Exploring the culture, history, and cuisine of Turkey through the eyes of not-just-another-tourist
I know, I know. It seems like a week since I have written a post! In my defense, I did add a new page to my blog this week about things for kids to do in Ankara. It didn't appear as a post, so you may have missed it. It has been quite a busy... Continue Reading →
The city of Ankara has a population of at least 4.5 million. The number has doubtless grown since the 2008 census. It is about three times more populated than Philadelphia, whose 2010 count was over 1.5 million. And it's way bigger than my hometown of West Chester, PA, whose 2000 census counted less than 18,000... Continue Reading →
Before moving to Ankara, I was a Philadelphia lawyer. While the definition of "Philadelphia lawyer" is sometime good and sometimes bad, I prefer Wikipedia's definition, "Philadelphia Lawyer is a term to describe a lawyer who knows the most detailed and minute points of law or is an exceptionally competent lawyer." I can't claim that this definition was... Continue Reading →
Moving to Ankara, one of the first things I did was to start planting. Back home, I was a part of a group that began the Broad and South Community Arts Garden. I think it is currently known as the Garden of the Arts. (Click the link to see its beautiful website!) Back then, it... Continue Reading →
I had an interesting couple of weeks. I had several conversations with others about languages, about why we are here in Turkey, about why some don’t like it here, about what people miss about home, about religion, and about life and death. All of these conversations boiled down to one thing: comfort zone. I don’t... Continue Reading →
Yesterday morning at 6 a.m. our grandmother’s brother passed away. Thirty-two hours later he was buried. I am told that funerals often happen the same day when possible. In this case, the family waited for the arrival of our great-uncle’s son who lives in Germany. When I heard the news yesterday morning, I immediately... Continue Reading →
From the moment I decided to move to Ankara, troubling questions ran through my mind. What if something happens to my mother? How fast can I get a ticket home? Will my Turkish husband be able to travel with me? If not, will he be able to get a visa to join me quickly thereafter?... Continue Reading →
I have been back in the States for almost 2 weeks now. My "vacation" actually started two days early. Having received a call that one of my sisters collapsed at work, I flew home immediately. In almost 2 weeks, my Abla has gone from very grim hopes of survival, to talking and eating, enduring an 11 hour... Continue Reading →
My husband arrived in Ankara six months before me. With much to be done to prepare for his new bride's arrival, he set out looking for an apartment to rent. During that period, he sent lots of photos of apartments and neighborhoods. We finally settled on one in Aşağı Ayrancı. The first thing he did, was... Continue Reading →
It's been snowing for a few days here in Ankara. We probably have over 14 inches of it. It's beautiful. Children are building snowmen. My husband is hailing me with snowballs. But as always, with snow comes trouble. Ankara, and likely most of Turkey, is not prepared to handle snowfall. I learned this a couple of... Continue Reading →
Shortly after I started living in sin with my future husband back in Philadelphia, his mother came to visit. That was an "adventure" in and of itself and of course, a whole nuther story. But I do want to tell you about my lesson in rolling pins. Yes, that's right. I said "rolling pins." In the... Continue Reading →
I recently had the opportunity to meet two new, warm, and friendly faces here in Ankara. They invited me to dinner at one of their favorite spots, minkaa, a restaurant located on 415.Cad., close to the United Nations building. The story is that minkaa is named after the traditional clay pots usually used to cook... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, my husband and I were headed back home from a lovely weekend at a thermal spa. Patalya Thermal Hotel is nestled in the mountains of a national park, about an hour's drive from downtown Ankara. We were rather relaxed. We had taken advantage of the thermal pools, saunas, and baths. I even had an aroma... 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 