The Past Five or So Weeks (Abridged Version) – Part 1

So this is where I began to fall off the world, the net, my blog, etc.

The Saturday after Halloween was Matthias’ birthday. He decided to celebrate by inviting friends to Tophane, an area in Istanbul with outdoor nargile bars. What’s nargile, I can hear you all say? You may know it as hookah or water pipe. It’s quite a nice setup. You can either sit in booths or opt for the more casual bean bag chairs. I looked around and noticed many people smoking nargile while playing backgammon and drinking tea. We opted for the bean bag chairs with some apple teas. Unfortunately, we found out later that these particular apple teas were made from powder (available from any store, boo). People started trickling off from Tophane around 11pm and a smaller group of us decided to head to Taksim to check out a pub or two for a few hours before heading home around 2am.

Sunday was a beautiful sunny 70F day. Three of us started walking around town just to do some exploring. We ended up taking a small private boat, for giggles, to cross the Haliç (or Golden Horn) River then perused a market (or bazaar). We ended up taking a water ferry (or vapur) from the market to area called Eyüp which is considered a very holy area for Muslims. During out ferry ride, we had some tea and met a couple Canadians spending a few days in Istanbul on their tour of Turkey. They joined us as we explored the area and had some lunch. We took a few wrong turns but a couple of kids guided lead us where we wanted to go. Atop a high hill in Eyüp, there is tea garden called Pierre Loti which boasts a scenic view of Istanbul and the Golden Horn. The five of us had some tea and watched the sunset. I even have some pictures that will eventually get posted, I promise. Instead of walking down the hill we rode the funicular to the bottom then took the vapur home. Overall, it was a great day with my first real venture outside of my neighborhood.

Halloween

Friday, October 31, 2008 - Halloween

This morning I headed out of the house a little early to meet up with a friend from the language circle for a traditional Turkish breakfast. It was quite nice, and I bet many people have had breakfasts very similar to this with a few additions. There were a variety of cheeses, breads, meats, jams, Nutella, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and maybe a few more random accoutrements, haha!

After the late breakfast, both of us did some walking around popping in and out of stores before heading to a common expat hangout around Taksim/Tunel area. It’s called Linda’s Book Exchange and people pop in and out to have a tea, conversation, peruse books, or just say hi. We ended up sitting there for nearly two and a half hours drinking tea, having great conversation, and absorbing some must do’s and general tips on Istanbul and Turkey.

Around 7pm, I headed back to the flat but not before spotting a small restaurant that looked like it had some fresh looking food. I popped in to see what it was all about. The clerk and I could not understand each other so we spent a few minutes trying to communicate. He had a large serving of what looked like couscous, but I couldn’t quite tell. Finally, I think he just gave up and gave me a little to try on a piece of lettuce. I thought it was great so I bought a wrap. It was absolutely great food that had a little bit of a spice kick. I asked how much and to my surprise was only 2ytl (~$1.20). Finished it up then headed home. Matthias and his friend were hanging out at the house. I told them of my discovery, and Matthias told me I need to watch out because what I ate is called Cig Kofte and sometimes it contains raw meat. I sorta freaked, but later found out this was the vegetarian version. Anyway, you must try cig kofte, it is absolutely great! We decided to walk Matthias’ friend to the metro station around 12:30am and noticed that some people were dressed up. It took us a moment to remember that today was Halloween. Not a big celebration here in Turkey, though a few people were wearing devil ears that light up. Oh yeah, the walk to the metro included another freaking huge steep hill. Bummer! Came home and crashed!

The Mobile Connection

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Thanks to my friend K, I got a mobile today and now I feel super connected. Well not really, but I feel somewhat normal. Kind of crazy how we get so used to our mobiles and life sort of slows down without one. It’s total BS, though, because we got around fine without them even five or so years ago. Anyway, glad to have it!

It's Been Awhile!

What a horrible song that is, but it's been awhile since I've written in my blog. I've kept up some of the writing, but just haven't published it yet. Basically, the course I started November 3 took over my life, sigh!

