Surprising everybody with "afiyet olsun"

March 25th, 2002:


The same as every day: Wake up early and come to work. Burak My boss finally appeared and said he could have a meeting with me, but only had free  the time of lunch ... lunch Boss?? This is not time for the meeting ... but I needed to show some things for him to know what to do now. We almost missed lunch but everything worked and we went to the cafeteria together.

When he finished eating he stood up and said "Afiyet olsun" (good appetite) and I replied "eyualah" (this and slang of the ancient Turks to express something positive). When I said that he started laughing out loud because he must have thought "how a Brazilian who is here only two weeks already know this type of slang ??" It was really fun.

At night went to AIESEC to try to wash my clothes and guess what ?? They continued dirty... what a shame there is no place in this city that opens at night to wash clothes !! But I left there to see what they can do for me. Other than that just went to dinner, then home and sleep after a boiling shower!


March 27th, 2002:

Another normal day but some white specks falling from the sky ... SNOW !!!! Wow... but okay, my culture shock is being the weather!!

It should be around 5PM when the weather began to turn, windy and from one hour to another the wind stopped ... and when I look into outside the company ... small white flakes gently falling from the sky ... I did not believe ... I approached the company glass wall to see more closely, completely frozen, not cold, but the fact of seeing snow fall.

Mr Burak, my boss, came into my room and asked me to go outside the company feel the snow... amazing experience ... it looked like a child when get new toy! Ican not describe! Too bad I have no picture, my camera is still without battery.

Speaking of my boss, he appeared again in the office but this time with more time for me ... He brought millions of books ... He thinks I can read it all in 6 months! I will read all that matters, but it has many good things for me to read... will be very useful. At lunchtime some guys from the factory came to talk to me in English ... very cool. The guys talk better than the people in my department who should know English because they are the IT area (Information Technology).

After work I went again to AIESEC and the same ... dirty clothes ... but it seems that tomorrow, Wednesday, they will put to wash !! I expect!!

Kisses thousand very sleepy and no clean clothes !!

March 27th, 2002:


Today I brought my CDs to the office and I was listening Brazilian music ... very good ... heard of "Bonde do Tigrao" and "Vinicius de Moraes," all my CDs ... until my boss appears. He set up a meeting with the guy from marketing area what was good. The guy during the meeting gave good ideas ... for business, not for me. I'll have to work even harder. The guy changed the entire project and I will have to restructure all over again !! We were at that meeting about 2 hours straight and I was already going crazy with the new things that the guy suggested to put in the system. The rest of the day was just digesting all this information.

Leaving the company went to AIESEC wishing my clothes are washed (this're looking Mexican soap opera). Getting there met Nurdan in the hallway and she told me that Mehmet has the store card so I take my clothes tomorrow. But tomorrow???? Tomorrow I will work in shorts and T-shirt. The thing that they got is this: They convinced a laundry to stay open for us, or we will call the guy to open it. We wash our clothes at night and then it closes or leave there and they wash to catch-up the next day . Good idea, but I still have no clean clothes to work ... and now I have not dirty because there are washing!!

Out this mess of clothes, we went to a different place of conventional to update the news. We rolled a very nice chat with Onur about change agent, meaningful work, leadership, trying to change the world, these things ... worth the day! I was exhausted but could not get out of there because the conversation was way too good. Finally someone in this town who has this view !! Around 11PM I went home ... destroyed ... and cold (-1 degree).

Arriving home I didn't even took a bath, went to sleep directly. I'll get in the mood of my dirty clothes :) !!

Here is a picture of my house ... I live on the fifth floor, front. The window with the antenna.

Tomorrow the soap opera continues ... (hopefully the last chapter of the novel "dirty clothes" is today !!)

Kisses to everyone!!
Xand

Next Post: What is falling from sky? Snow!

Brazilian cultural presentation

Hi Everybody!!
Yesterday was a hard day at work, I was very tired... just came back home, had dinner and went to sleep as at the next day there was an AIESEC meeting but the mood at the CL (AIESEC office) was not that cool... something happened but they didn't want to talk.

