I never felt judged there—for being white, Christian, gay, or European. I was welcomed with open arms and love.
I love to travel! Aside from the obvious things I miss, traveling is what I miss the most. It represents the essence of freedom to me. So, even in my tiny cell, I find ways to travel in my mind.
There is one country that stole my heart: Turkey. I remember it like it was yesterday—my first visit to the Turkish Riviera. After a huge fight with my boyfriend, I needed time away from him. While strolling through a mall, I saw a hotel ad in the window of a travel agency. Within 24 hours, I was in Antalya. It was my first time in Asia—only an hour and a half away by plane from my hometown in Poland, but it felt so different, so far from reality.
Everything about my time there was magical: the people, the cuisine, the sights, the culture. But it was when I heard the call to prayer from a nearby mosque that something inside me said, “You’ve found your place in the world.”
I was transported hundreds of years back to the Ottoman Empire, and every cell in my body sensed the Orient around me. I’ve visited Turkey many times since, even working there for a Polish travel agency after I left my boyfriend. Everything I felt on that first trip only deepened.
I never felt judged there—for being white, Christian, gay, or European. I was welcomed with open arms and love. After serving my time in the U.S., I planned to move to Turkey and live out my Oriental dream. That’s my memory of how I found my passion, thanks to one fight.
