May 1

Tomorrow is May 1 which means nothing in the US. May Day? Huh? What's that? But here in Istanbul, it's "Workers Day," a day on which, of course, everyone has to work! But it is also a day marred by violence (in 1977 30 people were kill when a riot broke out between protesters and the police).

As one English-language newspaper put it today "Mayday or May Day" in Taksim (the main square on the European side).

As a result, the government tries to prevent the same thing from happening again. Putting up signs about protests is illegal. Protesting is illegal. And preparation is intense to say the least.

This afternoon as I left for work they were already putting up barricades everywhere in Taksim square in attempt to control the flow of pedestrian traffic.

In order to control other types of traffic, transportation will basically become impossible after 7:30am.

No ferries.
No metro (you can use it starting 2 stops after Taksim - there are 6 stops total)
No tram
No funicular
No buses stopping in Taksim (a major bus station)
The 2 inter-continental bridges will only have 1 lane of traffic open

I guess they just want everyone to stay home. Unfortunately, most of us still have to get to work somehow.

Normally, I take the Metro to work. Tomorrow I plan on walking a good deal of the way - maybe a 1 hour walk.

In attempt to avoid the traffic (good luck!), Vodafone will open a half hour early and close a half hour early.

But I'm sure this is a problem which cannot be avoided.

I'll let you know how it goes.

The differences between Turkish and British customer service

Example 1: My mom and I are flying Onur Air from Izmir to Istanbul. I made an online reservation a few weeks ago. The flight cost about 70 ytl ($55 USD) for a 1 hour, 1-way flight, including tax. We then decided to change the time of the flight. S called Onur Air and within 3 minutes we had our new time and paid (I know this will be hard to believe) NOTHING to change the time.

Had we wanted to change the date, we also would have paid NOTHING. We didn't have a special ticket, we had a normal one. And we paid nothing. And it took about 3 minutes and 1 phone call.

Example 2: I was scheduled to fly home for Sadie's wedding on July 23 (this was the second half of a round trip ticket I purchased with British Airways in September). After she changed her wedding date to July 26, I needed to change my ticket.

I tried about 5 times over the past 2 weeks to change my ticket online like you are supposedly allowed to do. Every time I received an error message instructing me to call my booking agent. Today, I finally gave up and called them.

First, I called customer service. The sickeningly polite British woman informed me that to change my SHEDyule I would have to pay a $200 fee (which is stupid but I understand it's the rule), the change in fare difference (stupid), and a $20 service fee.

She continued rambling on about my SHEDyule when I interrupted her to ask what the $20 service fee was for. She explained that they charge $20 for changes/bookings done by phone.

I had already explained to her about the website told me to call them. I asked her if she could waive the fee since I was unable to make the changes online and I was instructed to call her. She said that she could not, but if I called "online technical support" they might be able to.

So I sat on the phone with my new friend Ruth (the name didn't really fit with her Indian accent) while she tried to find the problem. She couldn't figure it out (after putting me on hold for about 8 minutes), but could help me with the flight schedules on July 21. I choose one and she put me on hold for about 10 minutes.

She came back to explain that she couldn't give me the exact difference in fares but that I was welcome to call back in 3 days to find it out then.

Wait a minute, I thought. You work for BRITISH AIRWAYS but you don't know what the fares are????

I asked her politely if she could please tell me the fare. She said that because my flight was so far in advance (3 months), that their policy was to QUEUE my request. AKA wait for a few days so that the ticket prices go up even more.

I again said I wanted to know the fare. Again, she puts me on hold for 8 or so minutes. When she comes back, she magically knew the fare information! A $200 penalty plus a $159 change in fare. Sweet. I put the reservation on hold to think it over.

I was on the phone with BA from 7:40pm-8:11pm. That's 31 minutes. S was on the phone with Onur Air for a maximum of 3 minutes.

BA wants to charge me a total of $359 (or $379 with their dumb fee) to change a flight 2 days. Onur Air charged me nothing.

Don't even get me started on my 1800Contacts phone call as well...

Week in Review

It was another week of barely working. However, it looks like this was the last week of barely working as my schedule for next week is a bit fuller and includes my favorite - Friday morning 8 a.m. lessons! Awesome.

Monday was excellent. It was pretty warm - maybe 75°F - and S and I had a nice breakfast outside near the water. We did some shopping and visited Yeni Cami, a mosque I had seen and walked past a million times but never actually went into.

Some interesting observations: A man wearing a kufi (a skull cap worn by the companions of Muhammed) ran out of the mosque to answer his cell phone. A 5 year old boy sitting next to me was playing with his toy machine gun while his mother was praying, shooting at people around him.

