What A Day

Robert College Of Istanbul Class Of 74 Gathering

It's 7:30 and I am sitting in the Shawnee Inn And Golf Course lounge in Stroudsburg, PA. Evie's still upstairs sleeping I hope and I am the only one down here. 

Shawnee Inn

Deleware River

Yesterday we were meeting some of the graduates of the Robert College Of Istanbul class of 1974 for the weekend. So we left around 9:00, expecting a six hour drive to our Inn. We took one of our favorite highways, Interstate 86 to Binghamton, then south on #81, picking up #380 in Scranton, to Stroudsburg and the Inn. We made it by 3:00, six hours and checked in and were able to relax in our room until 5:00.

Evie, Sami, Suleymon, Tuba and Murat

At 5:00, we got a call from our great friend, Sami, who had just flown in from Istanbul to tell us the gang was gathered in a room in the basement of the hotel for drinks and appetizers. It was so amazing to see many of my students.  It's only been 50 years! Most now live in the United States with their families, so it was easy for them to attend. Only Sami flew in from Istanbul and one of my favorites, Ayse, flew in from San Diego. 

Class Of 74

Catching Up

Hanging Out

Much of the reunion was organized by Clevelanders, Suleymon and Tuba, who we have gotten to know because their daughter went to Western Reserve Academy. It was such fun reminiscing about the good old days at Robert College in the 1970s and we all agreed they were the good old days. We caught up on their lives since graduation and many attended college in the US and ended up staying and working. Two, Refik and Sami, played for me on the RC basketball team. 

Dinner

Around 7:00, we adjourned to the restaurant where we had a table reserved. The Inn had a great menu so we were able to order whatever we wanted along with lots of wines. It's not remarkable at the success of everyone at the table because Robert College students were the best I have taught, including Punahou School in Hawaii and Reserve in Ohio. Many matriculated to schools in the US or Great Britain as well as Turkey. Most, like us, are proud grandparents, and if lucky, have grandchildren nearby. 

We reluctantly ended our evening around 10:30, and planned our Saturday, with hikes in the morning, archery in the afternoon,  and dinner at a local winery. Evie and I went to bed as did most of my students after a long day.