Yesterday’s walk was the first day of the real ascent off the Çukurova plain. It was also the first day I’ve walked with snow nearby (I was lucky enough to escape it just in time coming off the Central Anatolia plateau). Photo courtesy of Joy Anna...
Last night I went with Alperşan, one of my new Osmaniye friends, to a local radio station (RadyoRenk, 96.3 FM) to record some jingles for his show (“On the air with Alperşan,” stuff like that). While we were getting the studio equipment ready for the...
The two old friends outside Süleyman’s shop. By the way, İlgi, Dilara, and Mutlu turned me into an expert user of colloquial phrases like "hacı, ne yaptın?" (hey man, what’d you do?). However, I’ve spent years trying to figure out when to,...
After downing the şalgam, İlgi, Dilara, Mutlu, and I went looking for some pepper spray for me to carry on my walk. We stopped off to say hello to Mutlu’s old friend Süleyman, whom the others suspect is my long-lost brother. You tell me if you see a resemblance....
After today’s walk I met with one of my Osmaniye friends, İlgi, her colleague Dilara, and Dilara’s husband Mutlu. The three of them decided they needed to test my şalgam-drinking skills. Şalgam is big in the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye area. It is a...
Left to right, Küçük Yusuf, Orta Yusuf, and Büyük Yusuf (Little Yusuf, Middle Yusuf, and Big Yusuf). Little Yusuf was actually one of the biggest personalities in the class. He was out in front of just about everything that was going on.