Random Indian Guy

So I ran into a random Indian guy today (Wed Oct 29). I was walking back to my apartment and saw an Indian looking guy discussing English with one of the market ladies. I could hear the same thing being repeated in English so I knew this guy wasn’t Turkish. So I stopped, waited till he was done talking, then asked him straight up where he was from (that’s what we Indian folks do). We started chatting, and he invited me to his apartment to hang. I met his roommates an American (teaching English, big surprise) and another Indian guy from Australia who is doing the same as the guy I just met (IT for Turkcell, big surprise for Indians). All three of them were very nice, we sat and had a nice conversation. They all offered to be of any assistance, particularly the American offering his number in case of emergency. Pretty simple day today!

Bananas and a Cat

So I woke up Tuesday (Oct 28) morning kind of hungry for some fruit. I may have mentioned earlier that the Turks don’t really eat much fruit or veggies at least in the restaurant scene. However, around every corner, it seems there is a small market with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. So a few steps from my flat, I stop by and buy a couple bananas. They taste different over here in Turkey, but that shouldn’t surprise me since there are supposedly over 500 varieties of them around the world (or so I’m told)! Regardless of the number of types of them, they are still pretty darn tasty! I continued on to Istiklal Street, which, I don’t think I’ve mentioned, to reach is quite the steep hill from where I live. We are talking some serious incline here folks! I should probably take a picture to prove it. Once again, I was unsuccessful at cashing my Traveler Cheques. I did some further side street exploring then headed home for a few. I wasn’t feeling too well today. I think the traveling, time change, heavy food, and rain all caught up to me where I was a little beat down. I really just wanted to sleep if off, but I had read online there would be a Turkish/English language circle meeting tonight at Dilek Pastanesi, a restaurant not too far from me. On my way up to my room (third floor), I see a random cat hanging on the second floor. I ask Matthias if he knows what this cat is doing here, and he was wondering the same. Apparently, if you leave a certain window open in this flat, you can receive a little furry guest. This isn’t the type of “cat” some would welcome, at least I wouldn’t, ahem! Note to self: close the damn window! Finding the restaurant wasn’t a problem, but locating the group in the large establishment was. I can’t really even begin to explain this place w/ their multiple number of levels and half levels and quarter levels. If you think I’m kidding, just wait and see! Finally found the group on floor 3.25, introduced myself to everyone, and then tripped on the uneven floor surface. Apparently the Turkish/English circle meets every week and is for all speaking levels (and, really, any language). I met an Aussie/Brit, numerous Turkish people, a French girl, two other Americans, and a few other regions. A few of us rode out the evening until 10:30pm or so, did a number exchange (though I don’t have a mobile at this point, but I was happy to share my email address :), then headed out separate ways. Not bad for a random Tuesday!

Day 3

I don’t really remember what I did during the day last Saturday. I think it was a lot of walking around Istiklal Street and sampling random cuisines. In the evening, however, we went to a jazz bar around the Galata Tower area near Tunel (which is also right off Istiklal Street). Pretty much everyone from Thursday night was there with the addition of a few more. The bar had a live jazz band and they even covered some English classics. I got the chance to meet a few more people including a Turkish girl, S, who has lived in Germany all her life but visits Turkey often and is currently in medical school. She could also speak 4 or 5 different languages, impressive!

Day 2

So it’s been a fair while since I’ve updated my blog. Some reasons for the lag are good and some are bad. What’s going so badly? Nothing really too big of a deal! We had nonstop heavy rain for three days starting last weekend. It made for some fairly boring time, so little to really update in my blog, but alas the sky has been clear for days upon days and here I am to provide a weeklong “fill in.” And as I’ve been taught, we should always attempt to see the positive side of things. All that rain was much needed as Istanbul has been too dry the past few years. That rain helped up the reservoir which provides the municipal water for millions of people. Oh, the other major positive, for those few of you that are actually reading my blog. You won’t have to read a complete play by play but instead just the good stuff . . . I hope!

