Exploring the culture, history, and cuisine of Turkey through the eyes of not-just-another-tourist
I wrote the following in January 2016. I never finished it and am not sure where I was going with it. Most likely it started with the terrorist attacks in Turkey. It definitely preceded the attempted coup. It may have had something to do with 45 (aka - his highness Trump.) But seeing how our... Continue Reading →
What I thought as a kid: “Americans” fought the mean Indians. "We" won and then afterwards we all got together, shared the harvest and had a great Turkey dinner. Then we lived in peace and harmony. Jews killed Jesus and collected big taxes on everything. In order to enter Heaven, one had to follow the... Continue Reading →
When I woke up at 4:53 this morning, it had been 10 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes since I had stepped on US soil. I had left Turkey approximately 13.5 hours before that. I left the country for many reasons - in search of a better job, a more peaceful existence, a better life. Turkey... Continue Reading →
Fear and the Loss of Freedom to Be Afraid "By the time this clip was finished, we knew what was going on. There was much to be said, a lot of fear, and things to do. It was not long before an emergency bag was packed and I had made the dreaded first call to... Continue Reading →
As you may recall, last month my friend Frederick at TomorrowPictures.tv gave me a great opportunity to interview the folks attending the Trump rally at West Chester University. Well . . . Below is the video you have all been waiting for! I particularly loved listening to the young man below and the conversation he... Continue Reading →
The Middle East Technical University (METU/ODTÜ) held its Spring 2016 tree planting event today in the ODTÜ forest. Ten thousand trees were planted in honor of two students, Berkay Baş and Ozancan Akkuş, who we lost in a terrorist attack in March. The President of METU spoke, as did Ozancan's father, before the planting. With these 10,000, the University... Continue Reading →
Sharing this blog from 5 years ago. Two minutes of silence in honor of Ataturk.
This morning I expereinced something miraculous, wonderous, beautiful, strange, and different. Today is the 72nd anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death. He was the founding father of modern Turkey. At exactly 9:05 this morning, the precise time that he passed, all of Turkey came to a standstill for 2 minutes of silence. I was driving on a highway at that time. All of the vehicles stopped. I stopped. The radio stations went silent. A few people got out of their cars and stood at attention.
Two minutes of silence is not quite an appropriate term for what I experienced. The driver of every vehicle soulfully honked his horn. I am told that people will stop whereever they are, walking down the street or up a flight of stairs, and stand still for two minutes.
For most Turks, this is likely a sign of patriotism, a gesture of respect. …
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Today is a day to remember those we lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. According to CNN: The Victims: At the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, 2,753 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were intentionally crashed in the north and south towers.... Continue Reading →
Remember this post? How to Start Seed for Balcony and Small Gardens. I am happy to report that everything is coming up, herbs, peppers and tomatoes. Oh, the tomatoes! My tomatoes grew a few inches and started to touch the plastic green houses I had created from takeout containers. Although replanting of such tiny seedlings... Continue Reading →
Just a quick post to share - Last weekend, my husband and I did a 6.2 km run to raise awareness for cancer research. It was actually open to walkers and bikers too. There was no cost to join. There were t-shirts for sale and raffle tickets to purchase - these were really the only fund... Continue Reading →
Dear Friends, My husband and I are asking your help to raise scholarship money for needy students at Middle East Technical University. (ODTU/METU). The Eurasia Marathon (Istanbul) will be held this weekend. My husband and I will be participating in the smaller associated runs (15k and 10k, respectively.) We have joined the “ODTUMaraton” group, whose... Continue Reading →
A fun Halloween post that teaches the meaning of an American English idiom, a “play on words”, if you will. Happy Halloween!
Question: What does it mean to “drive a stick”?
Answer: Driving a stick means driving a car that has a manual transmission. The “stick” is short for the “stick shift” in English.
The Joke: In literature and film, witches fly on a broom – also known as a broomSTICK. So she (or he) DRIVES a STICK!
I am sure you all remember the "hype" a couple of months ago. Everyone was taking the ALS Bucket Challenge. I did it myself . . . sans bucket. Sadly, and as always, people had negative things to say about it - mostly because not everyone was donating cash for the cause. But the naysayers... 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 