Universal language
Konya, Turkey
When we stopped at the front desk at Pirotel Hotel in Konya to ask for help locating a pediatrician, the man behind the desk winced as soon as we started speaking English. We clearly used vocabulary outside the service industry English he’d learned.
I thought it was so funny he way he closed his eyes and twisted his mouth like he’d just dropped a cake on the floor or something. I know just how that feels when someone talks you up in another language and you wish to god you could understand but think, “oh, shit, I have no idea what they’re saying.”
I motioned it off with an, “it’s no big deal!” wave and lightheartedly mirrored back his facial response with a chuckle and we laughed together. It was so endearing.
So, we Googled “pediatrician near me” and ended up seeing the absolutely lovely Dr. Ayranci to treat Leo’s earache. She prescribed oral antibiotics, ear drop antibiotics, a pain killer with pseudoephedrine, and a nasal spray. Plus, she said to stay away from junk food. Very thorough.
Leo’s ear had been getting worse and worse and nothing we tried worked. The boys swam a ton at the pool at the Dead Sea; that plus the flight likely did it. Communication was a cinch with Google Translate. We were able to ask and answer all questions and felt so good about the care he/we received. Incredible.
On the way out the door Dr. Ayranci gifted us a few children’s books in Turkish about Islam, which was the first time I’d been proselytized by a Muslim.
As we were driving we saw an old man with a maroon knit sweater vest over a dark, long-sleeved button-down shirt (or is it a button-up shirt?) standing on the side of a busy street. His close proximity to traffic made me a little nervous, but I quickly forgot about that once I noticed the bread on his head. On top of his newsboy hat, he had large, wicker tray on his head stacked high with pita bread, his hands by his sides ready to make sales. Josh gave him a wave and a thumbs-up (universal for, “hey, cool, man!”). He waved and smiled back with both hands. I liked that moment.
