I had the pleasure of meeting Klaus briefly earlier this year and in December we met up again. Klaus is a political analyst and journalist and as many of you will know he very kindly writes an article for The Ege Eye every month. This month he asked me about my background and below is what he said.
Life is a journey – is it not? Few of us would have known in advance where those travels will eventually take us unless perhaps for members of royalty. Us mere mortals go to school, learn a profession, settle down only to realize that neither job nor private affairs have turned out the way we had imagined they would at tender age twelve.
Yet staying in the journey picture is it not correct to say that whilst on the road it is you and me being in the driver’s seat? Hence, we do have quite some influence on where we are headed including allowing for (various location) stopovers so to speak.
Enter Lucy, our charming editor here at The Ege Eye newspaper in Kusadasi and what a journey it is indeed, with many more adventures lined up for sure. Recently Lucy gave me the absolute pleasure meeting for dinner on Ladies Beach and an idea for a future article was born.
Where did it all begin? In Scotland where her parents originally hailed from. And whilst chatting we realized how small our shared world is indeed as your friendly columnist has very fond memories of nearby Stirling and the former Central Region as it was called in the 70s, too, having twice attended a local high school as exchange student. Then her dad moved for professional reasons across the seas and the family settled in Northern Ireland where Lucy was born.
And would you believe it – she was only 16 and took off for America! Would your parents have given the green light? A summer job at her uncle’s motel secured she in all likelihood started enjoying being not just out and about town but figuratively speaking out and above the clouds as well. Back traveling the entire East-Coast a year later, followed by visiting Toronto on two further occasions. Think tourist? No way, Lucy rolled up her sleeves working for two long summers.
Probably something someplace made her mind tick: traveling is expensive and let us remember this was well before the advent of budget airlines except for Freddy Laker pioneering that trend ca. mid 80s. That said, want to see the world, must work. And hence her journey continued first to Gibraltar, then up to England. But it was not a simple matter of survival on the road that made her earn money, Lucy always wanted to learn more, go that extra mile.
Extra mature student excels at university
And going the extra mile she did and in style. Lucy graduated in the year 2010 with honours in a rather complicated subject matter, European Studies plus English. Where did all this happen? At the well-known University of Ulster in Coleraine. How would I know it is a very tricky course? Returning to my it is a small world observation myself graduated in a very closely related subject, European Politics and Government plus having studied English Literature and Linguistics alongside. In case you wondered the sub-header on top of this paragraph are Lucy’s very own words, pasted by myself as they made me smile – making someone else smile is a rare gift, one that Lucy employs to perfection.
And then Turkey became her focus of attention.
Last exit Kusadasi– a feel-good places calling
Novice in 2008, full-time resident by 2012, and no one knowing Lucy would be surprised that spending days and nights in front of the television is not her cup of tea at all. Here she put all her experience and expertise onto the table and soon took over the editing of our newspaper and advising expatriates on all matters of interest, too. Now we all know that penning articles is one thing, editing a complete newspaper something altogether more challenging.
Lucy told me that she wants the paper to be seen as a feel-good publication which brings me to my last point. Someone who travelled the world since age 16, worked in many different countries and then explored the academic side of things, too, must certainly bring along that special attitude towards life. Yes, as we mentioned in the first few lines of this January contribution life is a journey but then again, we seldom embark on a trip alone. We meet and mingle along the way, we grow in stature, we discover new horizons, we become global citizens. And one day we want to give back – lending a helping hand to others who are either already on a similar journey or are pondering thoughts of packing ones’ toothbrush and thus said, no better place than the Foreign Citizens Advice Centre.
And for this to become a profession the keyword is truth and honesty. And not just with regards to dealing with others but with a view how to deal with oneself. Some stops on route will have been more enjoyable than others, some stops will always stand out. For Lucy it seems that the latter comment is intertwined with her current happy mood and state-of-affairs here in Turkey’s Kusadasi. Before bidding farewell, I asked would you move on one more time, new shores awaiting perhaps? A big smile was the answer yet somehow my sixth journalist’s sense told me that just this once she might have found her permanent home for good.Thank you for a memorable night out and all health and luck to you.
And to all our dear readers, a simply wonderful and happy and healthy New Year 2022.