So last Friday (Oct 24), I woke up at K’s house in the morning and just sort of chilled. There’s a knock on the door some minutes later. Fresh baked bread delivered to the door! Had a goat or sheep cheese sandwich then headed off to run a few errands. Came back to K’s house, met K’s mom who had just gotten back from some shopping with her friends, and enjoyed a special blend of Turkish coffee from the southern region of Turkey, a town called, Adana. For those of you who like coffee, give Turkish coffee a try, it’s very similar to Greek coffee (very thick and strong). Didn’t hang around the house long before heading back to my neck of the woods with K. We rode the bus then Metro to get near the area I live called Taksim. Istanbul has an excellent, modern, and clean (and in English) public transportation system. We tried, unsuccessfully, to cash my traveler cheques then again, unsuccessfully, to unlock my mobile phone to use in Turkey. Walked around Istiklal Street, people watched, browsed some shops, then had some coffee to wrap up the afternoon. K had to work so I returned home and figured I’d call it an evening.

Silly me, it’s Istanbul! Turns out my German roommate was meeting some friends for dinner and some drinks and invited me along. How could I say no? We went to a very neat area near Istiklal Street called French Street. Yep, I forgot my camera again but this area was neat. It’s a steep stone staircase with many cafes, restaurants, wine bars, outdoor seating, live music, all with a dash of energetic ambiance. Our Turkish waiter didn’t really understand English so he sent his boss who is apparently “studying to be a ship captain so ‘I’ can speak English just as well as ‘you’.” That was his quote and it wasn’t true, but at least he was confident! Had some food, drinks, enjoyed the live music, and the people watching. We even saw (warning: may be gross for some) a fella being escorted out of the bar by his friends only to plop him down at the table a few steps up from him. He tossed his cookies and successfully scared a table into leaving super quickly. I thought it was funny, some of the table agreed with me, some didn’t! Shortly after the cookie tossing session, we headed home, but not before stopping by a convenience store to pick up a couple bag of chips. Got to the house, ate some chips, my roommate had a sheep cheese sandwich then went to bed, but only after brushing my teeth, duh!

Day 1

Today is Thursday and since yesterday was only a partial day, I call today my first day in Istanbul. However, I was pretty tired and jet lagged so I didn’t really leave my flat until early afternoon. A fairly unproductive but enjoyable day. I live less than a five minute walk from probably the busiest pedestrian area in Istanbul and probably even all of Turkey, Istiklal street. It connects one area called Tünel to another area called Taksim. As mentioned before, this street, in addition to its cross and side streets has all the entertainment one needs. And the people watching is sensational. I’ve seen people from most countries I can imagine and/or recognize. I popped in and out of some shops and tried to unlock and register my US mobile phone. No luck with that, as you have to register your phone and then wait a few days to a week, blah, blah blah. Amazingly, people don’t speak that much English around here. I even had an entertaining time ordering a stuffed baked potato (a jacket potato for the Brits or a kumpir for the Turks) using lots of hand gestures. Also, the Turkish people don’t really like traveler’s cheques for some reason. Apparently banks will cash them but not the change centers. So I was sorta out of luck since I tried to exchange money after 5pm (or 17:00 :). Thank goodness for credit cards! So that was the “boring” part of the day.

*Note: I tried to limit usage of names just in case people do not like their names published, hence me only using letters*

