2 Weeks in Istanbul

Hey, everyone! I'm a little late for the blog, but I think I will catch up! lol

So it's basically been almost 2 weeks now since I arrived in Istanbul. I'm living in Koc University's dorm, which is probably more like a 3 star hotel. They even come like 2 times a week and clean up our room, which is pretty cool. I'm living in the West Campus, which is like 3-5 minutes bus ride from the Main Campus and there's a shuttle service there. Both campuses are located 10 minutes away from the Sariyer district of Istanbul, which is located 40 to 90 minutes bus or subway ride from the center of Istanbul depending on how bad the traffic is. In terms of internship, I'm helping Koc with the accreditation, which is coming like in 1 month or so. I'm almost done with it and looking forward to some more interesting stuff, maybe somehow related to economics or business.

Thus far, I've been to the center Istanbul only once, but it definitely was an amazing experience. My roommate Peter, another UM kid, who came 2 weeks before showed me around there. We went to Taksim, which is the very heart of Istanbul, from where you can basically get bus or sub anywhere. There are hundreds of little cafes, restaurants and shops, which are all located along the traditional small and cozy Istanbul streets. From Taksim we went to the Old City of Istanbul, where Ayasofya, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Grand Bazaar, etc are located. As we wandered around, I was amazed at how many ancient ruins just lying around this city has. Last weekend we (me, Peter, Zhewei, UM kid too) went to Fethiye, which is like Antalya or Bodrum, but I think is even better, although I've never been to either of the two. We took 2 days off and stayed there 4 days, and every day we did sth really cool. For example, on the first day we went to Tlos, ancient ruins initially inhabited by Lycians, but which also has been used by Hittites, Greeks, Byzantines and Ottomans. I liked it a lot! Then we went to Sakli Kent, which from Turkish means Secret City. On the 2nd day we went to Kayakoy, an old village inhabited by Ottoman Greeks, who left it during population exchanges between the Ottoman Empire and Greece in the beginning of the 2oth century. So this city is basically hundreds of empty stone houses, which looks pretty scary if you go there at night. From there we hiked 8 km to Oludeniz (Dead Sea) through the pine forest and mountains and got lost there 3 times, but it was all fun. LOL On the 3rd day we went on the 12 Island tour, which was one of the coolest things we've done in Fethiye. Boat did 5 stops, 4 islands and 1 cave. We jumped out of the boat and swam to the caves, amazing experience. On the last day we went to Kabak and from there did 30 minutes hike down from the mountains to a remote beach. It was probably perfect end of our trip to Fethiye.

This weekend, we're going to Edirne, Ottoman Empire's old capital and one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey. It's located in Thrace right on the border with Bulgaria, so it must be a slightly different culture than inland Anatolia. There's going to be a festival and 700 years old Oil Wrestling competition. So it must be cool!

I will make another post after Edirne, so look forward for that!

Week 5 at Bilkent

This past week has been pretty routine. I have been attending Turkish classes for 3 hours in the mornings after which I have lunch and do some work. I am enjoying most of the work I do, but what I find more interesting are the differences between the university system here and universities back at home (mainly UM.) I like to observe the seemingly subtle differences that actually have a great impact on how things function. Besides that, this week I started to work on research with the professor and her research partner, they are both really nice. The professor I work for was actually a visiting scholar to the UM Psychology Dept (my concentration) while she was working on her PhD. It was neat to hear about her experience at Michigan.
Outside of work, I have made some friends, so sometimes I meet with them or I relax or study. I am really enjoying the food (both the home cooked Turkish meals I have most nights and the restaurants).
The family I stay with took me to a nearby city called Beypazarı this past weekend. Its an old city that has many old style Ottoman houses--they also grow alot of carrots there I guess. On Wednesday, my aunt (also my closest friend) will arrive in Ankara and on Friday we will visit Kuşadası/Efes together. I will post pictures of the university, Beypazarı, and my trip this coming weekend soon.

2nd Weekend in Istanbul

This weekend is really interest. I went to tour around the historical site alone, without knowing how to speak Turkish. It was fun and adventurous. However, I asked someone people in my office how to get there. I have to take a mini and then a ferry to the old town part of Turkey.

First, I visited Spice Bazaar. I ended up spending a lot of time there, trying to buy souvenirs. Then I walked up to see Hagia Sophia. On the way, I stopped at many places. One of the places was for lunch. They had fresh squeezed orange juice. I also had Donar, which is a typical dish in Turkey. Then I went to see historical sites such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, and ect. They were all beautiful and interesting.

Interesting Istanbul

Life in Istanbul couldn't be better. Working at Girisim Factoring is going extremely well. My work day is long. Every day I get up and leave  the dorm by 7 am. My roommate, Joy, and I walk 15-20 mins to a bus stop where a company service bus picks us up. We then finish the route and drive to Europe (haha, it's weird knowing you live on one continent and work on the other!), which takes about 45-1 hr. We get dropped off across the street from where Joy works - conveniently located next to one of the big malls in Istanbul :). It's also where I get on the metro to finish off my trip to work. I usually arrive between 8:30 and 8:45.

