Exploring the culture, history, and cuisine of Turkey through the eyes of not-just-another-tourist
Last week, a group of friends fell into a conversation about death, the afterlife, and reincarnation. One of the older women expressed her fear of dying. She said it was not so much because of her age, but rather, because she enjoys life so much! She is very active politically, socially, and so forth. She... Continue Reading →
Wednesday was Date Night - dinner and a show. I got all dolled up and had my hair done. Unfortunately, I am still not able to communicate clearly with the hairdressers here. I wanted the hair blown out with a bit of a soft curl towards the bottom. I came out looking like Shirley Temple.... Continue Reading →
This morning I signed on to Facebook and found that today is a former teacher's birthday. I quickly wished him a "dogum günün kutlu olsun," but I wanted to add a quote from Pepin the Short. I couldn't find one. You see, Mr. D. was my history teacher in the 9th grade. He taught "World Cultures" and... Continue Reading →
Friday night, I touched American soil, not one block from my Aşağı Ayrancı, home. I went to the American Embassy for happy hour. And boy, was it happy. In a long, dark bar gathered dozens of Turks and expats with one thing in common - a dry thirst. Actually, I think they all spoke English... Continue Reading →
"Fear of the Law" has prevented me from writing freely this past year. Since I wasn't raised here, I don't fully understand how things work. But I do know that many people have been prosecuted for "insulting Turkishness" under the Turkish criminal code. I'm not afraid to say that I am afraid of that. I... Continue Reading →
When I first visited Quick China in G.O.P. (Gaziosmanpaşa), I was unprepared to review it. I had gone with a new friend to check out the lunch buffet and drink wine. So that's what we did. Recently, I had the occasion to visit Quick China again, this time at its Bilkent location. In Ankara, Quick... Continue Reading →
Next week will be ten months since I made Turkey my home. Time passes quickly, and at the same time, moves at the same slow pace of that snail I think is living in my Christmas tree. This morning, I have taken some time to reflect on my friendships, both old and new. As we... Continue Reading →
One of the things I love most about my new homeland is also one of the things that has become my largest pet peeve - trash collection! As I mentioned in an earlier post - I hate to take the trash out! In Turkey, it is an easy thing to do. Every day at a... Continue Reading →
Musings of a Philadelphia lawyer - who married a Turk, quit her day job, and set out for adventure!
-by Terry Henson Kaymak
Adventures in Ankara 