As I watched the nearby island melting with the warm colors of a perfect sunset, a strange feeling came up in me. The little Greek island was just two kilometers off the Turkish coast on which I was standing. For the past week, I had traveled and admired the Turkish Riviera in all its beauty. I had tasted its amazing food, I had swum in its turquoise waters, I had visited its ancient wonders. On earlier trips to Greece, I had done very similar things, yet something felt very different. That evening, I finally understood. As I watched across to the Greek island, a feeling of belonging came up in me. In Greece, I was a European visiting Europe. In Turkey, I was a foreigner visiting a faraway land, even if just two kilometers apart. While deeply rooted in the European identity, I believe that being a foreigner is the best way to learn and grow through curiosity and observation. One does not become a different person, but a more receptive one.

The Greek island of Καστελλόριζο and the Turkish coast at Kaş