Extracurricular Activities
I've had a few ideas in the past few days that have been on my mind. I mentioned a really long walk I took on Sunday. One of the places I spent a good amount of time at was the boatdocks between the Galata bridge and the other which I don't know the name of. Along this section of the Golden Horn there are tons of boats of all sizes for tourism, fishing, transportation, etc.
The people I saw around the boat docks were a different sort of people I've encountered at the dorms, at work, in AIESEC, etc. They are more, you could say, the "common" Turkish people that don't have a college education, and probably immigrated to Istanbul for more opportunities. Anyways, after seeing this I thought it would be really cool to seek out weekend work on one of these boats. It looks like the majority of work is physical so I wouldn't have to speak Turkish in amounts that I can't. Interacting with this new group of people, soaking up some skin, getting some exercise, and learning the ins and outs of shipyards seems pretty freaking cool. Although we are going to travel a lot on weekends, I'm thinking even 2 - 3 weekends would have quite the impact on me.
The other idea I had was to join the hundreds of fishermen that line bridges. Fishing seems like a real cultural past time here, and to join these rugged looking fellas would be pretty cool. I don't have fishing tackle, a liscense, or any skill, but I'm hoping a few Turks can lend a helping hand.
I think the main reason I'm seeking out these opportunities is because of the drastic contrast this experience has been with my last echange in the Dominican Republic. Overall, I live extremely well here, and Istanbul is much more developed than I had remembered or imagined. In the DR, I more or less lived in poverty; no water, electricity, etc. I also worked and lived with people with little education if any. Now I'm working with and socializing with young Turkish people with sometimes 2 degrees, including an MBA. Some of them are actually the smartest people I've ever met.
I guess I'm trying to seek out some of the impact and experiences I had in the DR here in Istanbul. Not sure if that's good, bad, or natural, but at this point it feels right and it feels exciting.
The people I saw around the boat docks were a different sort of people I've encountered at the dorms, at work, in AIESEC, etc. They are more, you could say, the "common" Turkish people that don't have a college education, and probably immigrated to Istanbul for more opportunities. Anyways, after seeing this I thought it would be really cool to seek out weekend work on one of these boats. It looks like the majority of work is physical so I wouldn't have to speak Turkish in amounts that I can't. Interacting with this new group of people, soaking up some skin, getting some exercise, and learning the ins and outs of shipyards seems pretty freaking cool. Although we are going to travel a lot on weekends, I'm thinking even 2 - 3 weekends would have quite the impact on me.
The other idea I had was to join the hundreds of fishermen that line bridges. Fishing seems like a real cultural past time here, and to join these rugged looking fellas would be pretty cool. I don't have fishing tackle, a liscense, or any skill, but I'm hoping a few Turks can lend a helping hand.
I think the main reason I'm seeking out these opportunities is because of the drastic contrast this experience has been with my last echange in the Dominican Republic. Overall, I live extremely well here, and Istanbul is much more developed than I had remembered or imagined. In the DR, I more or less lived in poverty; no water, electricity, etc. I also worked and lived with people with little education if any. Now I'm working with and socializing with young Turkish people with sometimes 2 degrees, including an MBA. Some of them are actually the smartest people I've ever met.
I guess I'm trying to seek out some of the impact and experiences I had in the DR here in Istanbul. Not sure if that's good, bad, or natural, but at this point it feels right and it feels exciting.
posted by amartin4 at 11:09 PM
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