I am Don Zigler, I am a geographer at Old Dominion University, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This trip didn’t really start for me a week ago; it started perhaps eight or more years ago when Zafer first appeared in my class as a teaching assistant. He was one of the first of three or four Turkish students who became my graduate assistant. Then in itself was a wonderful part of my continuing education. It was good for me, it was good for my class, it was good for my students. A little I did realize was to end up do for me than I ever did for him. In putting personal face on Turkey and putting a personal face on the Islamic religion. I suppose our intercultural dialog took place over many years but one of the things I asked Zafer actually my other graduate students to do too, was to go along with on meals on wheels runs, that through my church we do regularly, and Zafer was delighted and very often when Zafer sees me he still mentions it which comes as real boon to my soul.

 I am Ed Campana. I teach Humanities at Strayer University in the Washington DC area. It is working adults who take usually four hour classes once a week. I want to thank, and this is not pro-forma; I mean it in the bottom of my heart. I wanna thank the RumiForum for this opportunity and especially Ali, Jenna, Zafer and Vedat who is not here. You are all the underpinnings who really make this what it is. And to my class; without you I will be the only student in the group. This is just a small movement but the principal of, it is better to light one match, than to curse the darkness, and this is a start. I had tremendous anxiety; this is the first time I came to Turkey and I was not sure what to expect. What I did is, I left my USA flight t-shirt and Boston Red Sox cap at home because I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t want to be a moving target.

 I am Ed Ondrako, I am a Franciscan, and I would like to echo the magnificent sentiments that we have been listening to all evening, particularly emphasizing the gifts that are brought by everybody in this room, from the leaders, all of us participating, from the insights sharing on what’s going on in our hearts, in our minds, and our hopes for the future. I am struck by one short part of the conversation last evening when I sensed such an authentic compassion by those who are hosting us. Compassion and more than that! Empathy and loyalty towards truth and candor about difficulties! That had to do when there were comments made about 9/11.

 My name is Katrin Scholtz Barth. I am Kai’s wife and I have my own consulting firm in Washington DC on environmental consulting. I also teach six years at the University of Pennsylvania and for two years at Harvard University about ecological and sustainable institution design and watershed protection in particular green roots. I have um, first of all I have to start in thanking Ali and Jenna for this wonderful trip and the group in general for great company throughout those seven days with conversations that I would never had imagined.

 My name is Kai Henrik Barth. I am a Professor in the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University where I teach in the Security Studies Program. My own portfolio is technology and security. I would like to thank in particular Ali, Jenna and Zafer for a fantastic organization of the trip. It has been very rewarding in a number of ways. In particular it is for the first time in many years I have to say that I have thought so much about religion and culture in a short period of time. I had the good fortune of having a very interesting conversation with Ali today and I am sure he has come to similar view that he has never talked with a guy like me, and I have never talked with a guy like him on issues such as religion.

 I am Maria McMahon, currently an agnation volunteer with a non-profit that helps women with low incomes. I am so grateful for having been able to go on this trip. It has been a wonderful experience. The incredibly breathtaking and awe-inspiring historic religious sites have been wonderful. But most I have enjoyed being able to meet and talk with Turkish people especially the RumiForum people on the trip. It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how people live in Turkey which my interest at the moment.

 My name is Michael Talbert. I am an Elder at Burke Presbyterian Church in Burke, Virginia. I spent, in my working career; a lot of time oversees mostly involved with various international development projects. I was quite excited about the idea coming back to Turkey. I was here in 1997 for a few days in Istanbul. We have to say that the first thing I have a comment on this trip is the people I was traveling with. You couldn’t imagine a more delightful group of to be on the road day and night. I thank everyone for that.

 My name is Miriam Achenbach. I am a librarian at Georgetown University, and was previously a public librarian for almost twenty years. The first thing came to mind when you asked about our thoughts on the trip were that it offered an incredible range for learning that we could learn every moment that we were engaged in the trip about ourselves, about each other, about the country, that I am someone who needs a lot of time to digest things that was not really possible on this trip.