Down the Aegean coastline.....

So, what does one do on a Saturday in this region? 

Well, we could drive to location with great ocean views and look out at Greece, head down to Alacati for a bit of wind surfing, go down to the Çeşme Marina or walk around the Çeşme town and Castle for a bit or swim at the IIica beach. Or, we could just do all of it.

Just so we’re clear, this wasn’t a what are we doing after breakfast today type of decision.. we had a very important team meeting on Wednesday to figure out weekend plans. And with our planning and the excellent guidance from our translator Çağrı Duygu, we did have quite a day soaking in the sun.

First Stop: Alaçatı, the coastal towns famous for its historic stone houses and in the more recent years has been developed into a large beach resort town; where every house almost is a bed and breakfast and the cove offers water sports primarily wind surfing. We off course arrived off season so didn’t get down to any water sports but we did get some excellent panoramic views of the town and we did get to see their weekend street market which was just opening up. Vendors drove up in their cars and vans and set up their shops selling everything from clothes and jewelry to shoes and mosaic. Most of the houses had stone walls with pretty flowers falling over; but if ever you were to think about a fancy garden wall, try picturing one with an aquarium! Yes, a real aquarium with fish and octopus instead of a stone wall or garden hedge.

 

Next Stop: Over looking Greece.

Standing at the edge of Turkey, looking over the clear blue sea and there in the horizon is the Greek Island of Chios. If ever I list down all those moments in my life that take my breadth away, this would be one of them.

And then onto Çeşme: We start by walking down to the Çeşme Marina exploring the lifestyles of the rich and famous as we pass expensive sail boats and fancy restaurants. 

Then across the street to walk around the Castle and the town; where you still get a feel for what it was like years ago with this huge castle towering over the village houses. The steep roads with houses on either side overlooking sea are all set up with air conditioning and cable TV, yet the windows and doors, the sit outs all look like they’d stopped in time. And onto the town square where would you believe it, there’s an auction of sheep! We walk past down the main street lined with many many interesting stores but stop only at the end where we final get to taste Turkish fast food, “Kumru”.

Finally the beach: 

Ilica, a stretch of pure white sand with sea green and turquoise shades of shallow calm ocean water. 

Swimming in the Aegean sea, what a perfect ending to a perfect day.

The grand old Turkish Bazaars

If you’re starting to think winding roads and small shops selling lamps and lanterns, rugs, kilims and carpets, exquisite hand crafted ceramic jugs, bowls and tiles, handmade jewelry, Turkish handicrafts….

STOP!!

Think more, Bangkok Siam Square or China Town (Anyone)…. Well, actually keep thinking winding roads and small shops, but stop there. Because when you do start walking into a Turkish Bazaar, the first thing that strikes you is that they’re selling clothes, bags, shoes just like any other street market in the world. It appears that Turkey along with the rest of the world has moved into providing what the consumer wants and while the initial charm of an old bazaar maybe lost, what they’re selling is only practical.

The Kemeralti Bazaar, opposite Konak pier is about a 20 minute walk along the coast line from my hotel in Kordon. As I entered the bazaar, I could have been transported anywhere in the world as the LV/Gucci bags, Lacoste shoes, cottons tops, jeans and shorts are things best described as global these days; they seem to be everywhere and not specific to any country.

However, many of the Turkish Bazaars are still being housed in their original locations and tend to have an intricate pattern of intersecting streets so you can still pretty much get lost in them. And the deeper you wander the more you discover.

As I did! So once I’d reached the point of, I have no clue how to get out of here, I started to discover various sections that were more specific to Turkey… and I don’t mean the Turkish souvenir shops.

There are shops selling nuts and spices, sun dried tomatoes, olives and cheese, others selling Turkish delight and sweets which are very specific to the region. More tradition and local clothes seem to be bunched together in a different section. While traditional jewelry and gem stores as well ceramic stores seem to between the more nontraditional stores.

There is definitely tons to see in a local Turkish Bazaar… they may have changed a lot over time but whether you’re a shopper looking for a deal or someone interested in getting a flavor for the local environment; the more time you spend, the more you discover and the more you start to feel the old charm of being in a grand old Turkish Bazaar.

Once again, what exactly are you doing in Izmir?

The Izmir Institute of Technology  currently houses within its campus a Technopark (IZTEKGEB). The park has 4 extremely well laid out pleasant looking buildings; who wouldn’t want to work in a brick building that overlooks the sea side village of Gülbahçe I can’t imagine…. But that in itself is the challenge. And that is why is I’m here.

