Frustration

I've been feeling frustrated this week.

The holiday is more than over and it's time to get back to life. Sometimes I find it hard to get my head around things and to accept them as a natural, normal part of life living in Turkey. And this week has been full of those kinds of thoughts.

I could rant and rave about all the hopeless things like dangerous ankle-breaking footpaths, half made roads and no street drains to drain the last four days of continual rain so that when a car goes past you don't get soaked, but I won't bore you with that.

I went out for dinner last night with a great group of mostly expat girls. It was a last minute hook up and we headed to Banyan in Nişantaşı for a "Thai" dinner. Now, I know Thai food, and I can easily say that this was more of an Asian mix as opposed to straight Thai, but certainly a nice change all the same.

It was six girls, some of whom are working in the same sector as myself, and another as a teacher. We shared the usual stories of the"lost in translation" communications we have with people, the general chaos that we struggle to get used to and the one question we seemed to all get asked: why are you here?

I must say, I get this question more often than not. The girls say they also get the question from people (Turks) who simply cannot understand why anyone would want to come and live here.

I guess my reason is most valid, being married to a Turk and all, along with one other girl, but for the others who are foreigners or Turks who have lived abroad for their whole lives and returned in the last year or two, Turkish people cannot understand why they would want to leave their great lands to come and live here.

We find the question strange. Because people ask us why we are here and not in our own countries, but they themselves who ask the question, ask it like they wish they weren't here either.

Do Turks get as fed up as the foreigners? Do they feel the same frustrations as us about the day-to-day challenges?

If you never lived anywhere else in the world, how would you know that your country is worse than mine if you have nothing to compare your own country to?

One of the girls reported that she was finding it hard to meet a decent man here. She said that every time she met one and they realised she was in fact Turkish, given her very strong American accent, they would ask if she has American and/or dual citizenship. She said that without fail this question was asked by all men.

So, the question is: Is it that Turks want to be elsewhere than here, or is it that they wished that we just stayed in our own countries?

Struggling

I'm struggling this week with being back in Istanbul. My time at home went to fast and I wish we were still there. The weather here is cold and gloomy. Melbourne is warm and summery.

With that in mind though, I should be thankful for my health, holidays, family and belongings.

Many of my fellow Victorians have lost their lives and their everything - homes, children, possessions and livelihoods - in the worst natural disaster in Australian history.

Bush fires have ravaged and destroyed parts of Victoria this week which has left the country in shock and disbelief.

It seems that the world is also watching and many countries, including our less wealthy Asian neighbours have donated millions of dollars to help those affected. Corporate Australia has agreed to donate in excess of $12 million and a telethon raised in excess of $60 million. President Obama offered his help in whatever way possible and has offered to send a team of experts from the US to assist. The PM has taken calls of support from other global leaders, including Turkish PM Erdoğan.

I saw this today in The Age online, Honour your Valentine with a bushfire donation. I think it is a perfect way to support those in need at this time and to also be thankful for all we have.

Around the world and back

Well, almost. But going to Australia sometimes feels like you are going around the world!!

We headed off on our trip home for our second wedding and a bit of r&r. We survived long flights, old 747's, a second wedding, the hottest weather in 100 years, bush fires and sharks (well, not really, but it sounded good and they were out and about on the beaches!).

For the first time, I felt the drain of the long journey, but felt rested when we finally got there. Husband is not a keen air traveller and travels most of the way with white knuckle fever. I, on the other hand, find it very easy to sleep and relax which drives him mad. The trip is long though, and can really drain you at the end. It took him several days to work out when to be awake and when to sleep.

It was such a great time to be in Melbourne. The tennis was on, we arrived on Australia Day eve, the weather was balmy and light still until 9pm, however, we experienced some of the hottest weather I have ever felt in my home town in my whole life. Consecutive days of over 40 degrees was a lot to handle when we had come from cold and snowing in early January.

Our first day saw us celebrate Australia Day in pure Australian style with a barbeque of steak and sausages and beers, followed by the one and only; homemade pavlova.

On 31 January we celebrated our Melbourne wedding with family and friends which was amazing and so special to be able to do for a second time. We had a fantastic night which passed so quickly and it was such a treat to have friends come from far and wide to help us celebrate.

