The Roving Eye

Last weekend, the boy, our roommate and I roamed out to Taksim, a district that is often referred to as the heart of modern Istanbul. We were strolling along İstiklal Avenue (the equivalent of Chicago's Magnificent Mile or London's Oxford street) when we came across an art exhibition named The Roving Eye, a collection of pieces by contemporary artists across Southeast Asia.

It all began with the donut-like ping pong table, which immediately caught our eye through the glass as we were walking by...

Curiosities thoroughly piqued, we wandered in, unsure of what we were getting ourselves into.

One of these is not like the other.

Some pieces like this one seemed whimsical at first but on closer inspection, carried heavy political undertones.

It became obvious very quickly that this was no ordinary museum. Many of the exhibits encouraged or even required their audience to interact with the art.

Listening to traditional Southeast Asian music.

Making some music of our own.

???

Hats in the styles of various monarchs, all made of scrap metal.

Playing dress up.

One particularly interesting piece was set up in such a way that the viewer is invited into a small area with ordinary furnishings and a mirror on the wall. You walk in, survey the things around you, wonder what's so special about this area, and take a quick glance into the mirror on your way out - only to see nobody there, or worse, a different person entirely! Because there is no mirror after all, just two identical, very cleverly set up spaces. Really alarming stuff.

Another really memorable exhibit was one in which high-def cameras mounted on the ceiling were pointed at records on a table. The view from the camera was then projected on the wall so as a participant, you could see your hands as you disc jockey'ed. In the picture below you can see on the left what both projections looked like (before I stuck my mug into the right one):

I managed to convince the boy to join me for what I think turned out to be an interesting photo. The pose was tricky and required performing a bridge-like move, arching our our backs back so that our faces could fit into the small frame of the lens.

At one point a museum docent approached us and I was sure he was going to give us a stern talking to for laying our heads down on the records... but he was so amused that he actually helped the boy bend back further. He also requested to see the photos afterwards, to which we happily obliged.

We spent almost two hours in the museum before wandering back out. It was getting dark already, so we weaved downhill through stores and restaurants until we reached the Galata Tower.

Along the way, we picked up a funny little souvenir.

Best 5 turkish lira I've ever spent.

We concluded our evening with a meal back in our part of town, Mecidiyeköy. I went for a traditional kebab dinner with a healthy serving of kuru fasulye, a Turkish bean stew that is addictingly good. A delicious end to a fun day out.

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.

Istanbul-bound!

It's confirmed* - I'm going to Istanbul!

The backstory: there have been some changes here at our client in Glasgow, one of which resulted sadly in our current development team being reduced to roughly half of what it was. At first, the boy and I were told we'd be sticking around. This made sense given that we were based here and many team members who traveled weekly from London, Manchester, etc requested to roll of. But the day before we were leaving for our 2-week vacation (which we are on now), we got the news that our schedules and skill sets lined up better with the gig in Turkey, and were we willing to go? And just like that, we announced to the team that the following day would be our last. 

Logistically we'll be operating in fast forward mode - once we get back to the UK, we'll have a day to pack up in Glasgow, the next day to fly to Istanbul to get settled, and the day after that we'll be at our new client...ahhh!!! Then a week after, we'll head to London to get obtain our full working visas, then it's back to Istanbul for good, with sighs of relief. 

I'd always felt pretty comfortable with the 'pack up and hop on a plane with ridiculously short notice' mentality that comes with being a consultant at ThoughtWorks, but I've definitely gone soft since living in Glasgow and not traveling for work the past year. I'm picturing our apartment and all the random shit we've accumulated - climbing gear, airbed and extra pillows/sheets/blankets, dozens of jars of spices, random souvenirs (thankfully we stuck mostly to magnets), clothing and electronics... to pack or donate all that, sell our bicycles, and pop in to say goodbye to our co-workers all in one day will be the ultimate test of my road warrior abilities.

I'll definitely miss Glasgow. I've grown fond of living and working here. There are still many things I wanted to do in Scotland, like hike Ben Nevis and eat a deep fried Mars Bar and go back to Edinburgh. Leaving on such short notice makes me feel cheated of a proper farewell. 

But travel madness aside, I'm really looking forward to the next adventure. I loved my visit to Istanbul earlier in the year - it left me craving to see more of the country, like the hot air balloons of Cappadocia or the salt pools of Pamukkale. Moreover, I welcome the challenge of a new client, a new city, a new culture. This assignment will take me out of the cozy, predicable nest I've built in Glasgow and catapult me outside my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to learning, to growing, and to helping my new team ship some kickass Turkish technology!

*Well, as confirmed as things at ThoughtWorks get, which is never quite 100%. I'll truly believe it when I've been there a week!