 IZTEKGEB accommodates less than a 100 small companies, all small young entrepreneurs primarily into R&D. The current workforce in the Techno Park may not be large at all (Think 400 people), but does this region have the potential to develop into a technology hub?

Anything’s possible right… I grew up in the ‘garden city’ or the ‘pensioners paradise’ as they used to call it once upon a time. Today, many people stare at me in disbelief when I describe the Bangalore I grew up in, but today it is what it is.

So Izmir, gateway to the historic attractions of the Aegean region and the warm beaches nearby and the hot springs and that coastline and the cruise ships….. and we’re strategizing on a plan to grow a Techopark!

I am now down full two days of being locked up in meeting rooms with the IZTEKGEB Team, 500 pages of documentation on the city, its economic development, government policies, etc and a whole day of brainstorming and deliberating with my team….. goes without saying, we still have a lot more to go before we can come up with any answers.

But I am for sure enjoying every moment of this…. And the tons of Turkish Coffee and Turkish Tea I get to drink all through the day!

A traditional Turkish lunch at Urla.

We arrive at the village of Urla and start walking down the narrow winding cobble stone pavements headed towards Beğendik Abi where a traditional Turkish lunch has been planned for us by our hosts.

As we walk down the street, we pass by many quaint shops and restaurants, people sit out on the sidewalk smoking their Hookah’s; a group of men sit in the corner playing Tavla which is a traditional board game (of course there’s gambling involved), stores selling olive oil and natural products are in plenty.

It’s a warm sunny day which makes the bell peppers seem an even brighter red than usual and then we reach the restaurant. We walk right through to the back sit out where there’s a neatly laid out table with several appetizers and bread baskets.

Let me start with the crockery; terracotta type plates with porcelain coating.  And not just the plates, all of the dishes being used had the same style.


Which brings me to the food on those plates… the appetizers, totally vegetarian and cooked in olive oil; included many of the classics like stuffed pumpkin blossoms (kabak çiçeği dolması), stuffed vine leaves (sarma), and stuffed artichoke (enginar dolması).


I suppose I could have chosen to drink something traditional like Ayran, which is a yogurt based drink, similar to what we call Lassi back home; or one of the fresh fruit juices like Nar (Pomegranate) or şeftali (Peach).. but o well I decided I needed a Diet coke.

And then there was the main course, lamb on a bed of mashed potatoes, beef and potatoes and more beef. This truly is a meat lovers country. Yes, they do have some chicken for people like me who prefer white meat, but it was on special request as chicken in this region isn’t really the preferred meat.

Next course, dessert…. Light and fluffy and not too sweet is the best way to describe both the desserts brought out for us. The deserts were the timeless ones and tasted much like a custard base with dry fruits and nuts.

No Turkish meal is ever complete without Turkish coffee. ‘Khave’ over here is not your regular coffee, it’s almost like drinking a dessert coffee liquor, rich and aromatic! Perfect.

I was truly overwhelmed and I have to say, çok teşekkür to our hosts at IZTEKGEB for the exotic meal as it was more than just a traditional Turkish meal, it was a wonderful Turkish experience.

Another degree, perhaps?

We were seated in the boardroom with the rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Güden of the Izmir Institute of Technology or rather the İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü (IYTE); served Chai and chocolates and shown an 8 minute video about the institute. The campus spreads out over 15,000 acres and overlooks the seaside village of Gülbahçe (Sea view dormitories.. hmmm). Well, the university itself is by far up to all international standards with the latest in technology and equipment and has faculties of Science, Engineering and Architecture. Lectures are in English and students have access to high quality sports facilities. If I sound like I’m selling the university, it’s because at the end of the session, I was ready to say “where do I sign up!”

Let me rewind to why we ended up on this sprawling university campus. Our CSC assignment is to work on a strategic growth plan for the IZTEK Techno Park, and the park was established in the Campus Area of İzmir Institute of Technology.

So part out of orientation for the assignment was a tour of the university campus and its facilities.

One of the most noticable things seen as you drive around the campus is the number of students walking around; they are definately sparse in number. Which makes sence once you realize that are only about 2500 students in this huge campus.

This appears to be a university for students who like the countryside with its calm, and as the team here told us, they aim to provide an enviromnent, far from city stress so students can work and study in a natural place

Hopefully, these creative minds who want to get into R&D will benefit from the young enterpreners programs that we aim to create as part of our project plan to grow the Techno Park.

