His eyes were shining brightly and he looked so happy to have met me.
I know why he smiled like that. It was because I spoke to him first at the hostel in Georgia.
Rainy Sunday — Fujifilm was closed.
I woke up at 9:40. Since breakfast was supposedly until 10:30 I headed to the terrace at 10, but there wasn't much left — they had just put a variety of things on a plate. I was the last guest. Everyone eats too fast, I laughed.
Breakfast was a slice of bread with potato salad, one boiled egg, and water. I hoped I might meet the person I’d met online, but there was no reply, so I decided to go buy a camera. Around Hagia Sophia is the tourist center, so everything, including food, is ridiculously expensive.
To Kadıköy where the Fujifilm shop is. It was raining and the wind was so strong my umbrella nearly broke. It was completely different from Istanbul a week ago. I had lunch at the hamburger place I'd been to before. Last time in Thailand I was just 15 minutes late to buy a camera and the shop closed, so I hoped that wouldn't happen this time.
When I arrived at the Fujifilm shop, it was closed. Checking Google Maps it said today was a day off. Because it was Sunday. It's been over a year since I stopped keeping Japanese-style days off, and I've been living so that any time I wake up is fine, so I hadn't thought about what day of the week it was at all. I should have checked from the start. There was nothing I could do, so I went back to write in my diary. I have several days piled up, so I need to write soon.
The discovery that being busy makes you feel more alive
I took the train back to the hostel. The Georgian friend I was supposed to meet tonight had to help his father with work, so I decided to meet a Polish friend instead. Even though I woke up at 10, I ended up napping until 1 — I must have been really tired from yesterday. Well, that happens. That's part of traveling.
When I got back to the hostel and checked my messages, Polish friend Genya said he was at a beer spot right near where I'd just been. No way! After a 45-minute trip back I had to go again. I lounged in bed for 30 minutes and then set off.
Lately even in hostel encounters I'm the one asking 'Where are you from?' I was able to talk naturally at last night's dinner too. I've gotten so used to it that I don't overthink things anymore, and I feel like my self-doubt and thoughts that I'm not attractive have been fading recently. It's definitely because I'm living busy days and meeting lots of different people. That's why I realized once again that idleness is truly harmful. The discovery was that being busy is better. Filling your schedule and staying busy makes you feel more alive, and by interacting with new types of people you can discover a new self. You learn the art of communication.
I realized I'm more suited to a large country like Turkey than to small countries like Georgia or Armenia. In a sparsely populated place, if you don't fit into that community it's a matter of life and death. In a big country like Turkey, the more people who don't match you means there are also many who do. On the dating apps in Georgia I had zero matches, but in Turkey I had 13 in two days. I think national character and people matter. A country that gives you a lot of likes makes you feel approved to be there, which lets you be yourself.
Reunion with Genya
I walked to the bar where Genya was. It was really close to Fujifilm. I was truly excited to see him again after so long. Genya had a very distinctive vibe, a different air from ordinary people. I could feel that aura.
I arrived at the bar and Genya came to meet me.
His eyes were shining brightly and he looked so happy to see me. He welcomed me from the heart, and I was very glad. That feeling came across so strongly. It's interesting how you can tell from someone's eyes or small movements whether they truly welcome you or not. That's the fascinating part — you can't express it with logic or words. Emotions are something you feel.
His mother and younger brother, beer, and the bar's cat
Genya's mother and younger brother were at the bar. I shook hands and greeted them. They had already been drinking a lot of beer, and when I joined they ordered more beer.
And so, we drank beer.
There was also a cat in the bar, wandering around everyone's feet.
Before I knew it, it was on my lap.
I continued talking while petting the cat.
Genya told me about his trip to Romania, his plans to go to Bulgaria, and the countries he'd visited in the past. He came to Turkey by bus from Romania, and said it was very cheap. He was really looking forward to getting a Polish passport in 2.5 years so he could travel to Japan! He also showed me pictures of his mother's house. In Belarus it's more of a concept of land than a house — apparently there's vast land around. It was a big difference from Japanese houses with gardens and parking spaces.
I spoke Russian with his brother and mother. They asked why I could speak Russian and what I studied at university. I love conversing in Russian, so it was really fun.
Second bar
After finishing the beer we decided to go to another bar. We walked to a nearby bar, but for some reason the atmosphere wasn't great, so we went to a different bar.
A street leaking lively sounds.
There we drank a fruity beer. Maybe because it was a local bar, the beer prices were reasonable. It was really tasty.
We talked about Belarusian foods like draniki and a dish called 'Harajok?' — jelly with vegetables inside — and about the differences between Japanese sushi and Belarusian sushi. When I told him Belarusian sushi isn't really sushi but rolls, he was really surprised by the simplicity. Because the price is cheap he said he wanted to go to Japan soon! he laughed.
He wanted to use the local language as much as possible, and paid in cash rather than by card. His pocket was full of a large amount of Turkish lira banknotes converted from 100 euros.
Iskender at 11 PM
After finishing the beer we took the metro to the European side. We hadn't had dinner, so although it was 11 PM, we headed to a kebab place.
A bustling night street.
There I ate Iskender.
Genya and I talked about which country we'd go to next and how many hours we work per week. He said that when he was in Belarus he sometimes worked 24-hour shifts in construction. Now he works about 200 hours a month, and I felt a bit guilty because I don't think I work three hours a day. We also talked about Japanese culture and why I can't seem to adapt to Japan.
Genya said he wants to convert a small van and travel around Europe in the future. I thought it was a really lovely dream. I also said I want to drive along the Spanish seaside and sleep in a fluffy bed watching the sunset with my girlfriend. Apparently he can only drive a van after he gets his passport in 2.5 years. It made me realize again how difficult it is to obtain permanent residency. I hope he works hard and makes his dream come true.
An encounter guided by courage
Anyway, the time with him was very fulfilling. Every conversation had meaning and it was really fun. After dinner we went to his hotel. He had brought souvenirs from Belarus — a cranberry dessert and chocolate.
Thank you so much.
We said bye to his brother, bye to his mother, and finally farewelled Genya. "Let's meet again tomorrow if we can!" he said. And if we couldn't meet, "then let's meet in Poland next time!"
He is a truly sincere, classy, kind, and compassionate friend. Again, I'm glad I stayed at the hostel in Georgia and that day I spoke to him. Thinking that this meeting exists because I found the courage, life really is interesting. And sometimes there's light in places that scare you.
That was what I learned.
