After a long period of waiting and going through the process
of separation from the Foreign Service (which is still not completed and is
really arduous) it was finally time to say goodbye. We had packed up all our
things, gone to lunch and dinner with friends nearly every night (which worked
out well considering we had nothing left in our house) and said goodbyes to the
amazing people we grew to love at work.
Over the last year I have kept a large colorful bowl in my
office filled with candy to entice people in. On it I taped a sign that read, “YOU
MAKE A DIFFERENCE” which is the main idea behind my latest book, COUNTING
CANDLES. No matter what your position in life, your struggles, your
strengths or you ideas, you need to realize that you make a difference. Sometimes
a big difference and sometimes it may be small, but because you exist, there
are people that make a difference. It was fun to see people come in and take a
piece of candy and either ask me if they made a difference or would tell
themselves out loud that “yes, I make a difference.” I had to laugh as they did
that. I am not sure if they really were giving themselves a pep talk, or just
justifying the extra sugar, either way, I am glad the message was sinking in.
As we left Istanbul, those people we work with made sure
that we felt like we made a difference. They came to give us hugs, would find
us in the halls to tell us they will miss us or ask about our future plans.
Hello and Goodbye are two phrases heard often with the transient nature of the
Foreign Service. However it is not often that the goodbyes are because someone
is completely leaving the Foreign Service. On the last work day in the city
they planned a huge BBQ on our behalf and provided a way for us all to say
goodbye. Thank goodness for social media so we can all stay in touch.
I made sure to give all of my staff a big hug and talk to
each of them personally. As I walked out of the office at the end of the day
they all lined the corridor and waved goodbye as I walked out. I can say,
shamelessly, that by the time I hit the end of the row I was choking back tears
and good only wave. I didn’t trust my voice if I started to speak. (Yes, I am
emotional…many of you know this about me).
We will miss all of our friends we made in Istanbul. We will
miss fresh fruit, beautiful views, limonata, bakeries, döner, baklava, and
simit. Istanbul is a fascinating and busy city that we grew to love and
appreciate. So off we go to our next adventure! Who knows where life will lead…stay
posted.