Illustrious Istanbul

With the big Western Europe cities (Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam) out of the way, I set my eyes on my next destination in Europe's easternmost facade, in the epicenter of religion, culture and history itself: Istanbul.

We spent four devastatingly short days in the city. Here are a few highlights of the trip.

First things first: the food. Oh sweet baby Jesus. Nobody had told me about the food in Turkey. So I, level 99 ignorant American, had pretty much no expectations...maybe just some hummus here and there, or er, a giant turkey leg, like the ones sold in Disney World?

My feeble mind was quickly blown away. Everything was so simple yet tasted incredible. My first meal there was basically just a plate of some soupy beans. But by god, I swear they were the tastiest soupy beans in this planet. And it was all uphill from there.

Turkish style tacos with meat (lamb and chicken), fresh salsa, veggies and wraps.

Ayran, a cold yogurt drink, was often served along with our meals. It reminds me a lot of suan nai in China,
but here it was eaten with salt and cumin! Fun fact: it's even served in McDonalds in Turkey.

The fellas showing off the fresh fish they caught bought for lunch.

A bit of Turkish coffee to savor after lunch

Colorful candy being rolled up by a street vendor

Gooey!

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the ubiquitous Turkish tea that was served in a tulip-shaped glass at almost every meal. Perhaps it was because I was too busy burning my fingers on the glass. Burnt fingers notwithstanding, the tea was lovely and I began to look forward to it every day.

Photo from www.istanbulfoodbazaar.com

We were also fortunate enough to see some of our fellow ThoughtWorkers cross the finish line in the Istanbul half marathon!

Then we began a whirlwind few days of sightseeing - starting with the breathtaking Hagia Sophia, of course.

#photosruinedbytourists

So much history reflected on the walls

ThoughtWorkers in the Haghia Sophia!

And just a hop and a skip away, the stunning Blue Mosque:

The boy's scandalously uncovered arms rock the nation

Surreal, isn't it?

Afterwards, we ducked out of the sunlight and into the nearby Basilica Cistern. It was incredible to learn that they had been constructed by the Romans all the way back in the 6th century. Also, having read Dan Brown's Inferno (I know, I know...) I was really excited to see what they were like in person. They didn't disappoint.

Robert Langdon was here.

Next stop on the Tourist Express was the Topkapi Palace. This was by far the most touristy of all the sites. Although the palace itself was lovely, the crowds became a bit overbearing and we didn't linger too long here.

The sultan's harem

Palace mugshot

A Nimbus 2000 appears

And of course, no trip to Istanbul would be complete without a peek (ok, more like 2 hours) in the Grand Bazaar, where smoky spices beckoned to my wallet and colorful scarves tugged at my heartstrings as I walked slowly through the stalls, head swaying from side to side, trying to take in all the goods on display.

He did not purchase this hat, though looking back I sort of wish he had.

In the end I didn't purchase much - just a ceramic pointed shoe that I thought would make a nice vase (one day, when I have a permanent home), but my travel companion made away with a huge gorgeous blue lamp that got wrapped in what seemed like eighty million layers of cardboard and then assaulted with a bazillion yards of packing tape. How she will manage to unpackage that lamp is a mystery that the world may never see unraveled.

One distinctly touristy thing we didn't do was take a Turkish bath, or a hammam. The idea certainly was appealing but we simply never found the time...ah well, it'll have to happen in another visit.

Along our adventures, I noticed many stray animals roaming the streets as well. Most were just snoozin' along...

But a few furballs were definitely out and about, doing their thing.

You kids get off my lawn right meow!

Thirsty thirsty dog bear fluffball.

This may or may not have been a real bear.

And in the evening, we'd retreat back to our friend's apartment, which was literally in one of the two adjoining Trump Towers of Istanbul and had some pretty incredible views as a result:

One thing that I found slightly puzzling was the public transit system. Istanbul had incredibly sophisticated network of bus routes along with a sprawling subway system, yet none of it was available on Google Maps. Even going to the subway or bus stop didn't prove to be very useful, as physical maps were scarce to come by and there could be long lines at the help desk.

With the help of some locals we were able to orient ourselves after the first day or so but it was definitely a bit intimidating to navigate the huge city. I definitely think this is an opportunity for technologists to take advantage of open data to build some cool navigation and map tools.

And another observation I made was how friendly the locals were. I was constantly taken aback by the sheer kindness that others showed us. So many times, strangers would go out of their way to make sure we boarded the right bus or got to the right station. One time a man on the bus even paid for our bus fare when our tickets didn't scan. He waved off our attempts at paying him back.

Like all vacations, our last day came all too soon and I was kicking myself for not booking a longer stay. I would love to return to Turkey and see the hot air balloons in Cappadocia or visit the country's famous beachside. Heck, I would come back if there any weren't stunning sights, just as long as they were still serving that delicious Turkish food!