Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Ekim October   As October progressed fall has settled in. We are getting out our scarves and hats. Rebecca's baby-bump is growing, and here is a photo of the handsome little man inside. Lincoln is being introduced to some fun fall festivities like carving pumpkins and dressing in costumes. And it looks like winter is not far off, especially in Cheyenne!

Iı Islak mendil , Ismarlamak   Turkish culture is all about courtesy and hospitality. Most Turks will give up their much coveted seat on the bus to a woman with small children or to an elderly person. It is an unspoken rule that you do not eat in front of others, especially without offering them a portion of your plate. And a fresh pot of çay , hot tea, is always ready for the unexpected house guest. Traditional homes and restaurants offer a dousing of lemon-scented cologne to rinse off your hands before eating. More often now, you will receive an ıslak mendil , or moist towelette, for the same purpose. And courtesy even extends to the culture of greetings and farewells, one of which is Allah’a ısmarladık. A little difficult for the untrained ear, one Canadian friend of ours claims he just says, “I lost my little duck” really fast, and it seems to suffice. Ismarlamak can mean “to entrust something/someone to someone.” So, although it basically conveys, “goodbye,” Allah’a ısm

Hh Hitit, Hamam When you come visit Turkey there is no dearth of history and culture to engage in. Before the Turks migrated to Anatolia the land hosted many civilizations, one of the most notable being the Hitit or Eti , Hittite peoples. This may be familiar to some because of Old Testament references to the Hittites, as in Genesis 10’s “Table of Nations,” or the account of Abraham purchasing the burial plot of Machpelah from ‘Ephron the Hittite’. There are a number of archeological digs with their accompanying museums where foreign and Turkish archeologists study this ancient culture. Probably the most interesting Hittite artifact can be found in the İ stanbul Archeological Museum, an Egypto-Hittite Peace Treaty dating back to 1258 BC—the earliest known peace treaty in writing! That is the depth of history that the land of Turkey holds. Fast forwarding 2,000 years to the reign of the Ottoman Sultans, the world-renowned hamam, or Turkish bath, is a historical activity th

Ğğ Ada versus Ağda One of the most enigmatic letters in the Turkish alphabet is the yumuşak g or soft g, denoted like this : ğ. It is not pronounced, but instead lengthens the vowel in front of it. For example, Ada versus Ağda. Ada (as in the last part of the word ‘tostada’) means island, many of which lay off the cost of Turkey’s shores. The Prince’s Islands, for example, are the closest islands to İ stanbul, providing a pleasant day-trip in nice weather. Off the Agean sea, on Turkey’s Western coast, Turkish and Greek islands intermingle. And to the south there is the greatly contended for island of Cyprus. As anywhere, islands are perceived as romantic, holding a slower-pace of life, and yet less convenient than the mainland. Now, ada is not to be confused with ağda (as in the last part of the word ‘armada;’ with a drawn out “aaah” sound to start), which means waxing. Ağda is extremely important in Turkish culture. Everyone waxes. There are a few Turkish baske

Gg Gezmek, G öbek Dans ı As long as it is not too hot and as long as it is not too cold, one of the national favorite pastimes in Turkey is gezmek, to take a stroll. From the placid park which houses the old Sultan’s hunting lodge to the busiest street in İ stanbul, singles, couples, families, young, old, and in between love to walk arm in arm and just enjoy good company and good weather. This is something we have always appreciated about Turkish culture. Maybe there isn’t the technical rock climbing or extreme cycling you would find in Seattle or Colorado, but people in Turkey often enjoy the temiz hava, fresh air of outside. What is the favorite indoor counterpart to strolling outside? Just like America there’s TV, eating comfort foods, maybe a game (usually backgammon). And then there’s the göbek dansı or dansöz , belly dancing. A bit on the scandalous side of things, belly dancing is referred by many Turkish people as “oriental dancing,” in order to try to distance th