Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Benim Adım… My Name Is… For the past year we’ve been telling you about our life, but for the next couple months we want to bring you our observations of Turkey from a different perspective: from the lives of Turkish people. For the privacy of our friends and neighbors, we will not be using any real names. For a broader view for our readers we may even use some fictitious details, but we will try to stay true to the diverse reality of the people of Turkey. Though cultural differences can make us feel worlds apart from people in other countries, you may just find that you and we and our Turkish friends are not so different after all.

Evlenme Marriage Today we celebrate two years of being married! We have journeyed far, learned a lot, and have confidence that there is even more to look forward to together. View our Anniversary Slide-show at biraz daha

Dolmabahçe Sarayı Dolmabahçe Palace Our commute to school includes a ferry ride across the Bosporus from which we see see a beautiful European-style building resting on the edge of the water: Dolmabahçe Palace. Built in the 19th century by Sultan Abdülmecid I, Dolmabahçe Palace was home to several sultans and finally to the nation of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Seeing tourists and school groups stream in and out over the last year, we eventually found time for a visit of our own. In visiting Dolmabahçe Palace we discovered a network of 19th century palaces that encourage students to visit with an enticing 1 lira (about 66 cent) student fee. Most are moderate sized chalets built by the sultans during a period of world Westernization. In contrast to the traditional art and architecture found in Topkapı Palace, French designers were brought in to add European touches of gold gilding, crystal chandeliers, and floral ceiling art which would thrust the Turkish Ottoman Empire’s

Dünya the World Some may assume that different counties and cultures may as well be worlds apart, and yet we are often surprised at how interconnected those worlds are. New technology makes this apparent with click-of-the-button communication, and yet the chain of influence has existed far longer than links on the internet. Whether Turkish influence across the globe dates back to the time of camels and caravans trekking along the Silk Road or comes from modern media, we can be thankful to the Turks that the Dutch are planting tulips , Seattleites are finding a nice compliment of yogurt for their granola, Australians are putting shish kebabs on their barbeques, fine ladies are receiving warmth from their angora wool sweaters, and romantic movie-goers are throwing around the idea of kismet . We ponder… 1. What bridges do we see bringing cultures together and how do we walk across those? 2. How can we appreciate and accept the influence of other cultures while maintaining our core i

Lale Zamanı Tulip Time Legend has it that Carolus Clusius, the famed research biologist for the University of Leiden in the early 17th century was given a gift of bulbs from Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq, Ambassador of Ferdinand I to the Ottoman Empire. Enchanted by the colorful little blossoms that seemed to resemble Middle Eastern men’s turbans, the flower took on the name tülbend (meaning turban) eventually evolving into the English word we now use: tulip. From Clusius’ university campus in south Holland to the general Dutch populace, tulips became extraordinarily popular. For a time known as tulip mania a single tulip bulb could sell for a price exponentially greater than the average person’s annual income. Though Holland remains the place renowned for its tulips, Turkey is the indigenous soil of these delicate flowers. Around the beginning of April colorful displays begin to bloom all over İstanbul ushering in the city’s annual tulip festival, lale zamanı. The best place to go duri