Wednesday

I am feeling pretty bruised today

After yesterday

Failing my driving test

And then being attacked on my own blog

By 'anonymous' of course

Because these people don't have the courage of their convictions

To comment under their real name

I'm not getting in to the whole thing again today

I explained myself yesterday

Even though I am under no obligation to

I know that I am not doing anything wrong

But yes I have made mistakes 

I am not perfect 

Far from it

I make mistakes every single day

That's life 

That's reality 

This is the thing about writing a blog

And putting yourself out there 

You are open to insult and ridicule 

I know a lot of you disable anonymous comments 

I haven't done this 

And I don't plan to

But it means that anyone can say/write anything to you and about you

99% of the feedback I get here on my blog is positive 

I really get very little negative feedback

But it's ok

Of course we are not all going to agree all the time

It was just the way this anonymous comment was worded

Was really nasty and scathing 

I don't know if this person is a regular reader

Or someone who just stumbled across my blog

It doesn't matter 

But I feel they were having a go at me because they saw an opportunity to bring someone down a peg or two 

And of course 

I am human 

My feelings get hurt 

I think it's pretty low to kick someone while they are down 

When they are vulnerable 

They could have made their point a little more delicately I think

Of course

I am not a special little snowflake

I am a big girl 

And I can take a bit of criticism 

It's just that I felt this was an attack 

More than someone offering some constructive criticism 

Look

I am doing my best

Putting my life back together after suffering with many chronic conditions

I do my best to do the right thing

To be a good person 

Not to hurt myself or anyone else 

I ask for help everyday 

To be the best person I can be

The past year has been really tough

As I try and put back together the pieces of my life 

I know I'm not doing everything perfectly

Who is?

I am trying to do the next right thing 

In every area of my life

I don't know if my anonymous commenter will read this 

But if you are 

I would ask you to think before you write/speak

You could have made your point in a very different way 

Instead 

You instigated an argument 

And I didn't know how you felt after it

But I felt pretty rotten

I would even go one step further

And invite you to email me 

To clear things up

As I hate the way they've been left

But maybe you don't even care 

Maybe you've already forgotten and moved on

I on the other hand 

Am probably too sensitive

And let things like this get to me

I'm just trying to live my life the best way I know how

I am not doing anything to provoke or hurt anyone else 

I am not a bad person 

At least I don't think I am

I really felt attacked yesterday 

And felt like this person questioned me and my whole life

I just want to live my life 

Be a good person 

Do the right thing 

And lay my head down at night

Knowing that today

I did my very best 

Everyone makes mistakes 

It's human nature 

But those mistakes shouldn't be used against us

Again and again

We should be allowed to make the mistake 

Learn

And move on

We can't be tried for our mistakes over and over again

That's just not fair or right

As regards my driving test

Al least now I know what I need to work on

And I know what to expect 

I will take the time to revise and learn and practise everything I need to

And apply to do it again soon

To those of you who left lovely comments  and texts 

Thank you 

As ever 

You are there for me

And I am eternally grateful 

Response

 feel I need to respond to the comments that were left on my last post

Yes I do drive

I have a learner permit 

Which means I can drive accompanied

Which I always do

Although I do admit

There have been times when I drove solo

But I try to avoid that as much as possible

And of course I am insured

I am not breaking any law by driving my car with an appropriate adult

So to the person who called me 'selfish'

I am doing nothing wrong by driving my car with someone who has a full license

So please 

And feel bad enough as it is today

You can not make me feel any worse

I have been driving for a few years now

And have never done anything that is illegal

When I drive

Either my mum 

My sister or my dad are with me

So to you anonymous 

Who accused me of being 'incredibly selfish'

And of driving illegally

You don't know me

You don't know who I drive with

And what rules I do and don't break

I am fully insured on my car

So if I was to have an accident 

Normal rules apply

I just think it's really sad that you would attack someone when they are already feeling down

