Customer Reviews

The Yogurt Man Cometh

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"The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales Of An American Teacher In Turkey" is Kevin Revolinski's memoir of what he saw and did as a faculty member of a private school In Ankara, Turkey, where he taught English to classroom students from 1997 to 1998. Kevin combines and chronicles his many adventures traveling as well as his memorable teaching experiences. Writing with an impressive candor about encountering Turkish culture, having cope with a new language, explorations of seeming timeless and surreal landscapes, making lasting friendships, even his attempts at cross-cultural flirtation and acquiring a taste for 'raki', "The Yogurt Man Cometh" is an entertaining as it is informative - as well as being especially recommended reading for anyone considering embarking upon their own business or recreational trip to Turkey.

Kevin Revolinski's first day in Turkey as an English teacher is spent trying to make two Turkish yogurt salesmen understand that he doesn't really want to buy six kilos of yogurt. Intrigued? The adventures only get more interesting and personal from then on: from trying to teach Turkish children English while simultaneously learning about futbol and Turkish pop stars from them, to traveling in Syria and suffering a rather nasty bout of amoebic dysentery, Revolinski offers a no-holds-barred look at a country that doesn't get nearly enough attention in the travel writing canon. A quick, fun read, and one guaranteed to make you hungry for travel and new experiences.

This has got to be one of the most informative books on the adventure of teaching in Turkey -- and the funniest, too. Hopefully the author will write more!

The Yogurt Man Cometh by Kevin Revolinski is a wonderful travelogue/memoir. Revolinski, an American from Wisconsin, decides to become an English teacher at a private school in Ankara. He spends a year there at Büyük Kolej in the Gaziosmanpa'a section of Ankara, quite close to where I used to live. He describes school life which reminded me of my own middle school-high school days at a similar school in Ankara. The Ankara he describes is of the late 90s and while much has changed since the days I was there, many things appear to have remained the same. I enjoyed reading his descriptions of living in Ankara as well as the sightseeing trips he took to various parts of the country. He paints a vivid picture of Turkey, the people, the culture, the food, and the book is full of warmth and humor.

I recently moved to Turkey and a friend gave me this book. SO informative and helpful, and funny! Highly reccommended for anyone travelling or thinking of Turkey.

An amusingly accurate depiction of the cultural differences and excitement encountered when living abroad. Many of the anecdotes had me laughing out loud, recognizing my own blunders and shock in the pages of Kevin Revolinski's book. Highly recommended to anyone who is traveling to Turkey or just interested in the world at large.

A must read for anyone that has traveled to Turkey or is interested in going there. The author combines interesting insights into Turkish culture with humor and a genuine love of the Turkish people.