Thoughts on the Failed Turkish Coup from an American's Perspective

By Nancy Webster Kaya

I am an American proudly married to a Turk. I have come to love Turkey as my second home and have been accepted with open arms by my in-laws. In fact, my dear mother-in-law, who is 92 years young, renamed me Gulten, meaning rose. I have had the privilege of visiting many parts of Turkey and hoped to visit much more. Eventually, my husband and I had planned on living part of the year on the Aegean coast.

Family Reunion Cruise

After marrying the woman I love, who is my soul-mate, many years ago, we now anticipate and finish each other’s thoughts and sentences. My wife knew I could not say no to our family reunion cruise to Bermuda. I had not seen the grandkids for a couple of years. Yes, we Face-timed on birthdays and holidays, but it is not the same. Of course I said okay, even though NewYork and Bermuda are not exactly on my bucket list of things to do.

The Perfectionists

Several months ago my wife volunteered both of us to participate in California’s “Adopt a Poll” program. We would be working as polling clerks, along with three other VATAN members on Primary Tuesday. She did not talk about it, I forgot about it, and now I need to write about it. 

When the day came, it became an issue, but I could not refuse to do it. However, I made it clear that from now on I wanted to be consulted first before she volunteers me for anything. The only thing is, I am sure my wife will come up with other ingenious ways to volunteer us. But back to my story and the reasons I decided not to back out.

Many Things Have Changed

Many Things Have Changed

After retiring several years ago, I soon found myself getting restless. I knew I needed to do something, but what? My wife and I have travelled quite a bit; including here in the US, Caribbean, Europe and Turkey. We still have not travelled in the East, but we will when the itch comes. 

My wife suggested that I take some classes and the idea came to me that maybe I should try something that I have always wanted to do. I started with a few classes at Moorpark Community College, including American Government and Foreign Relations. I did very well in the classes as the subject matter appealed to me. It was then I decided to do pursue BA degree in Political Science.

The Danish Girl, a movie review and spoiler alert

Can you imagine what it would be like not to know who you truly are?

The movie, “Danish Girl,” is loosely based on a true story about one of the first transgender transformations. It is, by far, a dark and deep drama, beautifully done, but at times hard to watch. Definitely not for all audiences.

The story takes place in Denmark during the 1920s. At the opening, we are introduced to a very talented painter, Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander), who is married to another painter, Einar (Eddie Redmayne). Their marriage is filled with passion and it is clear that Gerda loves both her husband and her painting.

"Brooklyn" a review with a spoiler alert

It is refreshing to see a really well-done movie which stands up to the quality of the storyline. Being a love story, this movie would not appeal to a very young audience. Now, just what is a love story? One scenario is a situation in which a character who is in love is thrown into a situation where they have to make choices, but those choices are all equally good; in fact, so good that they are unable to make a choice. 

My Travel Experiences in Frankfurt and Beyond

Why can’t there be a standard for everything? I mean, why not? For instance, English people want to be different and they have their weird ways such as driving on the wrong side of the road. But, I digress. What I really want to talk about is my experience in Frankfurt, a place I have never been before.

After deplaning from my Turkish Airline flight from Ankara via Istanbul, I passed through passport control; so far so good. I waited to get my luggage, which was somewhat delayed, but I had no hassle. As I was going through customs, I asked the young lady in uniform packing a gun holster on her side, “Can you tell me where ground transportation is?”