You don't know me 

So please 

Get your facts straight before throwing accusations around 

Driving Test

I My preparation for my test has been extremely rushed

Even though I've been driving for quite a while

There are still things I need to brush up on

At the moment I have a learners permit

And have managed to dodge my test thus far 

But 

I've procrastinated for too long now

It was time to do it

Yesterday 

I had a two hour lesson

Which went well

But man, there were many things that I did not know

Like this constant mirror, signal, mirror checking 

I mean

Of course I check my mirrors

But not as obsessive as I was being told to

We also practised the manoeuvres 

The three point turn

Which I was ok at 

And the reversing around a corner

Which I struggled with 

My teacher said that was my weak point

Another thing I was really worried about

Was the fact that I had to drive in to the car park for the test

And reverse in to the car parking space 

I practised it a bit this morning 

And it was pretty hit and miss

Ay ay ay

I just couldn't wait until it was all over

I can't tell you how nervous about I was this morning

And I was afraid to take any of my meds 

In case they made me drowsy

So driving down to the test centre

I could almost feel myself going in to withdrawal

But that might have been in my imagination

The test centre is about an hour from my house

In a town that I don't know very well

And only really drove around for the first time yesterday

I picked this town as it's the quietest town near to me

The lesson yesterday was really cutting it fine

The instructor tried to squash everything in tithe two hours

But it was nigh on impossible

Too much information

Too much to remember in such a short space of time

I got back from my lesson yesterday

Got straight in to my pyjamas

And rested for the evening

Then this morning

I got up early 

And my sister came out with me to practise

I practised reversing in to a space

It was hit and miss at best 

The other manoeuvre I would be asked to do was reversing around a corner

I do that every day to leave my house 

But this was on the other side

And it just confused me

I was beyond nervous and anxious this morning 

I just could not wait for it to be over 

The test was at 12 45pm

So my mother and I set off at about 11 30am

We were driving through one of the villages

I had just rounded a corner

When a woman in a brand new big f**k off car

Pulled out in front me

Without indicating 

And without looking

I had to swerve across the road

And thank God there was nothing coming on the other side

I was so shocked I had to pull in for a second

The woman drove by me

And I gave her a filthy look

But she seemed oblivious to what she had just done 

An hour later 

And we arrived at the test centre

Now I had to reverse in to a space

The car park was tiny 

And there really was only one space I could go for 

It took me three attempts 

And it on my second attempt

Someone walked in to the car park that o recognised

I knew the face 

But I couldn't place them

Then it came to me

It was my sisters ex-fiancé 

The one who messed her around 

And who my entire family hate

I hadn't seen this guy in years 

Typical that I would run in to him on the day of my driving test

He saw us 

And quickly looked away

Another filthy look was in order

Then I promptly reversed in to a sign 

Eventually

I managed to get the car between the lines

In a somewhat straight position

I felt shook after my two incidences

But I persevered

My mum went for a cup of coffee after wishing me luck

And I headed in to the test centre

I sat waiting for about five minutes

Hoping that I wouldn't run in to ex-fiancé again

I didn't

And soon I heard my name called

A short stout mam in his fifties ushered me in to a room

He introduced himself 

Explained what was going to happen

He asked for my permit

Which I had stupidly left in my car

So I had to run out to get it

Bad start right there

And the test began

First 

He asked me some rules of the road 

Some I knew

Some I didn't 

Some I blatantly guessed

Then it was out to my car

He checked all my paperwork was in order

Checked my lights 

Asked me to pop the hood

Which I only learned how to do yesterday 

He asked me various questions about where the oil goes etc

I managed that part ok

Then it was time to drive

I started the car

But my nerves were getting the better of me

And I hit the curb on the way out 

You guys 

I failed before I even got out of the car park! 

