It has been a little over a week since I arrived in Istanbul, but the days seem like a blur! With so much to do, it feels like everyday is filled with something new. I landed on the 13th and I took the first two days to adjust to the campus and city-- as well as recover from jetlag.
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| View of the campus |
We work in the Graduate School of Business at Koc University. So far, my tasks have been related to the new programs the university has started in MBA and Finance degrees. I have been collecting data of the program applicants as well as transcribing next year's program schedule. The workload is minimal and the environment is very relaxed. On the second day of work, our bosses took us to a restaurant by the sea. The fish was deep-fried-- skin, bone, and head intact! It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but maybe when I'm feeling more adventurous I'll have another go at it.
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Restaurant
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| Turkish coffee at work-- Still trying to get used to the taste! |
The university is 1.5-2 hours away from the heart of Istanbul and because our work ends at 4:30 and buses back to campus stop running at 11 pm, we're not able to see much. In the few days, I've been here I feel as if I have stuck my toes in the surface and merely grazed the main bits of the city. In the few hours each day we were able to travel, we saw the Bosphorous, Grand Bazaar, and Takism.
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| Bosphorus in the evening |
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| Istiklal street |
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| Grand Bazaar |
Sunday night, we walked down Istiklal street to find a cafe that offers fortune reading in coffee grounds. When we got there, there were a bunch of tables outside and everyone was smoking while drinking tea or coffee. A majority had already turned their coffee cups upside down in anticipation for the fortune reader. I ordered my drink and quickly gulped it down because it takes around 30 minutes for the grounds to dry and be ready for reading. After almost an hour, I was called into the fortune reader's room and surprisingly a few things he said were true!
My first week in Istanbul has been so eventful, I can't wait to see what else this city has in store for me!
Pareesa,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tammy Mida. I am interning in LSA International Internships this summer, so I will be reading and responding to your blog posts.
I marked this as being your first blog post for the week of 5/18-5/24. You have many more weeks to explore the city! Perhaps you can do some traveling on the weekends. Do you work Fridays?
I'm glad work is going well- I think it's so interesting that you're working in the field of higher education. (I am currently completing my Master's in that field). Do you get to interact with students or is mostly office work?
I would love to know more about having your fortune read with coffee grounds. I can only imagine how that works! Very cool- it is something that would never happen here in the U.S. I look forward to your next post!
Best,
Tammy