I came to Turkey at the beginning of October to visit my friends Ezgi and Irem and to explore the beautiful city of Istanbul. I think I must have fallen in love with Istanbul from high up in the sky - the lights and the patterns they made on the ground were so beautiful. It could be that I had forgotten what a night landing was like - or it could be that I was so afraid of flying I just wanted to be on the ground again - but I think the truth was that I was ready for something completely new and different and beautiful.

I stayed at my friend Ezgi's house and she graciously gave me her bedroom. As I unpacked and began to settle in, I looked out the window to the beautiful park and the shining blue lights of the Bosphorus Bridge. I turned for a moment to the bookcase by the window and on the shelf lay a book. The cover was bright, hot pink and on it was a delicate leaf that was shaped like a heart. I opened the book and looked through the pages. It was written in Turkish, so I didn't understand. The title said, "Ask" to me. And I took it as a sign, I thought the book was telling me to ask for what I wanted. So, I did. I asked for love.

It was a few days later that Ezgi and I were talking about poetry and Rumi and I happened to think about the book on her shelf. I had seen Rumi's name in the book, and Shams' too and I wondered what the book was about. So, I asked Ezgi about "Ask." The book, Ezgi explained, was not "Ask" but "Aşk" - Love. It is a novel written by Elif Şafak that is based on Rumi's love for his teacher and friend, Shams.

In reading the title to myself in English, I had somehow understood and misunderstood at the same time, because I did not understand Turkish, I had been unable to see something that was right in front of my eyes. It is a good metaphor for my new life here. I find myself a little out of my depth, a stranger to a language I don't understand, a little lost in translation, a little found there too. I think it is good for me to be caught between the meaning of the words - what they mean to me, what I understand them to be and what they truly mean. There is a lot, I know, I still have to learn about asking - and a lot, I know, I still have to learn about aşk. But then, again, don't we all?

I look out this morning from my kitchen window to the Bosphorus. I see The Maiden's Tower, which is not so very far away. The ferry boats are gliding on the water and on my right, I see Sultanahmet and the minarets around the Blue Mosque and the Haiga Sofia. The light is constantly changing and the view - although it really doesn't change - is always different depending on whether it is sunny or foggy or raining or just overcast. So every day I see something new, something is clearer to me or the colors are muted or brighter or everything shines like the pavement when it rains the way it only rains here in Istanbul. What I see is beautiful, what I hear is beautiful, what I taste is beautiful and what I feel is beautiful. And I am very happy. There are many reasons I decided to stay in Istanbul and many reasons I decided to return - and love, of course, was one of them.