I could help but curse

'Shite' I said

'Is that it?' I asked  him

'The test isn't over yet' he replied 

So I kept going

And tried to be positive

As I said 

I don't know this town at all

There were many roundabouts 

A one way system

And I was generally very confused a lot of the time 

I remembered to use my mirrors

And check my blind spots 

But there were so many things I neglected to do 

Or didn't know how to do

I just wasn't sure of myself 

Or what I was doing 

I need a lot more practise

My car is an automatic

So there are only two pedals

Brake and accelelorator

No clutch

Usually I use both feet to use the pedals 

But the tester told me that I was doing it wrong 

And only to use my right foot

This completely threw me

As I tried to remember the correct way to do it

I tried my best

Then it was time to do the reverse around the corner

That went shockingly bad

And I hit the curb again

I just wanted to cry at that point

I felt like such a loser 

Next was the three point turn

Now this something that I can actually do

And it went pretty smoothly 

After about 40 minutes

The tester directed me back to the t St centre

I turned off my car 

And he invited me inside

I sat on the blue chair and sighed

'I don't have good news for you' he said

'I know' I replied 

So that was it 

I failed 

But then 

I already knew that 

He mentioned the pedals again

He said strictly he should have cancelled the test because I was using both feet

But he saw I was making an effort 

So he gave me a chance

He told me what else I need to brush up on

And there is a lot

He also said to get a few lessons 

And get to know the test town

Both of which I will do

So thats it guys 

I didn't pass

But I'm not too upset

I knew I hadn't had enough practise and preparation

I will apply for it again soon

And get back behind the steering wheel

I did my best

And it was good experience 

Hopefully next time will go better 

I am so tired now

It's only 3pm

But when I get home

I am getting straight in to my pyjamas 

Taking my meds

And relaxing for the evening 

I mean

I know I'm not a horrible driver

There are just at things I need to brush up on 

And I will 

Just not today 

Preventing Relapse

Given everything that is happening

Being on holidays

Coming back from holidays

Being sick

And having Turkey Tummy as the lovely CP called it

And having the stress of my driving test tomorrow

I know I need to be careful

I haven't weighed myself 

But I know that I've lost weight 

I can feel it

It's no surprise really

The food really didn't agree with me

I had bouts of diarrhoea and constipation

Although I think constipation is by far the worse of the two

And because I didn't much like the food in Turkey 

I've kind of lost the taste for food

Even my precious white chocolate and salt and vinegar crisps haven't been touched since I got home

I've just been nibbling toast here and there

I know that this is a dangerous time

I acknowledge that

Now it's up to me not to let this setback turn in to a slip or a relapse

It's hard though 

Part of me would love to go running in to the arms of my ED

To just say f**k it

And throw myself head first down the rabbit hole

But I won't 

I can't 

I've come too far to throw it all away now

I mean

I'm in no danger of falling in to the underweight category just yet

It's more the behaviours

And the thinking at the moment  

Exit: I just bought a battery for my scale 

And weighed myself 

I've lost about 7 pounds

Just over three kilos

More than I had thought

But I am still very much in the healthy category

So I'm not going to worry just yet

I'm pretty sure that my weight hasn't settled at my set point yet

I'm also pretty sure that I have overshot my set point 

Which is pretty common I know

So I would actually like to settle some where a little less than I am now

But of course 

We all know

Where EDs and weight loss are concerned 

Sometimes it takes on a life of its own

And it feels like we are on a runaway train

With no way off

Anyway

Enough with what could happen

Let's talk about what is happening

Today is Monday of course

That is doctor day for me

He was surprisingly on time this morning

The first thing he said to me was

'So you weren't whisked away by a swarthy Arab?'

I said there was no fear of that

He said that he doesn't give advice 

But he does tell girls not to marry Muslims

I told him in fact they my auntie B had married a Muslim

Albeit a non practising one 

Who is one of the nicest men you could meet

He asked about my holiday

I told him some stories 

He told me they he is going to Poland tomorrow 

To visit his son

Who is studying medecine there

He also said he would start reducing the methadone when he got back

Ahem

No comment...

