Week #2: Getting the hang of it, slowly
I am getting used to Istanbul, seeing the city little by little. My work involves mostly paperwork, writing letters, faxes and occasionally talking to a customer by phone. I like the workings of the export department. Later on this week, I will help in the import department. They actually import raw materials from all over, not just France. Some materials are from Canada.
My first weekend here was awesome. I met up with Salih, a former Aiesec member. We took the ferry through the Marmara Sea to the European side, to the very touristy and historical district of Sultanahmet, named after Sultan Ahmet. This district is always full of tourists. The European side of Istanbul has so much history. We hit up the major touristic attractions: the Blue Mosque; the Haghia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace.
The Blue Mosque
It’s not actually blue, but got the name from the blue coloured tiles inside. As you probably know, to enter a mosque you have to dress conservatively and enter without shoes. So they conveniently provide plastic bags to carry your shoes (unfortunately the stinky smell of foot odour permeates the mosque), and blue wraps to put over your head to cover your shoulders and chest if you are wearing a tank top and for your legs if you are wearing a skirt/shorts. I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and jeans and so was dressed ok.
It is very beautiful and free of course to enter. The bell on top rings five times a day as a call to prayer for Muslims. Outside there are water taps to rinse your feet after you leave.
http://www.guideistanbul.net/sultanahmet.htm
The Haghia Sophia (Divine Wisdom)
Constructed during in 537 AD, less than a century after the fall of Rome, the Haghia Sophia was a church. When Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople in1453, he remade the church into a Mosque. When Turkey became a republic in 1934, the Haghia Sophia was declared a museum.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=107563
The Topkapi Palace
The palace not only provided the housing for the ruling royalty for than than three centuries during the Ottoman Empire, but was also a command centre and a pleasure dome. With many different rooms and areas to visit, the one area that I regret not visiting is the Harem (it was extra to get in). The Harem is the area where the concubines lived. Eastern European girls were preferred for their fair skin. It was forbidden to make slaves of Muslims and so they had to be either Christian or Jewish.
http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/Ext/palace.html
I am lucky in that I can pass for a Turkish person and so I paid Turkish prices. 3,000,000 lira as opposed to 15,000,000 liras. I recently figured out that one Canadian dollar equals one million Turkish lira. Ya, it took me a few days but it feels good to know the price of things now and their value. That is the cost during the low season, but in the summer that price doubles.
At night when we took the ferry back to the Asian side, there was some kind of festival. There was a performance by a Turkish singer and people were randomly dancing in the crowds. The music was from the Black Sea; I guess the only way I can describe is that it sounds kind of gipsy like. A large group of people were doing the Black Sea dance where you hold hands in a circle and do various steps. It looks like so much fun. I gotta learn. I spotted a few cuties in the crowd too.
Other observations
F&B
Hmmm let’s see. Yes. Heheh I thought that I would be drinking stupendous amounts of coffee and was kind of worried, but it is not so. Actually I am drinking less than normal. In the morning and afternoon tea is provided. We usually have a cup of coffee after lunch. Nescafe is readily available (instant coffee).
There are so many cafes here it is amazing, especially when they overlook water. You can linger for hours. Backgammon is provided. I learned how to play on Sunday when we went to Ortakoy. It’s kind of like Chinese checkers.
I have been noticing that eating with your fingers here is not common. Even for finger foods like pizza and chicken wings. I don’t know if this is widespread but are my observations so far.
Earthquakes
Yesterday (Sept. 29, 04), Istanbul experienced an earthquake along the Marmara Sea so it was closer to the Asian side (where I live). It was a 4.2 on the rictor scale. I was stuck in traffic and didn’t feel anything but people left their apartments and were on the street. The company provides a bus shuttle service for the managers. I took it yesterday. Normally, it takes about one hour to get home using the shuttle service (mine is almost the last stop) and it took 2 hours. The traffic was so insane. I got home at 8pm (the work day is 8:30-5:45 (freakin long). Experts say that is the first in a series and they are expecting a huge one in the next 50 years. In 1999, Izmit (the city where my work is) was devastated by a 7.2 earthquake.
Oh and I watched one of the Turkish teams play Manchester United in soccer. They are crazy about soccer here like most other Europeans. MU won 6-2.
