Category Archives: Uncategorized
Being nice is easy!
It’s so easy to be nice. Requires the least effort. A few days back, I came to my rehab in slippers. The reason? My shoes gave up after all the rain, storm and hail the country has been treating me with. After hours of interrogation of what my shoe size was, the lady who escorts the kids back to their homes ( we call her the bus mom ) actually got new shoes for me! Who could believe that? I hadn’t even spoken to her ever. I really did not know how to react! I used to think that such instances of kindness are extinct. Really touched. The teachers at my NGO and the kids in the school. They can HARDLY speak English, but then that’s what I have realized. Expression is enough to make a person happy. Be it in any form. One doesn’t always need to use humongous words or fancy language or tons of money to show to people they care. Just go out there and say it. Being nice is easy. 🙂
Random Thought #1
We need to find a reason to respect people while finding a reason to disrespect them comes automatically for most of us.
“Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting.”
― Randy Pausch
Coming here I have realized how we in our comfortable environment find a reason to complicate even the simplest of things. Three simple words :- waiting, sharing and helping can make you a wonderful individual. Always give people around you a chance. On the pretext of ‘professionalism’, ‘working ethics’, ‘etiquette’,’rules’ and ‘regulations’ we get away with anything. Before all of this comes humanity and the basic understanding of consideration, humility and cooperation every individual must have. I beg everyone whose too busy in life making money, struggling for security and hungry for power to look at the brighter side of life. Life is happy and nice so let’s not make it uncomfortable for anyone. Not even our enemies. If you insist on having any.
Yazgi!
Travel anybody?
I’ve been here for a total 15 days now. I’ve already traveled to 4 cities in Turkey. I’ve learnt enough Turkish to be able to start a conversation with the locals here. I’ve already seen everything from an earthquake to a storm. From a hot water spring to a snowfall. From the ancient ruins of the city to the glaring and imposing downtown streets. I’ve spent my days learning not only Turkish culture but different cultures from almost 5 different countries. Everyday I sleep with utmost contentment with full satisfaction of my day. Not because I made the most of that day but because I know I contributed to making someone else’s day complete as well. Everyday I wake up in the morning without having any breakfast on my bed to know I am responsible of myself. Everyday I plan my day like it’s a new blank page of a beautiful chapter that I can lead to a perfect ending. Everyday I am happy to work. Like actually GLAD to work. Cause I know my work is to impact people. Impact the lives of young hopeful children who are gifted. Everyday I escape to a world of my own. A world that is full of humble, honest, simple and good people. After some nice Turkish tea and hazelnut donuts for breakfast, a beautiful 20 minutes walk to the bus station overlooking the hills, 5 hours of interacting with children who don’t even know me still are eager to learn everything they can from a stranger and ending the day with some Nargile by the coast of Izmir with friends and now my little family here. What more can life be? Perhaps blackberry? facebook statuses? Gossip and some nice sitcoms? I want all of you to answer this honestly. If you are 21 and if you say yes ( which I know you would ) PLEASE GO FOR AN AIESEC Internship. Because being 21 you don’t deserve to go for a vacation with friends that is full of alcohol, five star hotels and only indulgence. If you’re young and eager to learn. Learn about yourself, life and people, pack your bags and chose a Global Community Development Program in a country of your choice. Also this is not an advertisement for AIESEC and this is no cheesy promotion campaign. I mean it. Teşekkür ederim.