Later in the evening, a friend of mine, K, sent me a message (on the computer since I don’t have a phone that works in Turkey :) and asked if I’d like to join them for food and drinks in the Taksim area. Of course I was down, getting to meet people and go out on the first night. I was very fortunate to meet K here in Istanbul. I met him through a friend in high school, Tony, who went to college with K. We decided to meet at the McDonald’s on Istiklal street. Now, now, it’s not like we ate there, only met outside since it was a central and obvious location to meet. K showed up with his sister, M, and we went to a restaurant to meet others. Here I got to meet another Turkish guy, E, and his Italian girlfriend, G, who met in Germany while doing their MBA’s. G’s Italian sister, J, was also there visiting from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lastly, another fellow, D, who is half Pakistani and half Turkish arrived. I must say, I’m thoroughly impressed with Europeans and how many languages they can all speak. I think we decided that the table as a whole could speak about 8 or 9 different languages and understand maybe 10 or 11. Everyone was so nice and they all had interesting backgrounds. We all sort of nibbled at the food that was already sitting at the table and drank a few Turkish beers called Efes and a Turkish liqueur called Raki (made from anise). After dinner, we popped over to a music venue for a CD release concert at a place called the Jolly Joker Balans. I must say, for a Thursday, this place was sure buzzing! We had a couple more drinks, listened to the live music then decided to call it a night from the bar scene. We headed over to the other side of town and sat around at the apartment of one of the couples and just chatted sans blaring music. Wrapped up the chat and K offered me his couch so I wouldn’t have to venture back to my place unfamiliar with the town. Awfully nice of him! A great first night of exploring and meeting new friends, now I just have to remember all of them!

Day 0.5

My ride from the airport came a few hours later. My keeping them abreast of my delays ended up backfiring since they assumed I was going to miss my connection and planned for a two hour delay. Not a big deal, I just sat down at Gloria Jeans’s coffee and waited. Uğur arrived and helped me with my bags and we headed to the bus station. Owning a car is not all that common in Istanbul since they have great public transportation and traffic can be a pain in the butt. The bus ride was very comfortable and dropped us off not too far from ITI, where I will be doing my training. The institute is on Istiklal street in Istanbul which is a famous shopping, restaurant, and entertainment area. We went upstairs and met my instructor and my host/landlord. I will not attempt to spell my landlord or her boyfriend’s name because I’ll destroy it. They walked me to the flat just a few minutes away. They are both actors and she was in a famous Turkish movie at one time. When I figure out which one, I’ll post it on this blog. They apparently live here sometimes and sometimes they don’t. I have not figured it out yet. The flat is a decent one. It’s not what we would be used to in America, but it’s still comfortable and hospitable. I do need to get used to the showering since there is no shower curtain and one must shower then mop the floor when he’s done. I have the upstairs floor with two beds and a small outdoor terrace where I can drink tea. I also found out I have two more people that live here. A German guy, named Matias, working with setting up German/Turkish young exchange programs and a model and bar hostess (also am not going to try to write her name but it sounds like the Spanish version of Julia). Both are very nice but the three Turkish people I live with don’t really speak English so that’s a little bit of a challenge. Since I didn’t sleep much on the plane, I wanted to fight staying awake until a decent time so I could go to bed at a normal time for this time zone. Good night!

From the US to Turkey Part 2

(I’m in Istanbul airport with my luggage waiting on my ride, woo hoo, but I’ll continue writing where I left off)
The only beer they serve on Lufthansa is Warsteiner. I had three and two glasses of red wine, three cups of tea, five cups of water, one cup of OJ, one cup of coffee, and one serving of cognac. Not sure why I just shared that, but I did! I was a little disappointed with the in flight entertainment. I was hoping for personalized entertainment units where you can select, pause, rewind and all that jazz. The guy next to me said some of the Lufthansa flights have them some don’t. So instead I had to watch whatever was playing which was the Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johannsen. I think that’s why I had so many beverages. What a stunning performance by Alicia Keyes, might be Oscar worthy. The movie wasn’t bad, I cried. Just kidding on the crying and on Alicia. Following the Nanny Diaries was Made of Honor. I had enough sappy films so I read my GQ. Couldn’t fall asleep on this flight.
Landed in Munich, got off the jet way, and wouldn’t you know it, the Istanbul gate was right there. They must’ve known I was coming to provide such VIP service. I waited all of five minutes to be shuffled off to a bus and taken to my next plane. I could choose either the front or back door to enter the place. I was row 27 so I picked the front door (the plane seemed pretty long). Turns out row 27 is the second to last one. Who knew? This flight was fairly empty so I got comfortable pretty quick but then breakfast came. It seemed to a French style breakfast but for all I know it could be German: bread, jam, butter, two types of cold cuts, and two types of cheese. They also gave juice box of orange juice. When was the last time you used one of those? I must admit, watching grown men drink out of them, particularly when they are trying to get that last bit out, is quite funny. Landed in Istanbul, got my visa for 20 USD, then got in a horribly long line for immigration. That really was the hardest part, once I met the officer she didn’t say hello, didn’t ask me any questions, just stamped my passport and I was on my way. No customs either. Anyway, now I am waiting for my ride, but not before someone tried to scam me. An “information” guy asked me if I needed help. I said I needed to make a phone call to which he said no problem. We walked over to a booth a few steps away and it was a taxi/tour bus stand. The guy dialed the number then talked to the guy on the other end but I had no idea what they were talking about. Then he told me I needed to get a taxi to the city center where my ride was going to be. Long story short, I walked away but he told me I needed to pay for the phone call. I said no, he did nothing and I was off to the public phone. I wait.

