#2) Istanbul - Where East Meets West

There is something about flying that adds to the mysticism of a place. Each and every time that I fly anywhere – whether it’s somewhere foreign and unknown to me or even if landing back home – I find myself captivated by the sights around me as I make my way from the airport to my intended destination. In a foreign land it’s no doubt the excitement of the unknown and the anticipation of the unexplored. While at home it’s mostly nostalgia of the old “stomping grounds” – the visual reminders that my memories are indeed right where I left them amongst the familiar buildings.

Obviously, landing at Atatürk airport in Istanbul and taking the bus to Taksim Square strongly evoked the first feeling within me. Even though I was quite exhausted from a full day of travel, I wanted to take in as much of the city’s essence as I could within those first moments. What struck me almost immediately were the imposing domes of the famous mosques which dot Istanbul and their minarets extending ever upwards, piercing the skyline. They spoke of the city’s glorious past as the capital of the Ottoman Empire which at its greatest extended all across the Middle East, North Africa and well beyond. As we continued onwards, I was surprised as the multi-lane road passed right under the ancient remnants of a Roman aqueduct. The structure served as a concrete reminder that even before it was Istanbul, it was Constantinople – initially the eastern capital of the Roman Empire and then later its only capital after Rome fell. When at last we arrived in Taksim, a massive square lined on all sides by hotels, businesses, restaurants and coffee shops, I discovered the modern heart of the city.

The view of the Beyoğlu district (where I stayed) from Topkapi Palace

Istiklal Street

It was here in this square that I made the realization that I would not be feeling that familiar nostalgia of home again for quite a long time. It was right after a Turkish man tried to befriend me in an attempt to gain a few lira by shining my shoes. Unfortunately for him I was too busy gawking at the sights to look down and be concerned about a soiled spot on my shoe – if it even existed at all.

The New Mosque near the Spice Bazaar

The Hagia Sophia

After spending the past week there, I know I've barely scratched the surface of the city’s history, but I feel like I understand the overarching essence: both geographically and culturally it is where the east meets west. The Bosphorus Straight running directly through the city may separate the European and Asian continents, but it still endows the city with the cultural aspects of both continents. Women in full Burkas mix with others in tank tops and shorts on streets, traditional Turkish cuisine is advertised next to KFC and Starbucks, and the cell phone towers on the surrounding hills mimic the minarets in the Old District of the city. Walking through the streets and exploring the major sights I definitely knew I was in a cosmopolitan city like any other in Europe or America – it had its own unique feel, but was all somehow vaguely familiar.

The Bosphorus looking out across to the Asian continent

I left Istanbul for Çanakkale this morning; it’s on the coast near the ruins of the ancient city of Troy and the battlefields of Gallipoli. I had a wonderful time in Istanbul and I will be back at the end of September to spend a few more days exploring before I catch my next flight. In the meantime I’m excited to see the rest of Turkey and more deeply explore the culture of this fascinating country in between continents.

#1) Free Spirit

Well, it's official - I leave in just 5 short days on the trip of a lifetime. Armed with only the clothes and supplies I can carry on my back and a healthy dose of courage, I'll board a one-way flight out of the US - completely alone and knowing that I won't be returning for at least 8 months. I'm not sure I'm able to accurately describe the flurry of emotions I'm feeling at the moment, but it could probably be best summed up as an 'anxious exhilaration'.

Although it feels as though I've told just about everyone about what I'm doing for the next 8 months, some of you reading this now still might not know exactly what it is I'm talking about. I apologize if I haven't been able to explain it to you in person, but in short: I'm one of four recently graduated seniors from the University of Michigan who this past April was awarded what's called a Bonderman Fellowship. Each of us in this inaugural class of fellows was given a stipend of $20,000 and the opportunity to completely plan out 8-months independent world travel meant to facilitate cross-cultural learning and engagement. There are a few overarching rules to the experience, but overall they're really not too constraining. Sounds too good to be true, right? For more information check out the website here: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/cgis/bonderman/

My itinerary on the website is a little out of date as recent conflict in Israel has led me to revise my travel plans, so the new itinerary is as follows:

- Turkey (1 month)

- Zimbabwe (2 weeks)

- South Africa (1.5 months)

- India (2 months)

- Nepal (3 weeks)

-Thailand (1 month)

-Cambodia (2.5 weeks)

-Vietnam (4 weeks)

Considering that I've only traveled internationally once and I only speak English and some pretty rusty Spanish, this experience is well outside of my comfort zone and will definitely challenge the core of my beliefs, assumptions and world view. And that's really the point of it all, isn't it? There are so many unknowns to this trip: people, places, cultures, languages, experiences, emotions, obstacles, etc. Just about the only thing I do know for certain is that I will not come back as the same man. 

I'm going to miss all the family, friends and acquaintances who I'm leaving behind, but I'm sure you're all just as excited for me to set out on this grand adventure as I am. The best place to follow along with my journey is definitely this blog - I'm going to try and post pictures and updates on my thoughts and experiences weekly or at the very least bi-weekly. You can also follow along with this interactive map that I'll be updating with all my stops as I go along: Bonderman Travel Itinerary

The best way to contact me is through email since I won't have a permanent physical address on the road and I'll only be using my phone for emergencies. Feel free contact me anytime at tmesman@umich.edu and I'll get back to you as soon as I have a spare moment. I'd seriously love to hear from any and all of you from home about anything - words of encouragement, a quick check-in, questions about travel in general or even applying to this awesome opportunity yourself. Lastly, if you're itching to see my face and hear my voice you can add me on Skype - my username is tyler.mesman. I'm not sure how often I'll have a good enough wifi connection to actually Skype, but we'll make it work.

So that marks the end of my first official blog post. Thanks for reading this far and I sincerely hope that my musings, pictures and stories keep you interested enough to following my entire journey on this blog!