First week in Istanbul!

There are only a few times a year when I experience weeks as disruptive as this last one. Everything is so new and unfamiliar, from the location of knives in my kitchen to the Turkish column names in the database tables our team works with. Just like when I first arrived to Glasgow, I'm operating in constant 'what-is-happening-brain-overload-hallppp' mode - every little thing is something new to learn and master.

It's definitely been overwhelming - but in a good way. I'm a firm believer that this kind of shakeup is good for the brain. Too much lollygagging in the same place brings about mental canker sores.

In my last entry, I alluded to spending our one day in Glasgow in packing hell...

Brought to you by Hurricane ThoughtWorks.

Above is a highlight from Packocalypse. Everything on the daybed was to donate or give away, everything on the coffee table was a 'maybe', and everything on the dining table was a 'definitely take with us'. Not pictured: further Packocalypse wreckage in bathroom and bedroom.

The move was made up of a series of small miracles.

1. I was able to sell my Lady Gaga tickets that day via Gumtree, the UK's answer to craigslist 

2. We were able to offload many items to co-workers

3. We eventually managed to to sit/stomp/punch our belongings into a total of 10 bags. 

4. The airline only lost one of said bags. 

5. The airline recovered it and sent it to us. 

6. Neither of us went insane.

Our unit here in Istanbul is in a ridiculously glamorous skyscraper. If it looks familiar, it's because I stayed here six months ago when visiting the city. What's funny is that the bedroom we slept in then, which belonged to another ThoughtWorker who was out of town at the time - is the one we ended up moving into now. And the colleague who had hosted us before is now our roommate - small world!

Our new living room - pretty different from the old one.

Breakfast with the roomies.

I could get used to these floor-to-ceiling windows.

The residence tower where we stay is connected to the corporate tower where we work via a shopping mall. So the commute is a five-minute weave between the two buildings and does not require going outside...sounds pretty great, and it has been so far (no need to carry an umbrella...what a difference from the UK!), but I'm fairly sure it'll begin to feel a bit Truman-Show-esque after a while.

Where I work. This building looks identical to the one where I live.

In between all the packing and shopping for supplies, we managed to squeeze in a long run over the weekend. Along the way, we encountered a few interesting locals:

We cracked up at this Jesus-like bird basking in the warmth of the rising sun.

Our roommate and a furry friend.
The stray dogs in Turkey are incredible - friendly, mostly huge, clean, and healthy.
This fella was downright fat!

Just from first impressions so far, the boy and I have dubbed Istanbul as the the love child of Manhattan and Bangalore, which rings true to the epithet of this city being where East meets West. There are people milling about at all hours of the day and the city seems to offer a bit of everything. Admittedly, I've seen very little of Istanbul so far but I hope to explore more in the coming weeks and share what it's like here.

One thing I've already grown fond of are the salats, or prayers, that are performed five times a day in the mosques. At first, I (very stupidly) thought they were recordings. Which in retrospect makes no sense at all. Derp.

Here is an example of a salat being performed at the Blue Mosque. I think they sound very beautiful.

I'm happy and excited to be here. It doesn't take much - just being around wonderful people and amazing food (almost as important!) tends to do the trick. Istanbul is already beginning to feel like home away from home.

ThoughtWorkers up to no good.

Magnets from our travels holding up far-away family and friends.

We've been playing a lot of Jaipur, an excellent boardless game.

I couldn't resist a quick snap of my new bling against the urban backdrop.

One thing in our 'definitely take with us' pile of things was our airbed. So if you, dear reader, are interested in visiting out this amazing city, let me know! I would love to host you and show you around.