We had some great nights with friends and with family having barbeque's of seafood and steak, yummy Italian at old time favourite spots and catching up with my girls who were in town from QLD.

On the way back to we enjoyed a couple of days in Singapore were we shopped and relaxed. Luckily for us there were some great sales on due to Chinese New Year. We ate great food in Arab Street and enjoyed the cheap and tasty Malaysian and bowls of noodles on offer in Orchard Road. I love Singapore. It is so civilised, clean, and orderly. I loved the older architecture of the shophouses in the Arab area along with its nargile cafes, with patrons seated on carpets on the floors and trendy shops of home decor and designer handmade jewellery. The service is always good, everyone speaks English and you can find a real mix of Asian food culture, from Chinese to Malaysian, for whatever price you wish to pay. We didn't really venture out of our immediate location due to exhaustion and the want to shop and then eat and relax. I hope to visit Singapore again and get outside the city and stay somewhere nice for a couple of days. Thanks for all your Singapore tips, my dear readers. They will come in handy for the next trip!

On the countdown!

We are heading home in one week to have our 'second' wedding in Melbourne and to catch up with family and friends over a long needed break in the sunshine.

During the summer here in August I was in Melbourne, so I unfortunately missed out on a warm summer holiday. So this is my chance to feel the sun on my skin (with SPF 30+ of course!), enjoy some time with family and friends and relax and take in the time away from Istanbul and the winter!

We will have two days in Singapore on the way back. It's my first time staying there and I'm not too sure what I should put on the Top 10 List of things to do and see. So if you have any suggestions, please drop me a line and let me know. Husband has been there before, but he's done it all before, and given I'm a keen shopper and up for a bargain, some tips from those who have been before would be helpful!

Visit from my sister

Recently my sister was here with me from Melbourne, spending the week in between in London and Scotland. It was whirlwind trip, but while her husband was at home and with the kids, it was the best time to get away and it was so nice to have her with me.

We walked the streets of Çukurcuma, Taksim and Beyoğlu. We visited Istanbul Modern and shopped at Istinye Park. We had some dinners and breakfasts out but the highlight I think was the photographic day trip we had with the deputy editor of National Geographic Turkey. My sister came across him in the credits of Alex Webb's book, Istanbul: City of a Hundred Names. She got in touch with Kemal and found that he offers photographic tours of Istanbul.

So we went with him to see and feel the city. It was such an eye opener. Not only did I explore places I have not yet been to, after living here for a year and a half, but I was filled up with knowledge and information about Istanbul, photography, people and culture. We walked the streets of Dolapdere where the Sunday market or "pazar" takes place, which led onto a gypsy market close to a Greek Orthodox church.

Later we walked the streets of Fener and visited the church of the Patriarch of Istanbul as well as the Bulgarian Church. We lunched at a lovely fish restaurant in Fener which served up some of the most amazing starters ("meze") I have had. From there we took a ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy and walked the streets while my sister snapped pictures of the sellers and street market.

My photography is in it's early stages, but here are some of my pictures from the day.

The best job in the world...

I spotted this is article entitled "Island Caretaker job offer: Get paid $150,000 to swim, snorkel" in The Age online.

This is what the article says:

Queensland's latest tourism campaign is giving job seekers the chance to get paid $150,000 to live six months rent-free on the Great Barrier Reef.

As their Christmas holidays fade and the credit crunch begins to bite, office workers dreaming of a fresh start are being tempted to apply for "the best job in the world".

Tourism Queensland is looking for applicants willing to walk white sandy beaches, sit under palm trees and swim with turtles as they soak up the sun.

The successful candidate will be asked to keep a blog and photo diary in exchange for six months rent-free on Hamilton Island as part of a $150,000 salary package that includes return airfares and travel insurance.

Australians and overseas applicants must be willing to "swim, snorkel, make friends with locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle".

My husband thinks he is well suited for the job and wants me to help him apply. Ha.

Not before my own application!

Happy in 2009

I missed the opportunity to say Happy New Year at the right time, so I guess it's a case of better late than never!

Happy 2009 to all my friends, readers and fellow bloggers.