From the US to Turkey Part 1

Ah yes! So the day to depart for Istanbul has arrived. It has been a fairly quick three weeks. I’ve been helping my folks setup the convenience store they bought. Basically, I’ve been happily providing free labor (into some late nights) and suggestions the past few weeks.

I’m sitting on the plane writing this entry. The day started fairly straightforward but a little early for my liking, 8am, I’ve been getting used to not needing to get up early. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you guys groaning. As many of you can imagine, I didn’t start packing until 11pm the night before I departed. Not as big of a deal since it’s done at this point and my parents helped me, thanks mom and dad! I’m sure I forgot a few things since I already know I forgot my belts. I think I packed too much despite the repeated suggestions of a few friends. We’ll see.

So I got to the airport and attempted to check in. Not possible, my itinerary could not be found. So I asked the agent what’s going on. Nice people but they weren’t sure either. Turns out, I’m flying Lufthansa but my first leg from Fort Myers, Fl to Charlotte, NC is through United but Fort Myers doesn’t have United so it’s actually through US Airways. Of course I didn’t print the paperwork in an attempt to be environmentally friendly (and lazy). Anyway, finally got checked it after a few calls to technical support. However, I only get my ticket to Charlotte since they cannot print my ticket from Charlotte to Munich or from Munich to Istanbul, wonderful. At least my luggage is checked all the way. We’ll see about this since I have no idea if my luggage will make it as I write this. I attempt to get my ticket from Lufthansa in Charlotte to Munich but no one is there because I am four hours early. I decide I will eat some lunch/dinner. I pace around for 45 minutes trying to decide between mediocrity and crap, the choices: Burger King, Manchu Wok, Chili’s Too, Salsaritas, Taqueria, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Quizno’s TCBY, Starbucks, some random Carolina BBQ place, and a few other places I can’t remember. Yes, I really did pace around for 45 minutes (I was on the phone) and decided with Quiznos (Mesquite Chicken, no bacon, thank ya much). Finished lunch then hunted for a power outlet for my phone and laptop (they have free internet at Charlotte airport). Not many power outlets by seats, I’m sure it’s not a coincidence. Finally someone shows up at the ticket counter but the line is moving slow. I get my ticket but am told the flight is delayed, and I probably will not make my connection in Munich so they cannot give me a ticket from Munich to Istanbul. Fabulous, since people I’ve never met and probably cannot easily get a hold of are picking me up. Not sure what’s going to happen at this point since I’m in route.

So the seat I selected on the internet is no longer the seat I’m sitting in. Not sure why that happened, but the agent, who I attempted to flirt with to get an upgrade (unsuccessful), at least got me an aisle seat. However, this aisle seat is a bulkhead seat right next to the “kitchen” and bathrooms. Now, some people like bulkhead seats because there are no seats in front of them. I don’t like bulkhead seats because there are no seats in front of me. You can’t put your feet under the seat in front of you (since there is no seat) and the tray table is flimsy and in your armrest. Whatever, not that big of a deal! What’s more interesting is that since I have a bathroom “view” I witnessed some interesting things. I saw an old dude trying to pick up some young chick, I saw multiple (and I stress multiple) ladies doing stretches and exercises while waiting to use the facilities. Hey, I’m not hating, just observing . . . and smirking! The flight attendants on Lufthansa are awfully nice (and tall and attractive). When booking my ticket I selected the Hindu meal option because I read in a travel article that you get a restaurant made meal when you select special meal options. Unfortunately for me, the article was specifically referencing Halal options, which like Kosher, need to be prepared a certain way and requires a blessing. This usually means it has to come from a restaurant specializing in this. In the instance of Hindu, I think they lean to the vegetarian option. Dang, now I know for next time. Food was good anyway. Well, I need to return my seat to an upright position and stow any items so I’ll end this part now.