The weather was so strange this week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (? don't remmeber) were hot (75°F-85°F) and sunny. Since Thursday, it's been "chilly" - in the 50s. Today it's rainy, dreary, and cold. But next week should be back to normal, in the 60s and sunny.

We desperately need rain though, or we are facing another summer of no water. I have about 8 jug of water stockpiled in my bathroom (had to use one last night). Which is worse, no electricity or no water?

I went for my check-up last weekend and my doctor said that my eyes were healing nicely and he sees no need for an enhancement at this time. So, that means my vision is perfect! To think, 5 weeks ago I couldn't read the computer screen without glasses and now I can see everything! I'll have another check-up in a few months to check again.

I'm looking for some new music recommendations. Anything. (Not rap). Please leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail me.

I had a bunch of things I wanted to write about but I forgot. I guess I'll have to start keeping a list.

Oh, it seems that if I post a video or a link, you have to actually visit my website to view it - you cannot see it in your e-mail.

As a "normal person"

I must say that "An Engineer's Guide to Cats" is maybe one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. Maybe I need to get out more. Maybe I need to talk about cats less. My student had to make a sentence using "my teacher" and "like". His result was "My teacher like cat." Hmm.

Anyway, PLEASE watch this video, especially if you are a) a cat liker/lover b) an engineer or c) both

And maybe I'll write something more substantial later.

Thanks

Thanks to those of you who commented and e-mailed about my last post. I promise that I will reply to everyone, I just haven't been in the e-mailing mood lately. I'm trying to empty my inbox so that it is more tolerable (I've gone from 800+ e-mails in my inbox - mostly read - to only 60). 60 is much more tolerable but right now I just don't want to deal with any of them.

My schedule is so light this week. S asked if I had a real job. It doesn't seem like it this week, or the past few weeks, but I'm sure it will return to normal sometime. As long as I keep getting paid, I'm happy!

The power keeps going out. Last night when I walked home the streets were dark and crowded. Shopkeepers were lurking in their doorways, selling candles, and kids were playing in the streets. Housewives were peering out the windows, wondering when it would return. I REALLY wanted to take a shower but couldn't. I was lucky enough to have 60% of my battery left so I watched Lost and ate some lovely dolmas from S's mom.

This morning it was out again, leading me to wonder how the summer will be here. I have enough water stockpiled to flush the toilet when the water goes out, but maybe should I get some more food that doesn't require cooking? There is always takeout I guess...

Spring is really here. The temperature is fluctuating between a bit too warm for spring and a bit too cool for spring. But the daffodils are almost gone as are the tulips. Turks are still bundled up in their winter coats and wool sweaters while I am trying not to sweat in my t-shirts.

Ok, off to do my regular 2 hours of work. I've been working 12 hours weeks. This week is shaping up to be a 8, possibly 10 hour week. Life is good.

Coincidental and unexpected and expected

Things seem to be coming together. In strange ways. Coincidental and unexpected and expected.

A slightly different approach is maybe the reason I came to Turkey. Or maybe, more accurately, the reason I stayed. Something was missing from my life in the US but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Living abroad, living away from everything that you know, living away from your family and friends, living in a different culture, forces you to look inside yourself. It forces you to get to know yourself better. It forces you to see things differently.

Would I be the same person that I am now if I hadn't come here? Well, I can never know for sure, but I don't think so. I've learned so much here - about life, about people, about myself. One of the many wonderful things about living abroad is learning. And it's been other people who have helped me learn. Students, friends, and one very special person.

It's important to realize that not all the experiences you learn from in life are positive. While the positive ones do help a great deal, it's the negative ones that can really show you things. They can really show you how you should change your life and what you can do differently.

And as a result of everything I've learned, I've become a happier and more confident person. I think that I am now quite different than I was in December 2006. And I think the changes that I've made have made me a much better person.

Of course, there are difficulties with living abroad. Language, for starters. While I do take private Turkish lessons, I feel like I have stalemated (apparently this happens to many people). I am a dedicated student and I spend a lot of time studying. I guess in time it will pay off.

Friends are another. The English teaching world is a world of people who come and go. Someone may become your close friend and then a few months later they are gone. The number of English speaking friends is considerably smaller in a foreign country and you may settle for someone as a friend who you wouldn't normally be friends with at home. It can take a long long time to find a real friend.

And of course you can never replace your friends from home.

Family is a big one. Staying in contact is difficult if some family members are not so internet saavy. Missing out on big events in your family is challenging. Not being where everyone is can make you feel so lonely.

Skype and Instant Messenger help. Emails are great. Visits are wonderful. But it takes effort and effort from both sides. Emails go both ways as do phones. I am going to try to put more effort into communication. I spend enough time reading the news on the internet. I can dedicate some of that time to writing emails to friends and family.