IBM Kurumsal Hizmet Gücü - Türkiye

I started to meet my team one at a time as we gathered at the Taxim Hill Hotel in Istanbul over the weekend. Besides the kick off team dinner on Saturday and the briefing Sunday morning, it was really nice that as we as a team got to discover Istanbul in a very non touristy fashion depending on using the Metro Bus to get around and by doing a lot of walking. We stuck to a lunch at a typical Turkish café and ordered Shish kabab. Of course!

As we boarded Turkish Airlines to Izmir, it would have been hard to say that this was a team who had only just met.

Then comes the big day! Day 1 when we got to meet our clients, its all about first impressions, high expectations, deliverables in a one month timeframe… and we do it in Typical IBM Style – One team (in “Business Formals”) presenting a common goal.

We had our initial meeting at the Agean Chamber of Commerce which mainly consisted of introductions between the IBM Teams, our work plans and the three client organizations. The hosts were absolutely warm and gracious and even funny as we discovered from their introductory stories. Formal presentations done and there’s nothing like a good cocktail mixer to build a relationship and set off on the right foot.

Yes, my Turkish has gotten a little better, so it was easy enough to figure out that IBM Kurumsal Hizmet Gucu Turkiye means IBM Corporate Service Corps Turkey! But you know that too.... :-)

No, I’m really not on holiday!

Izmir, situated on the Aegean coast of Turkey is famous for its scenic coastline and the sea. As the city has elevations upto 2200 m above sea level there are extremely attractive views of the countryside and all around. It is also the gateway to a number of tourist attaractions along the west coast of Turkey.


Well, it wasn’t like I chose to be here; or am on holiday or anything, I was forced to! I guess I just got lucky.
Right after we checked into the hotel, the team decided we needed a walk down and find dinner. So, we headed out and in 2 minutes I was standing at the coastline staring into the most beautiful sunsets I’d have ever seen. As the sun faded below the horizon, the sky turned shares of pink and orange and red and just


Izmir is also a shopping heaven with many great bazaars, markets, malls and shopping centres, as I discovered the next evening after work when we wandered off to get pizza. The area looks like any upmarket shopping area (so many shoe shops) and lively cafes and 5 storey’s of Mango and Zara… Pizza, Cheesecake and shopping, why would I want to be anywhere else?

The coastline of this city is crowded with many restaurants, bars and night clubs. One might wonder why I spend my evenings sitting here by the sea watching the sunset when I’m supposed to be working, but the truth is a big part of me being successful on this assignment is understanding the Turkish culture and way of life. This is the actual Turkish way of life!

90 minutes on the Bosphorus

Or, "No Dad, I really didn't get sea sick!"

Ferry rides across the Bosphorus start at many different points; in fact, its hard to not run into one of them as you move across Istanbul.

We choose to get a Ferry at Eminonu; the Metro Blue line which runs from a Taxim Hill connection and into the historic peninsula stops right here.

Pick up any Bosphorus tour map or visit an agency and they'll mark out a standard route to follow on a daytime tour. Stop 1, o sorry that should be 'Historic site 1', the Dolmabahçe Palace.

The Four seasons hotel, definitely not on any tour map but it really should be as it is quite impressive!

The Bosphorus Bridge crosses the Bosphorus Strait, connecting Asia to Europe. The European end of the bridge is located in Ortaköy and the Asian end is in Beylerbeyi.

The Anatolian Fortress... named "Güzelce Hisar" in historical documents. And,  following the conquest of Constantinople, it served as a military prison.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge.

Houses along the river! So, important and yet they never seem to get mentioned. A lot of the houses have large glass windows, infinity pools, elegant sit outs and balconies. I guess it goes without saying that the owners all seem to have their own boat.

The Beylerbeyi palace which is at one end of the Bosphorus Bridge. The Ferry does a circle down the river turning at the second bridge which is why we start off looking at the Asian side and are now looking at the Europeran side.

Heading towards the Historical Peninsula

(If the sun were up in all it's mighty glory, there's have been wonderfully colorful photos, but we were out on a cloudy afternoon which was rather breezy)

The Maiden's towers.... According to Turkish legend, a sultan had a daughter and was told by an oracle that she would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. The sultan decided to keep her away from land to avoid snakes and hence built the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus. Sadly, she died on her 18th birthday as predicted when she was given a basket of fruits as a Birthday present where a snake had accidentally fallen in! Hmmm.