From Chicago to Florida

My actual road trip only took me about 24 hours. However, the preparation for my road trip took much longer. For those that know me pretty well, I'm a perpetual procrastinator that moves awfully slowly (together they make for a horrible combination).

On a rainy Monday, after picking up my truck and starting to load it, my friend Josh from college came by to give me a hand. Once that happened, the truck was loaded much more quickly! The evening included dinner and drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Next day, hit the road at a ripe and early 11:30am after lunch at Portillo's (a fitting last meal at a Chicago favorite). Driving a 16 foot truck with a car carrier with no cruise control is really not that fun. Every time I pass or get passed by a large vehicle, my truck and carrier like to drift and sway. Also, late night radio is primarily the Righteous Brothers (really not that fun to listen to), lots of Journey (ok for a short while), Candlebox (do you even remember them), and all around crap! I needed to stop for gas so I decided to grab some dinner. Options were limited at this particular exit so I went for the Taco Bell. What was I thinking? TB is definitely bad Karma, but I went with the "Fresca" options, which in TB speak is "healthy." Not so sure about that. I asked the lady if there were any coffee shops around to which she replied, "The Speedway down the road has really great coffee!" Now, I'm not sure if taking advice from the Taco Bell lady or going to the Taco Bell was worse, but Speedway coffee is really not that good. After using a few of those International Delight "creamers," I was back on the road with said crap coffee in hand. I talked to a lot of people on the phone, but found as it got really late in the night, no one is up anymore. So I decided to call my 24 hour credit card company phone line and discuss some business that turned into a friendly conversation. How fun! Thanks credit card lady! After driving a solid 16 hours and about a 1000 miles and passing 239 Waffle Houses, I decided to stop at a rest area around Tifton, GA for a brief nap. Now for one of my favorite parts. I decided to nap on the couch in the back of my truck in the rest area. Yes, a little bootleg but quite comfortable. Three hours and a face wash later, I was back on the road. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, but I will tell you this--avoid all the "Welcome Centers" in Florida unless they are the ones at the border of the state. Turns out the other "WC" are pushes for Orlando that resemble somewhat of a scam! The free orange juice just ain't worth it! I rolled in Port Charlotte around 3 or so, parked my vehicle, said hello to my parents, ate some food, then took a long needed nap! I'm here!

The Beginning

I'm 28 years old, and I don't think I've seen enough of the world! That would be the "summarizing sentence" with what's been going on with me and my decisions.

I was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and lived there till I was 10. I moved to upstate New York and lived there for two years before moving to Ames, Iowa with my family. I went to the University of Iowa in Iowa City for my undergraduate in Industrial Engineering before taking a job with Caterpillar for 3.5 years. The job with Cat was a good one, and I met lots of great people. During the time, I had the opportunity to live in various cities including: Atlanta, GA; Aurora, IL; Peoria, IL; Raleigh, NC; and Chicago, IL. I also had the opportunity to visit the UK and Japan with my roles. However, I wanted to see and experience more!

I decided to quit my job with Caterpillar to travel and teach around the world. My first stop is on October 21, 2008 to Istanbul, Turkey for a few months. There I will take a certification course to teach English (called CELTA). After completion, I would like to head to Seoul, South Korea to actually teach, though that decision is still up for debate. Other locations in the running: Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore; Malaysia; and Indonesia.

Alas, the Journey Elsewhere begins . . .