Questionable but Awesome

I’m sitting in Starbucks in Istanbul right now.  I got up early and really wanted to just have a seat adjust to my new surroundings with an old friend: Coffee of the Day.

I announced my intentions to visit Starbucks to a friend and she acted like I told her I wanted to see the local Puppy Euthanasia Clinic.  Trust me, I see the point.

I’m in Istanbul, a city that spans two continents.  One that features some of the oldest buildings in the world, yet I got excited when I saw the coffee mermaid above the Starbucks sign.  Am I that lame?  Am I one of “those” Americans?

I say it’s quite the opposite.  I’m so excited to be in a world-class city that has it’s act together well enough to have a Starbucks, that I can’t resist to take advantage of the situation.  I’ve been away from this kind of stuff for two years.  For me, this trip across Eastern Europe is just as much about getting back to the real world (which yes, includes Starbucks) as it is a celebration of my exodus from Azerbaijan.