departing day

After 10 days of vacation with us, Tolga has to go back to work.  Summer is logically his busy time of the year - but it doesn't make it any easier.

Tolga has been distracted for the past couple of days with the work he will go into.  He's got a boss with different priorities, and he's got a project that is high maintenance.

Tolga is famously good with people.  He, somehow, innately knows how to manage people - how to get the best out of them, when to be firm, when to correct, when to accept.  When he first visited me in New York - one of Tolga's first comments was that they didn't know how to manage a school - that he could do it.  I was irritated by such a proud comment.  What do you know about education?  But over the years I've seen how Tolga deals with people and I no longer doubt that he would be the right person in most situations - he can, without pride, make decisions, without fear, make statements, and without malice, make judgments.

His personality and instincts are at odds with his work.  Tolga's first priority is his family.  He doesn't care about position, job, or title.  He works hard, and insists on title if necessary - but its just a job to him.  A job he works for his family, and there is nothing more important to him.

He is resentful these days of being taken away from his nucleus - and he has been ever since we started building a family.  He would just as easily work in a factory if it meant staying near to us.

So, these days he leaves are hard.  We both feel a bit panicked of things unfinished.  Last time he left, Teoman said not to worry, he'd be back in a short time.  This time, Teoman couldn't come out of the house to say goodbye.  He didn't exactly breakdown crying, he put his face in the pillow and I suppose couldn't fully grasp the emotions he was feeling.

Tolga gave the kids money as he left to buy ice cream.  Teoman's eyes were watering and he was on the verge of tears once again when he asked me why Baba had to go, or maybe about not wanting him to go... I'm not sure exactly , however, he was immediately distracted when I told him how when Baba came back, we'd go go to the waterpark once again, that we'd have a big cake, and so forth.

This cheered him up immediately.  We all walked to the market and Teoman and Tomris both bought "Baba's ice cream.'