Among the first friends we made when we moved to Izmir, Hasan and his two grown children work as cheese sellers in the local out door produce market (called a 'pazar').   That's where we met them--we were shopping one day, and they summoned us over for tea.  Every Wednesday and Sunday they return to our neighborhood heavily laden with a wide variety of cheese and other dairy products.  We enjoy our visits with them, usually taking a break from our pursuit of fresh fruits and veggies.  They invite us to sit down behind the cheese stall, and order us a glass of tea.  We relax, practice Turkish, sip our tea, and observe the operation before us--people come to the booth, sample cheese, consider its flavor and texture, and then make a purchase.  Over the last year and half, we've seen this pattern repeated numerous times.  The Turks love cheese and seem to consume a sizable quantity every week.  Every now and th... more

Last Sunday, as I went downtown, I could feel the strong political fervor of the Izmir locals.  At every subway stop, more and more people got on, wearing Turkey's colors, or else draped in flags.  They were headed to the 'kordon,' a strip alongside the harbor in order to join this city's political protest.  These demonstrations haven't been unique to Izmir, however.  This month, hundreds of thousands of Turks have demonstrated in other places like Ankara and Istanbul against the current party in power, the AKP.  People are concerned that under the AKP's leadership, the country will move towards more Islamic, conservative policies, and that this will result in less freedom in general.  (And while the AKP leaders are definitely more conservative, it's not clear that the result has been a more Islamically-slanted Turkey).  The more secular party, the CHP, has been out of power for about ten years.  The histor... more

High on the hills overlooking Izmir, perch the ruins of a once-formidable castle built by Alexander the Great.  From the vantage point of these walls, one can get a good look at the city-sprawl: the deep harbor inlet, the unending 8-story tenement high rises, the wavy coastline, and down town's central park.

Called 'Kadife Kale,' this fortress and its environs are now home to one of the city's poorest communities--a neighborhood of Kurds, many of whom recently emigrated from eastern Turkey.  We visit here several times a year (see the previous post about our friend 'Melek').

Last weekend, we went back to the neighborhood for a public service project. Usually when we tell our Turkish friends that we are going to the 'Kadife Kale' they caution us: 'Don't you know itis dangerous up there?' they warn.  It's true that some of the teenage boys can harass foreigners for change, and at times get a little belligerent when we don't give anything.&n... more

Our friend 'Melek' lives with her family in the poor part of Izmir, near an ancient castle built by Alexander the Great around the 5th century B.C.  She imports traditional rugs called 'kilims' from the eastern part of Turkey  (These are not the same as the famed Turkish rugs, but we like them very much).  When friends visit, we take them to the high castle walls for a stunning view of the city and then over to Melek's house--to give her business or perhaps just to share a cup of tea.  One day last fall, friends came to town.  As is our custom, we traipsed about the castle ruins, and then headed over to Melek's.  Boldly, I knocked on the door, eager to forge a connection between our Turkish and American friends.  The door swung opened, and we were beckoned inside.  Much to my dismay, numerous pots and dishes had been set on the floor.  I looked at my watch--of course!  It was only 20 min... more

A couple nights ago, we were getting ready for this fall's 'open house' at our cafe.  Our friend suggested we enhance the cafe's atmosphere by borrowing a monkey from the local pet shop.  Since the monkey attracts a lot of attention from the passerbys, we thought he might help draw a big crowd to the cafe.  So, that afternoon, I made my way to the pet shop.  It was near a couple little stores were we had regularly done business before--a corner deli and an outdoor produce vendor.  But before directly talking to the worker on duty, I visited my friends at the adjacent stores, and told them about the idea of borrowing the monkey.   Since they knew me from my prior acts of patronage, we had a nice friendly chat and talked about how cool it would be to have the monkey at the cafe that evening.  Then, I went to the pet shop, and asked!  The clerk said she would have to check with the owner, whom she promptly cal... more

