Ever since I got that email saying "CONGRATULATIONS, as you have been selected to join us in the next phase of Expedition 206", my life has gone though the spin cycle of a washing machine. Almost as if I am watching the character "Erin Zeynep Guler (now Tuck)" get launched into a series of activities that will define her for this moment in time and change her forever. It's fascinating! Scary? Not as much as I thought it would be. Exhilarating? Most definitely, and fully loaded with moments that mimic the fluttering butterflies you get in your stomach every three minutes as you soar high above, swaying in the wind while dangling from a parasail.
I wake up each morning, first look over with a sigh of relief at Joe sleeping soundly beside me, and then up at the ceiling, wondering how I got here. Disbelief likes to join me during these heavy pondering sessions. Then Peace makes its way into the session and everything calms down. I remember all the things that led up to this moment. The 22 glorious countries Joe and I traveled to from May 2008 to May 2009. The people we met along the way were some whom we still keep in touch with, and others who had a profound effect on our perspectives of the places we visited for only those moments in time. The food, smells, authenticity and truth in each country found it's spot in the Rolodex of our minds. We still remember where we had the most delicious waffles or how we felt when we took our first sip of Chinese spirits. We remember the crisp air in Grindelwald, Switzerland amongst the Swiss Alps, and we just can't forget the cool turquoise waters of Kaputas Beach along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. I am simply naming only a few highlights of a year-long commitment to "the world." 22 countries embraced us and kept us safe for that time, we felt alive, vivid and always in-tune with our surroundings. Knowing that there is even a third of a chance that I may get to be invited back to the world on this expedition sends my heart on a race and my smile begins to grow. Is the world so generous? The number "206" rings in my head. Can this be happening to me? Do I deserve it all? I must have done some wonderful things along the way...
When I think further back then last year, I know that everything that my parents provided for me, the way I persevered through adversity, the performances that moved me, all the friendships I was lucky enough to keep, the family members I gained the trust of, the languages I worked hard to learn, the education I put hours of my time into and got back tenfold from, the sports I sweat over while winning or losing, the offices I traveled to each morning and back from each night, all the music I played and created, every day I spent with my husband, and all the words that spilled onto this keyboard were all leading up to this moment. All I have said, and will continue to say is that "I am just happy to be here." So I thank those who, for the last 4 days, have come along for the ride and put timeless effort into spreading the word about our team and about this opportunity to everyone they know. I have shelter from the drizzle outside, a cozy bed to share, warm clothes to wear, food in the fridge and the support of loved ones from all over the world...what more can a girl ask for?! Today the world is smiling at me...I can't resist...of course I smile back.
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