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I learned the true meaning of "Turkish hospitality" during the aftermath of the tragic terrorist attack on the United States. My husband Keith and I discovered how kind and compassionate the Turkish people are when we visited the city Konya, located in the central Anatolia region. Konya is a devoutly Muslim city in Turkey. We first heard about the tragedy when we were in Pamukkale, a small town near the west coast. We spent our days in Pamukkale watching the news in shock, along with other tourists and Turkish locals. Although we were terribly saddened, Keith and I finally decided the best thing to do was continue with our scheduled travels with Konya as the next stop.

Leanne Currie-McGhee has been traveling the world over the past year. She has beaten the paths of South Asia, Africa, Australia, and SW Asia. Her travels have shown her a compassionate world exists where people of all beliefs choose the path of peace. She says ,"Taking a year off  from my career and selling our house was not in my original plans, but in a second I changed these plans.  One of the most important lessons I have learned is to be willing to change plans in order to fully experience life." . Additional Resources Photo Essay of Sorrow  Unique Lifestyles  Contact Leanne Currie-McGhee Our Life Journey Website

On our first morning in Konya, the somber sounding Islamic prayer call woke us up. I looked outside our hotel, to the top of hill and saw Alaettin Camii, a grand mosque. After listening to the prayers, Keith and I left the hotel and started to walk to the east side of Konya. The road was lined with several carpet, handicraft, and Turkish candy shops, and their owners were ready and waiting 

outside. My first thought was the shop owners would immediately approach us in attempt to persuade us to buy their wares. I was wrong.  A shopkeeper, an older man, came up and asked us where we were from. We told him "America." He then shook his head and said, "I am very sorry for what happened. That is a tragedy." Then he somberly walked back into his shop.  We continued our walk. We went into a bus ticket office and inquired about bus tickets to Istanbul. We decided not to buy the tickets and began to walk out the door. The man working there stopped us and I thought he was going to try to

persuade us to buy the tickets. Instead, he said, "I do not have the English words to express how I feel about what happened in your country." 
 

We asked another man for directions. After explaining to us how to find the Information Office, he told us that whoever committed the terrorism in America was evil. He then told us that if we needed any help of any kind while in Turkey, to come find him. During the day, we visited the Mevlani Museum, former lodge of the Whirling Dervishes. As I explored the museum and its intriguing sights I noticed teenage girls, dressed in school uniforms, following me. After I exited the museum I sat in the courtyard to relax. The girls came out of the building and saw me sitting there. After much whispering to each other they decided to approach.

One of the girls smiled at me and asked, "Are you English?" I told her "No, I am American." She looked at her friends and another of the girls spoke, "We are so sorry for what happened there. It is terrible." The three nodded and had the most sincere looks on their faces. I thanked them for their thoughts and felt a surge of faith in the next generation.
 

Keith and I then approached Selimiye Camii, an Ottoman style mosque. We were unsure if we could enter when a man approached us and told us we could peek inside. We took off our shoes and I covered my head with a scarf. When we entered the mosque I was immediately taken in by both its simplicity and grace. The inside was basically a large room devoid of furniture. On the ground was a red carpet divided into squares - each square for a person to kneel on as they prayed facing Mecca. Although it was not yet prayer time, there were people already in the mosque praying. As I prayed my own prayer, they prayed their Islamic prayers. I felt we were praying for the same thing - peace.

As we watch the news, Keith and I see the goodness in Americans as they help and support one another through this crisis. In our past year of travels through Asia, Africa, Australia, and now in Turkey, we have experienced the goodness of people throughout the world. This gives me great hope for the world's future.