1978

Hi gang! Back before deadlines were discussed, I decided to return to Turkey on January 15. Exquisite timing. I had ample time to change or cancel my flight, but I didn't seriously consider these options. My home is here now; my belongings, many of my friends, my job, and so on. I began to imagine how the Jews felt in the late '30s in Germany, or various refugees from so many parts of the world—it is so hard to leave the familiarity and comfort of the life that you have built. On the flight to Frankfurt the plane was quiet, virtually empty. The airport was also nearly silent. Unease and tension were close; people glanced suspiciously at othersI know I did. The terrorism history at this airport was well-known to everyone. Fortunately I did not wait long for the flight to Ankara, which was nearly empty as well. I arrived there ten hours before the first bombs in Iraq. The city seemed to be business as usual, but then I noticed clots of people around television sets. Because Ankara is within range of Iraqi missiles, families were moving out of town; schools were planning closings; general hysteria was close to the surface. There were many rumors about closed businesses, about foreigners sending families home, extra security around the American embassy. Fear in my own office. I was moving further west to my home, where the biggest problem was the unusual cold weather and the fact that heating and insulation in my home are both non-existent. And I still do not have heat!

So what did I learn during my short visit to the U.S.? There are lots of growing families. Here's a short list: Terry Scriven and Frank Governalli had Frank Charles Jr. in September; Celia Chen and John Lee had Jane in November (I made a surprise visit one late December night); Bruce Maslack and Suzanne Lynch had Evan in February; CathyAnson and Peter Vaugan had Angus in 1990, to go along with Elliott; and Chris Riley and Marylynn Gentry had Samantha in November. The happy Riley/Gentry family and I had a good ole American New Year's (just the four of us) with mountains of pizza and ice cream, beer and football, and a walk in the park. Even old Uncle Cy managed to hold his own with young Samantha. Of course, I'd had practice at the household of Jim and Ellen Bassett with their youngsters, Jesse and Johnnie. (Three kids in two days—now you know why I rushed back into the war zone...)

Bill and Cindy Dexter, living in Hanover, are pursuing sports medicine and family practice careers. Judy Osher is counselling in private practice at the Cambridge Guidance Center. Athena Moundalexis is heading back to Nepal for the spring trekking season. SteveMaynard was snagged (finally) to work in Turkey, just an hour down the road from where I work. Andy Tuthill still does amazing climbing/geology consulting work around North America with Dihedral Exploration out of Alaska. Carol Hillman Van Dyke is still one happy mom in Stowe, Vt. (though the snow was not so good in December). CayWieboldt Kendrick has a new graphic nationally distributed. Sounds to me like 1990 has been a good year for just about everyone! Let's hope the coming year is even better.

Paul W.Kuhn, Tunus Cad. 76/5, Kavaklidere, Ankara, Turkey