Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Nasrettin Hoca Teacher Nasrettin Nasrettin Hoca is the primary figure in Turkish folklore, thought to have been born in Western Turkey in the 13th century (though many throughout Central Asia and the Middle East also claim him for their own). Nasrettin Hoca’s numerous anecdotes are told from tea-house to family room and thought to give pithy morals or, more commonly, just to provoke a laugh. Here is one story about the teacher: “Last Wishes” Nasrettin Hoca is with his friends drinking coffee. They are discussing death, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" The first friend says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man." The second says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow." Nasrettin says, "I would like to hear them say...

Sahil The coast A few weeks ago we took advantage of a nice, sunny Saturday to go to the coast, which fortunately is not a long trip. By a short bus ride and brief jaunt on the train we reached the shores of the Sea of Marmara, and still had not reached the outer edge of İstanbul. Phillip brought his roller-blades and Rebecca her camera, but we started the outing somewhat aimlessly. It was not long before some children were flagging the camera woman down to get a great action-shot of them diving into the water. The photo-shoot turned into a conversation, which turned into an invitation to join their family for some freshly retrieved mussels that they were boiling in a large tin can. After an hour or so the children’s young mother was giving an early invitation to come to their house for Ramadan to enjoy some home-baked baklava. What we intended to be a nice day ended up being a wonderful day. Once again, we are inspired by the warmth and hospitality of the people of Turkey.

Ramazan Ramadan This year August 10th ushered in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, beginning a month long holiday of fasting and feasting known as Ramazan . In İstanbul there are enough people who do not participate that restaurants are still open, but the majority of our friends and neighbors are refraining from food and drink from sunrise until sunset. When the sun sets, however, a great family feast is held. Holidays are a very special time to connect with people. We ponder: 1. What can we learn about Turkish culture, family life, values, and food during this holiday? 2. What is our place, as guests in this country, in participating in this holiday? 3. How can we invite our Turkish friends to celebrate the holidays that are important to us? Begin the food preparations for the evening meal!

Ekmek Bread You can find great bread in Turkey from the bagel-like sesame coated simit sold on every street corner to morning poğaça stuffed with feta cheese or potato to the broad, flat disks of ramazan pide sold during Ramadan. Then there is the every-day baguette type of loaf that is often brought to your door every evening by the apartment groundskeeper. Apparently Turkey hasn’t fully caught the “carb-scare” yet, and that is okay with us. Though it may not be unique for bread to be a staple-food, something we find interesting is the reverence with which people here understand bread. It is seen as the sacred symbol of the nourishment that God provides. In fact, it is thought of as a sin to throw bread away. If it is on your plate you eat it, if a loaf has gone stale you feed it to the birds. This kind of gratitude for the basics of life is refreshing—a constant reminder to not waste, but give thanks. Unused breads people left for the birds or street cats and dogs.

Bizim Adımız Phillip ve Rebecca Our Names are Phillip and Rebecca Phillip and Rebecca have been married for a little over two years, spending three-quarters of their married life together in İstanbul, Turkey. During their time in İstanbul many friends have come across Phillip and Rebecca’s path—from young moms with exuberant pre-schoolers to university students with promising futures to the “average joe” trying to make ends-meet. Something they really like about all these Turkish friends is that they seem to want to share their lives with Phillip and Rebecca, from joining holiday meals to confiding about family struggles. Of course, even a year and a half isn’t nearly enough to adjust to all the cultural nuances, much less the language of a place like Turkey. But it is a good start... We hope you enjoyed “meeting” some of our new friends this summer in the Benim Adım series. İstanbul’s summers are often sunny, clear, and warm (on average in the mid-80 degrees F). See our new slideshow