Ken and I announced our engagement on the weekend. Well, he hasn't actually formally asked me, but after many weeks of discussing telling my parents, we finally got around to calling them and Ken asked both Mum and Dad if he could marry their daughter.
Mum and Dad were both very happy and excited, which was somewhat of a relief as I didn't know what to expect from their reaction. So the last few days I have spent emailing and letting friends know the news.
With a cross-cultural, cross-country situation, we are planning to have 2 separate wedding celebrations, one here in April and another one in Aus in December or January. We are planning something for 5 April 2008 in Ankara- so watch this space for news.
It is a very exciting time and I wish I could be around my family and mates to celebrate with them, BUT, I will be home in less than 16 days so I can celebrate with them then!!
Already, we have managed to have our first wedding fight which caused us both a headache. I was panicking about wedding venue because the pressure is on from Dad to find something, ahh, 2 days ago! We have decided that whatever it is, we will have it on 5 April- regardless!!
I am so excited and can't wait to share that day with our families and friends!! Lots of planning and I'm sure I will experience some 'issues' given the foreigner doesn't speak Turkish so can't organise a damn thing!! All part of the fun isn't it.....
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Monday, 8 October 2007
Weird but wonderful
I am slowly learning about all the strange and wonderful things that Turkey has to offer by way of food and beverages. In my time spent in my new surroundings, I have realised the huge passion and love for food and beverages that the Turks have. For example the weird and peculiar things I have tried and tasted include a raw meat dish, which looks much like some kind of meat ball. Çiğ Köfte is it's formal name and it is served with lettuce leaves and lemon. You wrap the lettuce around the raw meat ball and add lemon. Çiğ Köfte comes with spice, without spice, with potato and with or without bulgar. The best one is with bulgar wheat, bit of spice and lots of lemon and fresh crunchy lettuce and some crunchy radish on the side. It is common for it to be made at home in a large round shallow tray and it is mixed and kneaded by hand. On my first visit to Ankara to meet Ken's family, Yasin (Ken's brother) made it for us for supper and I haven't looked back!Last night I encountered a strange beverage known as 'Boza'. Although I had never heard of it, Ken was insistent that it was a very popular drink in Turkey. I thought only Ayran and Turkish çay were the only pop
ular drinks in Turkey? We ventured through the backstreets to our old neighbourhood of Fatih to a very famous establishment known as Vefa Bozacısı which was established in 1876. The drink (much to my guts' disapproval) is made from fermented wheat. It is served with cinnamon on top and to my surprise I watched as people dropped chickpeas into their glasses and used a spoon to fish them out. Apparently, this goes very well with Boza. Eeh? Given my chronic IBS symptoms of late, I thought I would be best to only consume half the glass and leave the rest for Kenny to gulp down. I was amazed to see people streaming through the door as the man behind the counter poured glasses of the fermented thick stuff from a ladle like pot from a significant height directly into the glass. No spillage, of course. Although I somewhat enjoyed this new and strange taste, the fermentation gives it a strange flavour. In Ken's words "if you drink again in two, three days, you become addict". Think I might find something else to become addict to or I could spend much time in the bathroom...
ular drinks in Turkey? We ventured through the backstreets to our old neighbourhood of Fatih to a very famous establishment known as Vefa Bozacısı which was established in 1876. The drink (much to my guts' disapproval) is made from fermented wheat. It is served with cinnamon on top and to my surprise I watched as people dropped chickpeas into their glasses and used a spoon to fish them out. Apparently, this goes very well with Boza. Eeh? Given my chronic IBS symptoms of late, I thought I would be best to only consume half the glass and leave the rest for Kenny to gulp down. I was amazed to see people streaming through the door as the man behind the counter poured glasses of the fermented thick stuff from a ladle like pot from a significant height directly into the glass. No spillage, of course. Although I somewhat enjoyed this new and strange taste, the fermentation gives it a strange flavour. In Ken's words "if you drink again in two, three days, you become addict". Think I might find something else to become addict to or I could spend much time in the bathroom...The thought never crossed my mind that you could make desserts using meat. Early on when I first arrived I was introduced to 'kazandibi' known also as tavuk göğsü (ta-vook ger-soo), a white custardy looking dessert that is that is burnt brown on the outside, similar to being caramelised. It's consistency is think and solid, but once in your mouth has the same texture as custard which I am a fan of. The first time I ate Kazandibi, Ken didn't tell me that it was made from chicken!! After tasting it, he told me that it is made from sugar, cream, milk and chicken, of course, without the bones or skin. Although it seemed the strangest thing to me, it was very tasty and if you searched your mouth enough you could feel some slight shreds of chicken inside. If you ever get the chance, you should definitely try it! Just don't think about the chicken!
