the bone. It hurt like heck and I’ve got a bit of
a blood blister but aside from that, nothing to report. My laptop’s okay, which is good enough
for me – (“Lord, let me not commit idolatry!”)
Also, I think I figured out the
whole donayer thingamabob. For
one, it’s spelled doner and the proper name for the dish is doner kebab which
actually refers to the roasted meat that is cooked on a rotating spit and
subsequently sliced off and stuffed in a subway bun alongside other topping
such as French fries, tomato, etc., thereby becoming a doner sandwich. The
meat varies and can be either lamb, pork, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed
meats. I actually think the one we
had the other day was chicken, not pork.
It’s sort of hard to tell.
Traveled between two continents
today. Crossed the Bosphorus
Strait from the Asian side of Istanbul where we’re staying to the European side
to check out a few historical sites.
The Bosphorus runs right through the city and basically cuts it in
half. The European side has a
different ‘feel.’ It’s seems more
Westernized anyways. There are
more recognizable fast food joints.
The streets are narrow and cobblestone covers many of them. The people seem slightly more urbane
and well-dressed with many fashionistas and presentable businessmen hurrying
along self-importantly. At least,
this was my impression. Also, we
saw a bunch of tourists. We didn’t
feel so bad snapping pictures since everybody else was doing it.
We saw some incredible buildings –
the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (commonly known as the Blue Mosque) and Hagia
Sophia. We got our first picture
together in front of Hagia Sophia.
A friendly, elderly, ignorant, slightly racist British couple who
insisted they be identified as ‘Cornish’ and not English kindly offered to take
our picture. We had an interesting
conversation in which we discussed traveling in particular. They mentioned how the blacks were
taking over South Africa last time they heard and that it wasn’t really safe
for Whites anymore. I think they said
something else about ‘Turks’ that sort of rubbed me the wrong way but I can’t
recall exactly what it was. They
also mentioned something about how Canadians disassociate themselves from
Americans and when they said American
their tones shifted suddenly in to a kind of annoying whine and the word rolled
quickly out their mouths with a kind of loathing – who knew we were all in
league against the USA? Not
really. Gotta love my American
friends.
Walked down a narrow alleyway (the
Istanbul Bazaar) that went on and on for quite a lengthy stretch. Vendors in shops packed the row on both
sides with no space to spare and the walkway itself was so crowded we were all
basically shoulder to shoulder. It
was neat though. I sort of feel a
rush when people are jam-packed together like that. Can’t say why.
On the bus ride back to ISTHOP we
talked to two girls about our age.
I guess they were listening in on our conversation. They seemed pretty curious. They were whispering to each other and
giggling. Eventually they worked
up the nerve and asked us where we’re from. Turns out they’re students studying Islamic theology at a
local university. They were
incredibly kind.
One thing God has been reminding me
lately is that every human being, regardless of their beliefs, is made in the
image and likeness of God. This
means that every person is equally capable of goodwill, kindness, wisdom, and
morality. When goodness happens,
when an act of kindness is performed, this is simply a beautiful reflection of
God’s character. Still, every
moment of our lives is tainted by sin because of our selfishness, rebelliousness,
and Godlessness and without Christ we can never hope to be reconciled to
God. But, I need to learn to
recognize the goodness in people ‘outside the fold.'
