Hello World! It has officially been almost ONE YEAR since I last published anything on this blog. A LOT has happened in the past year… Too many bad things have occurred throughout the world, though particularly in Turkey. Nevertheless, this is a resilient land. It has been astounding just HOW resilient people here can be. I suppose it is what has become necessary. Istanbul alone has undergone the unimaginable throughout history, over and over again, yet has never ceased to push through, even if it involves taking a few steps (or leaps) back for a bit before moving forward again.

In good news, since I last wrote anything here, I got married! This involved a wonderful celebration in Oklahoma, a Turkish henna night, and a full-on wedding under the stars against the Adana skyline. I am still living in Istanbul, with my fantastic husband (maşallah), and enjoying teaching Turkish university students. We’ve done a lot of exploring, so I hope to share some of those experiences in my coming posts. For now, autumn—my favorite season of the year—has draped itself over Istanbul, and though it’s generally rather chilly we still have bursts of beautiful sunshine-filled days spreading warmth here and there.

Some favorite things autumn brings include pumpkins (which I have yet to get my hands on), mushrooms, soups, changing leaves, cider (which is not so common here but DOES exist), blankets and sweaters. For now, here some some of the mushrooms we have encountered in the forests around Istanbul and Bursa this season.