I have lived in Göztepe, a neighborhood in İzmir, since I first arrived to Türkiye more than six years ago. But I didn’t start attending the local soccer club’s matches until last fall. It has expanded the love and appreciation I have for living where I do. Growing up in the U.S. I was a fan of American football for most of my life. Both of my parents attended Michigan State University and are lifetime…
Dating someone from another country and culture allows us to see our own country/culture through a different lens. I began to learn this while I lived in Mongolia and was married to Zorig. That was the first time I resided outside of the U.S. (except for military assignments). Everything was new, foreign, and unusual to me. I decided I would accept the life I encountered there as “normal” and do my best to assimilate. That…
In the spring of 2018, before leaving Mongolia for Türkiye, I had lasik surgery. It cost me just $1,200 for BOTH eyes which were nearsighted (my prescription was -4.25 for one eye, -3.75 for the other at the time of surgery) and astigmatism had begun in one eye. For the first time since I was in middle school I was able to wake in the morning and see clearly across the room without putting lenses…