As I mentioned earlier 

I have my driving test tomorrow

Some how

I have managed to get to the grand ol' age of 34 without doing it before now

But it has finally caught up with me 

And tomorrow is the day

Today I have a two hour driving lesson

To cram in everything I need to know  before tomorrow

I'm not getting my hopes up

But I will do my best 

That's all I can do

I know I need to mind myself at the moment

I know that a relapse can creep up on you 

And then slam you between the eyes before you know what is happening

I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing to weigh at the moment

I guess it's good to keep an eye on it

Without getting too engrossed with it 

I mean 

I'm sure I could be questioned as to whether I really am in recovery or not

I still purge 

Not very often 

But about 3-5 times a week

Not everyday 

But almost 

I'm not quite sure what that means

All I know 

Is that this is as good as it gets for me right now 

I am as free from my ED than I have ever been 

And with recovery and life

Comes complications 

Life is not a straight forward thing

There are many bends and bumps in the road 

Sometimes we even go backwards 

But the important thing is to keep going

To keep trying 

And fighting

To keep hoping 

And believing 

That there is a better life for us

God knows 

I know that when you are in the eye of the storm of an ED

Recovery seems nigh on impossible 

And it also seems to be something that happens to other people 

We might all have similar EDs

But each of us are unique 

And will recover in a way that might be different to someone else

I've been in treatment for my ED about five times 

And never once did I even complete the programme

Nevermind recover

I can remember being there 

And all my energy went in to resisting treatment 

And in fact 

I actually lost weight while there

How I managed to do that I do not know

But after five failed admissions

I've learned that recovering in that type of setting 

Just does not work for me 

Being surrounded by other sick and underweight people

For me 

Is not conducive to making positive changes 

I compare myself 

I let myself compete with these girls 

To be the thinnest and the sickest

It became a game 

Where the winner is the one closest to death

As we all know

Treating EDs is a tricky business

I would say doctors hate to see the likes of us coming 

They are just so complex

It takes much time

And energy

And endless support 

To help someone who is completely immersed in their ED

To even considering changing their thinking and behaviours

And to get them to gain weight?

