Back in Istanbul (with kids)

We arrived in Istanbul, one of our favorite cities in the world, on May 16th. We were very excited to be back. The experience was going to be very different than our around-the-world adventures six years ago, however. It was not going to be simply exploring Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and all of the other major sights on the European Side, watching the Aya Sofya glow in the setting sun from the hostel roof deck with a cold Efes in hand and avoiding the persistent carpet salesmen. No…this time it included ten more weeks, two kids, living on the Asian side and WORK.

Some may wonder what we are doing in Turkey anyway. Well, I received an internship through Endeavor, a great organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging economies. I am working with a company called PIWorks (www.piworks.net), a mobile network optimization software and services company, in Turkey this summer. They are looking to raise some venture capital or “angel” money this summer to grow their business and take it to the “next level”. My experience as a private equity and venture capital attorney was a good fit for them and I could also help them with their strategic planning, corporate governance and organization development and anything else they threw at me. Basically, I am their consultant for the summer and do whatever they need me to do.

Our first five weeks in Istanbul were both incredibly fun and immensely challenging. We used our first few days before I started working and every weekend since, to go out and explore this great city. We enjoyed sharing all the places we visited last time around with the kids, including Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market and Taksim Square. It is so fun to see familiar places through the eyes of toddlers – even if it means trying to catch a squealing 1 ½ year old racing through the once quiet, serene interior of a mosque.

The weekdays proved to be quite difficult, however. Luke chose to stop using his pacifier and began waking up screaming and angry in the middle of the night (and staying awake at 5:30 am). The sleep deprivation this caused, combined with the feeling of isolation that resulted from living in a part of Istanbul far from the city center with few English speakers, no expat community and no car (and poor public transportation options), left Mary longing for home and our support network there. Over time, we settled in a little bit and made the best of it (and Luke starting sleeping better as well). We are so grateful for the support we received from our parents and friends to help through this difficult time (including a much-needed visit by a familiar face- Ed’s girlfriend, Courtney). And thank you to the creators of Skype…we couldn’t have done it without you.

We look forward to the remainder of our time here in Istanbul. This is a special place. We also are very excited to get home and see all of our friends and family. We have been living abroad for 6 months now. It has been incredibly rewarding and such a great adventure. But…we can’t wait to sit on the deck in Chatham watching the sunset, relaxing with our family and friends and thinking back to all the amazing things that we have done this year (with a cold Sam Adams in our hands).

Matt