Pamukkale
Day 3 – Pamukkale
Pamukkale! I have been here for three days and there are a couple of things I am LOVING about my life right now. 1) I don’t have a phone. – The Telecommunication Division of the Turkish Government automatically blocks every single foreign handset that comes inside the country. Not the SIM. The telephone. While all the interns bought a second hand phone, I preferred to live without one! 😀 2) I don’t carry my laptop everywhere – Which means there is no way I can check my e-mails if I am not at home. Which also means, I can ‘live’ my life and not ‘try to live’ my life. 3) Turkey doesn’t have a cheap option to call India like the one I got in Malaysia – Which means it actually feels like you’re away from home. Not pretending to be. 4) I don’t have any commitments during weekends. I really don’t remember the last time I had a full weekend to myself. All of these things combined, I could basically do whatever I wanted. So Yugo, Saud and I planned to go to Pamukkale ! Three days in Turkey and I am already travelling outside. Life couldn’t be better. We took a bus for 25 Liras ( 700 bucks ) to Denizli ( Where Pamukkale is located ). Pamu means snow and Kale means castle. Together it means a Castle of Snow. ( You can see my Blog Cover picture ). There is no castle here and there is no snow, I don’t think I have words to describe this place. An 8 kilometer walk from the starting point through calcium mountains and hot water springs to the ancient town of Hierapolis. Saud and I decided to go paragliding. Everyone else thought it was a waste of money. It took us half an hour to reach the top of the mountain. Paragliding is not scary at all. In fact if at all I was scared of anything it was the wind. It was freezing. Those 15 minutes above Pamukkale were beautiful. Even the crash landing was 😛
Day 2
I woke up with a cramped leg. The whole night I was sleeping in a V-Shape. Realization #1 – The importance of my bed at home. Right now, anything would do. A mattress, a soft surface anything that is flat and fit for sleeping. I decided to go to work the first day itself. I was working with Yugo and Saya ( An intern from China ) in Yazga, a rehab in Bornova ( where I live). A nice orange and green colored building with Turkish words written on all the walls. It takes around 2 buses and 30 minutes to reach my rehab. It didn’t take me long to discover that the TOUGHEST thing to manage in this internship would be money. As Indians, we JUST cannot travel without converting the local currency into INR. It didn’t take me longer than the first day itself to fall in love with this place. I absolutely love my rehab. Everything about it. The teachers, the staff, the kids, the work, the lunch EVERYTHING. No one talks in English here except for a couple of teachers so I have to keep my google translator close to myself. There are roughly 4 classrooms with kids shuffled according to the level of intellect. Every day all the teachers and interns have lunch together. Vegetarian food 😀 Turkish people have a lot of salads and the food is very bland. Absolutely no spices. But I am getting used to it. It’s a good change for my stomach. I already feel healthier.
Today, I didn’t do much myself. Just went and sat in each classroom to know the kids better. After the work I was surrounded by all the teachers and they all had the same questions. Actually everyone in Turkey has ONE same question.
What does the dot on a girls forehead mean?
I didn’t know the answer. I think it’s a sign of marriage but I was confused. It’s sad I didn’t know this. In these 3 days I have already realized one think. [ Realization #2 ] Indian’s don’t value their culture much but it’s our culture that makes us Indians. When I am here I don’t talk about the shopping malls or the bars and discos but the festivals and the colors in India. Why is it that in India we learn English in our colleges but Hindi ends in standard 10th maximum? People around the world talk in their native language and they are comfortable to but in India at least our generation, we judge people if they don’t know English. I agree knowing English and having it as our official language is a sign of progress and being connected to other cultures and countries but it’s also very important to remain close to our roots.
Make it count – Nike ( My inspiration )
The background score is : – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKPolaCOajQ
Day 1
Day 1! And my trip full of learning, fun and adventure has begun. I didn’t have details of my accommodation so I messaged the people in AIESEC Izmir assuming I will need it during immigration. Turns out neither did they mail me the details nor did I require any at the airport. This was the first time I was taking an international flight alone. Now that doesn’t imply much except a lot of boredom for a person who doesn’t read. But after my family trip in 2007 this was the first time I was using the ancient device called the iPod. Which led to Change #1. Thanks to Apple I had already re-discovered my love for music. During takeoff, I decided I wanted to listen to Far away from Home by TIGA ( DFA Remix ) Give it a listen.
