Special Issues - turkofamerica.com

"Turkey Is Safer than New York"

SEYHAN E. ARKONAC (ECONOMIST-LECTURER at NYU)
It was September 10, 2001, when Seyhan Erden Arkonaç started to teach at New York University, leaving his position in Boston at North Eastern University due to the change of his wife’s job...

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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"Our Nervous Systems Are Not That Strong"

BEKIR SAHIN- (TADF, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)
After the first shock of 9/11, the Turkish-American Association (TADF) in New York stepped in as soon as possible. They were receiving telephone calls from Turkey one after another. Those who hadn’t heard from their relatives and friends were worried whether their people were also in the building.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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"I Was Quite Afraid that I Was Wearing A Headscarf"

YETER ÖZDEMİR (HOUSEWIFE)
In the days following 9/11 maybe Americans never realized that they were looking at this woman who appeared quite different from them, maybe they observed her consciously, or maybe, they never saw her at all.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

"Discrimination between 'Our Muslims' and 'Other Muslims"

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the reaction against Muslims and the White House’s demeanor against immigrants made Turkish people who had been living in the USA for several years stop thinking that “the USA is the land of opportunity.” It is obvious that the time that has passed after September 11 has left deep marks on Turkish immigrants.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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Lost Around $10 Million

ADEM ARICI (BUSINESSMAN)

Adem Arici first sees a flash, then a thick layer of smoke over the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, while he is crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. He is the owner of one of the top supermarket chains, Amish. He immediately calls his shop, which is next to the World Trade Center.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

He Lost His Brother

MEHMET IBIS (Trader)
Mehmet Ibis speaks of his desperation in the morning of September 11 with these words, “I got to work at an early hour that morning. My friend called and asked about my elder brother who was working in the World Trade Center. He told me he saw on TV that there had been a small accident at the Towers.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

September 11: Through the Eyes of the Turkish Community

By Elif Özmenek
Photographs by Cem Yücer
Turks are Muslims, but they are not Arabs. They are also a minority in the U.S., but a minority whose origins are hard to tell from their physical appearance. However, their dramatic stories display the fact that the U.S. has started to go through a transitional period and has passed the point of no return.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Admin TOA

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"Come Once, You'll Definitely Love It!"

The number of American tourists visiting Turkey in 2007 numbered 646,376. In 2006 the number had been lower at 532,419, thus indicating a 21.4 percent increase over the year. In 2005, 434,991 people had visited, an even lower number.

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

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Trends in Turkish Tourism: Expat Tours

By Elizabeth Gündoğdu
Ever dreamed of life abroad? Being able to enjoy a country as a non-native, but with all the benefits of local knowledge? Imagine visiting old friends who've relocated to an exotic place. They'd take you to all their favorite places off the beaten track, and guide you through the major attractions knowing just what you'd most like to see and do.

February 14, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

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Worlds Apart, Together in Turkey

By Valerie Block*
I’d been dating Musa for several months when he told me he was going back home to Turkey. I figured it was goodbye boyfriend, but he surprised me by phoning often. Two months into his absence, I was on a plane to Istanbul!

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

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Dangers of Turkish Travel

By Catherine Salter Bayar *
As a Californian clothing designer in my thirties, I’d traveled alone on business to at least 40 countries worldwide. When I announced that I intended to travel solo in Turkey in 1998, however, I was bombarded with warnings from concerned friends about the danger inherent in my plan.

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

A Weird American

By Nathan Redd
I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but “weird American” has probably taken the top spot in recent years. There are many reasons I’ve been called this, but my following the game of futbol (I refuse to call it “soccer”) is one of the major ones.

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

Cappadocia, A World of Caves in the Middle of Turkey

By Pat Yale
Stick a pin into the middle of a map of Turkey, and chances are that you will hit Cappadocia, that wild and wonderful part of the country where a combination of prehistoric volcanic activity and much more recent erosion have created a crazy, mixed-up landscape of soaring rock cones (‘fairy chimneys’) and deep gorges.

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Admin TOA

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The Pearl of the Aegean

By Ayşe Önal Zamboğlu – San Francisco
There are a couple of cities in every country with distinct characters. When you visit such a city, it tells a fairly different story than the rest. If you are planning to visit wonderful Turkey, İzmir will show you a different side of Turkish culture and heritage very well.

February 15, 2008
Published in Tourism
Written by Ayse Onal Z.

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