Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Benim Adım Cengis My Name is Gengis Cengis is one of the many Turkish men who spent his childhood in Germany, where his parents were able to find good jobs. He had the privilege of extensive travels and an education abroad, although most trips were back to his family’s hometown in Turkey to visit relatives—a chance to reconnect with his roots. With a solid work ethic, Cengis was able to start his own business once he graduated from university. He brought the thriving business back to Turkey’s economic capitol, İstanbul, along with a beautiful European wife. Of course he appreciated all the places and cultures he’s been able to experience, but at heart he is a true Turk. Like most Turkish men Cengis works hard, eats heartily, keeps tabs on his favorite pro soccer team, and enjoys talking about politics and conspiracy theories. He likes to inform his American friends about all the intrigues their government is involved in. He also is proud of his Ottoman Turkish heritage, but self-consci

Benim Adım Fatma Hanım My Name is Mrs. Fatma Fatma Hanım grew up in a village about 300 miles East of İstanbul. At the age of 14 she became a gelin, a bride. In Turkey a woman is not only referred to as a gelin on her wedding day, but for the rest of her life. As is quite common, this young gelin moved in with her husband’s family where her mother-in-law taught her how to cook and take care of a home. Eventually she had four children, two sons and two daughters, and now she has gelins of her own. At some point the entire family moved to İstanbul where there are more opportunities for work and education. They lived thirty minutes apart from her in-laws at first, but when her husband retired Fatma Hanım and her family moved into an apartment her father-in-law provided them with. Now she spends the day keeping up her house, keeping up with her granddaughter, knitting, and drinking tea with her sister-in-laws who also live in the building. Fatma Hanım has also taken the young American nei

Benim Ad ı m Merve My Name is Merve Merve is a modern, secular Turk. Although she would probably identify herself as a Muslim, she does not wear a headscarf and her dress is more European. Like most Turkish women, the signature “blue bead”, which is believed to protect against misfortune by warding off evil spirits, is often worn on a piece of jewelry. And, like any woman from Alaska to Zimbabwe in her late 20’s, Merve is still hoping for a trustworthy man to come and sweep her off her feet-- but she is not going to sit around pining away. She has seen a lot of the world; while many İ stanbulites haven’t even made it to the other side of the city, Merve has been fortunate enough to spend a few years studying abroad.* Even returning with a master’s degree as well as a good grasp on the English language, the job market for young professionals is competitive and she is having a difficult time finding a job in her field of study. As is common, Merve will probably live with her pare

Benim Adım Abdullah My Name is Abdullah Abdullah has lived in the same neighborhood his entire life seeing quiet fields transform into multi-story apartment buildings, as is indicative of İstanbul’s rapid growth over the past few decades. Sharing one of those apartment complexes with the rest of his family, Abdullah, with his wife and four children, live in very close proximity to grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, and etc. As one can imagine with such close quarters, sibling rivalry still rears its ugly head within their little community, but it does make holiday gatherings much more convenient. Last year for Kurban Bayramı, one of the two most important religious holidays on the Muslim calendar, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son and God’s provision, Abdullah and his family shared the price of an ox, which the men slaughtered in the backyard and the women prepared and cooked in the matriarch’s kitchen. They shared the experience with their new American n