Tess M. Waggoner is human who researches, creates, and writes.
Tess lived in central Turkey for five and a half years. In the 2013-15 academic years, as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship grantee in Kirikkale, Turkey; they later were a graduate student in the Program in Social Anthropology at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.
The proud granddaughter of the late Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail, they serve on the steering committee for their Memorial Lecture Series at the University of Toledo. Tess is a member of the Middle East Studies Association, and has held memberships in AAI’s National Policy Council as well as the American Anthropological Association, the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Network of Arab American Professionals (NAAP), and the Fulbright Association, among others.
This website is maintained to serve as a platform to maintain collections of works online. All opinions or positions reflected herein do not represent the views of any current or previous employers or associations.
tess m. waggoner 
I just got done reading a great book that made me think of the work that you have been doing in Turkey: Aladdin’s Lamp, How Greek Science Came to Europe Through the Islamic World by John Freely. I think the title is somewhat self-explanatory. At the time I read in your blog about visiting Pergamum, I had just read about Galen, as you noted, coming from there. John Freely is an American physicist, who has had an amazing life, traveled extensively, especially in the Middle East, written many books, and ended up teaching the History of Science course at Bosphorus University in Istanbul. This remarkable man is spending the remaining years of his life helping his students gain a better understanding of how their ancesters preserved science and then how it was passed back to the West. You are doing a great job with your blog. It looks like you are enjoying yourself, which I recommend.
Uncle David
dear uncle david,
that indeed sounds like an excellent and important book. i would say that my some of my most treasured lessons from my time here have come from questioning and understanding the ways our histories and the way we tell them have such profound impacts on how we view ourselves and our world.
have you mentioned the book to my sister? i’m sure she would also have an interesting perspective on the subject, as her research is conceptually similar. i’m sorry i don’t get the chance to post more often, but i am glad to know that you enjoy reading. i hope to see you at thanksgiving this year, and we can catch up on some of my more recent travels 🙂
Hello! I have really enjoyed your blog. It’s as if I can feel your experience through the words you put on the screen. I am a US student interested in applying for the ETA Fulbright in Turkey. I would really appreciate the opportunity to get in touch with you. Thank you in advance.
I am here that i dont know why i am here. Any link that taken me here, no matter, thank that matter. It’s a bright explanation of this country (Anyway, as you know we, Turks love complimants about traditions made by forigners, but this time it’s a bit different from all i swear:) ) Not thanks for the things you’d written here coz they are your thoughts i can see. But also thanks for the heartfelt feelings. Good to read , good to feel. Yours sincerely