Sam in Turkiye Summer 2022!

 Hello All! Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks! Highlight 1: Suit Shopping! Last week a few of the guys on the program went to get tailored suits! Turkey is known for their tailors and culture of suit-wearing. A particular Turkish favorite among men ages 65-80 seems to be the John Travolta "Saturday Night Fever" all-white suit. It's not uncommon to find an older man out for his daily stroll in the 90 degree heat in his all-white suit and loafers.  Suit shops are as common as cafes here and seemingly as cheap. On every corner you can find a shop with rows of suits in every color, pattern, and texture all with a tailor at your beck and call. After a bit of research we found a particularly good one in the center of the city. We walked in and each immediately had two store attendants working to fit us out.  After mentioning the color we were generally interested in, the pair set to work. They rummaged through rows of options and presented each to us with small ...

Hello everyone! The past few weeks have been more full of classes, routine, and settling into daily life and less so of drag shows, spy dramas, and embassy visits. This more settled life brings with it whole new insights and experiences, albeit, less remarkable. What has stayed consistent, however, is the amount of sweating. With the summer weather turning hotter and hotter every day, the afternoons themselves turn into Hammams. In this short update, I hope to give some of my perceptions of the language, people, and culture of Turkiye. Sending much love to everyone! University and Classes: Pictured above, is the view from our classroom at the university. We are studying at the Tömer Institute at Ankara University. Founded in the 1980's Tömer was the first Turkish language institute in Turkey. The institute has a fantastic set of classrooms in one of the university's newest high-rise buildings. The view from our classroom overlooks Gazi University and the ever-sprawling city beh...