With powdered sugar dusting our faces and fingers from the half-moon cookies we spent half the day baking, we turn on Channel 22. Anneanne speaks precisely eleven words of English through gritted teeth––hello, how are you, and the days of the week––and I’ve all but sworn off Turkish. But I Love Lucy is universal, whether you're 4 or 64. We roar with delight as chocolates roll endlessly down the conveyor belt. One day, diabetes will eclipse her vision. I’ll learn Vanillekipferl were created to celebrate defeating the Ottomans. For now, the crinkles around my grandma’s eyes are a waxing crescent.
Didem Uca is a full-time Assistant Professor of German Studies and part-time creative writer and literary translator based in Atlanta, Georgia.