Strange sights

My office is in a the business area of town. Many businesses such as Petrol Ofisi, HSBC, Deloitte and Akbank have their headquarters located here. It is busy and chaotic to say the least.

When you think of business area you think of a downtown area like Manhattan, or like in Melbourne the CBD (central business district). My office is situated in one of the highest towers in this area with all the mod cons you could imagine from retina eye scan automated entry to automated lifts where there are no buttons inside the lift.

But when you look from above, the 14th floor I mean, things take on a different perspective. To the back side of the building you can see one of the hundreds of military zones in Istanbul with soldiers patrolling and training. You can see the fresh new construction of 'Mashattan', and directly below you can see where the endless trash from the construction zone has been buried in some kind of makeshift landfill which reeks and houses endless mosquito's which enter in through any open window even 14 floors up, but lets not get me started on that.

From another window you can see the remains of what used to be here. About three or four gecekondu style houses made of up of things picked up from the roadside or left over PVC sheeting, old tiles and plastic crates stacked up by the hundreds strewn all over the place. Yes, people do live here. In the middle of a business area. They own a couple of cows too which are kept in a flimsy backyard which faces one of the three roads that lead in and out of the area. And to walk by there is no pleasant trip, believe you me, there is a stench that lingers and in summer time is a challenge to anyone's lunch meal.

Today I went to visit someone in their office and from the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something moving slowly along the road that runs in front of the military zone. It was a group of nine cows, one after the other, following each other down a road. There was no shepherd (or whatever the correct name is for a cow hearder) or any person for that matter in sight leading this pack. In between the pack were three young calf. They didn't seem bothered by the cars swerving around them or tooting at them and moseyed on their merry way. I couldn't believe the sight I was seeing. Cows in a downtown area. I just could not imagine seeing such a sight in Melbourne. I was truly astonished. I wish I had my camera with me to take a snap shot.

It's just another day in Istanbul......

Merry Christmas!

To all my family and friends here and at home, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and joy filled New Year!

It finally started to snow here and the temperature has dropped significantly. It feels a little like Christmas, but not quite like home where my dad is firing up the barbie and my sister is preparing a seafood spread.

Take care everyone and enjoy your holidays!!

Things I love...

Yesterday I wrote about what I missed the most about home. Today, I want to share what I love most about Istanbul.

1. Food glorious food!!

2. Warm, friendly, hospitable Turks.

3. Excellent metro system - frequent and rarely any problems (so far!)

4. The Bosphorus.

5. Çay!

6. The sights and sounds of Sultanahmet.

7. Credit card 'taksit' - if you pay by credit card, you can spread the payment over however many months you like!

8. Discount for cash! And not just in Sultanahmet. I bought shoes in Nine West recently and they gave me a 10% discount for cash!

9. Cheaper labour = more affordable services. From 10YTL blow waves to car washing/vac for less than 10YTL, tailoring pants for a fiver, or even for free. Yes, the tailor fixed something up for me for free!

10. Para Puan. Points accumulated on credit card can be spent like cash. We paid for 50YTL of supermarket shopping with points!

11. Dolmuş. Small version of a bus, but operated privately. One any route, it will stop where ever you want. Great service!

12. Akbil. An electronic key that you load money onto to pay for trips on transport like bus, metro, tram, funicular, sea bus and ferry, but not the dolmuş. The fare is 10% lower than using the standard token. Australia should get onto this!!

13. Cheaper public transport. On all of the above forms of transport-regardless of distance- is 1.20YTL. Love it!

14. Taxi's. Easy to find and cheap to use!

15. Fish and fish restaurants. You can eat a great meal of fresh fish caught from the Black Sea of Bosphorus for less than 15YTL.

16. Open hours. Most malls and shops are open for longer hours. Malls usually from 10am to 10pm, 7 days.

17. Buy now, pay later. Sometimes if you don't have the right change and the local shop, bakkal, doesn't have any either, they tell you to pay next time, no problems at all. Even in a taxi twice, the drive had no change, so it was a free ride. This would never happen at home!

18. Diverse areas of town from Bebek to Balat.

19. Never ending list of things to see, do and learn about.

20. Snow! The first country I have lived in where it truly snows in winter. An amazing sight for someone from Australia!