Samir.

We met Samir in the Spice Market.  He was slinging spices and was very nice.  He asked if we wanted to grab dinner with him, to which Kristina said we would think about it.  I was skeptical, which I am about everything and everyone.  He only had eyes for Kristina and I worried about the implications of two foreign girls agreeing to go to dinner with a local.  Besides, it's a tad annoying to make a comment and have the recipient answer Kristina as though she had said it and I weren't there. 

In any case, Kristina overrode me, and I'm very happy she did.  Once we met at the agreed location of Galata Tower, Samir was polite, courteous and a perfect gentleman. 

Samir is a refugee from Syria. He told us that he was a lawyer, but had to leave a few years ago.  Syria, like many countries in this corner of the world, has mandatory military service for all men.  Occasionally, one can delay it or skip altogether if they are attending university.  However, with Syria in a civil war, that doesn't exactly apply right now.  Samir told us (some of this could be muddled due to the language barrier, even though his English is pretty solid) that he decided not to serve.  He said that he refused to kill a fellow countryman just because his government told him to.  I guess the government considers him a terrorist for refusing to serve.  So he immigrated to Turkey.

I felt a strong sense of sympathy for this man.  He is one day older than Kristina.  He had a great career that he loved, making great money.  He is intelligent, speaks several languages, and well informed of current events.  He is curious and asks good questions.  He is a good listener.  And now he slings spices to tourists in a foreign country while sending money home to support his aging parents and sister.

Sometimes I forget just how lucky we are.