Every day at work, I learn more about business and finance. I use some of the databases to file critical information, checks, invoices, etc., for the company. It's sometimes tedious work, but it's interesting to learn about the factoring process.

The company is very small, approximately 25 people. Because of it's small size I get to know everyone better.  The first week was a little rough; no one knew how to approach me and vice versa. Now they're like my family! Also, my Turkish language skills have gotten so much better. I can understand so much; now I just have to work on my speaking. The office has also loved learning English as well as about the U.S.

My co-workers have also been extremely helpful when it comes to sightseeing. They recommend me sites to see, and they are helping me book bus/train tickets to other cities. Next weekend I am planning on going to Canakkale, where the remains of the city of Troy remain as well as ancient battlefields. I am also planning on traveling to Izmir region, Bodrum, Antalya, Ankara, and Cappadocia.

I haven't yet gone outside of Istanbul. There is so much history in this city! Everywhere you turn there's another building or park that has a story to be told. There's also the clash of modernism. In my history classes,  I always heard that phrase "clash of culutres". It took me a visit here to really grasp what that meant. It truly is a clash. Where there's archaic pottery, there's modern buildings. It's been amazing seeing it in person.

Ozyegin University Dorms. My building is the one straight back from the gate

 

Mosaic remains from the Great Palace

Obelisk remains from the Hippodrome

Archaeology Museum!

 

Pottery circa 4500-3200 BC 

 Statue inside the Museum

Me with more statues in the Museum

Some of the shops in the historic district

Spice Bazaar

There aren't just spices there!

Grand Bazaar

 

Mosque on the Bosphorus

Living life in Istanbul

Hey, I'm a little late on the whole blogging thing, but I've been working in Istanbul at Koc University for about 2 weeks now, and it's pretty cool. First off, the campus is beautiful and surrounded by the vast Belgrade forest. Our dorms are great, the town that we are directly near, Sariyer, is a little conservative fishing town mixed with a rich suburb, which is a very interesting combination. I've been doing some research here with a Turkish professor who got her Masters at Michigan state. We are basically doing a study on how different management styles affect the product development process!

Oh, I've been traveling a bit as well. Aside from going into the old city and Taxim (city center) often, last weekend I went to visit some ancient ruins outside the city of Izmir. I stayed at a cool hostel in the town of Selcuk and from there hiked to Ephesus (well preserved Roman town). Also so some other stuff over there, including going wine tasting with some people I met at the hostel at this village in the mountains called Siringe.

This weekend my roomate (Rauan), another UM kid, and I will be traveling along the Lycian Way to Fetihye, Olundiz, Farala and Katakoy for a mix of Turkey's best beaches and Lycian tombs.

Will upload pictures soon!

Factoring Stuff

As of working environment:

Before entering the building, you have to pass security scan. You also need a card to pass the gate. Working environment is different. People at the officer just talked across their tables. The office was never quiet. Everybody tends to talk and walk to other's table. The company also provide snack time in the afternoon for workers.

I learned a great deal about factoring company. I now know the general process of how the factoring company serves their clients. Since I am in credit department, I learn what people in credit department actually do (in detailed). I was assigned to read some documents about factoring company both domestically and internationally for first couples of days. Then

I was assigned to sit and learn with one of the credit stuffs. He explained everything about what he does on a daily basis. He showed me the company system that keeps record of the client and the necessary form.

Week 2 in Kuala Lumpur

Having been here for almost 2 weeks now, I'm finally settled into my new environment. The weekdays are pretty much the same routine, but by no means anything less than exciting. I live just a few miles away from work, so I normally take a cab and get to the building by 8:45am. The location of the office could not be better: its connected to the Mid-Valley Mall and Gardens Mall, 2 of the largest malls on this side of the planet. I make it a point to take the long route to the office and pass by as many shops as possible, not to mention the several shows they have going on here as part of the World Cup promotions.
The company I work for, Steelcase, occupies the 26th and 27th stories of this monstrous building, giving me a great view of the city from my desk. Not that I spend all day enjoying it though, I usually get started by 9am and get done by 6pm. My work mostly involves negotiating discounts on the various sales the company makes, as well as auditing different orders and figuring out why they can/cannot be processed. This involves a lot of corresponding with the clients as well. Don't worry, its not as hard as it sounds.
I've not been here for long enough to be able to explore the city after work; its usually dark by the time I get out, and I don't get back home till a lot later thanks to the time I spend wandering about the mall after work (yesterday, I watched the A-team with some fellow interns. Not a bad movie) Socializing around the city is somewhat hard to do at this point, considering how obsessed everyone is with soccer (I mean football) So I normally spend time talking to random strangers at the local restaurants while watching the World Cup, arguing whether player X really deserved that red card or not. The weekends coming up soon, and I'll probably be exploring the city a lot more then.
Cheers
Ishaan