“Hard not to be so hard on myself
I’m tryin to learn to keep my money in check
I listen to my friends, when they say
It’s destiny, It’s meant to be this way,
I’ve found that they’re right,
and now i see,
that all this time ‘n i had the key,
so now I’m gonna roll like i got nothing but luck,
with a spring in my step, as i strut down the block
I see the boys stare n’, I hear them talk
As far as i go, as far as i know
I’ve always got, a place called home,
I cross all the seas, It’s fine by me,
cuz I’ll never be,
far from home”
While in the plane I was sitting with a woman from Finland. She’d been living in Kochi for the past three months learning Yoga in an Ashram. Pretty fancy. Wonder why we don’t have Indians who take such sabbaticals. It would be termed as either ‘abnormal’ or ‘insane’. While in the plane I was mostly wondering about my job. I was interning with a Rehabilitation Center. I was supposed to be assisting the teachers in the rehab conducting exercises and lessons. Considering my impatient attitude, I was mostly wondering as to how I was going to do my job. Seven hours later I was in Istanbul, Turkey. Which also meant, I had to rush to catch my next flight to Izmir. I had exactly 50 minutes to do so. The Atuturk airport is weirdly made. The boarding gates are not in continuous sequence. Basically out of those 50 minutes I spent at least half an hour finding my boarding gate. It was a classic hindi movie scene. I was literally running around the airport searching for Gate no. 412 trying very hard not to miss my flight. Although, if that was to happen, I had already thought of 10,000 alternatives in the plane. At last, found it. 10 minutes before the flight. Finally. It was time to play Far from home again as my plane took off! 
This time, I had a Russian woman sitting next to me. She was a teacher and was talking like one as well. I literally had 45 minutes of questions in that flight. First one went like, ” I’ve heard in India people are VERY money minded “. My answer to it went something like, ” Yes, but people are VERY money minded everywhere.” Though it got me thinking a lot. What has happened to India? The size of that Mc Donalds burger is decreasing at the same rate as the level of corruption in the government is rising. I don’t remember the last time I didn’t have to hassle with an Auto Rickshaw guy before getting in or for that matter the last time I met a Traffic Police Personnel who refused to accept bribe. Now, very honestly, I don’t know who to blame. In the country, specially after this rape case where are all our values gone? Anyway, I didn’t have much to say to her then. The conversation moved to what I do and then if I know anyone in Russia. Now that question made me happy. After three years in AIESEC I not only know people in Russia and where they come from but I can also pronounce their names right.! Something she instantly pointed out as well. Before we could complete our conversation it was time to land.
30 minutes later, I was looking for someone holding a placard with my name written on it at the arrival lounge. I found him. It wasn’t a placard though, a dictionary with my name on the first page. Umut, my host, had come to receive me. After the ‘ How was your flight? ‘ etc etc the first thing he said was, ” I am sorry, but there is no electricity at my house ‘. Didn’t seem like a big deal at all. We are used to that. Turkish people seemed a lot like Indians in my first glance. Umut kept insisting he carries my bags. Kept assuring whether I was fine.
So the the transport system in Izmir is NEAT. Absolutely classic. One card that works for all trains, metros, ferries and buses. Every time you swipe the card 1.90 liras get deducted and then you can travel free for 90 minutes through any mode of transport any no. of times. Two metros, one bus and 50 minutes later we reached Umut’s house.
Some fun facts about our house :-
1) With no electricity I couldn’t see much but I was living with a boy from Brazil and Pakistan.
2) The catch? there was only one bed. One single bed. Yugo from Brazil on that bed, Saud from Pakistan on the carpet and I on a tiny little couch. That was the plan for the night.
3) Umut had a pet, Siberian wolf. Her name was Smyrna ( Ancient Turkey ).
4) The heater didn’t work.
The adventure had already started. After the hellos and the how are yous we went to have some Turkish Tea before we hit the bed. Long long day.
türkiye merhaba 