Exploring the culture, history, and cuisine of Turkey through the eyes of not-just-another-tourist
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 →
Nestled between the rolling hills and green pastures of Chester County is one of the most fabulous restaurants in the Philadelphia area. The Birchrunville Store Café serves upscale contemporary French-Italian cuisine in a down-to-earth country setting. My sister-in-law had wanted to try the place for years. So when I came home for a visit that... 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 →
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 →
I have mentioned before that wordpress - the site that hosts this blog - allows one to view search terms my readers googled when they stumbled upon my blog. Every day there is at least one search for Louis XIV furniture. Sometimes it's Louis XVI. Every day I see Club Ali Bey in Manavgat. The Chevy... Continue Reading →
Often, my mind wanders quickly, from one idea to the next. I have entire conversations with others in my head. This morning was no different. The following thoughts occurred in approximately a 10 second flash in my brain: As I sat on my balcony drinking my morning cup of joe, wanderings of Christmas popped into... 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 →
Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I love to cook (particularly the chopping which gets out all of my stress and aggression) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to cook for friends. On Saturday night, I will make an "American" Thanksgiving dinner for 14 adults and 7 children, mostly Turks, some of whom have... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving is my favorite holidays - better than Christmas. It's a time of homecoming. On other holidays, people often take advantage of the vacation to go away, ski the Alps, enjoy the water at the beaches, tour a new and wonderful city. But at Thanksgiving, people go home. It's a wonderful time of year with... 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 