Yesterday morning I went to the police station to pick up my resident card. It’s official – I am a resident of Ankara, Turkey! I took the subway back to Kizilay, then strolled through the streets, admiring this and that along the way. As I walked home, it occurred to me that I truly felt “at home” here. I had been out of the country twice over the past month and it was a bit taxing. Returning to Ankara was relaxing and consoling. Meandering my way through the people and taxis, I took mental note of the things I really liked about Ankara and about Turkey in general.
What I love:
- The heat and scents of summer in the middle of Spring
- The feeling of courage I get when I cross a busy street
- The smell of fresh bread as I walk down almost any street
- Fresh fruits and vegetables at very low prices
- Salads, salads, salads
- The smell of honeysuckle everywhere
- 7a.m. wake-up calls by the man who walks down the street calling “Simit” as he carries a large tray of something like pretzels on his head – Simiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
- Sunsets from my living room windows
- The call to prayer
- The price of a haircut, blowdry, etc.
- Baklava and other sweets
- Having almost everything I need within walking distance
- Nuts and dried seeds
- The history of the land and its people
- Friendliness of Turks towards guests
- Close proximity to Europe
- and finally, being with my husband every day!
What I miss:
- My cat, Patches
- Scrapple, bacon, DeAngelo Brothers sausages, and pork in general
- Ginger Ale (which I don’t drink too often, but still miss)
- Mom’s Iced Tea
- Text messages and calls
- Pizza, hoagies, and cheesesteaks
- Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich
- Marsh Creek
- Skippy creamy peanut butter on Maier’s Italian bread
- Herr’s potato chips
- Asparagus, red potatoes, sweet potatoes
- Variety — in restaurants, cheeses, hair products, cereals (and I don’t usually eat cereal!), potatoes, mushrooms, beer
- Organic hair, body, and cleaning products – did I just say that?
- Tampax tampons
- Gilette Trac II razor blades
- and of course, Family and Friends
Adventures in Ankara 
Hi Terry,
Gurl, you have done it again! You keep cracking me up with the street crossings. As pedestrian you get “no respect” I see in Turkey.I’m gonna buy you a set of bumpers so you can duct tape them to yourself, that way you’ll really be able to wheel and deal with the traffic…LOL. The smell of fresh bread every day must be a blast…remember the bakery on New Street close to Chesnut Street in West Chester? I can’t recall the name of it but we as kids could not wait to get there for a free hot roll in the mornings. Is there not anything close to a pizza there or could you make your own? The call to prayer at the “Minarets” (did I spell that right) sounds very interesting and must be pleasant to hear.The peanut butter thing I can understand as I too am a peanut butter freak. Terry keep up the good work as like I always say “we here in Sharon Hill, PA enjoy every bit of your daily adventures.
You are to much gurl, to much…8-)
Always,
Artie
Berardi’s Bakery. And that roll cost a nickel by the time I walked by!
Miss you to. Can I overnight you scrapple or is that a national crime?
Thanks Rob. I wish you could fax it. Shipping to Turkey is way tooo expensive. Although the thought of committing a national crime by shipping scrapple is kind of fun.