Recently, I was asked to answer the following five questions by a digital friend of mine. I say digital because I have never met Dave in person. He is a fellow international teacher and we ‘met’ on Twitter and subsequently, started following each other on Instagram. I am not even sure how it all started really, but it’s been an inspiring friendship for me.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Dave just seems like the type of person everyone should have in their lives.

So here it goes, feel free to comment and let me know what your answers are:

1. Who would you say has had a big influence on you in your life? Please explain.
This is an easy one for me, my parents. Their love and support has been instrumental in giving me the courage to become the person that I am today. Even when neither of us understood what or why I was doing something, I always knew deep in my heart that they would be there for me. They provided me with a safety net that is so wide that I could fall off any ledge and they would be there to catch me.

2. If you could live anywhere, where would that be? Feel free to be creative.
I would want to live right where I am, Istanbul. I love this city and I love the life I am creating here. It’s not perfect, but it is perfect for me. Although… how cool would to live in the ocean as a mermaid and hang out with dolphins?

3. What is one of your favorite documentary movies? Why?
Growing up, the image of Lincoln was always this ‘aw shucks’ kind of man, but simply wasn’t who he was. For me, he embodies what a true leader is and if I had the power to go back in time, he is on the top of my list of people to have dinner with. Or better yet, go with him on the circuit when he was a lawyer, before he was President. How fascinating to watch him tell stories. Apparently, he was incredibly funny. So, does Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ count as a documentary?

4. What is one place or event that you would love to photograph and be able to capture beautiful images of?
I would like to be able to capture the quiet moments of happiness, where a person might be thinking about the person they love or something very dear to them. You know when you just see someone with that inner smile? Like his or her heart is singing? I wish I could capture that.

Also, I believe nature photographers have great patience, luck, bravery, and the ability to be physically uncomfortable for many hours. The later is my weakness as I do like comfort and I am not always as brave as I would like to think I am. However, I would put those aside if I could captures Orcas in their natural environment so people might understand these beautiful creatures a little better. I would also love to photograph sharks breeching. The visceral power/energy of that must be amazing!

orca at sunset: http://www.clippervacations.com/whales-marine-life/

5. Tell me about a moment that changed your life forever.
When I got my first international teaching job. I cried in my hotel room for about three hours because I just knew my life would never be the same. I was happy, sad, scared, excited, unsure, bold, timid, and ready all at the same time!