Sea Leaps (and dance parties)

My first real day in Gumusluk, it was hot, but oh yeah, I lived under a minute walk from "the beach" (which has nothing to do with sand, btw) so I suited up and headed down. My options were a stone pier sprinkled with tattered wooden sun umbrellas and weathered chairs, or a big hotel cove-like beach, sprinkled with topless italians and spoiled kids. Pier it was!

I took in the sun for a while, and sort of reflected on where I was and what the fuck I was doing there. I wasn't sure about much. I knew I would be okay. I knew I needed to be free. And when "My Girls" from the latest Animal Collective album came on (wink, wink), I knew I needed to dance.

So I did. I was NOT alone on the pier. I was highly visibly to the hotel crowd. I was wearing headphones, so no one else could hear the music. But I got up and danced the shit out of it (in a bikini). I continued to dance for a couple more boppy tunes, and then pumped myself up for my next big move. I was going to jump into the sea. This task seems simple enough, but honestly, some pretty big waves come rolling in. Not to mention, that not knowing the temperature of something you are about to submerge yourself in always makes a moment intense. I picked a pump up song (KC Accidental, if you really care) and wandered the edge for a while. I got dramatic and told myself all about what this jump meant, and how very important it was to jump even though it was scary. A life metaphor that I needed in that moment. And eventually I counted to 3 (in Turkish) and leapt off the edge of the pier.

I came up and laughed out loud. The water was cool, but comfortable. The salt so dense that you couldn't help but float. The waves rolled in a way that fighting them was impossible and you had to either ride over them or dive underneath. It was exhilerating to say the least.
Almost every day since then I've made a point (after working on my tan) to have a tiny private dance party and jump into the sea. It still was daunting and scary, but everyday I reminded myself how important it was to take that leap. Slowly but surely it got more easy and I found myself swimming farther and farther away from the pier. Today I had my very last dance party and jumped into the sea for the last time for a while.

This is where the magic happens! The end of the pier has seen many a headphones dance party from me followed by a chicken shit leap that usually involves me screaming and everyone else laughing.

This is an abandoned half built hotel that I really wanted to make into my fort, but didn't have the guts to explore alone.

This is the hotel swimming area I never use because its full of tourists and children, two of my least favorite things.