My friend Ken was in town recently, and he suggested that we go to a local barbershop for a shave and a haircut.  It's quite inexpensive in Turkey, only about $2.50 total.  When we got to the barber, I explained as best I could that this was Ken's first trip to Turkey, and could they please give him the full Turkish 'barber' experience.  This can include not only the shave and haircut, but two other procedures that I have come to enjoy: 1) The barber doses a cotton swab in alcohol, sets it aflame, and then skillfully uses the makeshift torch to singe away unwanted hair in and around the ears, 2) After the haircut, the barber gives a vigorous massage to scalp, neck, and shoulders.  They assured me that these extra services would be duly rendered.  

About ten minutes into my own cut, the barber rapidly asked me a question regarding Ken's treatment.  I couldn't really understand what he was saying, but assumed he was inq... more

To no one's surprise, globalization is here.  Last month, two multinational chains set up shop in Izmir: Ikea and Starbucks.   We went to Ikea on the day it opened, and braving the crowds, stood in line to get our Swedish meatballs (in keeping with, 'halal,' the Islamic dietary laws, we assume they were pork-free).  My trip to Starbucks revealed that the rest of the world is not used to consuming the same quantities as Americans--the 'venti' size is not on the menu, but the 'short' is.  The caption in the picture (Dumani tuten kahve sohbetlerimize davetlisiniz) means something like, 'You are a guest at our steaming coffee conversations.'  I've talked to Turks about the fact that their city is being visited by these large corporations.  Most admit (though perhaps begrudgingly) that foreign investment is important for the development of the country.  Yet, they also mention that the traditional 'mom and pop' businesses ... more

Some sports cross borders--soccer for example, or 'football' as it is more commonly known around the world.  But other sports are rooted to one particular country.  Such is the case for camel wrestling in Turkey.  We watched a series of camel-wrestling matches last month near the town of Seljuk, about 80 kilometers from our home in Izmir.  Camel wrestling is hard to describe, it almost must be seen to understand.  After being led into the corral, the two dromedaries stand side by side, and begin to lean into each other.  Most of the wrestling is done with their extraordinarily lengthy and muscular necks.  One camel will 'go high,' draping his neck or even forelegs over the other, trying to force it to the ground.  Meanwhile, his opponent will 'go low,' trying to make him stumble by taking out his legs.  After some jockeying and struggling, one camel becomes effectively pinned by the other. &n... more

The Turks don't celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas, but they do celebrate 'Kurban Bayram,' a holiday commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Ishmael (Muslims believe Ishmael, not Isaac was involved). Muslims buy a goat or sheep, and re-enact Abraham's sacrifice of the ram that God provided in place of his son. Afterward, some meat is kept and some is given to the poor. As we rode the bus to and from language school everyday, we passed herds of livestock in makeshift tents set-up in vacant lots. During the holiday season, we're used to seeing Christmas trees on street corners, but this was quite different.

Since language school let out for the week of Kurban Bayram, we decided to take a short vacation to the Greek island of 'Chios,' only 45 minutes off Turkey's coast (see pictures). One day we rented a car, and drove through the south part of the island, passing through a few medieval villages and an 11th century monastery. The villages seemed untouched by globa... more

Last week, I dreamt that I was back in Los Angeles for a short visit.  In my dream, I went to a party at the home of a Latino family.  When they greeted me at the door, I tried to chat with them in Spanish--a language I once spoke with some proficiency.  But only Turkish words came out.  My brain desperately raced to recover the lost Spanish vocabulary and phrases I knew were somewhere locked within its recesses.  Stammering on the doorstep, I tried to explain that I really did know Spanish--but that my recent Turkish immersion had stunted my ability to remember it.  Again, Turkish words came out, or perhaps this time, some mixture of Turkish and Spanish.  My kind hosts let me into the party, language skills notwithstanding.

This is the second dream I've had that has incorporated the new language we're learning. I don't know much about the psychology of dreaming, but these dreams demonstrate what I've found ... more