The Turkish Life

• Üç bayan on the loose on the Karia Yolu 3 years ago Pretty but scratchyvegetation"Three ladies, aren’t you scared??" the farmer asked incredulously as he pointed us in the direction of the gate that led out of his field and onto the dirt road climbing out of Bağlarözü bay.Used to getting such responses to our hiking adventures in Turkey, we...
• Istanbul's 'First of the Month Church' 3 years ago "The ones for marriage are four lira; the rest are two lira," the older woman explained patiently as I surveyed the plastic takeout containers arrayed across the tables she and a few others were setting up on the sidewalk before the sun had even fully risen. Each small tub was filled with tiny...
• Epiphany on the Golden Horn 3 years ago The bell began ringing out at 12:30 pm sharp, its sound carrying to the water's edge from an unseen church somewhere behind a cacophony of buildings in various states of (dis)repair. No gentle tinkle but an effortful pealing, it continued for a full five minutes as the assembled crowd shuffled a...
• Outdoor dining is dead, long live outdoor dining 3 years ago I'd been eyeing the roadside kebab shop for a while, as there seemed to be a steady stream of customers whenever I walked by after my physiotherapy sessions. Then, quite suddenly, all indoor *and* outdoor seating at restaurants and cafes was banned once again in Turkey as a coronavirus prevention...
• Social solidarity amid COVID-19: Ways to help the people who need it most 4 years ago Image via New Economy CoalitionI read a comment recently about the coronavirus pandemic that really resonated with me: We may all be in the same storm, but we're not all in the same boat.Every day, it seems, I read (and sometimes write) about how this disease and its wide-ranging impacts are...

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