March 23rd, 2002 - Saturday: Turkish seminar in turkish and the brazilian cultural presentation
Wake-up very early... this is not for me... specially because here is very cold in the mornings but as I needed to was my clothes I decided to put everything in my backpack and bring to AIESEC office as they could tell me where to bring it to wash. Time passed and the only answer I got was we could make it... and I trusted.

Went to Ozmangazi University to get the end of the meeting. Me and my backpack full of dirty clothes. The meetings sucked as I could not understand 90% of what they were talking about, but they loved. Around 2PM they asked me to talk about my traineeship in Turkey, my expectations, etc but I had only 5 minutes. Tried to compile my thoughts and focus on being a change agent and learn as much as possible to try to change something back in Brazil. I talked also about meaningfull work but I could see that even with someone translating to english their faces showed me they were not understanding much. At least, I made my part.

We left the university and went to the other one (Anadolu University) where there was a seminar about something I didn't understand again as I don't know turkish yet. Several minutes later, it was already 7PM and my clothes, of course, still dirty in my backpack. Seminar ended and I decided to talk seriously to them as they promissed something to me but nothing. Of course, didn't work as everything closes at 6PM and only opens again on Monday. I almost had to come to work by pijamas.

At night, to relax, there was a birthday party in one of the AIESEC guys house and I made my brazilian cultural presentation. It was good but from 20 people there, only 5 were really enjoying asking questions and participating. Anyway, they day today was very long and I was also tired and I don't know if I could pay atention to something completely different being presented by a brazilian, in english. I think I understand them. At the weekend of April 6th I will make my brazilian party and I hope they enjoy more than this presentation.

Kisses and see you!

Alex!

Working and learning Turkish

March 18, 2002 - Started to learn turkish and to work

First day at work and the first kick on learning this weird language. My day at work was completely free but I noticed that maybe my boss did it to see how I would work without pressure. I decided to work hard then and almost finished 1 week work only in 1 day.

I think I could do more if 2 nerd turks from our IT deppartment didn't want to install a fingerprint identificator in my machine. There are so many computers here at the office, why mine? Anyway, they expent a lot of time there, almost 2 hours, and always when I tried to check my fingerprint... nothing. I think this cold weather erased my fingerprints. After they left I decided to try more and more and finally I could register it. I hope everyday I can open my computer easily.

After work, I went to AIESEC office to find out where I can develop my photo film, where I can wash my clothes (in turkish house there isn't place to wash it, neither a place to hang it to dry), where I can buy some bateries to my digital camera, and so on... I met Onur there and he told me Claudia called him telling she bought a book to learn turkish and wanted to know if I was interested to join her and Katerine, the colombian trainee, to study. For me is great, I'm not going to expend a cent with classes or books because she already have one. We studied till 10pm when I decided to go home. Before go home be brave to walk in 2 degrees weather... but I'm alive.

Kisses people... today I'm so tired I think I'm not going to have more news tomorrow. I just want to sleep a bit after dinner in my very simple but confortable bed on the floor... at least it is very hot.

March 19, 2002 - I just wanted to sleep, but...

I just wanted to go home early and sleep but...
I left work and went home to change my clothes because it was very cold and I was frozen. I dressed 2 moleton pants, 2 t-shirts, a pullover and a jacket over... I was ready to fight against the cold outside.

I don't know if there is a work to express it in english but there isn't in Portuguse... it was not only cold... it was minus 2 degrees. My clothes were enough but my nose frozen. At least only for 20 minutes, when I was walking till AIESEC office.

From there we went to dinner at the same place but this time I decided to try something different... I went for Manti. I liked a lot and I'm thinking about to eat it more times, also because ot is cheaper than Yogurt'lu Kofte. I was starving and only this plate was not enough... I need to eat some bread at home.

At the restaurant Mehmet (one of the AIESEC'ers) destroied my weekend plans. This weekend there will be something for new member and they need some help again. Ok, no problems, next weekend I'm planing to go to Istanbul to 3 Ankara trainees and the next one maybe a brasilian party here. Mehmet also put my film to develop today. Soon I will have some pictures and I already found out that there is a scanner in my company. I just need to convince the guys, in turkish, to scan them to me.

After dinner we went to a pub to watch Galatasaray (the biggest turkish team) versus Barcelona. Before the game starts I said, just to play, that Barcelona would win for 1x0... guess what happened? Exactly, Barcelona did it for the same score I said!

