What I Did This Summer

09:30

Celebrating every birthdays since I was a teenager until my early 20s in a new place certainly did not start out intentionally. I spent my childhood in a few different places, thus many foreign places that I had been. Starting in my nineteenth birthday, I spent the day in Cairo with my first year medical school friends, thousand miles away from home. Fast forward two years, and I'd broken up with my high school boyfriend, quit my depressions over the unfortunate situation, waited for winter/summer breaks and purchased plane tickets to various places.

Since I was little, travelling has been a tradition, in the midst of writing journals and building a life around hospitals. I turned twenty in the midst of chaos in Jakarta and 21 while exploring the global city-state of Singapore. I was stranded in the middle of unknown places while en route to Kotor from Croatia to celebrate my 22nd, roadtripped around Europe up to Ibiza in 23 and watched the sun rise from a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia to begin as 24 year-old.

Originally, for my 24th birthday, I chose Sarajevo as my little sister wanted to be in Bosnia to visit the War Tunnel. But our schedule got messed up with overland reservations and we ended up going to Bosnia few days later. Between exams and classes and other obligations that seem to weigh, I had less time to get away this time.

Cappadocia lies in an area in central Turkey surrounded by inactive volcanoes. Volcanic activity over the ages has left humongous deposits that is easily shaped by wind and rain. The final result is the exquisite landscape with secret caves and chimneys.

Ancient Christian communities vastly settled in this part of Turkey, the evidences of their presence lies everywhere : in churches, monasteries and also cities. But, they have a long history of persecution, so the churches, monasteries and cities were built in hidden places mostly.

Noted for many surreal surroundings and beautiful panoramic views, it was forty-three degrees celsius outside and the scorching sun burned through our clothes, quite a hot summer indeed. I had been in Cappadocia few summers back, the weather was not that hot.

Unlike the rest of my previous birthdays- where I made new friends along the way or I brought along some of my girlfriends to join me- I decided to celebrate my 24th with my sister. There's a sense of pleasure that I get through travel with my sister or my brother that I just don't get with others. We love to wake up early and take a long walk on the sandy roads. We like to read when we get into the moods, completely immersed in the stories. My siblings and I prefers to wander around a new neighbourhood, turning down some foreign alleys while photographing the memories and peeking into new surroundings.

In Cappadocia, that's exactly what we did (my little brother didn't came along on this trip) in four excitable days. We tore through Haruki Murakami novels, we got a superb tan each, captured as many photographs that our cameras permitted, we hiked many hills overlooking the valleys, et cetera. We treated ourselves with great selection of food and two mango smoothies in hands.

What I love the most about my resolution to celebrate birthdays in a new country is that it ensures the palpable excitements that I will experience. I was really lucky for being able to travel to lots of places that the world has to offer. Whether it was a good or bad adventure, it was another proud, self-satisfying accomplishment for me. Then, the journey itself is the most perfect birthday gift to myself.