Story 64: How to wear many hats. Literally.

My friend Michael and I wore a lot of interesting hats in our travels.  Mazars in Afghanistan, Topis in Uzebekistan, and Kefiahs and Fez in Turkey.  We actually got into trouble in Turkey when we wore traditional two foot high dervish hats and spun around in a market.  We didn’t realize at the time that there was a religious aspect to them so we switched to wearing fez instead.

One day, we decided to wear Kefiahs in Cappadoccia, Turkey the ancient city famed for having built civilizations into the mountains.  The people of Capadoccia evaded the Romans for many years much like the Ancient Israelites at Masada.

While we were walking around the site, our guide related something he heard a young child say to his mother in Turkish.  To paraphrase,

“Look mommy, those men are from Saudi Arabia, I learned about them at school.”

When I told Mike what our friend and guide Emre had said, Michael literally fell on the floor and laughed.  For years we have imitated the  boy’s supposed high pitch voice in other situations.

Life Lesson 64: Sometimes we just want to fit in, other times we want to stand out, but don’t be afraid to be different, because being unique is a great quality.  In addition to the international hats I have acquired over the years, I also have the pictures,  and most importantly I have the fond memories of wearing them too.