Tale from Istanbul’s New Normal
Friday night. A few minutes before midnight. April 20th, 2020. Kaan is in the CCTV room of the luxurious hotel where he works as...
Learning and Growing on a Turkish Organic Farm with TaTuTa
I found myself popping out of a packed dolmuş onto the side of a winding country road. Shortly after, my overstuffed tan hiking bag...
Off In The Direction Of Tarabya (Poem)
cold, dark, eerie
leather soles staccato along pavements
avoiding cracks and stray van
İstanbul becalmed, again
street lamps whisper through hüzün
diesel engines growl like kangal
buses ready to depart
north...
STD & STI Testing In Turkey: Tips and Advice
Turkey is one of the few countries in the world where the rate of HIV/AIDS cases has been increasing in the past decade. Despite...
Awkward Tales from the ‘Bul #5: Döner Kebab
Three weeks ago, I was taking the metrobüs with my brother from Şirinevler, on a very rainy day. Being as crowded as it was...
Terrorism in Turkey
Let’s first and foremost acknowledge the great privilege of being able to choose your place of residence. Most people are not granted the luxury...
Tails of Istanbul: Despair to Hope for Stray Cats and Dogs
It was a bright, sunny Saturday, during my very first trip to Istanbul, when I went where very few tourists would dare – Yedikule...
The Personalities of Six Istanbul Neighborhoods
Personality is a phenomenon which describes the way people behave in everyday life. It’s an essential concept in order to understand and predict our...
Fig Season
My favorite season in Istanbul is fig season. Never having seen or eaten a fresh fig in my life, I was fascinated by this...
Five Must-Visit Istanbul Streets After Coronavirus
Walk. Breathe. Eat. Drink. Consume. Repeat.
Wasn’t life nice and easy in Istanbul before coronavirus? We didn’t realize how fortunate we were back then. Thankfully,...
Awkward Tales from the ‘Bul #2: A Bit of Football Never...
I went and played my first game of football for a team in Turkey, adding to several other nations around the world in which...
A Five Star Toilet – Bathroom Tales in Turkey
Back in 1990 when I first visited Turkey, toilets, whether squat or what we think of as ‘normal’ but the Turks call Ala Franga,...
Searching For Orhan Pamuk’s Hüzün in Istanbul
Before moving to Turkey, I read Orhan Pamuk’s autobiographical work “Istanbul”, in hopes of getting to know the city in advance. Let me tell...
The Heat of Summers Present and Past
I’m pretty sure we hit traffic the first time I visited Ortaköy. I distinctly remember being in a taxi for what felt like ages,...
Fires Across Turkey: Relief Organizations You Can Support
We recently made an open call to our community for suggestions and have since compiled a list of organizations that are currently taking part...
Life in Lockdown: Married with Kid vs Single with Cat
While regular weekend lockdowns in Istanbul have been a unifying experience in a myriad of ways, so much of our experience is tied to...