One important thing to remember is that people change. And the changes are not witnessed by other people, especially if you are on opposite sides of an ocean. Understanding is crucial in maintaining relationships. Understand both how much your family and friends miss you. And them understanding how much you miss then and your reasons for leaving and your reasons for staying.

Communication is key.

On that note, I learned that people don't comment on my blog because they don't know what to write. Well, every single comment is greatly appreciated by me and makes my day. Even if it 2 words or 2 sentences. There is no need to write something profound (although you certainly can if you like). Just saying "hi" is good enough.

Your comments give me motivation. Both for writing and for life and everything else. Knowing that there are people out there who read and who care (even if I don't know you) is amazing. So please show me your support.

If you aren't comfortable commenting, you can always do so anonymously. Also, you can e-mail me. And I promise I will (eventually) reply.

Thanks.

Support

A fellow Blair alum, Adam Frey, has recently been diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer. He just found out that his cancer is in the most advanced stage. He is a strong, healthy, 22 year old wrestler.

He is writing a both fascinating and heart-breaking blog about his experiences. Please read about it here, offer him your support and place in him your thoughts and prayers.

We can all learn something from his good humor and positive attitude during such trying times.

Watching the match without a TV

Turkey is a huge soccer (football) country. The second question people ask (after "Are you married?") is "What's your team?" While I don't really care about Turkish soccer, I guess my team is Beşiktaş because I like their colors the best (black and white) and their stadium is near where I live.

Tonight there is a big match (UEFA Champions League quarterfinal). Fenerbahçe, a very popular Turkish team, is playing Chelsea (England) in Istanbul. This means several things: half of your students will miss class so that they can make it home for the 9:40 start time (class ends at 7:15 by the way). Traffic will be even worse than usual leaving your half attended class at 7:15 (you will sit on the road not moving for at least 15 minutes and people will honk their horns because they a) love Fenerbahçe and b) hate traffic. And you can watch the match without actually watching it.

I have a TV. But it's sitting in my bedroom covered in some hideous carpet with cartoon dogs on it (came with the place). Normally, I download everything I want to watch.

But I know everything important in the match based on the sounds my neighbors make. I know the score is currently 1-0 Fenerbahçe (they just cheered and screamed GOALLLLLLLLLL a few minutes ago). I knew that some match a few weeks ago went to penalty kicks based on how the neighbors cheered.

So, I can sit here, finishing up Lost Season 3 and still know what's happening in the match. Pretty interesting, huh?

In other news:

I've worked only 5 hours this week. Awesome.

Lemon juice and baking powder will get that gunk off your iron that you've been trying to get off for months.

I was offered candy twice today (gummi candy too, one of my favorites) and I turned it down! I thought of you Sadie.

My mom is coming May 2-11.

Spring is here.

Update: 2-0 Fenerbahçe

Update 2-1 Fenerbahçe - They will play Chelsea again on Tuesday. Again no one will come to my class (well maybe it's all girls). Again there will be crazy traffic. And again I will watch through my neighbors.

Update: people selling stuff

A guy is currently outside yelling about his mops, brooms, buckets, etc. All kinds of cleaning supplies. I guess it's time for spring cleaning...

Also, there is a knife sharpener guy who walks around and yells and then sits at the end of the street so you can drop your knives off to be sharpened on your way to the market. How convenient!

For the sake of the world

Please read this: "What Every American Should Know About the Middle East." While it by no means contains everything that you should know, it's got a good deal of basic information (differences between Muslim/Arab, Sunni/Shia, Muslim/Islam etc.) Do yourself a favor, do your country a favor, do the world a favor and EDUCATE yourself.

I've been considering a Masters degree in Middle East Studies or something like that basically so that I can educate people who don't know about the Middle East. People who are either misinformed, never had a chance to learn, or are ignorant.

My class was canceled, making the total number of hours I've taught this week 3 (it's Tuesday evening). And I saw 4 cats in a tree and 2 more getting ready to join them, super awesome. Please donate to my camera phone fund so I can document such awesomeness.

I feel like I'm getting sick. Trying to load up on Vitamin C and Airborne. I'm just gonna hang out on the couch tonight and do some work and maybe finish Lost Season 3.

OH and my Goal of the Month (GOTM) is to not eat candy (except I can cheat once a week if I want). This includes cookies and ice cream :( But I can eat these chocolate covered cardboard diet cookies if I want. They taste pretty awful so I usually only eat one at a time for the bit of chocolate. I never used to be a sweets person, so I'm trying to rid myself of this curse. Plus the fruit here is usually quite good so I should be enjoying that instead!

Please comment! It keeps me motivated to write!