Now, more than ever, I have to find a safe place to watch the game between Brasil and Turkey for the World Cup. BEcause of this match at the pub I went home to sleep only at 1am.

Kisses,
Alex

Ankara city tour and pic-nic

March 16, 2002 - Ankara’s adventure

Beginning from yesterday...
After work I went to Anadolu University to a AIESEC new member presentation. I didn’t understand anything they said at the entire presentation but at the end they asked me a help to talk about myself and my expectations. I talked about how is to be a changing agent but I think they have another idea about this traineeship. There was a guy translating to turkish what I was talking but I’m really sure they didn’t understand anything.

I met the colombian trainee. She is an English teacher here in Eskisehir but sadly she works on Saturdays and will not join us in our weekend trips.
After the presentation I went to Claudia’s house to do something because it was Friday! Eskisehir is a young town but it was too cold outside and I think everybody decided to stay at home. We walked a lot looking for something. We found a techno party in a place that seems to be the city point but we didn’t enter because it was a bit expensive. Finally we decided to come back home, but it was fun anyway.

Today: Wake-up was dificult... the bus leaves to Ankara at 9... we got it without problems and 3 hours later, we were there.

AIESEC Ankara is very nice... it is a house... yelow... at the corner. I checked my e-mails there and we left to a city tour guided by 2 AIESEC’ers I don’t remember the names. We went to Ataturk mausoleum - this man is the national hero because he made a lot of important things. From there to a huge mosque, very nice... I can’t describe. Then, we went to a book store because Claudia wanted to buy something to learn turkish and then, back to the office.

I really wanted a place to dance a bit, have som fun... but we decided to go to a cafe and we stayed there, just talking. After 40 minutes, 2 people came over, one of them Marcia, a brasilian trainee from Curitiba - Paraná. It was enough for us to make a party at the place because I had in my backpack some samba and forró CD’s.

Giving a “brasilian way” I convinced them to put the CDs to play. The rest of the night was only dancing and making them believe that we knew how to dance samba and forró. But I think they were a bit terrifyed because here they don’t dance so close to each other.

After this dancing night we went to an AIESEC’er house to sleep. There, I still had time to try to teach her and Claudia some forró and samba.

There are more adventures tomorrow.

March 17, 2002 - Picnic on the snow??

Second day of adventures in Ankara!
Wake-up early again... 9 am the bus leaves to pic-nic. We paid more than was agreed before, but it is ok... what metters is the party.

Getting there, 1 hour by bus, I saw a white stuff on the ground... I thought it was something like foam. To my surprise it was snow! I saw snow the first time in my life. The first thing I did when I left the bus was to run to this snow and make a snow ball  I took some pictures.

I was very curious to know how was a turkish pic-nic in a place with snow. Well, turk stuff, chicken legs barbecue with bread (of course). When the chicken legs got finished they appear with some snacks and cakes... saved the day!

Here they have some different games.. we played some... but as the time was passing cloder was getting. The temperature was around 5 degrees celcius maximum. Was very hard but I survived and around 5pm we came back to the bus.

From the pic-nic to the bus station... from there to Eskisehir (3 hours by bus). Arriving here at the city a surprise... 2 degrees!! Guys, you know, I’m from Rio... I can’t live with this temperature.

The only thing I did was go home and sleep.

Kisses and hugs to everybody.

Alex

First day working

March 14, 2002 - Went to Company

Hi everybody!
Today morning I went again to the University to help AIESEC at the presentations and after that, Aysa drove me till the company (Endel) to meet my boss (Mr. Burak) and everything else. The company I will work is far away from the city, inside of an industrial zone, but as there is a company bus, it is ok.


We talked for sometime and I asked him the friday off... as you know, I`m brasilian and friday is not a day to start working... and he accepted... he is a great person :) I liked him a lot at the first day :)
The big problem I will have here is about the language as nobody speaks english, only turkish... the only one who speaks is my boss but I need to get used to his turkish accent. When he speaks slowly it is easy. Besides that, I`m not going to have ICQ but probably MSN messenger... I still don't know, on monday I tell you all.

Now I'm here waiting for the time when the bus leaves to go to AIESEC office and from there, organize my trip to Istanbul where I might to be to my friends again.

