Lessons Not Learned in School

Growing up as a military dependent has its positives and negatives. The biggest negative is that you have no geographical “roots” or at least none with strong attachments. The other side of the coin is that the experiences of living and growing up literally all over the world are amazingly rich! We learn through those experiences and while most are good, others…not so much…

On the western end of Lake Iznik in Turkey there was an area leased by the U.S. military for recreational purposes. We would drive the 40 miles from our home in Yalova to Lake Iznik periodically for unit parties and picnics. It was a good road for the area, but in reality, it was a narrow, two-lane road winding through the hills of the Turkish countryside, so it took well over an hour to get there. At least it was paved!

On the eastern end of Lake Iznik is the town of Iznik – I suspect that one got its name from the other…the question is, which Iznik came first? Iznik was an interesting little town – very old. In ancient times, it was called Nicaea – an important city at the time. Starting in 325 AD, some of the early council meetings of the Christian church were held there and in Constantinople (Istanbul), less than 90 miles distant. Iznik had some ancient ruins that had a beautifully done mosaic floor and not far away was an old mosque that allowed visitors into portions of it. One time we were allowed to go up into a minaret to get a great view of the town and surrounding area. But even from there, the other end of the lake was not visible. It’s a big lake! Looking down gave a unique perspective of the excavation of the nearby ruins. In 2013, a sunken fourth- or fifth-century basilica was discovered in water 1.5 to 2.0 meters (58.5 to 78-in.) deep and 20 meters (65-ft.) from the city’s shoreline! It appears that the church sank during an earthquake in 740 AD and was forgotten. I probably looked right at the water above it and, like nearly everyone else, saw nothing…

(I don’t know anything about this website other than it has a little information about the basilica and some really good photos. However, most other sources place the construction of the church at least 100 years earlier.)  http://www.worldbulletin.net/art-culture/127746/1500-year-old-basilica-discovered-under-lake-iznik

Back at the other end of the lake, we would picnic, play volleyball, and swim. I loved all of it! But that’s where the hard lesson came in. On one outing, it was a particularly nice day. I was just killing time waiting for the burgers and hot dogs to be cooked. I waded out into the water and borrowed a raft (air mattress) that someone had brought. Then, I just drifted along with the gentle breeze on the beautiful, clear water – occasionally watching small fish swim by far below. I don’t remember how deep the water was, but it was definitely way over my head. The sun on my back felt great, it was warm, but the breeze blowing across the water cooled my skin. When I started to turn over, I discovered that it made my back too cold, so I rolled back onto my stomach. All was well…

Not much later, the food was finished, we ate, played games and as darkness fell, headed back to Yalova. On the way, sitting in the car seat, it began to get uncomfortable. By the time we were home, I was sick. I ended up at the Karamürsel Air Station clinic where they prescribed some pain killers and ointment for my badly sunburned back and legs! I missed a couple of days of school, but learned valuable lessons about the sun and the reflective qualities of water! At this point in time, having no skin issues related to that burn, I feel fortunate. Modern sunscreens may not have helped in my situation, but it sure wouldn’t have hurt and might have reduced the days of pain that followed – not to mention the risks associated with severe sunburns at an early age!