Follow Me As I Discover Land, Language and Self...
Dear readers: Sorry my blogs have been few and far between these days. I seem to be experiencing some kind of “blog block.” And apologies to the Professional American Women of Turkey, who have already read a version of the story below. “Try to remember that you are a guest in their country. Try to be respectful.” University study abroad brochure. As many of you know, it was quite a challenge…
I was never one of those folks who tried to grow her own fruits and vegetables or decided to eat only foods that were organic or vegetal. The natural foods movement came along at nearly the same time as the women’s movement, and the message I plucked from all that was in the air in those days was to get busy and develop myself professionally. That dictum didn’t mix well…
Dear readers,I find it difficult to put the beauty of Istanbul’s tulip gardens into words. The following three paragraphs are adapted from the April 17, 2012 Turkish Daily Hurriyet newspaper. The photos are my own. No passage to spring in Istanbul would be complete without the color offered by Turkey’s most famous flower, the tulip. In parks, squares, and simply along the roadside, the flower is blooming throughout the city right…
After 22 months here, I still have list of sights I want to see, either for the first time, or again. The city offers so much that I find my list growing rather than slimming down. I also have a list of Istanbul foods not to miss, and, hoping to at least get that list under control, a few weeks ago, I got to work. The first is rather tame,…
Next weekend, Turkish high school seniors will take the life-defining OSYS or Higher Education Undergraduate Placement Examination. Since the late 1960s, this 195-minute test has determined who among Turkish high school graduates will go to university and which university they will attend. The reason Turkey adopted this exam is that there are far more Turkish students (about 1.69 million took the OSYS last year) wishing to attend university than there…
It’s interesting what happens when life forces you to make new friends. Back home, many of my friendships are long-term. They are as much about the person I used to be as about who I am now. But here in Istanbul, only the present matters, at least socially. Given that, what kinds of friends have I made over the last twenty months? Felicia, a former bank executive who teaches English,…
We’ve heard it over and over again: Ankara is the most boring place in Turkey. If you’re heading to Capadoccia, take a flight to avoid spending time in Ankara. “How many times can you visit the Ataturk Memorial?” a friend who spent a year there asks rhetorically. Even Frommers guidebook writer, Lynn Levine, half-jokingly titles a section on that city, “Give me One Good Reason to Spend the Night in…
A brief trip home after completing a year of teaching. I needed to see Angela in Minnesota and finally visit Greg, who has been in New York for a year and a half. Greg and Angela wearing Christmas sweaters bought in Istanbul I was not very social. To make time for this…
Although not relevant to this week’s post, I had to include this surprisingly wonderful photo, taken the morning after a snowstorm. I was so…
I’ve been more tired than usual for some months, and it took me awhile to conclude that I was simply doing too much. I’ve been teaching 50% more students than usual while studying Turkish, preparing for hosting visitors, and at that point, preparing for Christmas. With a limited number of months remaining here, I decided to make a change. I will spend the first half of 2012 not teaching, but…