Well this weekend I am off to Antalya, a nice city on the Mediterranean coast about 12 hours away. There’s a beach! I’m so psyched. I will finally be able to meet the other trainees and Aiesec members.
Hope you all have a greeeatt weekend!
My first weekend here was awesome. I met up with Salih, a former Aiesec member. We took the ferry through the Marmara Sea to the European side, to the very touristy and historical district of Sultanahmet, named after Sultan Ahmet. This district is always full of tourists. The European side of Istanbul has so much history. We hit up the major touristic attractions: the Blue Mosque; the Haghia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace.
The Blue Mosque
It’s not actually blue, but got the name from the blue coloured tiles inside. As you probably know, to enter a mosque you have to dress conservatively and enter without shoes. So they conveniently provide plastic bags to carry your shoes (unfortunately the stinky smell of foot odour permeates the mosque), and blue wraps to put over your head to cover your shoulders and chest if you are wearing a tank top and for your legs if you are wearing a skirt/shorts. I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and jeans and so was dressed ok.
It is very beautiful and free of course to enter. The bell on top rings five times a day as a call to prayer for Muslims. Outside there are water taps to rinse your feet after you leave.
http://www.guideistanbul.net/sultanahmet.htm
The Haghia Sophia (Divine Wisdom)
Constructed during in 537 AD, less than a century after the fall of Rome, the Haghia Sophia was a church. When Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople in1453, he remade the church into a Mosque. When Turkey became a republic in 1934, the Haghia Sophia was declared a museum.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=107563
The Topkapi Palace
The palace not only provided the housing for the ruling royalty for than than three centuries during the Ottoman Empire, but was also a command centre and a pleasure dome. With many different rooms and areas to visit, the one area that I regret not visiting is the Harem (it was extra to get in). The Harem is the area where the concubines lived. Eastern European girls were preferred for their fair skin. It was forbidden to make slaves of Muslims and so they had to be either Christian or Jewish.
http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/Ext/palace.html
I am lucky in that I can pass for a Turkish person and so I paid Turkish prices. 3,000,000 lira as opposed to 15,000,000 liras. I recently figured out that one Canadian dollar equals one million Turkish lira. Ya, it took me a few days but it feels good to know the price of things now and their value. That is the cost during the low season, but in the summer that price doubles.
At night when we took the ferry back to the Asian side, there was some kind of festival. There was a performance by a Turkish singer and people were randomly dancing in the crowds. The music was from the Black Sea; I guess the only way I can describe is that it sounds kind of gipsy like. A large group of people were doing the Black Sea dance where you hold hands in a circle and do various steps. It looks like so much fun. I gotta learn. I spotted a few cuties in the crowd too.
Other observations
F&B
Hmmm let’s see. Yes. Heheh I thought that I would be drinking stupendous amounts of coffee and was kind of worried, but it is not so. Actually I am drinking less than normal. In the morning and afternoon tea is provided. We usually have a cup of coffee after lunch. Nescafe is readily available (instant coffee).
There are so many cafes here it is amazing, especially when they overlook water. You can linger for hours. Backgammon is provided. I learned how to play on Sunday when we went to Ortakoy. It’s kind of like Chinese checkers.
I have been noticing that eating with your fingers here is not common. Even for finger foods like pizza and chicken wings. I don’t know if this is widespread but are my observations so far.
Earthquakes
Yesterday (Sept. 29, 04), Istanbul experienced an earthquake along the Marmara Sea so it was closer to the Asian side (where I live). It was a 4.2 on the rictor scale. I was stuck in traffic and didn’t feel anything but people left their apartments and were on the street. The company provides a bus shuttle service for the managers. I took it yesterday. Normally, it takes about one hour to get home using the shuttle service (mine is almost the last stop) and it took 2 hours. The traffic was so insane. I got home at 8pm (the work day is 8:30-5:45 (freakin long). Experts say that is the first in a series and they are expecting a huge one in the next 50 years. In 1999, Izmit (the city where my work is) was devastated by a 7.2 earthquake.
Oh and I watched one of the Turkish teams play Manchester United in soccer. They are crazy about soccer here like most other Europeans. MU won 6-2.
Well this weekend I am off to Antalya, a nice city on the Mediterranean coast about 12 hours away. There’s a beach! I’m so psyched. I will finally be able to meet the other trainees and Aiesec members.
Hope you all have a greeeatt weekend!
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