mandalinyam

I don't remember much of my childhood except some crappy days being picked at during school.  my life outside of school was much more exciting, kids at my neighbourhood were nicer and we had a nice group.  I always hated school, never saw the point of it, even as a kid I preferred learning outside of school, by doing, watching and using my hands. School is too much memorizing not enough action. I was born in Istanbul, Turkey.  It was end of middle school that my father, who grew up in Germany, decided that I had to go abroad to continue my education.  Realizing the crappy education system back home his mind was set that I needed what he experienced.  His father had left him and my grandmother at the age of 7, which forced them to move to Germany.  He was there until graduating from college.  Comparing the educational system at both countries he realized that I needed to be more of an international individual. After a few summer camps in London an...

I was blessed to acquire land at the age of 33, for the second time in my life.  I was in 9th grade when my parents moved out of the city for the first time and got a house with land.  At that age I didn't know what plants were, what they did or how important they were,  I was too occupied with video games and high school drama at the time. It was a dream house, two stories, wooden cabin style.  Huge sliding glass doors everywhere.  No neighbours, in the middle of a private forest.  My father had turned the side of the house to a vegetable garden.  Large variety of plants, looking back now I can barely picture the stone pathways and baby watermelons on the vine.  I never had the interest to look at it long enough to create a more stable memory.   16 years later, lifetime of memories, travels, living abroad, I return as a plant lover to a new land.  New possibilities arise.!  This time I care about the garden, I ...