The extraordinary and imposing Blue Mosque.... And while the view from here is pretty amazing; it doesn't do justice to the impressive interiors.





And so we reach the end of our 10 Turkish Lira tour, no guides or maps, no high tea on board, just the Bosphorus, its scenic beauty and rich history as we pass Big boats and Little boats and Sail boats and Ferry boats!

Istanbul (not Constantinople).

Thanks to K, I had that 50’s swing song playing in my head all week before I left for Istanbul, which wasn't such a bad thing after all as I ended up doing some research on Constantinople.

Constantinople, founded in AD 330 and was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin and the Ottoman Empire. It was the largest and wealthiest European city of the Middle Ages. Although besieged on numerous occasions by various peoples, it was taken only in May 1453 by Turkish sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror" and became the third capital of the Ottoman Empire. İstanbul was officially adopted as the sole name of the city in 1930.

The name İstanbul derives from the Medieval Greek phrase “to the city”…. As back in the day, Constantinople was really the only city around and all signs leading to Constantinople would say “to the city”!

………….. so, “to the city” by Metro bus and not horse carriage;

Istanbul is like walking through a history book and reflecting on stories, myths and legends you’ve heard of overtime and yet it is by far one of the most modern cities in the area. As far as modern goes, it has everything a city of the new world would have (Yes, Starbucks and Gucci is what I meant) and yet you still feel like you just travelled through time.

Basilica Cistern or the Sunken palace is an ancient cistern that lies below the city. What I found most fascinating about this place was that I ran into Medusa. Meduda! Yes, the same one whose gaze turned everyone to stone. There were 2 stone pillars with her head on it; one looking sideways and the other looking upside down.

As you enter the Blue Mosque, there’s a sense of peace and calm just as you would feel in any other place of worship. And as you start to look around, the huge stain glass windows and just the expanse of it all can make anyone feel overwhelmed. My recommendation is to sit a few quiet moments and reflect as the place is so conducive to that.

Then you walk out of the blue mosque and run into, the Obelisk of Theodosius transported from Alexandria in 392AD to Istanbul or should I say Constantinople. Ancient and yet looks shiny and new like it was build yesterday. However, what I found more fascinating was the 10th century Walled Obelisk built by the Emperor Constantine as the turning point for his chariot races. Yes, it may have once been covered in bronze but today the stone core remains as sturdy as ever.

There’s a lot more history in the city that awaits exploration and I intend to do that when I return to Istanbul 4 weeks from now. However, talking about going back in time, we as a team got to pretend for a short while that we were princesses, sultans and prophets!

Talk about team building!!!

It almost feels like Times Square!

Day 1, 3:30pm – I land in Istanbul and head straight to the hotel.

Day 1, 5:00pm – I check in at the Taxim Hill Hotel and drag my bags up to the room.

Day 1, 5:30pm – I can’t possibly stay in a hotel room! That’s so not me.

I step out into Taxim Square, and I really really can’t help compare this city to New York. The life, the people, the bright lights, the vibrancy… It was unbelievable.

Yellow Taksi – The ones that don’t stop in traffic lights and are dime a dozen in NYC; seems like they were transported right here.

Too crowded to move is an understatement – Coming from another crowded country, I’m used to and quite like the fact that there’s so many people around. Times square is just the crowded I like and Taxim Square is well probably twice as crowded. There’s people bustling about everywhere.

Historic Buildings – Both cities have their share of history and every building seems to have a story to tell.

New shops in Old Buildings – I could see just about every brand that existed. The buildings itself were old architecture and style and yet they had the modern stores laid out. Everything from Mac and Body Shop to Guess and Tiffany's.

Street Vendors – While New York sees a fair share of pretzel vendors, Taxim Square vendors seem to be selling Simit, which is a circular bagel type snack.

Pavement Café’s – Well this is more wander off towards Greenwich village, but the side streets here in Istanbul's Taxim area were narrow and they had tables along the sidewalk. 

China Town – Look down another street and there’s a Chinese restaurant, it’s almost like I wandered down Broadway and ended up in China Town!

Times Square Lighting – It’s definitely not as brightly light, but lit up yes indeed… to think it’s like this everyday.

I think it’s the old with the new, the Monument of the republic statue, the opera house, the pigeons, the Metro station, the Sheek Kabab stalls, there were like a 100 more similarities. 

Maybe that’s just the charm of old cities moving into the modern world and yet being tourist capitals.

