Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Kerem shares popcorn with his friends at school. A great part of school is that it is a place where children learn how to share. Even though Christmas is not a part of Turkish culture, consumerism has crept in just enough for some schools to have gift-exchanges at the end of the year—something fun for the children and a chance for them to learn the joy of giving. The school Hudson goes to had a joint birthday party around New Year’s—celebrating a new start for everyone. Because there is a variety of different socio-economic levels represented this makes sense—not everyone may be able to throw their child a large birthday party, but every child will feel special and celebrated. One thing we really appreciate about Turkey is the culture of generosity—whether it’s the chocolates that all teyze , “aunties”, carry around in their purses to pass out to any children they may encounter or your friend’s insistence on paying the bill at dinner—the value of giving i

This....is not our balcony. This city-girl isn't used to drying veggies and making jam and those other handy thing that could be saved away for winter. But it's a great idea! Every respectable house or apartment in Turkey has at least one balcony. Our apartment has three. The big one looks over the garden of our apartment building and is a pleasant place in the summer to have our evening meals. The medium-sized one looks over the parking lot, which is not as pleasant, but a convenient place for guests who need a smoke break. The small one is barely big enough for a chair, so we have utilized the space more or less for stroller-storage. Balconies have several purposes. One, as alluded to above, is for the staggering population of people in Turkey who smoke, but do not want the inside of their homes to smell smoky. Another, is for washing carpets. Most homes do not have the built-in wall-to-wall carpeting that American houses have. Rather, the floor i