That's all for now. Maybe tomorrow I send an e-mail from Istanbul, I don't know yet how it will be.

Kisses and hugs,

March 15, 2002 - First working day

Hi everybody!
As you all can see I didn't go to Istanbul because my friends are not going to be there this weekends, then I decided to come to work. I hope my boss liked it :)
A dam cold early morning.. I woke-up at 6:30 am and almost got frozen when I put my nose out of home. Yesterday I made my bed on the floor using the pads from the sofa. I will take a picture soon. Talking about pictures, I can't find the bateries to my camera here... I think I made a very bad buy... would be better if I had a discman here :)

Mr. Burak (my boss) showed me the process we are going to remodel and if I have some space and time I will do a lot of changes because the actual database works but very bad organized. This is for future.

I have a computer now and as there was a room empty, only with some boxes and old stuffs, I asked to use it. Now I have my own room, with telephone and everything :)

Talking about good things... yesterday I was very sad that my plans to go to Istanbul failed but the AIESEC guys discovered the trainees in Ankara were organizing a pic-nic on saturday and on sunday a small sightseeing at the city. I already bought the bus ticket.. I just don`t know if I`m going there alone or if Claudia (the german trainee) will join me. Sad that the colombian trainee can not join us because she works on saturday.

Some bad news... I can't use ICQ or MSN or Yahoo Messenger... as I see we will need to schedule a time to chat somewhere on the web. Another thing is that I didn't find out how to call to Brasil without pay here, but paying there. The people here only uses mobile and I will expend a lot of money calling them. I hope I can call mobiles from the office.

That's all for now.. I liked very much the job as I'm going to plan, map the process and develop a system to them.

Kisses and I miss you all!

Alex (my name here)

In Eskisehir

March 12, 2002 - Finally in Eskisehir!!

Still in Istanbul we almost lost the bus that was leaving from Besiktas to the Bus Station (Otogar), but everything went right. After some difficulties to understand what the people at the bus station and inside the bus were speaking, finally I got here at Eskisehir.

They have a lotion inside the bus that they offer to everybody to clean the hands and as I could noticed they get furious if you don’t acept it. After 6 hours by bus, in a better one then the one I came from Athens to Istanbul, I arrived in Eskisehir.


As I’ve been studing and asking to my friends, Eskisehir is a city with 700 thousands inhabitans where the most of them are university students. There are 2 huge universities here and a river that cross the city and people say it’s the city point. Let’s see.

I’m already stabilished in my new home. My roomates are cool but I didn`t have time to talk to them. I saw only a little bit from the city, just knew some streets around where I live.

I can’t stay for longer here because I already answered tons of mails and it will get expensive. Soon I will be working and can send these e-mails from the office... what will be easier.

March 13, 2002 - Exploring Eskisehir!!

Hello everybody! I`m already exploring the city!

I went to Anadolu University... that place is great... seems like the universities shown on movies. I almost asked how I could finish my graduation here. I helped AIESEC people in some class presentations and then I went together to my new friend Onur (you will read a lot about him in the future) to walk around. We played table tenis, where I lost, but was interesting to learn the numbers till 22.

After the university we went to the office where there was a meeting to new AIESEC member. Then, we went dinner... the food here is really spicy... I hope my stomach supports for a little more till I find something better.


There is a german trainee here, Claudia, and we went there to her house to a small party... what was really fun! I drank a red vodka from Finland and came back home a bit drunk... but it’s OK.. at least I remember everything 

Kisses and Hugs!

Presentation

This blog is to post all messages I sent by e-mail to my famully and friends when I was in a traineeship in Turkey from march to october 2002. At that time there wasn't Blogs, then everyday I wrote an e-mail to tell to my friends what was going on.

I went there to work in as an IT analyst by AIESEC interchange and of course to travel around and there were many adventures you all will see at the next posts. I will try to keep the wording the same I used in my e-mails, always putting a date to reference that it was in the past, in 2002, 6 years ago.

This is an english version of the original Blog where I'm posting the original texts in portuguese (xandturquia.blogspot.com), then I'm sorry if something weird is writtenbecause my english is not perfect and some words are also hard to translate.

I hope you enjoy the trip at the next posts! See you in Turkey 2002!