So It Begins ... So This Is Turkey! (Also: The Turkish Diaries)

Merhaba! Surprise! I’m living in İstanbul, Turkey for two months.

Did you know that even after visiting 60+ countries, I’ve never “lived” abroad?

So many transitions happened in my life this year, both professionally and personally, and I wanted to do something to re-center and focus on some personal projects. And of course, I knew I wanted this was the opportunity to do something I had always dreamed of. This was planned right before COVID-19 became a household name, but originally it was going to be Lisbon (my favorite city in the world, I think). İstanbul, another city I adore, was a second choice and one of the few places open to U.S. nationals and citizens and, in spite of the pandemic, I decided to listen to my spirit and say “go”.

There’s so much more to come, including video diaries about my time here, planned interviews with human rights advocates and other activists and overall accounts of life in Turkey during COVID-19. You can follow all my adventures and stories here and on Instagram via #sothisisturkey.

The world might seem like it’s ending, but now is the time to really start living. Let’s do it!