Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Şey Stuff Christmas and New Years Eve 2008 were filled with the usual holiday joy, but also the reluctant goodbyes necessary when moving across the seas. Our first few weeks of 2009 were dedicated to packing up an apartment; deciphering which material possessions were dispensable, which would need to be left behind, and which were essential enough to bring with us to İstanbul. We allotted 9 bags/boxes to carry our little household to Turkey. Granted as newlyweds we don’t have a lot, but this processing of all our stuff faced us with a few questions that will certainly resurface with every big move: 1. Do we need stuff ? Of course, we need toothbrushes for our dental hygiene, clothes to keep us decent, computers to maintain websites…but where is the line? Nine boxes seemed like a lot, until we started packing them! 2. What stuff does it take to feel “at home” in a new environment? What does “at home” mean for us? 3. In the “material world” we live in, how do we take seriously the

Tat Taste During the two years after deciding on İstanbul as our destination of choice and actually boarding the anticipated flight across the Atlantic, we tried to taste-test Turkey as much as possible. Besides in books and the internet, between Seattle and Colorado we did not find a Turkish presence to be quite as prolific as other ethnic influences (such as Mexican or Chinese, for example), but we had a few experiences that helped us prepare for our journey. For a brief time we were able to get to know two Turkish exchange students, who were learning English at the University of Washington. We found a great restaurant in West Seattle, called Ephesus, to take them to. After being in America for four months with meeting no other Turkish people than each other, Nilsu and Ali were elated to see that the owner and chef of Ephesus restaurant was, in fact, a Turk. In the middle of the dinner rush they nearly barged into the kitchen to talk to him, had our flustered waitress not done her b

Yeşil Green Phillip is from Colorado— the wild west —a land of aspen clothed mountains, ready for hikers and skiers enjoyment. Yet his roots are in Kansas, where grandma’s pumpkin pie awaits him every Thanksgiving. Rebecca is from Seattle— the pacific northwest — where the Puget Sound provides a stunning setting, while indie rock reverberates in the background. Yet her developmental years took place in Thailand, where mangoes and sticky rice take dessert to a whole new level. Together, we create quite the conglomeration of cultures and experiences. In our first year of life together we’ve found our backgrounds to be both beneficial and stressful. While we learn from each other’s histories and “round out” each other, these differences (what marriage books call “family of origin” issues) can also cause a “culture clash.” Ironically, “culture clash” is one of the features that drew us to İstanbul, the only city in the world resting on two continents—Europe and Asia-- housing a modern,

İnternette Geziyor Surfing the 'Net We must acknowledge that reading flat words on a computer screen is hardly as personal as sitting at small round tables with the ambient whir of a coffee grinder in the background, but this is what it means for us to call two different places, too far away from each other, “home.” Many people find solace in the anonymity of the internet, freely expressing emotional output for the world to see without the consequence of seeing anyone else’s reaction—the raise of an eyebrow, the downcast of the eyes. It is this trend of indiscriminant gush that turns some people off from ‘surfing the net’ or reading blogs. And yet, within this massive pool of the impersonal yet intimate, there is such potential for great connectivity. Only two decades ago, while Rebecca was growing up in Thailand, moving across the world meant weeks between correspondences. No instant messaging, no email, no websites. Good-byes seemed so much more permanent. In light of all this,

Türk Kahvesi Turkish Coffee There is a saying among Turks: To drink one cup of coffee together guarantees forty years of friendship. This is certainly a reality for us. Our first date was at a coffee shop called The Mudhouse, eleven months later we said the official “I do,” and from that point on we began another 40 years plus of commitment, love, and of course friendship. One latte, one mocha and our lives were set on a course of dramatic change. Not quite satisfied with the white picket fence and 2.5 children idea of a future, we decided to come to Turkey, a place of history, culture, warmth, and finely ground Arabic coffee beans. An essential aspect of Turkish life since the Ottoman Empire, coffee takes its place in betrothal customs, political gatherings, and simple, every-day life. The Arabic grounds are infused with cardamom, stealing the bitter taste many dislike. After a simple process of stirring grounds, sugar, and cold water into a cezve over fire, Türk kahve is ready t