Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Our boys, safely wearing their jackets. Living as a foreigner has its constant stressors. Even almost 6 years after moving to Turkey there are still things that we just “don’t get.” Why, for example, are people so freaked out when our sons go from front door to the car without a jacket when it’s only 60 degrees outside—as if they are going to catch a cold and die—but rarely do you see people buckling their children into car seats like we are so careful to do? Why are people so eager to ask us how much we pay in rent, and then immediately tell us that we are paying too much? Why does Phillip not get his work schedule until the semester has already begun? There are many elements about life and culture that remind us how non-Turkish we are. To be honest, it is easy to get around other foreigners and complain. But we can’t and we shouldn’t. The rich experience we gain by being here, the beauty of cultural exchange, the privilege of being allowed to live and work in a place where we ar

A page from one of the kid's children's books. We are always amazed at our friends’ knowledge of local flora and fauna. Recently on one of Phillip’s morning hikes with a neighbor and his friends they spent at least an hour scanning the ground, carefully sweeping pine needles away from the forest floor, and plucking their reward of mushrooms. As for us, it has been ingrained in our brains to never eat berries or mushrooms in the woods unless you are absolutely certain you know what it is and that it is definitely safe to eat. We American city-folk have little “gathering” instinct to draw from. It took a lot of coaxing from our Turkish friends to get us to eat some, and even then only Phillip partook – and he was relieved that he didn’t keel over within a few hours, or hallucinate or anything.  Sure enough, Phillip’s friend’s mushrooms were edible and very delicious.  We won’t go get some ourselves, though, unless the “experts” are with us.

Lincoln Umut and Hudson Kerem having fun. Our oldest son, Lincoln Umut, is 3 going on 5…or at least that is what we are trying to figure out. We were recently at one of his preschool friend’s birthday parties and we made a point of asking his teacher how to talk about ages, because it has always been confusing for us here. The funny thing, even she got confused! By American counting, he is three and a half, and we can start saying he is 4 on December 23 rd , his birthday. But after a few questions, this is how we understand what a Turk would say: -         if asked how old he is today: 4 -         if asked how old he is on December 23 rd : dördü doldurdu , he has complete (or “filled”) four years -         if asked how old he is on December 24 th : 4…or 5 depending on who you talk to -         if asked how old he is on New Year’s Day or after: most people would say 5 because he will turn five in the calendar year of 2015. We aren’t lyi

Dr. Chomsky elucidating his theories on language acquisition. Recently the university Phillip teaches English at hosted a congress on English language literature and linguistics. The highlight: a live video-conference lecture and question/answer time with the world’s leading expert in linguistics, Noam Chomsky. As he is also a political activist, many attendees were interested only in his views on the recent political current of Turkey. However, we generally try to distance ourselves from the precarious world of politics, and will make the disclaimer that we do not have an opinion about what he said concerning politics. What was exciting and relevant to us was his lecture on linguistics. Chomsky has developed a number of theories, which have revolutionized the field of linguistics, neurology, and child psychology, among others. He is currently in the top ten (and only living) most cited authors in the world, and we were thrilled to hear him explain concepts suc