September 2008

Hi there September 2008
Thought Id drop a line to tell you about our first week in Istanbul. It has been both a nerve racking and exciting time. We arrived last Friday morning at 3am to our new flat in the centre of Istanbul & to our shock there was no electricity. After a bit of stumbling around and cursing, we finally managed to find the bed and collapsed into it.
We slept a few hours out of sheer exhaustion and were awoken at 5am to the call to prayer! “Oh no!!!”.. we both moaned, we hadn’t noticed a mosque anywhere nearby when we discovered the flat a few months earlier. Fortunately the call to prayer was over in a few minutes and we dozed off again. What seemed like only a few minutes later we were awoken by the screeching of tyres and rumbling of cars & mopeds stopping at the end of our street. The weather being extremely hot (34 degrees) we couldn’t shut the windows and it just seemed there was one loud noise after the next. After the usual wallowing self pity, I made a mental note to look for ear plugs over the next few days.
A week later and I haven’t bought any ear plugs yet - but they are still on my list. The funny thing is that although the flat is located in a very noisy quarter it is also so close to everything and a very intriguing place to live. The city itself is amazing, there is so much to see and discover and I pinch myself from time to time that I am actually living here. Every day we see something new ….your senses being constantly stimulated.
The food is incredible. Whenever we are eating or preparing food we experience surges of euphoria about making the decision to come to live in Istanbul. Eating out can be pretty cheap; there is an incredible variety of places to choose from. We have dined at eateries – Turkish pizza for 2 Turkish Lira (about 70p) to more expensive restaurants. Vegetables are delicious and so tasty. A bag of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, figs cost under 1 pound. There is a large fish market close by and we have had some fun experimenting with preparing it in different ways with an abundance of fresh herbs.
We already have a few favourite pubs and tonight we found a very nice restaurant (which is a bit more expensive) just close to where we live. It was recommended in the The List and has an enclosed garden. The puddings are to die for!.....
Back to the difficulties. Unfortunately we have had many teething problems with the flat. The NOISE not being the only difficulty, we have had two leaks, one from the shower (which is located in the kitchen) with a pool of water gathering across the kitchen floor every time you use the shower & the other a leak under the kitchen sink. None of the doors closed properly & the sofa bed collapsed when I was snoozing on it the first afternoon of arrival. Experiencing all of this in very hot conditions and me suffering painful mosquito bites (& just having had the most exhausting time in Freiburg) has just been something else. The good thing has been that you can escape the flat and quickly find a shady oasis and have a comforting cup of cay (tea).


On Friday Augustino, a carpenter came by and he fixed almost everything that required attention, including installing a curtain rail on the sitting room door to give a bit of privacy when using the shower. Up until the curtain went up, we had the feeling of being in a fish bowl. Sorry I haven’t told you much about the flat but the main thing is that it is quite small.The entrance comes directly into the kitchen, with very small study and bedroom to the right and sitting room off to the left of the kitchen with three windows facing the street. The flat is very light with windows at both sides, hence the feeling of being in a glass bowl. I spent the first five days dashing from bedroom to shower with towel or without (times when I forgot it), trying to avoid being seen in the buff by our new neighbours. Quite difficult at night, I can tell you!! It’s funny now how you can laugh about these things afterwards but at the time I was quite worked up especially with the precarious puddle forming in the middle of the kitchen floor. Anyway the curtain looks good and is serving a very valuable purpose.
Almost everything is fixed and it’s slowly beginning to feel a bit more like home. The flat is airy, pretty and furnished nicely. We have signed a lease on the flat for six months. I’m sitting on the fence about how I feel about staying here longer term. G is generally more enthusiastic than me, probably because he is used to city living. I think I would still prefer to find something quieter.
Our day normally starts with a trip to the shop to buy ekmek (bread). We buy fresh bread everyday sometimes twice a day and eat it with cheese, olives, parsley, tomatoes for breakfast. We also like yogurt and honey. We bought an espresso maker at Ikea last week and prepare yummy cappuccinos, of which we drink at least two to feel fit for the day ahead.
This last week we went to IKEA to buy some furniture & basics for the flat, & have also wandered around the quarter looking for bits and bobs for the kitchen. The flat was very basically equipped; cutlery for four and a few kitchen knives ….nothing else!
We have been learning Turkish vocabulary together, exploring the area we live in, reading newspapers & books, shopping and making a few boat trips on the Bospherous.
Yesterday we went to Moda on the Asian side of Istanbul. Whilst eating (a main pastime!) we met some people who I overheard speaking a mix of German and Italian. I initiated a conversation with one of them about the food and we discovered that the Turkish couple had lived in Switzerland for 30 years; they were together with an Italian neighbour who also had lived in Germany. They were very friendly and we received an invitation to their house further down the coast, a house on the beach!. Apparently they live in a small colony of expats including Germans and Brits.
In general people are pretty friendly. Some negative aspects for me are that many of the Turkish people stare at me because of my height, especially the men! G thinks that many are looking in admiration but I think the men just can’t get their head round the idea of taller women. They are so set in their minds that women should be smaller than men and that’s all they are accustomed to. A couple of times I have got a bit upset, but I am just trying to be brave and look at them in a condescending way. At times I’d love to give them the finger but my partner has warned me not to as it could lead to some serious trouble.

