Serdar Acar

I am almost 51 years old. I was born and raised in Türkiye and later moved to the United States. I have lived in the U.S. longer than I lived in Türkiye. I am married with two children. I am the oldest of seven brothers.

Expressing Myself

From ages 12 to 18, I lived in a boarding school with no TV, computers, phones, or video games. I spent most of my time reading and finished hundreds of books. Reading shaped my imagination and helped me understand the world better.

I started writing at age 14 for my boarding school newspaper. I wrote about social and environmental issues, justice, equality, and religion. I those years, I dreamed of traveling the world and writing an adventure book like Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatname. In college, my writing became more personal and imaginative. I wrote short stories and poems, but most of them were lost over time.

After moving to the U.S., I stopped reading and writing in Turkish so I could focus on learning English. I began reading English books and slowly writing in English, which was challenging at first. Now -after two decades, I feel comfortable reading and writing in English; however, I sometimes find it easier to express myself in two languages at the same time. Recently, I started video blogging (vlogging) just for myself—nothing serious, simply recording daily activities.

Married Life

I have been married to my Irish-born wife for 20+ years. We have two children. One goes to college, the other one is still young. Since we got married, we lived in Manhattan, then Florida, then Manhattan again, for the past years we’ve been living in the Bronx. Life is easier in the Bronx.

Despite our different cultures, religions, and backgrounds, me and my wife have a strong relationship. We also work together. We enjoy food, small gatherings, and traveling together. We also respect each other’s need for personal space and sometimes travel separately while supporting each other and our children.

Work

I have been working at Dinolingo, a language learning company, for over 15 years, and I enjoy my work a little more each year.

Cancer

In late 2018, doctors discovered a large tumor in my stomach by chance. I underwent major surgery in 2019. Three years later in 2022, another tumor appeared, and I had a second, minor surgery. Since then, 30+ additional tumors have developed in my mesentery. I have a very rare cancer called low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma. Doctors estimate that only 30-40 people worldwide may have this type of cancer affecting the abdomen. Read more.

Enjoying Life after Cancer

I don’t know how much time I have left—maybe months, maybe years. I hope to have a healthy life and see my children grow. I don’t feel angry or afraid of cancer. I believe everything happens for a reason.

I enjoy life deeply and believe that every day is a gift. A typical week day for me includes a morning walk, a few hours of work, more walking, and spending time with my family. On many weekends, as a family we leave the city to enjoy nature or visit relatives and friends. We try to travel abroad every summer. I have visited 35+ countries and hope to see many more.

I enjoy cooking, watching sports or movies, and drinking hot coffee—and sometimes tea. I like photography and video recording, and I enjoy going to the spa for body and foot massages. I like listening to people with interesting life stories and meeting new people. While it becomes harder to make new friends as we get older, I still enjoy connecting with others. I also appreciate therapy—where someone is paid to listen to my nonsense 🙂

Living with cancer definitely has changed how I see life. I try to appreciate each day and not get upset over small things. I care less about what others think. I pray sometimes and reflect more on life after death. I see life as a game where we collect points before moving on.

My Goals

I focus only on short-term goals, a few months at a time. These include continuing to work in a low-stress environment, spending time with family and friends, writing short stories, keep practicing intermittent fasting, walking daily, singing more, organizing old photos and videos, helping people, animals, and the environment, and traveling whenever I can.

Countries I Have Been

Türkiye, USA, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada
Italy, -Vatican, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine
Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Poland
Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, England, Northern Ireland
Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Nepal, Bahrain, Philippines, Morocco

Footprints

Ages 0-17: Gazcilar. (born), Setbasi, Kemercesme. Gazcilar, Kasapoglu, Zafer, Kaplikaya
Ages 17-20 Kadirga, Kumkapi, Tarabya,
Ages 20-22 Kaplikaya, Gazcilar
Ages 22-25 Tarabya. Davutpasa, Mecidiyekoy,
Ages 25 – 34 Rochester, Batavia, H, Church. Prospect, Manhattan
Ages 34 – 41 M. Palm, J. Bay, P. Royal (Eisles), Bram, T. Way
Ages 41 – ~ present BPC, Pawling, Bronx

Articles

Life is a game, have fun

My intermittent fasting,

Our coop buying process, Sep 22, 2022

My Soft Tissue Sarcoma Tumor – LGFMS, September 19, 2022

Our Scandinavian trip, July 24 2022

My childhood

Tea Leaves – Film Script, 2004

Future Forecast

I am, we

Watching our lives

Gold Key Service Review (2016)