Exploring the culture, history, and cuisine of Turkey through the eyes of not-just-another-tourist
Oh, sometimes my mind just wanders, from one thing to the next, connecting this to that. I was watching a movie on the flight to the States called "Almanya", "Germany" in Turkish. It was mostly in German with some Turkish. The English subtitles were so small I could barely read them and had to... Continue Reading →
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Black Sea region. It was amazingly beautiful. It looked as if someone had set the ocean down right in the middle of Chester County, PA. We visited Safranbolu on the way to the water in Amasra. We stopped for breath-taking views of the countryside as we enjoyed... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Progress. A forward or onward movement. Merriam-Webster. But sometimes progress can mean taking steps back. Last night, I decided I would make a simple dinner, spaghetti, a meal my husband used to make for himself quite frequently when we were apart. Boil water. Add pasta. Open jar of sauce. Dump on top. Easy right? Not... Continue Reading →
CerModern - a local art gallery, among other things, is supported by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (Türkiye Seyahat Acentaları Birliği). The beautifully restored building, resting peacefully beside rustling train tracks, was previously a repair shop for railroad cars. It is now considered an example of “contemporary museum architecture.” In its 11,500 square meters, CerModern... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
It's New Year's Eve around the world. In Ankara, it is celebrated much like it is in other countries, with parties, dinner, and friends. However, in Turkey, there is a twist. Many people are adding traditional Christmas festivities to their New Year's celebrations. In Ankara, I have many friends who have New Year's trees with all of... Continue Reading →
Turks are Turks. It's a relatively new phenomena here that some Turks are identified as Kurds or from other cultures. And in fact, most of those Kurds and others would have likely told you they were Turks, until recently. I have read many articles where Kurds call themselves Turks first. It's the Turks who more... Continue Reading →
This post is copied from the Chester County Hall of Heroes. It's a tribute to my great-uncle Pete, who served and died in WWII. (My Pop also served in the war. And my Uncle Georg served for the German army.) My mother was interviewed for the following article. Walter Archer was born ion July 23,1920... Continue Reading →
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... 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 