Needless to say some men are very chauvinistic and proud of themselves. I find this quite difficult to deal with having lived in such different cultures. But other times the friendship shown by both women and men here is extremely refreshing and overwhelming. Suddenly all the negative feelings you have built up disappear in a moment!.
“Crash, bang, destroy” we just heard a crash coming from the street. Yesterday when we were crossing the Galata Bridge a lorry dropped a load of crockery on the street, the ensuing traffic ran over the cups and saucers and bits flew into the air. It was complete madness and we had to run for cover. It can be very chaotic place and you just never know what is going to happen next (which is worrying at times).
Something I have also found upsetting is the stray dogs. Yesterday we say a chained up bull dog which was left sitting in the sun. Two guys were sitting next to it and it was obvious it was in distress and gasping for breath. It looked like it was going to have a heart attack. I wanted to give it some water but G didn’t want me to get involved. I was so pissed off & incensed for the next hour about people ignoring suffering in this way. Apparently most Turkish people are afraid of dogs!
In every street and quarter there are stray cats. The cats seem to fair better than the dogs and I often see cat food on door steps. And at every restaurant or shop there are regular strays. Our favourite pub has even named a few and you always see a few people being affectionate to them.
There are also lots of poor people, but not as many beggars as I had imagined in comparison to other large cities. You do see a lot of old people wandering the streets late at night selling tissues or pens for extra cash. And also lots of migrants begging, using very young children to wander around the tables in restaurants asking for money.
Last night we got talking to a guy that works in one of our favourite pubs and he told us that he wants to go to Russia to work in the construction industry. He lived in the north of Turkey and travelled to Istanbul to try to leave for Russia. The authorities wouldn’t let him leave so he came to the city, homeless etc. He is applying for the paperwork to go to Russia but so far he has been here four months. He is working in the pub and speaks fluent English (and Russian!) He started to study law but didn’t like the course and the University. It was very authoritarian so he dropped out. He also fell out with his dad and is now stuck living in Istanbul. It was quite sad to hear his story and I wonder what will happen to him?. He told us that he doesn’t like the city as it is too big. (His story reminded us of the Turkish film Uzak). G and I were in Moscow a few years ago and saw living conditions on several construction sites. It was shocking and we wondered about warning him about the awful conditions but we guessed he is probably very set in his plans.
Something else I have to tell you about is that on Sunday morning at about 3.30am we heard drumming and singing. At first I thought someone was kicking a wheelie bin in the street but as it got closer it was definitely a drum & singing and very rhythmic (and very LOUD). This carried on for about 20 minutes and then suddenly stopped. Shortly afterwards I heard some singing coming a nearby house. It was very beautiful and being gently sung by men and then… I passed out!. G and I wondered if it had anything to do with the start of Ramadan.
Anyway again this morning at 4 am the drumming and singing started again and stopped after 20 minutes. It is quite eerie but nice! However I must tell you I don’t think I’ve had one night’s sound sleep since we arrived. I hope this drumming isn’t going to carry on for a whole month?!
G started work two days ago. It took him three hours to find the school with public transport. He was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and tie and was wet through with sweat. On arriving at the school he was warmly received and given a tour of the premises and met a few colleagues. This first week is more to do with signing contracts and bureaucratic stuff. Next week he starts teaching and has to start at 7:30am at the school. He will have to rise at 5am (quite a change for him) and he finishes at 1pm.
Im at home trying to look after the household and cook. I continue with my art work. I haven’t quite got into a routine yet as I haven’t established my area to work or even have a desk in the flat. But I must admit I am enjoying rather lazy days & reading a lot.
I’m off to the Spice Bazaar this afternoon; I missed that as it was closed at Christmas, when we were over in Istanbul the last time. Well that’s all for now, hope things are well with everyone?Love Annabel.