Day 2, 7:00am – I head out to Taxim Square for a walk down Istiklal Avenue… Just like if you were to head out to Times Square early in the morning, the place is still lit up and yes, there’s lots of people still walking around! The life in this city is simply round the clock!

And so my journey begins…..

Well, to be really honest this journey did kick into gear about 90 days ago when we started prepping for our assignment. Boarding a plane to Istanbul is just the final stage of this journey where everything will start to come together.

But first let me rewind to a year ago when it all really started. I was sitting in a hotel room in London with a few hours left for the CSC application submission to close. This is something I’d been wanted to do year after year but never got around to and like every past year I said to myself, “next year”. I will plan ahead and think about all the right answers.

But what constitutes the right answers in a situation like this; the truth is there are no right answers. There’s only passion and commitment. If you really do want to be in the CSC, you do need to feel strongly about the cause, you do need to be committed to stick with it and most important you need to believe in yourself. How else are you going to make a difference out there if you don’t believe in yourself to start with?

So, this journey really began a year ago with me taking a step back and introspecting on me as a person. 

• Was I the type of person who could be picked up and dropped in any part of the world (with no choice of location)?
• And that being said did I have the ability to work with people from different countries and backgrounds as one team with a common goal?
• Do I have enough experience and skills to make an economic development plan?
• Do I believe strongly and am passionate about communities and seeing improvement in them?

Thinking about my past, my experience and me as an individual, I concluded that I did.

I filled in an application that day focusing on the person I was.  And, I believe I was selected for that very reason. And, as I sit at this airport waiting to board that plane to Istanbul, I look forward to seeing how this journey materializes. 

Mavi Hizmet.

Or, “Blue Service” is what you get when you pick 15 IBMers from 9 different countries and deploy them in Izmir, Turkey for 30days.

A culturally diverse team for sure, and none of whom have been to Turkey prior to this assignment.

In partnership with IBM, the assignment itself was put together by Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) who is responsible for the implementation of the CSC Program for IBM in Turkey. The DOT team identifies priority program areas, cities and local host partner organizations, coordinates the projects that the team has been assigned to and also supports the Service Experience of each IBMer on this team.

Seda and Sirri form DOT from the much needed Turkish (cultural) link with this diverse IBM Team.

The group of 15 was divided into 4 Sub Teams and each Sub Team was given a challenging assignment with 3 different local partners in Izmir.

Sub Team 1 and 2, were aligned with the Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH). 

I was chosen to be a part of the 4 member Sub Team 1, where the project plan was to develop a “Strategic Growth Plan for the IZTECH Techno-park. Basically, we would have to develop and recommend a strategy for growth of this technology park in line with their vision

Sub Team 2, are to “Develope the Work Process of the IZTECH Technopark Innovation Center”. They would use IBM’s Business Process Management Methodology to develop the work processes that will ensure operational excellence of the Innovation Center when it opens.

Sub Team 3 is aligned with the Izmir Development Agency (IZKA). Their Project is to develop a “Strategic Plan for the Information Society”. They would be developing a strategy to transform Izmir into an e-society and knowledge city by empowering to help Izmir with sustainable growth problems.

Sub Team 4 which was also the smallest team as it had 3 members instead of 4 unlike the other three teams is aligned with the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry (EBSO). Their project is to develop business processes for this organization.

And as each group develops their initial Work Plans, there is a lot of focus on understanding the Turkish culture, language and business environment as those are key ingredients that go into making this project a success. 

Merhaba!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am by far not a linguistic person, which is why 3 hours of Turkish language classes and the only word I remember is "Merhaba".

So why learn Turkish all of a sudden? Because very soon I head out to spend a month in the western coastal city of Izmir to work on a rather unusual assignment. And learning Turkish is part of the cultural adaptability piece on this assignment.

I would call it unusual not because its something I've never done before, but because not everyone gets the opportunity to get involved.

A year ago I applied for the IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program. The Corporate Service Corps is a program launched by IBM to help deliver solutions for communities and organizations in emerging markets. 

The program sends groups of 10 - 15 IBMers from different countries to a growth market, in my case Turkey for a four week community-based assignment.

During the assignment, we get to perform community-driven economic development projects working at the intersection of business, technology, and society. Or, as the website says, a win-win for everyone.

- Communities have their problems solved.
- IBMers receive leadership training and development.
- IBM develops new markets and global leaders.

So, why go? Because I believe I can make a difference.

And why learn Turkish? Because its always good to try and adapt.