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Settling in...
Well, the last few weeks have certainly flown by and I think I have achieved quite a lot in a small amount of time.
I finally today worked out how to get into this site in a language I could understand. I have attempted many times to post news in English only to not understand how to log in in Turkish.
Work
Firstly, I am doing well. Besides some homesickness and sore back and the usual stomach issues I seem to be travelling ok. I had 2 interviews in the first week and was made an offer by one of the firms the following week. The firm is Paksoy and they are a local Turkish law firm. They have done quite a lot of work internationally and with London based companies, Goldman being one of them. So my cv stood me in good stead which I was relieved about. First interview, I met the Managing Partner and one of the other partners. They asked me back for a second interview the following week at which time I met another of the 4 partners. The MP is male and the other three are female. All seem friendly and approachable and the MP has a good name in the business from what my research showed. So they have offered me a role as assistant to the four of them as well as providing assistance to the other lawyers of which there are 20 something.
The havent offered to sponsor me but are happy for me to work on my tourist visa and they understand that I need to get out of the country every 3 months. So at least I can plan to have 'visa run' trips everyone 3 months. The money is ok for me, but excellent for Turkish standards so I guess I just need to eliminate those weekly shopping trips that I planned to Zara. When Ken's friends ask where I am going to work and how much I am going to earn (very normal question to ask apparently!) they all say I am so lucky and that it is great money and I should be really happy, so I guess I should be greatful that I am earning more than the average Turk who apparently only earns 1500 Turkish Lira per month- about 1500 AUD. Lunch is covered every day which is good and I can go and eat pretty much anywhere I want.
House hunting
Kenny and I have started flat hunting so we can move closer to where I will work. Given there are about 17 million people in this city and about the same in cars! I will need to live relatively close to work- like Richmond is to the CBD kind of..
So we headed out last weekend to look in Maslak which is the are my job is in. There is a nice housing estate area not far that we like so we checked out a few places there. Not much available for rent but we found one that we liked. We are waiting to see if I can start work earlier as Paksoy said they want me to start on 1 June which means we cant really move until just before then so we will see....
Roads and 'trafik'
Besides the relentless traffic at all hours of the day and night- no exaggeration, life is fairly fast paced here. The other night we headed to the Asian side for tea and water pipe smoking and there was horrendous traffic on a Sunday night at 10.00pm! No matter what time of the day you never know what to expect on these roads. Hundreds of buses, cars and even the occassional horse or donkey are all commonplace on the roads here. Even I have noticed, people enjoy a rest and relax by the side of a bustling highway where you see people 'parked' up having a nap or hosting a bbq with family and friends all of 5 metres from the side of a four lane highway. Given most people reside in flats/apartments I can understand the use of the outdoors but inhaling not only bbq smoke but also bus fumes is enough to bring on an asthma attack just driving by!
Bread, bread, bread
Each morning as I rise to the honking of horns and call to prayer, I wonder if I will suddently appear in the mirror as a loaf of bread or even a massive flat bread fresh from the oven.....
Bread is the staple of every Turkish persons daily meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert- bread always makes an appearance at the table. I dont mind the old fresh bread now and then but now its like an addiction I have no power over! So, the time has come to enter rehab and detox from this new but weighty addiction. My middle has become more like a loaf of bead then ever before and its getting scary Ladies. No more bread for me.
İngilizce biliyormusun?
