Blogs from Antakya, Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East

So our dear friend has opened a rather swanky cafe near the River. It has outdoor seating in a garden-like patio and serves coffee, tea, smoothies and lots of really decadent deserts beautifully decorated by his mother. There are even waffles, served with icecream and fruit. Last night they had a couple of guys placing some beautiful soft music and everything was free! (definitely not like America) He had a good turnout which included my doctor and his young and sexy wife. (very American :P) Also there were two of my favorite people - Mary and Samuel. He is French, she Turkish and both so very intelligent and kind. A good, if not too brief night with an excuse to dress up.... read more

The night belongs to the cats. They are on every corner, in every abandoned house - wandering, eating, fighting, and fornicating. They are pregnant, skinny, dirty, friendly, skitish, all shades between. As guardians of the underworld they keep the ghosts at bay, and there must be many as the city is old, the land ancient. They watch your every move, quick to flee - to chase your steps with shadows, to disappear in the cracks of stone. They are the cats of Antakya. And their presence brings on the night.... read more

I have changed my focus for research. The Cult of Saint Mary, while interesting – was not “panning out” as they say. With this realization and the inspiration given by a friend I have decided to embark on a study of women’s sexuality in Turkey. I hope to include interviews, news sources, academic writings, etc. My friend said that her father-in-law paints the outside of his house every year, but never touches the inside. It’s about appearances. And in the Middle East in general, the appearance of a family’s holiness is in their women. In the South we refer to these types of individuals as being “Sunday Mornin’ Sorry.” For those of you who are not blessed enough to come from the South – let me explain. Men (and women – you know who you are) ... read more

I took our puppy Bebek to walk. We are trying to be kind to it – street dogs have terrible lives here but our situation with her is complicated by the neighborhood. I try to walk her two to three times a day but the children hit at her and I often feel it is unsafe to walk her at all. Today in fact a little boy ran up from behind us and hit her hard on the back. Of course there are no parents to discipline these children. They literally play outside their courtyards, run the streets – all of them looking and behaving little dirty orphans. Yesterday – I came across a boy who choking a smaller one in the street. I ran up to stop him; he then slapped the little boy hard ... read more

Today I went with Bebek, formerly known as Ekmek. We had to rename her because Ekmek is considered holy and naming the dog that could be seen as offensive… whatever. So back to my story… Bebek and I caught a bus to Harbiye – to the Springs of Daphne. As you head down into the falls you are surrounded by little shops selling cheap junk, bobbles, tchotchkes, you know the stuff – only here it has Ataturk, crescent moons and evil eyes on it. We walk to the first falls, oh they are so beautiful. Bebek is fascinated by the water, me by the smell across the dirt road. (I had forgotten to eat breakfast) We wander into an outdoor café and she and I share some chicken, in the shade. It was hot today, but ... read more