Monthly Archives: March 2012
The Life of The Great Melt – What Hides Beneath the Snow in Kars
"Have you really forgotten us?"
A toxic cocktail of dust, coal, petroleum, burning garbage, fog, smoke, and air strangles me as I walk through Kars at sunset. Outside of the lethal bubble of fumes that encapsulates the city, my blurred vision distinguishes the smooth lines of a pristine landscape that looks like the moon. It is surreal, martian terrain that suggests thin air and icy famine. A small blur, a fox whips its head out of the snow like a curious character from the Little Prince, but too hungry to linger, it dives back into the icy crust of the steppes. If the land out there is the moon, here in Kars, it is sandy red Venus, the houses burping with rising smoke and heat, a lethal venom that slithers through my nose and down my throat. Read the rest of this entry
Starting a Business in Turkey is Like Finding a Lost Ipod on a Ski Slope
Loving it!
Never in my life have I not fallen asleep on a plane. Until now. For the entire 2 hours from Istanbul to Kars, I peered out of the window, mapping my future over the rippling snow-covered mountain ranges that lead to Kars. I searched for the familiar landmarks I have been crossing now for years, the major highways, lakes, rivers, valleys, and cities – leading me all the way to one of Turkey’s last frontiers and my home for the next nine months. Read the rest of this entry
The Road to Kars: How I Made it Back
Last May, when I quit my job to move to Kars, Turkey to live with nomadic beekeepers, there were three thoughts running through my mind:
1. I have no idea what I am doing.
2. I know no one.
Our Favorite Balyolu Photos – For Our Kickstarter Fans!
We had a great Kickstarter campaign last month and we are now preparing to send out all of our gifts and words of thanks around the world (thank you, tesekkur ederiz, გმადლობთ, cox sağ olun, mamnoon!). Read the rest of this entry
Let’s chat about business, happiness, and bees! March 9th and March 12th
Every living creature has a “sweet spot,” a baseline for happiness, an instinct or internal compass that knows what it is that we are actually supposed to do. We may not entirely find what we are looking for, but something drives all of us to search for what it is that makes us buzz. Read the rest of this entry
Balyolu: The Honey Road
Cat as a National Geographic Young Explorer
Claire Bangser Makes Things
One Sticky Hive