Which translates to 'do you know English?' Or 'Üzgünüm, Turkçe bilmiyorum' is more like it 'Sorry, I dont know Turkish'. All in all my Turkish is not great. As soon as someone says anything to me in Turkish I panic. At the moment I am trying to just learn street Turkish so that I can get by on the street and in a shop. Ken is helping me learn 5 words a day and we practise whenever we can. People also just unfortunately assume that I am a Turk so when I give them the blank look they dont really get it- I guess they just think that Im a rude so and so.
Istanbul life
So far the life here that I see people have is rich in culture and endless hospitality especially if your foreign- 'yabancı' (thats me!) There are endless pleasantries and endless cups of tea or çay which I can say with ease and even ask 'çay var mı?' Meaning 'is there any tea?' People are polite and once they have seen you in their shop once or twice, they remeber you and say hi the next time. Its rude not to accept that cup of çay or coffee your host and of course they plate is always half empty here so it requires endless filling up. Maybe food is just more than food to them. Maybe its a way of life and sign of love.
I was watching the BBC the other day about an Australian reporter who has been working in Iraq during the war. He had compiled a series of stories that he has reported on from the Iraq war. I watched a clip of one where he was riding with the US troops through a suburban area of a war torn Iraqi city. He went with troops while they entered peoples home to seach for weapons. I watched as he sat in these peoples living rooms with local Iraqi people alongside US troops in full army outfit, weapons, masks and all. He was talking about the hospitality of these people and that even though the Americans have knocked on their door in search of weapons in their home, they offer tea and serve it without malice or hostility. He talked about how tea was such a part of everyday life and how it was at the forefront of middle eastern hospitality.
I finally today worked out how to get into this site in a language I could understand. I have attempted many times to post news in English only to not understand how to log in in Turkish.
Work
Firstly, I am doing well. Besides some homesickness and sore back and the usual stomach issues I seem to be travelling ok. I had 2 interviews in the first week and was made an offer by one of the firms the following week. The firm is Paksoy and they are a local Turkish law firm. They have done quite a lot of work internationally and with London based companies, Goldman being one of them. So my cv stood me in good stead which I was relieved about. First interview, I met the Managing Partner and one of the other partners. They asked me back for a second interview the following week at which time I met another of the 4 partners. The MP is male and the other three are female. All seem friendly and approachable and the MP has a good name in the business from what my research showed. So they have offered me a role as assistant to the four of them as well as providing assistance to the other lawyers of which there are 20 something.
The havent offered to sponsor me but are happy for me to work on my tourist visa and they understand that I need to get out of the country every 3 months. So at least I can plan to have 'visa run' trips everyone 3 months. The money is ok for me, but excellent for Turkish standards so I guess I just need to eliminate those weekly shopping trips that I planned to Zara. When Ken's friends ask where I am going to work and how much I am going to earn (very normal question to ask apparently!) they all say I am so lucky and that it is great money and I should be really happy, so I guess I should be greatful that I am earning more than the average Turk who apparently only earns 1500 Turkish Lira per month- about 1500 AUD. Lunch is covered every day which is good and I can go and eat pretty much anywhere I want.
House hunting
Kenny and I have started flat hunting so we can move closer to where I will work. Given there are about 17 million people in this city and about the same in cars! I will need to live relatively close to work- like Richmond is to the CBD kind of..
So we headed out last weekend to look in Maslak which is the are my job is in. There is a nice housing estate area not far that we like so we checked out a few places there. Not much available for rent but we found one that we liked. We are waiting to see if I can start work earlier as Paksoy said they want me to start on 1 June which means we cant really move until just before then so we will see....
Roads and 'trafik'
Besides the relentless traffic at all hours of the day and night- no exaggeration, life is fairly fast paced here. The other night we headed to the Asian side for tea and water pipe smoking and there was horrendous traffic on a Sunday night at 10.00pm! No matter what time of the day you never know what to expect on these roads. Hundreds of buses, cars and even the occassional horse or donkey are all commonplace on the roads here. Even I have noticed, people enjoy a rest and relax by the side of a bustling highway where you see people 'parked' up having a nap or hosting a bbq with family and friends all of 5 metres from the side of a four lane highway. Given most people reside in flats/apartments I can understand the use of the outdoors but inhaling not only bbq smoke but also bus fumes is enough to bring on an asthma attack just driving by!