Well that is the biggest challenge 

We may want to recover

But we may want to stay at a low body weight

And as we know 

That just doesn't work 

You can't have one without the other 

For me 

Recovery from home worked a lot better than a stint in treatment 

And as I often say

Sometimes it feels like it happened in spite of myself 

When I was very sick

One of the things that scared me the most was gaining weight

The only thing worse than being depressed and under weight

Was being depressed and of a healthy weight

Or worse again

Depressed and over weight

What I didn't bank on 

Was that as I gained weight 

My mood and my thinking began to shift 

I started to see the benefits of weight regain 

Of feeding my body

Of looking after myself 

And with this 

Other things began to change 

I stopped caring so much what the scale said 

What clothes size I was 

Numbers began to mean less and less

My confidence improved markedly 

I felt more comfortable in my own skin 

Soon the benefits of recovery 

Outweighed any benefits my ED had

Because my ED served a purpose at the time

I had to find other healthier ways to meet those needs 

That is a process of trial and error

But we each find what works for us

It's different for everyone 

I guess what I'm trying to say is 

That I know recovery can seem like a million miles away 

So completely out of reach 

But I think in fact it is closer than we think

I firmly believe that recovery is possible for each of us

No matter how complicated or serious the condition

It is possible to have a life beyond ED

The thing is that we have to do it ourselves 

No one can do it for us

No matter how much they love us

Or want to do it for us 

It has to come from the person 

You can love them

And support them 

To a point 

But change must come from a persons own motivation

I know at the beginning of my recovery from addiction

I did it for my family more than myself 

But that only got me so far

And over time

I had to start to do it for myself

Or else it just wouldn't work

I guess it could be argued 

That I am in fact not in recovery

I still abuse my meds

I don't go to meetings 

But as with my ED

This is as good as it gets for me at the moment

I function as best as I can

And most of the time 

I am well and free and content

I acknowledge that things could be a lot better

If I just put a little bit of effort in 

But I am not ready to make further changes yet 

In time 

I hope I will 

But for now

This is the way things are

So today 

This post is for you 

If you are struggling 

If your ED or addiction is getting the better of you

If you are underweight

Overweight 

Or somewhere in between 

If you can't even entertain the idea of recovery 

If it seems so far away that you can't even see it

This post is for you 

If you are depressed 

Anxious 

Afraid 

Paralysed with fear

If you want to check off this planet

If you can't stand the noise in your own head

If you can't see beyond the darkness of your own mind 

If you woke this morning 

And wished that you hadn't 

If you have slipped 

Or relapsed 

This is for you

If you are struggling with another mental illness 

If you are cross addicted 

If you are suicidal

If you don't even know what is wrong with you 

If you are alone 

Lonely

If you have no one to share your burden with

If you don't have the support you need 

If you are silently suffering 

Afraid to even utter what ails you

This is for you

If you take one thing from this post 

Then please take a little bit of hope 

I am a former heroin addict

Who suffers from anorexia/bulimia

I have battled depression and anxiety 

And suicidal ideation 

But I stand here before you today

Strong 

Able

Capable 

Positive 

I fought my way here

The odds were stacked against me

I didn't think that I would make it out alive 

Didn't think I'd see thirty

But the will to survive is a strong one

The will to live also 

And now I'm so glad that I did survive 

And am here to tell my story 

And hopefully help others 

I know that is my purpose now

Some people go to university to study

And become an expert in that field 

The only subject I know a lot about is eating disorders and addiction

I know them intimately 

And I know I have been spared in order to help others 

I wish I could give a little piece of what I feel to you all

But we all have to follow our own path 

My path is still continuing 

My recovery goes on

My life goes on

I am alive 

And free

And happy 

And I am eternally grateful for that  

It's good to be home

So so good

After a marathon of a journey

To finally walkin the door of my house

Oh the relief just to be back in my comfort zone

Honey and Lea gave us a great welcome

And they are in great form

They had a lovely time with their Grandad who minded them while we were away

When the get I get home from holida

I can't relax until my case is in packed 

And my laundry and clothes sorted

So that was the first thing I did

I was amazed at the amount of clothes o brought

And didn't wear

But isn't that always the way

The bus journey home yesterday was a bit of a nightmare

About half way home

I began to get a horrible cramp in the bottom of my stomach

At first I thought I was going on to withdrawal

But then I recognised it as needed to go to the bathroom

Thankfully the bus had a five minute stop half way

So I ran to the bathroom 

And had a really bad bout of diarrhoea 

I mean really bad 

The worst I think I've ever had 

Then 

Horror of all horrors

There was no toilet paper

I searched my bag 

And found the closet thing was a sanitary towel

So I had to use that

Mortifying

The bus set off again

And I didn't have any more occurrences 

My tummy has been a bit off all my holiday though

I went from being constipated to having severe diarrhoea 

Partly because of the food

Which didn't really agree with me

It was hit and miss for me

Some of the food I liked

And some was just horrible

And it's much different to western food 

So our systems just aren't used to it

The day we travelled home 

I wore the jeans that I had worn travelling to Turkey

And hadn't worn them all holiday

They were noticeably looser

In fact they were falling off me 

It makes sense really that I would lose weight

Given I wasn't eating properly

I went to weigh myself at home

But the battery in my scale is gone

But I know I have lost 

And it's actually massively triggering

The feeling of an empty stomach 

My clothes looser

And generally feeling smaller in myself 

I don't think it's any harm though

I'm not deliberately tying to lose weight

And my weight does fluctuate a lot

I won't worry about it

But I will keep an eye on it

As I don't want to go down that road again

I am so very tired today

I walked the dogs this morning 

And literally had to drag myself down the road 

My body feels so heavy 

Like I've been beaten up

I have today to rest 

And tomorrow it's back to the doctor 

Them I have a driving lesson tomorrow

As I have my driving test in Tuesday 

Which I am dreading 

And so unprepared for

But I will do it

And see how I get on

Ok

I really need to go sleep now

Do I shall see you on the next post....

Home again, home again jiggidy jig!

That title is a little reference to my mum

Any time we arrived home she always said this

And it had stuck through the generations

Random piece of information

As I type this 

I am sitting in Dublin airport

Waiting for my luggage

After a marathon journey so far

We still have three hours on a bus to look forward to

But I'm not complaining

I'm just glad to be on home turf 

I left myself in a bit of a pickle regarding my meds this week

I took another day off on Thursday

As I hadn't been well

A mixture of food not agreeing with me and dehydration I think

So I retired to the roof terrace of the hotel

And finished my book

I also went a bit over board on my meds

Leaving myself with no tablets

And less than two days methadone for the next 48hours

It always seems like such a good idea at the time

But I never fail to regret 

You would think I would learn.....

Anyway

Yesterday our bus to Izmir wasn't until 6pm

So we did some last minute sightseeing during the day 

Booked a late check out

And basically hung out in the hotel most of the day

My sister and I were so bored 

That I did her makeup for the trip

Complete with fire engine red lipstick

We also filled out the guest satisfaction form

And added illustrations for effect

I spent much of the day with the new born kittens in a cardboard box at the front of the hotel

