November 2015

I often end these monthly round-ups with some variation of “where did this month go?” Not so for November. This month was so wonderful and jam-packed that every week felt like two. Around the 20th, I started panicking that I’d forgotten to write this monthly round-up before realizing that I had a week and a half left before December.

Perhaps this is because I went to California at the end of November, and I will be here for more than a month. Before that, I was determined to pack in as much Istanbul life as possible.

Best Of The Month

One of the coolest highlights came at the beginning of the month. To celebrate my friend Burak’s birthday, a group of us went to one of these locked-room puzzle games, where you only have a small amount of time to solve the riddles, find the keys, and free yourself from the locked room(s). What I didn’t realize was this was a haunted-house horror-themed game. We spent half the time being chased down dark halls by strangers jumping out at us, and trying to quickly search for clues with purple-bulbed flashlights before the time ran out. We all screamed like babies–including the guys– but it was such a thrill. It’s called Korkudoor and highly recommended, if you can handle it.

I also crossed a big item off my Istanbul to-do list when I walked over the Bosphorus Bridge. This bridge spans the Bosphorus Strait and connects Asia to Europe, but isn’t open to pedestrian traffic– except during the Istanbul Marathon, which takes places every November. I wanted to walk between continents last year, but I ended up in Sri Lanka and missed the Marathon weekend. This year, I was a bit nervous– I have been ever since the Boston bombing, and the Paris attacks had happened only two days before– but the day was beautiful, with blue skies and bright sunshine. I’m glad I did this. How often does one have the opportunity to walk from Asia to Europe?

And of course, being home with my family for Thanksgiving was a real gift. Even if jetlag meant that I nearly fell asleep in the cranberry sauce.

Worst Of The Month

Can I just say “politics” and leave it at that? Turkish politics, world politics, U.S. politics…

What I’m Loving

Reads: I get a few different newsletters about cool events and businesses in Istanbul, and it was through one of these that I heard about BookSerf. They’re a lending library, basically, housed inside the art space at Bitti Gitti, and when I stopped by, their book enthusiasm nearly matched mine. I left with a stack. The best I read was definitely Red Love: The Story of an East German Family by Maxim Leo, a fascinating memoir about the author’s parents and grandparents and how they ended up on the Communist side of the Berlin Wall.

Music: My former roommate used to play the song all the time and I never asked what it was. Then they played it in a Kadikoy coffee shop I frequent and I didn’t know how to ask the Turkish-speaking barista. So I googled the lyrics and soon discovered the artist stuck in my head was Chet Faker, and the song I was obsessed with was called Cigarettes & Loneliness. (I also discovered that it came out a year and a half ago, so clearly I’m as trendy as ever.) Then I listened to his whole album on repeat for most of my 15 hours of flying. Definitely my November jam.

Movies: Flying to San Francisco from Istanbul is a long haul no matter how you go, and I had a layover in London to make it longer. So on the second and longest leg of my journey, I took advantage of British Air’s in-flight entertainment and watched Amy, the documentary about Amy Winehouse. It was a great movie, but oh man, quite an emotionally draining film to watch on a plane.

The Film Files

I mentioned a few months ago that I was working on a collaborative photography project with a friend. We’re nowhere near complete, but the first few images have been developed, and they’re really cool. Check them out on my film Instagram (@katrinkafilm, the hashtag is #AKcollaboration) and I’ll do a full post on them when we have more pictures.

I’m also part of The Mixup, a global collaborative art project. This will be the first time I ever have art–collaborative or solo– in an art gallery, so I am VERY excited about it!

Ephemera

This month I did something that I’ve never done before– I shot a paid photoshoot! The subjects were my friend Amanda and her husband Youssef, and my assistant/professional support was my incredibly talented friend Martina. I am super thankful to Amanda for encouraging me to do this and for being such a cooperative and patient subject!

I have a new food obsession in Istanbul: Syrian cuisine. There are more than 3 million Syrians in Turkey and more than a million in Istanbul (and there have been for years) so it’s not surprising that there are many eateries that have popped up in the city. This one in particular, called Farooj al Zaeem and located in the Taksim area, was introduced to me by a Syrian friend of mine over the summer. I’ve only recently returned and can’t stop dreaming about the creamy hummus and decadent oily fatteh. Seriously, how can anyone be against Syrian refugees after eating food like this?

Upcoming

I will be in the Bay Area with my family for most of December… except for a VERY EXCITING five-day trip to Los Angeles! My sister lives there and we always have the best adventures… there’s one in particular we have planned that might be the best yet. Stay tuned…

How was your November?