Bread, bread, bread
Each morning as I rise to the honking of horns and call to prayer, I wonder if I will suddently appear in the mirror as a loaf of bread or even a massive flat bread fresh from the oven.....
Bread is the staple of every Turkish persons daily meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert- bread always makes an appearance at the table. I dont mind the old fresh bread now and then but now its like an addiction I have no power over! So, the time has come to enter rehab and detox from this new but weighty addiction. My middle has become more like a loaf of bead then ever before and its getting scary Ladies. No more bread for me.
İngilizce biliyormusun?
Which translates to 'do you know English?' Or 'Üzgünüm, Turkçe bilmiyorum' is more like it 'Sorry, I dont know Turkish'. All in all my Turkish is not great. As soon as someone says anything to me in Turkish I panic. At the moment I am trying to just learn street Turkish so that I can get by on the street and in a shop. Ken is helping me learn 5 words a day and we practise whenever we can. People also just unfortunately assume that I am a Turk so when I give them the blank look they dont really get it- I guess they just think that Im a rude so and so.
Istanbul life
So far the life here that I see people have is rich in culture and endless hospitality especially if your foreign- 'yabancı' (thats me!) There are endless pleasantries and endless cups of tea or çay which I can say with ease and even ask 'çay var mı?' Meaning 'is there any tea?' People are polite and once they have seen you in their shop once or twice, they remeber you and say hi the next time. Its rude not to accept that cup of çay or coffee your host and of course they plate is always half empty here so it requires endless filling up. Maybe food is just more than food to them. Maybe its a way of life and sign of love.
I was watching the BBC the other day about an Australian reporter who has been working in Iraq during the war. He had compiled a series of stories that he has reported on from the Iraq war. I watched a clip of one where he was riding with the US troops through a suburban area of a war torn Iraqi city. He went with troops while they entered peoples home to seach for weapons. I watched as he sat in these peoples living rooms with local Iraqi people alongside US troops in full army outfit, weapons, masks and all. He was talking about the hospitality of these people and that even though the Americans have knocked on their door in search of weapons in their home, they offer tea and serve it without malice or hostility. He talked about how tea was such a part of everyday life and how it was at the forefront of middle eastern hospitality.
Thursday, 19 April 2007
8 days to go.....
After much delay and date changes, I am finally booked to leave for Istanbul on Friday 27 April.
I can't believe it's now the final 8 days until I go. It feels like a long time coming, but I know by this time next week, I will be panicking that I haven't got everything done and haven't taken enough clothes and shoes!!
I decided to set up this site so that friends and family can see what I am up to in Istanbul. I've read many bad reports about the postal system and from experience I know that packages and letters from overseas do not arrive, so this way all my loved ones can keep in touch with me and you can all post on my site too.
Things I am looking forward to:
I can't believe it's now the final 8 days until I go. It feels like a long time coming, but I know by this time next week, I will be panicking that I haven't got everything done and haven't taken enough clothes and shoes!!
I decided to set up this site so that friends and family can see what I am up to in Istanbul. I've read many bad reports about the postal system and from experience I know that packages and letters from overseas do not arrive, so this way all my loved ones can keep in touch with me and you can all post on my site too.
Things I am looking forward to:
- Seeing Ken
- Eating lots of Turkish food- lentil soup and manta to be specific
- Turkish tea
- Turkish hospitality!
- Endless things to see and do
- The awesome size and bustle of the place
Things I am not looking forward to:
- The flight- it's too long!
- Potential for cold weather for the first little while
- Getting fat (in line with number 2 from above!)
- Language difficulty
- No Witchery- but Zara makes up for it
- No eBay
I feel under control with everything generally and this weekend I will pack some more stuff and work out what should come and what should stay.....what fun!
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