The Clouds Cleared, and Pride Shined Through

I was in a buoyant mood on Sunday afternoon; buoyed with patriotism from the news of the past week: marriage equality, Obamacare standing pat. I hadn’t felt that proud for America in a long time, and I was transferring that pride to my adopted second home, Turkey, looking forward…

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8 ways Portugal and Turkey are alike

We crave you, we miss you, we yearn for you Your eight legs of heaven Portuguese octopus! Jump in some rice or olive oil for us –Zeynep & Ezra Seems like we ate octopus in some form every day during our recent vacation in Portugal: usually chopped up in bit size [&helli…

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How to Marry a Turk

Editor’s Note: This post is intended for Americans marrying Turkish citizens in a belediye nikah salonu (municipal wedding hall) in Istanbul. For other nationalities, other cities in Turkey, or if you want your wedding officiated offsite, kolay gelsin, I have little experience, b…

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The Frontier Carnival

A blazing effigy of the Carnival Tsar, parades of floats and costumed troupes serenaded by blasting techno and Euro pop, fireworks, and walking around stumbling drunk with a water bottle filled with tsipouro. Oh, Yes. Istanbulus don’t have to go to Brazil to enjoy Carnival season…

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Reflections on Two Turkish Funerals

One thing I hadn’t been to — fortunately — since arriving in Turkey was a funeral. My purpose in this post is to inform what to expect when this solemn and sad event occurs.

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