It’s not a shame that photography is banned inside the palace. When you step away from the lens, because the whole building you’re in is a masterpiece, you get to reflect and be grateful that you have some place that you can call home and to be this proud of, too.
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“Cake, cake, feed American girl, wet, cake” apparently doesn’t translate into Turkish very well. Continue reading »
I have somewhat of an impressive memory. Vast and deep, I can usually be relied upon to remember exactly what you wore when I met you, what our conversation was, and that slight smell of pine on your shoulder as if you were a Jack Black screenplay (“Be Kind, Rewind” is a cinematic masterpiece. So … Continue reading »
Just an update: here’s something I started writing last Saturday that I’ve been a little…hesitant to post. Not because I’m not sure it’ll be received well — I’m actually kind of sure that there might be a lot of controversy to me publishing this on da travhel blahhg — but I’m hesitant because there’s a … Continue reading »
Hello. Haven’t heard from me in a while huh? Well. I have a lot to say about that. But these days I am back at BYU and writing for the BYU Center for Service blog. It’s a little different, but check it out sometime. I write about service and I get people to write about … Continue reading »
So lest you start believing that Turkey was a completely unbelievable dream and thereby exempt from slandering libel, I’m here today to write on the BITTERNESS and the INJUSTICE that happened to me in Istanbul. INIQUITY, I say. Continue reading »
I heard about the Boston Marathon tragedy sitting home alone. I had just tweeted something humorous to a friend. And then news hit. And then more. All of a sudden the news of this horrible, unbelievable tragedy flooded my screen. I scoured the internet for updates, more news, names of those injured. I sat. I … Continue reading »
Zeynep, the owner and trailblazer of the shop, lives for traditional handicraft of shoes. “Istanbul,” she explained, “used to be a center for shoe craft. When I was young, I saved my money to repair and custom make shoes.” These days, things are different. Things have changed. The desire for trend, the thrift of Forever 21, and want of abundance have changed the industry. “Shoe making is a dying craft.” Continue reading »
By the time this post is up, I won’t actually be in Turkey anymore (don’t worry, I have so much material that I’ll probably be writing about it for months (suckers! muh hah ha hah)). I have to tell you that jet lag is a floozy so I’m taking this sudden burst of energy to … Continue reading »
