IKEA and Other Ways to Pass the Time

As I power through these four weeks with an open schedule, with Dumi and now other fellow students in my program at my side, we realize there are not only a) a lot of practical things we could and should be getting done and b) a lot of totally impractical but fun things we can and should see before classes start.

So where do I begin?  Ah yes, IKEA!  Turka-style. 

My trusty colleague and friend Zac and I decide to trek to the "local" Ikea, which ends up taking us about 3 1/2 hours commuting.  First there is the bus to Sariyer, then the bus to Taksim, then the bus to a metro stop supposedly right in front of Ikea.  However, when we arrive at said metro stop, and ask around for "I-K-E-A", we get a lot of confused looks.  Finally, a helpful elderly gentleman repeats "oh I-K-AY-A" - so we say "evet, Ik-ay-a, tamam" and he points us in a direction, and encourages us to walk with effusive hand signals. 

We walk as far as we can until we hit a ramp, and we see...Ikea!  but in between us and IKEA are about 6 highways...

Zac and I at this point are so determined to not take another mode of transportation to traverse these highways that we decide to walk...we are sure we can find a little pedestrian path to get over there.  WRONG.  We succumb and take one last metro ride a total of 1 stop, under the crucially limiting highways, and reach our holy grail...

entrance to Ikea

So what do we do first?  We go to the cafeteria, of course - where Swedish interpretation meets Turkish cuisine.  This is interesting, because I get the distinct impression that more cultural factors are playing into the food choices in the Swedish-based company's cafeteria choices - globalization - why else would they have an American-style, lettuce-based salad with shrimp? 

notice the dish on the right: a mezze of dolma and yogurt

I am going to admit something to you all in this post that I am rather ashamed of.  On a couple occasions since getting here, I have been (overly) thrilled to indulge in globalistic capitalist chain stores, such as IKEA and STARBUCKS.  I want to know, why would these places have such a strong magnetic pull for me now, here, in Istanbul, when I rarely visit them when I am home in the U.S.?  I think the explanation is familiarity, and I am not ashamed to give in to a little comfort.  Having just moved to another country for two years, I will allow my occasional support for these stores, especially when it allows me to avoid another cup of instant Nescafe.  This is all to say, I got the pan-cultural shrimp salad.  and it was good!



Ikea cuisine (note Zac's noodles and meatballs, or Kofte)


While we were sitting in the cafeteria, recovering from the mini marathon it took us to get there, I get a message on my phone from a girl named Zeynep whom I have been emailing back and forth with.  Zeynep spent this past summer working as an international camp counselor in Vershire, Vermont, where my sister and her husband live.  One night, according to annual tradition, Jean and Richard hosted the international counselors over to their home for a dinner.  I have been there past years to meet and spend time with the counselors, but missed Zeynep this summer.  However, when my sister told her that I was moving to Istanbul, Jean gave her my contact information with the plan that we would get together.

So Zeynep and her boyfriend Murat, by some miracle of miracles, happen to be on their way out to the area by the IKEA at that very moment.  So we meet up at the entrance and the shopping commences.  Zeynep helps me manage my way through Ikea in Turkish, helping me get appropriately-sized sheets and all of these little things that a language barrier makes difficult.  Most importantly, we reminisce about the Vermont countryside, how Jean and Richard are the most wonderful people ever, and how Istanbul could not be more opposite than the slow-pace of Vershire.  Basically, we have lot's of fun and decide we have to hang out again soon.  After two lamps, bed linens, dishes, silverware, surge protectors, a pillow and dish towels are purchased, I part ways with Zac, Zeynep and Murat, but with the plan to meet up later in the week.



Murat, Zac and Zeynep outside of IKEA

What's another silly thing to do to pass time?  Get your hair did.  The next day my suitemate Dumi and I decide to meet her friend Pinar and go to her hair cut guy in Besiktas, arguably the closest major part of town. 

