 | Michael Wray April 28, 2024 |
A Meditation Under Gray Skies
MY FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE One of my favorite places to be is at our summer flat in Silivri, about 60 kms outside of İstanbül, where I like to escape to on weekends during the off season to take a break from the constant demands of life in the city. Besides the fact that this small holiday village is…
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| Michael Wray September 19, 2023 |
A PERFECT TURKISH MOMENT
WHY TURKEY? Whenever I visit my homeland, Canada, I inevitably get asked what’s so special about Turkey that I was willing to leave my family and friends and a country that ranks 14th on the list of happiest countries in the world. I explain the great appeal for me of living in a country with such an incredibly…
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| Michael Wray June 9, 2023 |
The Poisoned Chalice
There was once a kingdom divided upon itself, where two dukes sought a coveted chalice. This chalice, said to possess magical powers, was believed to be the key to uniting their land and bringing prosperity and respect to their people. Little did they know that the chalice held a dark secret: the poison of insurmountable problems that could…
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| Michael Wray May 1, 2023 |
AFTERMATH
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back At the dawn of 2023, I was feeling that things in the world had been showing signs of improvement. First and foremost, at great sacrifice to its people and infrastructure, Ukraine had managed to repel the invading Russians from its heartland and seemed poised to launch an effective counter-offensive to its east…
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| Michael Wray March 9, 2023 |
GREEN TURNS TO BROWN
Time, he’s waiting in the wingsHe speaks of senseless thingsHis script is you and me, boy Time – David Bowie Now and Then I’ve been thinking a lot about the relativity of time lately – as one does upon reaching a certain age or point in one’s life. How the summer days seemed endless as a schoolboy,…
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| Michael Wray February 6, 2023 |
Earthquake in Turkey, February 6th, 2023
Not Again! In Turkey the Unthinkable has happened again – a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the southeastern part of the country and Northern Syria at 4:17 a.m. last night, leaving more than 60,000 dead at the latest count. It is the strongest earthquake to have hit the country since 1999 when almost 20,000 people lost their lives…
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| Michael Wray December 10, 2022 |
Winter In Istanbul
It Sure Beats My Hometown This year marks the 28th winter that I’ll be spending in Istanbul, and after growing up in a small town in Northern Ontario, I couldn’t be happier. Today is December 10 and it’s a balmy 18 degrees with gray skies and a high probability of rain. Compare that to my hometown of Sault…
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| Michael Wray October 8, 2022 |
YOU CAN NEVER GO HOME AGAIN
Really? Never? I’ve spent the past couple of months processing my trip home to Canada this summer and have mixed feelings about the title of Thomas Wolfe’s posthumously published final novel. On the one hand, I love my adopted country, Turkey, and can’t imagine going back to live in my homeland. On the other, when I do…
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| Michael Wray April 5, 2022 |
A long and Winding Road
A Most Consequential Meeting The main theme of Milan Kundera’s book, Life is Elsewhere, is the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side of the street. That is, that we might be happier someplace else instead of the place we actually are. I live in İstanbul but the circumstances around how I came to…
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| Michael Wray December 22, 2021 |
THE SECRET LIVES OF THINGS
BEING THANKFUL I am a big believer in expressing gratitude and appreciation for the blessings in my life and feel this sentiment should also include being thankful for mundane things. I don’t have a lot of them but I appreciate everything I have. I am thankful for my bed, pillows, and blankets, for instance, as well as the…