Two tiny white ones

Their eyes not open yet

Only a few days old

And an older black kitten whose mother had abandoned it

That the newborns mother adopted

So I was out there yesterday with them

And the mother was no where to be seen

The babies were crying so hard for her

To the point that I was getting upset

I asked the hotel owner what we could do

And he said that his sister comes to feed them twice a day

And as luck would have it

She arrived there and then

And fed them with a tiny syringe

I felt a little better after that

And we jumped in to a taxi to Selcuk train station

And on to Izmir airport

The train came on time

But man alive getting on the train was an ordeal

Obviously 

It was the end of our holiday

And our bags were just that bit bigger and heavier than the way there

I scrambled to get on the train

Along with about 500 hundred other people 

I threw my case on first

And was in such a flurry

I missed the first step

And my leg went under the train

I panicked 

And called for my brother

He turned around and pulled my bag 

And me on to the train

Bad start to the journey

We arrived in Izmir an hour later for our flight to Istanbul

We had just checked in 

And were going to go through security

When it all kicked off

First I could hear a man raise his voice

It got louder and louder

All in Turkish

Suddenly he was shouting and gesticulating 

And getting extremely angry

The girl he was shouting at also raised her voice

And they were having a full scale argument

The man was then led away by security

It really unnerved me 

Suddenly

I became supper self conscious about myself 

And the meds in my bag

My letter from my doctor was in my check in bag

And inside I began to panic 

By now I was down to one days methadone 

Tablets long gone

I worried that if it was taken off me 

I would be up shit creek

Thankfully security went smoothly

My methadone safe in my bag

My next worry was when should I take it

I didn't want to take it to early 

Incase the plane was delayed or something happened

But I also could feel myself going in to withdrawal

So at 8pm

I took it

All I could do now was hope for the best

We arrived in Istanbul airport at about 11pm

Our flight to Dublin wasn't until 7 30am

So we had a long night in the terminal 

I managed to sleep though 

So it wasn't too bad 

Thank you God, Budda, Alla

Who ever it was

For giving us a safe and straightforward flight home

It couldn't have gone smoother 

And when we touched down in Dublin

I wanted to kiss the ground

Edit: Now waiting for bus home

We went through Dublin airport

On the way to collect our bags

We had to show our passports at customs

I was half asleep

And rooted in my bag for said passport

I pulled out what I thought was it

And got a hop when I looked at it 

And saw it was in fact a bright blue sanitary towel

Way to go Ruby!

I giggled nervously 

And quickly took it back 

All part of the fun of travelling

I can't tell you how good it is to be back

And to get home?

To see Honey and Lea?

I just know they are going to have kittens when they see us

I've missed them so much

So I'm off to get my bus home 

I'll leave you with some photos of the kitty cats from our hotel

See you next time.....

Heading Home

Today is the very last day of our holiday

We fly back to Istanbul tonight

Then on to Dublin after an eight hour stopover 

Then arriving home tomorrow afternoon

And you know what?

I am ready to go home

And have been for a few days

I was chatting with my mother last night

And she said that she didn't think I enjoyed the holiday

I didn't know what to say 

As I have and I haven't 

I have to admit

This would not have been my first choice of holiday

In fact

I don't even know what sort of holiday I would like

As I've always just gone along with others holidays 

I've never organised a holiday myself

I know I like the sun 

Not too hot

But warmer than my own countries climate

Enough to get a tan

I know I like to read when I'm away

I like to eat nice food 

I like to go on tours

I like to go shopping

I like to talk to people

Where?

I'd love to travel more around the U.S.

I'd love to go to Rhodes

Japan 

Asia 

So we have agreed that the next holiday that we go on

I will organise 

I just can't wait to get home 

To see Honey and Lea

To have a decent cup of tea

Have some home cooked food

Sleep in my own bed 

I think one of the best things about going away 

Is coming home

Back to our creature comforts

I'm definitely more of a home bird I think

I like routine 

Having said all that 

I did love Istanbul

The people are amazing 

Most of whom are so friendly and hospitable 

Of course 

Like any group of people 

There are a small minority that try to scam you you and hoodwink you

But you get that anywhere in the world

I loved hearing to the call to prayer every day

Seeing other cultures

Talking to the local people 

Having the 'craic' as we say at home

The people really made the holiday for me

The man who gave me a live fish to throw back in to the river

The man in the Grand bizarre who randomly said to me

'Experience comes after the first mistake' 

The young guy in our hotel who loved to practise his English on us

The many waiters we met who always had a joke and a laugh with us

Watching the Muslim women dressed from head to toe in black

So all you could see was there eyes

Which were always so beautiful 

Carrying their designer handbags

I read that these women can take off their garb when the are with other women 

Or with their husband

And the women are pretty competitive when it comes to what they wear under their layers of black

And of course

You can't miss the obvious poverty here

The families 

And children on the street

In rags 

Literally nothing to their name

It can be very upsetting 

Am just heading out now

For one last look around the town

I really hope you got just a little taste of Turkey from these posts

See you when I'm back on home turf....