Mother & Daughter Reunion.

by Lena

She still makes me laugh …

As I stepped out of the plane in Antalya, Turkey, my heart was beating so fast, thought it will jump out. My stomach was twisting and turning and it was hard to breath. My flight was delayed for about 2 hours. I was scared that I won’t see her face within the impatient crowd outside …

I haven’t seen my mom in 9 years …

I stood outside of airport waiting for her, holding a little bag with ” Dior ” letters on it, that I got in Beverly Hills …

Flashback to 1986 or so …

I was 2 or so …

She told me not to touch her expensive, Red, Christian Dior Lipstick from France…

One fine morning, stubborn 2 year old Lena, somehow snatched it from her drawer and painted her whole body with it ..

Scaring the hell out of my parents, since they thought it was blood..

I got hell for that!

In my 28 years we have had a lot of fights, years of silence, misunderstandings, pain of loosing my dad and tears..

However we also had hysterical laughs, travel, adventure and fun.

We also had an Atlantic Ocean separating us for the last 9 years…

When I took off in 2003 and came to US, she didn’t even know, until I rang her from one of the glorious and smelly Hostels on Hollywood Blvd., to let her know that I am now living large in America…

A whole life later, finally came to the conclusion that I can no longer store all my feelings in my bitter heart closet and keep hurting..

I wrote her a short letter saying that I choose to walk on the road of forgiveness and compassion and that I am sorry for any pain I have caused her.

In about 7 months after that letter, I’m standing on the Turkish soil…

We decided to meet in a neutral territory.

Now back to the ” Dior ” bag ; with not one, but 2 Dior lipsticks inside…

One was actually from 1980’s that is incredibly rare and really hard to find. It’s just for the keepsake purpose and the other one is the newest of Dior collection in a gorgeous red color.

I also got her a card that has a goofy looking kid on it that reads ;

” Mom, I know I wasn’t an easy kid, but then the truly brilliant are always a challenge… “

And totally messed it up, this time, with my own red lipstick…

card for mother - 1
card for mother - 2

I wasn’t a 28-year-old woman standing outside of an airport shivering…

but a two-year old troublemaker that wanted to say ” I’m sorry ” .

I thought it was a perfect reconciliation gift… And a great way to start over.

April 2012, 12 am, Antalya Airport…

My eyes kept searching for her. After 15 minutes I decided to walk to the other arrival gate …

as I walked towards it, heard a high-pitched woman’s voice saying in a broken English, Turkish and German, that her daughter was supposed to arrive and she can’t find her.

My mom was showing them my pictures that she printed from my website ..

she always shows pictures of me by the way… be it to shopkeepers or to governors .. to everyone she meets! Gosh, it makes me so uncomfortable.

Then she turns and sees a woman walking towards her…

” Lenochka ?!! ?? Is it you ?! “

” Da, Mama  … ”  I said hugging her.

We cried

&

Laughed …

My mom liked Alanya so much that she bought an apartment. Standing on her apartment’s balcony.

Full moon over Alanya. I captured this view from my room at Villa Turka. I lived behind the Castle walls in a historic Villa . It’s an amazing place! Find more info here — VILLA TURKA

Some things NEVER change …

Recognize her outfit in the picture below? ..

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That’s right! It’s the same outfit! With my mom in England 1995.

Our first dinner together after 9 years

Looking over beautiful Alanya at my mom’s place. ” Mom, look, I can fly! “

Alanya and Taurus Mountains as seen from Villa Turka – http://www.hotelvillaturka.com

View from Alanya Castle of Damlatas beach and Cleopatra beach. Alanya, Turkey.

She also hurt her knee .. she was surprised to see that her once disorganized child had a “first aid kit” in her backpack…

I took care of her knee and put bandages on it …

yes, I’m her daughter. We have the same hand pose.. : ) At the Dim Chai, sharing food with my mom’s friends.

No matter how old I am, no matter the years, time or the distance between us…

I will always be her little troublemaker…

her little girl…

Lena

To all mothers;

“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, and yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward, not tarries with yesterday. “

– Kahlil Gibran
from the book : The Prophet

_____________________

 The woman behind the words …

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” Memories “

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PS – To the person who searched ” how to avoid traveloholic ” and arrived at my blog…

Answer – 

You can’t! Look, there’s a lot of us and we’re everywhere! We also usually attend the traveloholic’s 12 step program with a passport …

but we want you to know, that we’re really trying …

Best,

Travelholics around the world.