Work style
I'm still trying to figure out the work/office culture in Istanbul. I wasn't sure how it would differ from my experiences in the American work place, and I'm still not sure, but I am sure that it feels different.
I'm used to cubicles, huge cubicles. At American Online last semester, there was a quartermile stretch of cubicles. In the cubicles I was surrounded by three huge walls; so closed off that I only knew people by their voices. Here in my office, and in many other offices that I've seen, everybody sits in a psuedo circle, with no walls or barriers. Right this moment, I can see what everyone is doing, what they're not doing, etc. While this takes away privacy, it in turn provides for a much more open atmosphere. I'm constantly talking with other employees and encouraged to consult them whenever I need time.
The other thing is this concept of "Sorry, I'm too busy right now." I must have heard this line a hundred times last Summer when trying to set up meetings. I've heard it once here so far. And it's not that these employees are not doing any work, they just seem to put priorities in different places.
That brings up another thing I've really realized about American culture, a part of our culture that has always annoyed me. Americans, we always have to be busy, pseudo-stressed, with multiple meetings during the day. We have to feel extremely productive to sleep well at night. "I am sooooo stressed" - "I have soooo much f'n work to do" - "I'll see you in like a month"
I really think this sense of keeping busy all day makes us truly believe that we're leading good, healthy lives, making the most of every minute of the day. We also feel this makes us smarter, even better people, because we're so productive. We even tend to look down on people that don't live in such a way.
Turkish culture has provided a pleasing alternative to this lifestyle. Here you don't find people running around 24/7 looking like the sky is falling. You most likely will find a group of friends in the street, at a cafe, in a restaurant, laughing and chatting about who knows what. Things move just a little bit slower here. And you know what? On a proportional basis, I've met smarter people here than in the States. Many of my friends here understand life, friendships, people, all our connections, etc., and they can articulate it very well. In 3 weeks, I've learned more from conversations with these people than I did my entire past semester of college.
And to completely contradict myself, what has completely thrown me off guard this past week has been my subconsciously increasing love for the United States. Many times I've been quick to bash the country, but for some reason(s), I'm beggining to absolutely love the place. I hope I figure out soon this change of heart.
I'm used to cubicles, huge cubicles. At American Online last semester, there was a quartermile stretch of cubicles. In the cubicles I was surrounded by three huge walls; so closed off that I only knew people by their voices. Here in my office, and in many other offices that I've seen, everybody sits in a psuedo circle, with no walls or barriers. Right this moment, I can see what everyone is doing, what they're not doing, etc. While this takes away privacy, it in turn provides for a much more open atmosphere. I'm constantly talking with other employees and encouraged to consult them whenever I need time.
The other thing is this concept of "Sorry, I'm too busy right now." I must have heard this line a hundred times last Summer when trying to set up meetings. I've heard it once here so far. And it's not that these employees are not doing any work, they just seem to put priorities in different places.
That brings up another thing I've really realized about American culture, a part of our culture that has always annoyed me. Americans, we always have to be busy, pseudo-stressed, with multiple meetings during the day. We have to feel extremely productive to sleep well at night. "I am sooooo stressed" - "I have soooo much f'n work to do" - "I'll see you in like a month"
I really think this sense of keeping busy all day makes us truly believe that we're leading good, healthy lives, making the most of every minute of the day. We also feel this makes us smarter, even better people, because we're so productive. We even tend to look down on people that don't live in such a way.
Turkish culture has provided a pleasing alternative to this lifestyle. Here you don't find people running around 24/7 looking like the sky is falling. You most likely will find a group of friends in the street, at a cafe, in a restaurant, laughing and chatting about who knows what. Things move just a little bit slower here. And you know what? On a proportional basis, I've met smarter people here than in the States. Many of my friends here understand life, friendships, people, all our connections, etc., and they can articulate it very well. In 3 weeks, I've learned more from conversations with these people than I did my entire past semester of college.
And to completely contradict myself, what has completely thrown me off guard this past week has been my subconsciously increasing love for the United States. Many times I've been quick to bash the country, but for some reason(s), I'm beggining to absolutely love the place. I hope I figure out soon this change of heart.
posted by amartin4 at 12:53 AM
3 Comments:
Andrew-
Awesome post man. I completely agree with the American culture of work obession. Living in Africa is completely ass backwards because everyone just chills. Even people who work in an office will go in later, let themselves wake up naturally, take the time to eat and talk to friends and associates instead of getting a bite on the run to another "meeting." It's hard to get used to but one of those things that I enjoy about being somewhere else.
And the newfound love for the U.S.--I feel the same way. Being in Africa makes me embarassed by all that we have in our country, but it also makes me proud to come from a place of affluence and efficiency. This is probably the most important part of the AIESEC experience, I think--not just learning about another country and its culture, but using it to reflect on your own. I feel that now when I return to the States I will be that much better of a citizen--because I, like you, tend to overly bash the place.
I found that after not too long in Egypt, my sense of pride for being a US citizen grew tremendously. When people confront me about various topics that I may not be particularly proud of (i.e. foreign relations, how Bush got re-elected), I always tried to put some perspective on why some US folks believed it to be the correct route. While I would be sure to note that I didn't agree with the actions of the gov, I tried to make it clear
a) why some people believe it to be the right course
b) any elements of the topic that may not be clear to them as an outsider to our society.
I found that a little perspective would often go a long way in helping them at least understand our issues and how they're not so white or black.
it is exactly what Mix says... You love it more because people keep telling you only bad things about your country... By defending (which is a normal reaction) or generally discussing about the culture you`re coming from, you think of the best possible ways to present it and you start loving it even more then before...
It is also a part of a cultural shock and adapting to a new culture - you start appreciating more what you had in your country, but also accepting new way of life...
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