Homesickness is an expected visitor

I cant put my finger on why, but I am longing for home more than usual today.  Maybe it is because we have been staying put now for 10 days - the longest stay since Navpaktos - and the plan is to stay here for at least a month.  It might be because we are not crazy about this particular marina.  In itself, it is fine, but the fact that the marina is so far out of town and feels cut off from Turkey bums both Code and I out.  We are thinking about moving to another marina about 40 miles south east of here in a town called Fetiye.  While there is a marina closer to town here in Marmaris, it is triple the price.  Fetiye (FET-ee-ya) has a marina in town but it is a little pricer than where we are now, but not as high as the other Marmaris marina.  We will check it out next week. 

The homesickness may also be triggered by all the boats being pulled out of the water for the winter and the crews are heading home or traveling elsewhere for the winter.  There is quite a number of boaters who stay on their boats all winter long, like we are going to do, we are far outnumbered by the boats that are kept 'on the hard' (on land) for the winter season.  The huge boatyard is filling up with boat after boat like a herd of mammoths, with dates marked on the hulls indicating when they will be splashed back into the water in the spring.  We feel small as we shortcut through the yards to get to the offices, the library, the stores, weaving through the underbellies of the beasts on our bikes.  It is an odd to think we are becoming more accustomed to recognizing the bottoms of the boats than the tops.

Graeme and Aethan have taken to making forts out of the boats that are drydocked near us.  They make perfect shelter.

I might feel homesick because we lack compatriots.  We're younger than everyone here, and there are a few Americans, but many are just readying their boats for the winter and taking off for Florida or Texas.  Then there is the cultural barrier.  For example, there is a disgusting old and fat german dude who hogs the sauna - literally 30 minutes in, then 30 minutes out, the entire time that they have it running (3 days per week).  He insists on being naked in the sauna and even in the shared dressing and shower area.  A woman I have been doing yoga with (she is young - only 61) asked if we would please cover up.  He shot back that this is how it is done in Germany, so he isnt going to change.  Last time I checked, we were in Turkey, but no matter.  I am not a big fan of the sauna, but there are quite a few people with that kind of attitude around - and they can be loud about it, which can get annoying pretty fast. Hopefully the management can address it.

Maybe it is the fact that the holidays are coming up and I am feeling wistful that we will not be celebrating with our family and friends at home.  THere is nothing like watching the kids get together to trick or treat, or having a giant Thankgiving dinner, or having the kids fly down the steps to open christmas presents.  I like to decorate for the holidays, and here there really is no place and it feels like no point as it just adds to the everpresent clutter on the boat. 

I might be homesick because there are so many things going on at home in terms of the house (Code is focused on getting the contractor started), our squished cars, the broken waterheater, and finding tenants on Saltspring.  With so many things going on, it is hard to handle it from afar.

It helps me to keep our room/bed very tidy and to keep the kitchen spotless.  Even if the rest of the boat is a wreck, I can retreat to our bed where I have my favorite pretty duvet cover spread as neatly as possible (the bed is an irregular shape, so it is never easy to make it), close the door, spray on some of my favorite scent (Clarins' Eau Dynamisante or Hermes' Verde Orange), and lay down on (fairly) clean sheets. 

Yoga helps a lot, as does running, to make me feel like I have done something good for me.  Even though I am the only one who loves tabboleh and wheatberry salads in our family, it feels good to cook them or other healthful foods. 

I dont know what it is, but when you are homesick, you are just homesick.  The best thing I can really do is acknowledge it as the visitor that I had been expecting, and hopefully let myself get something out of its visit, and then move on.

Comments

[Nicole]

Janet, we really miss you too! But think of all the amazing things you are seeing and experiencing. Stu really wishes he could winter with a fat naked german man. Too bad for him. And Halloween will be here next year, and so will you. With no naked man. At least besides the ones in your hot tub. Love to you.