If I were a Romanian…
Like Turkey, Romania seems to dance with its mixed identity in a way that is at once intriguing and not quite sure of itself. It has warmth and hospitality and many of its people have olive and latte colored skin. But to call it Mediterranean would be like calling Louisiana the Caribbean. It has a […]
A Life Experience I Thought I’d Missed
Teaching English at a Summer Camp at Uludag (A faint chant starts in Turkish somewhere in the back of the dining area, with its views of the mountains below. It grows slowly louder, until all the dinner tables erupt into the climactic chorus:) Gel-e-ce-gin yil-diz-lar! Yil-diz-lar! The nostalgic chant reverberates through my head as I […]
Election Time in Turkey
It’s almost election day (June 12) and I for one am looking forward to not having the campaign vans drive by blaring campaign slogans and songs, as well as the leaflets littering the streets. The AK Party will win a third term, but whether or not it gets the “super majority” needed to rewrite the […]
The Gold Standard
There is a classic Seinfeld episode where Jerry, not knowing what to get Elaine for her birthday, gives her cash. Elaine: Cash? Jerry: What do you think? Elaine: You got me cash? Jerry: Well this way I figure you can go out and get yourself whatever you want. No good? Elaine: Who are you, my […]
Best Bathroom in Istanbul?
It’s not always easy to rate the best bathrooms in a city. You usually only get 50 percent of the story, of course – especially in Turkey – and everyone has different criteria. Do you value highly amenities like automatic sinks that allow you to not touch anything except the toilet seat and the door? […]