A big part of my experience here so far has involved just figuring out how to get around.  Istanbul is absolutely massive, with around 14 million inhabitants, spread out over what seems like ten times the area of d.c.  (Hence why it took 3 1/2 hours to get to Ikea) So to get to Besiktas, we take a bus to Sariyer (the town center in our "province) and catch a bus from there to Besiktas.  These two buses take approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. 

bus route from Sariyer into town (on the Bosphorus)

Once we get to Besiktas, we talk to Pinar to find a place to meet up, and we are given directions to 1) walk up a hill 2) when we see a rug shop on the left and a bakery on the right, take a right, walk one block and Pinar will meet us there. 

Let me just pause for a moment.  There ARE street signs in Turkey.  However, the locals like to give directions with landmarks such as shops and in particular, hills; "go up the hill," "there will be a hill," etc.  Now I will admit that I do the same thing in d.c. to an extent.  Wherever a person grows up, we become comfortable with points of reference that are places - this makes sense - who has met a 5 year old that knows major cross streets? 

inland bus route from Sariyer to Besiktas

However, in a place like d.c., there is only one National Cathedral or Uptown theater you can drive by, whereas Istanbul has countless hills, bakers, rug shops, etc....on any given street.

Turkish donut-like pastry, soaked in honey/syrup

Turkish ice cream chain Mado, claim to fame: sliceable ice cream

baklava baklava and more types of baklava

So once we navigate our way through the chaotic streets Istanbul is known for, we meet up with Pinar and go to her hair cut place.  Dumi and I get virtually the same haircut - a trim with very slight layering, all in 20 minutes, all for 25 TL (about $15).  This may not seem shocking to a male reader, but to any American female, this is awesome.  Am I right?

The low cost of hair cuts is actually more of a cultural thing than economic.  It's very common for Turkish women to go to the hair salon every day to get their hair "blown out".  They go in before work in the morning or before a meeting or a dinner, and the hair stylist literally just blow dries their hair, giving it maximum volume.  Think: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," or just the 80s. anywhere.

cafe on the Bosphorus

boats on the Bosphorus

So Dumi and I have dinner plans with a family friend of mine at a place in Emirgan called "Burger Bar," and a burger place makes sense because the family we are meeting up with has a 10 year old and an 18 month old.  So we take a new bus, 25E, that goes directly up the Bosphorus, passing ritzy neighborhoods such as Bebek.  We get out in the general neighborhood that we think looks close to our restaurant is on the bus map (this is a very common way in which we get around; guesstimation).  And walk up the road about a mile before we realize there is no cross walk across the road we must cross to go into the town.

A word about Istanbul traffic.  I don't think I can accurately describe the way in which cars/motorbikes/buses get around town.  For now I will just say it is like that kid's game "Traffic Jam" where you have to move the cars in all directions to get them out of the game, except with real cars, moving at 50-70 mph.  I ride the bus with my eyes closed most of the time.

more boats on the Bosphorus



So crossing the street at any given moment is also quite a gamble, but Dumi and I prevail.  We then go up a "hill" and instead of taking a left (the correct way) we take a right, thinking it will be better, and we get very lost.  But it's ok!  Because we have a lot of fun.  We found a huge, beautiful outdoor park that resembles a clean and more modern central park.  We walk through, taking note of where we are so we can come back sometime soon.  I will definitely come back with Barnaby once his trans-Atlantic trip is complete.

After being lost for awhile, we get to the restaurant and have a lovely dinner of mini burgers and (for myself) mini falafels.  delicious!  Even better, we go back to the family's house afterwards and have popcorn, fresh fruit (plums, pears, dates, oranges, apples) and watch "Transporter: 3" and playing with babies.  My ideal Friday night.

small mosque in Bebek

Guardian Angel family had their driver take Dumi and me home, and after describing the horror that the bus system can be, I hope you understand the extent of our gratitude.  Home to sleep in brand new Ikea sheets. tata for now :)