San Francisco like Istanbul, felt like home, says wife of US envoy

ANKARA 

Likening the U.S. city of San Fransisco to Istanbul, Cheryl Flake, the wife of U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeffry Flake, has reflected on her love of Türkiye in an interview with daily Milliyet.

In her first one-on-one interview with a Turkish media outlet on June 26, Cheryl Flake told the daily how her connection to türkiye began in the 1980s.

“When I was a university student in the 1980s, I was a member of a song and dance band named ‘Young Ambassadors.’ We went on a six-week tour to Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye and Greece. We spent two and a half weeks here in Türkiye. My favorite was clearly Türkiye, I mean it. I loved here.”

“I grew up in North Carolina, San Francisco is a lot like Istanbul, and it felt like home right away. We came in May, the fruit trees were in bloom, the weather was beautiful, but the kindness of the people remained in my mind the most,” she added.

“We have spent time in Istanbul, [the western province of] İzmir and [its district] Bergama [Pergamon]. We went to [the ancient city of] Ephesus, and I sang in the amphitheater there.”

The Flake family has fulfilled their sixth month in Türkiye.

“Years later, last month, I revisited the place. We also went to Ankara. I have very good memories of Türkiye. One of the photos I brought with me when I left Türkiye was a photo of my band and some other dancers in Bergama.”

“It was a photo of a dancer holding me in her arms. I thought the photo was taken in Istanbul, but unfortunately, I realized later that it was not. The group in the photo was not Turkish either. Probably from the Balkan countries, it could be Bulgaria because their costumes do not resemble Turkish ones. We were looking for a Turkish person, but we realized that that person was not actually.”

When asked how her days pass in the country, Cheryl Flake directly remarked on her love of tennis.

“I play tennis in the mornings a few days a week. My husband and I also love to play doubles. We play with other ambassador couples, it is a lot of fun. We call this ‘tennis diplomacy.’ On my free days other than Sundays, I start by playing tennis or working out at the gym. Then there are usually several events planned. Usually, my job is to decide on the menu and the details.”

Cheryl Flake was firstly known in Türkiye for decorating the residence’s walls with landscape photos by a Turkish photographer, Cuma Çevik.

“American artists allow us to use their artworks as part of the art program at embassies, but it takes six months for these works to arrive in the residence. We have very large white walls, and I did not want them to stay empty. We printed out his photos and organized a reception for him. He and his wife were living in London at that time. They came here, it was a very nice reception with the participation of several ambassadors and The Foreign Ministry.”

Saying that she is a member of a team named “Spouses of Heads of Mission,” Flake stated: “We hold different events and meetings with other wives of ambassadors from all over the world living in Ankara. In May, we held an event that I also participated in. We have come to the end of this summer, but we are doing events and cultural activities together. I look forward to participating in more of these. And I am planning to host a nice event at the residence in the next six months.”

Flake also highlighted that she loves cooking.

“I have an article in the New York Times titled ‘Cooking for the extended family.’ As I said, we have five children, and four of them are boys. Imagine feeding four hungry boys and an appetent girl. So, I cannot say that a small salad would be enough for everyone. I cook because it is really needed. I love cooking. I have never cooked Turkish food. I must admit, we have a chef doing it for us.”

When asked which cities or tourism hubs she has visited in Türkiye, she listed: “We were in Istanbul for a few times. We went to [the southern provinces of] Adana, Antalya and [the southeastern province of] Gaziantep. Also, we visited [the southwestern province of Muğla’s neighborhood] Göcek and adored it.”

The couple’s plan is to take a tour of the Black Sea region before the weather gets cold and visit the ancient Cappadocia.

The world-renowned tourism hub Bodrum is also on the agenda of the couple. “My son has gone to Bodrum with his friends. We still have not, but we definitely want to.”

The interview comes forefront with a differing point of view Cheryl Flake has presented.

According to the daily, Flake chose a journalism intern to talk to rather than a professional reporter.

When asked why she did not refuse the interview wish of the intern, Asena Yatağan, Flake stated two main reasons. Firstly she wanted to “support youth,” and secondly, “her own daughter was getting media education, too.”