Between presentations with Rustu bey

Monday between presentations in the auditorium. This is Rustu bey, one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. We went on a walking history tour of Tarsus. We talked St. Paul, we talked Roman roads, we talked architecture, we talked about just about everything....

Hanging out after a presentation

This is from one of the presentations Monday. Fielding additional questions, group gathering for a photo, etc. Thank you for the photo Ayse!

After a presentation

This was taken after one of the four auditorium presentations Monday. Thank you for sending me the photo Ayse!

Handing out contact info

Exchanging contact info with students in the moments before I left Tarsus American College this morning. I had such a good time, but I’ve got a job to do — gotta walk across this country.

My guardian angels

These were my guardian angels this week at Tarsus American College. They kept me organized and on task, showing me from class to class, rushing with me from building to building, climbing up and down countless sets of stairs. They kept me fed, making sure I made it to...

Today is for Tarsus American College

Today is for the students and faculty at Tarsus American College. Thank you so much for inviting me onto your campus. I do not have the words to tell you how much I have enjoyed meeting all of you, and I do not have the words to tell you how much your warm welcome has...

Prep students at Tarsus American College

Left to right: Cengiz, Can, Ziya, and Arman. I could always depend on Ziya to ask me a ton of questions, the guy was full of them and he wasn’t shy about peppering me with them!

There we go

I’ve been complaining about how journalists write articles about my trip, but don’t contact me first to give me the heads up that an article’s coming. Yesterday Tarsus American College was kind enough to organize a press conference, and not only did...

Heathen Pilgrim on Slowly-by-Slowly

Slowly-by-Slowly, a blog about “roadtripping through one Turkish-American marriage with a troupe of backseat-driving Karagöz puppets,” did a writeup about Heathen Pilgrim. “One thing we all have in common is that someone, somewhere considers us...

From Stacey Brown’s 10th-grade class today

Left to right are Alptuğ Demiralp, Berke Mındız, Okan Yolbulan, Fırat Alan, me, Serkan Doğan, Ayhan Ateşok, Berk Öcal, Orhan Tanrıver, and Oğuzhan Sert (kneeling). Thank you Serkan, for sending me this photo!

To know the dark…

Sunday night I went to dinner with Mr. Chris Hanna, the headmaster of Tarsus American College, Filiz hanim, one of the administrators, and Pinar Seydim, one of the students. I mentioned that recently in the evenings I had been trying to read, but with the booklight on...

After a presentation

This is after one of the presentations Monday at Tarsus American College. From left to right, Ziya, Aylin, Gokce, Arman.

TAC students doing a film documentary

Some students from Tarsus American College, filming a documentary on the nearby town of Silifke. From left to right: Berk Ocal, Tugcan Oder, me, Deniz Colak, and Naz Cakar.

Conga line

Prep students (middle school students) at TAC (Tarsus American College) form a conga line during the 12:12pm on 12/12/12 "steam blowing off" session.

Students blowing off steam

Younger students blowing off steam at 12:12pm on 12/12/12. These are students at the SEV (Saglik ve Egitim Vakfi, Health and Education Foundation) school, TAC’s sister school next door.

Social life on the road

A number of people have asked me lately what my social life is like on the road. The answer is that my social life is simple and monk-like. There is an important safety reason for that. On the road I am not in one place for more than a few days, so I rarely understand...