Life without public services
Last month, when I was talking with Izzy in the hospital during Elif’s uncle Bilgin’s angioplasty operation, at one point he turned to me, his… Read More »Life without public services
Türkiye
Surgery
Elif’s uncle Bilgin went for angioplasty. Bilgin’s already had open-heart surgery several years ago, and he wasn’t too happy to find out that he needed… Read More »Surgery
How we decided to film COUP
Tonight’s nighttime festivites were much more animated than those of the morning. This time, instead of being organized by the city’s ruling religious party, the… Read More »How we decided to film COUP
At the 75th Anniversary military parade
All week, the whole country’s been gearing up for October 29th, the 75th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic. On the navy base on our island… Read More »At the 75th Anniversary military parade
King Midas’s Ears
Last week we saw a Turkish opera, of course at the Ataturk Cultural Center, called “King Midas’s Ears.” It tells the touching story of how… Read More »King Midas’s Ears
Autumn rolls in
October, 1998 Sara is one of our family now, and she continues to grow as the island’s leaves thin out around us. The tangerines in… Read More »Autumn rolls in
A feline infestation
The Prince’s Islands are is overrun by cats, but Heybeliada‘s are the most beautiful. When we first arrived, we kept my cat Meow Meow inside… Read More »A feline infestation
The island’s movie theater
We saw a movie last week, the last film the island showed this season. We went primarily to visit Heybeliada’s only movie theater, and because… Read More »The island’s movie theater
Nosehair
9/27/98 Last week we went to the mainland to meet a friend of Elif’s from high school named Nasl?. Her name means “someone who plays… Read More »Nosehair
Inside a Turkish Synagogue
Our island has a Greek monastery and a mosque, both of which I’ve seen, but the synagogue’s always been closed whenever I’ve passed. That’s not… Read More »Inside a Turkish Synagogue