40 YEARS, ONE CUP OF COFFEE

“Mmmm…”

They say, “Coffee tastes better when you slurp it.” She didn’t believe it. She had traveled to so many countries, but in the end, she decided to live in Italy, thinking, “This is the place to live.” Italians have tasty coffee also, but being used to Turkish coffee, she found espresso quite bitter. For this reason, she had asked her friends in neighboring countries to buy Turkish coffee and a coffee pot from Turkish markets.

It had been fifteen years away from home… Now, she had decided that she could no longer make it far away. She had made a definite return with the longing for her homeland.

Do you know what was the weirdest part? She thought, “I must have missed a lot in fifteen years.” Even though she came to Turkey every two or three years… “Old friendships will never be the same, I no longer belong to either side,” she said to herself. Every expat would say this, would experience this. For example, expats living in Germany would say:

"We go to Germany, we are Turks there. We do not belong there. We come to Turkey, we are Germans here. Again, we do not belong here. We no longer have a place or a homeland..."

It was a bit like that for Ella too… Once she went to Europe with the Erasmus program at university, she traveled at every opportunity she found. She saw new places and made friendships that never went deep. Then she decided to go to Italy, did her master’s and doctorate, and started her first job there. In the meantime, her friends in Istanbul got married and started their lives. Their ongoing friendships turned into sisterhood, and they formed unbreakable bonds. But it wasn’t like that with her. They turned into a few distant fans who liked her on social media and commented, “You’re living this life, Ellaaaa…”

Except for one person…

Laura….

“My dear friend… My sweet cake…” she said…

Laura and I didn't see each other very often. In fact, sometimes they wouldn't write one single message to each other for months. But when they got together or talked on the phone, it was as if no time had passed. They would talk with the same sincerity and heart. After all, isn't that what real friends do.

Now, fifteen years later, they were face to face with Laura again in the same house. They were drinking Turkish coffee from those pearly orange cups bought with those old newspaper coupons. They had Uncle Ismet brew fresh coffee from the kiosk across the street. Until the coffee was ready, they had filled their bowls with freshly roasted nuts that were still hot. When the familiar smells filled her lungs, she realized she was home.

Laura meant home to her. Because in this life, Laura had always been the one who understood her needs the best. When her father died, everyone at the funeral home filled her mind with empty sentences and meaningless conversations. Laura was the one who understood her need for solitude, took her to a separate room and hugged her without speaking. When she found out in Italy that the love of her life had cheated on her, Laura was the first person she called. “He did what was right for him, Ella… Don’t worry, it will all pass,” she said. They had video chatted every day until she got over this pain.

Ella, coming out of her thoughts, looked at Laura with a smile.

“Laura, why are we like this?”

Laura understood the main question and chuckled.

“My sweet friend,” she said, “Do you remember when we were eight years old and alone at home we made coffee without asking our mothers? I guess that’s why. Now you won’t be able to get rid of me for forty years.”

Of course, a person decides for themselves who they will get rid of and who they will not. That is why a person should be careful when choosing his spouse and friend.

Who do we let into our lives and for what reason?

Is it the number of people we bring into our lives that is more valuable, or the ones who meet our needs?

Shouldn't we evaluate this first?

So how does one understand this?

Experiential Design Teaching uses true information

to help us transfer experiences to design

our present and future in a better way.

It helps us to unveil problems correctly

and offers strategies for better solutions.

It helps us to reach our goals in life

while being happy and successful.

The following programs are offered for

those who are interested,

"Who is Who?" "Mastery in Relationships"

and "Success Psychology".