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Turkish Delights: Menemen
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on this blog, and it’s mainly because I haven’t lived in Turkey since June 2010. I’ve been back in the United States working on a Master’s degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University. However, being back at the university has allowed me to make some new Turkish friends who are studying at SU. Along with... [Read more]
Santa Claus, a Turk?
(This article was first published on December 25, 2010 for the Study Abroad section at Global Post. View the original article here.) DEMRE, Turkey — When journalist Francis Church replied to 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” he could have added: “in Turkey.” Hundreds of Orthodox Christians and other pilgrims descended on the village... [Read more]
A “bazaar” day
(This article was first published on September 26, 2010 for the Study Abroad section at Global Post. View the original article here.) KAYSERI, Turkey — Before dawn, dozens of dusty trucks roll into a vacant lot and bring it to life. It’s Saturday, the day when village merchants come to Kayseri’s Talas district to sell fresh fruit and whatever else they have. “One Lira, one Lira! Over here,... [Read more]
Armenians hold onto part of their history in central Turkey
(This article was first published on August 3, 2010 for the Study Abroad section at Global Post. View the original article here.) KAYSERI, Turkey — Rows of homes that used to be part of Kayseri’s Armenian quarter and housed up to 400 families are now dilapidated and lay empty or are filled with squatters. The district is a symbol of the tragic history between Armenians and Turks during the... [Read more]
Climbing Turkey’s “Cotton Castle”
(This article was first published on July 26, 2010 for the Study Abroad section at Global Post. View the original article here.) PAMUKKALE, Turkey — At the edge the Pamukkale village, visitors encounter a mesa covered in a white rock that I still can’t convince my parents is not ice. Calcium deposits created by flowing spring water over time created the cloud-like formations. For 400,000 years,... [Read more]
Family says son killed on flotilla was a “humanitarian,” not a “thug”
(This article was first published on June 25, 2010 for the Study Abroad section at Global Post. View the original article here. The video was taken on June 4, 2010 during the funeral of Furkan Dogan in Kayseri.) Furkan Dogan had just scored so high on Turkey’s rigorous college entrance exams that he could have attended any college of his choosing. But before he started school, he did what a... [Read more]
Bath day
Suds, bubbles, and Bobby Darin’s “Splish, splash” are typically what come to mind when I think about taking a bath. Turkey has turned that upside down. Turks continue a long standing tradition of bath houses that first came to prominence in the Roman Empire. Today, these bath houses feature hot rooms of marble where men and women wash themselves and are washed by attendants. ... [Read more]
Thanks for the memories (This is not the end)
The sun has set on my last day in Kayseri. It’s 12:30AM in Turkey (5:30 PM the day before in Boston). In three hours, I’ll take my final Turkish Taxi and have my last wild ride during this journey in the place where East meets West. I’ve shared a number of good memories, some of which I’ve reflected on or wrote about already, and many more I still have to put to paper. ... [Read more]
Politely speaking
NOTE: This article was first published for “Today’s Zaman,” an English daily newspaper in Turkey. View the article as it originally appeared here. During my year in Turkey, I’ve tried to turn my Turkish from a “caveman dialect” where requests for bus tickets sound like, “Konya ticket need. Tomorrow, early day,” to something friendlier, like: “I’d like to go... [Read more]
Kayseri mourns a fallen son
Over the last week, there has been a lot of news about the Israel blockade and storming of an international aid flotilla. 16 of the passengers were killed in the incident, nine of which were Turks. Since then, demonstrators have been out in force. The Turkish government condemned the raid and has demanded not only an apology from Israel, but also an independent investigation over the incident. Turkey... [Read more]