Hey guys, today a few of us will venture from the group to have a private meeting with the Sustainability Manager at Turk Coca Cola. When I say that I am excited, that would be a understatement! I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it because I had woke up feeling sick. I missed the morning meeting that we had with the IT Product Manager at Turkcell, which was a little upsetting. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to make it to the meeting we had at Coca Cola but I pushed through.

The journey there was a hectic. How people drive in America is totally different than they do in Turkey. There seems to be little if any traffic laws so people drive however they want. So to sum it all up I was scared for my life while in the taxi headed to Coca Cola. We thought that we would be late but fortunately we arrived early.

While in the meeting I was engulfed in how much sustainability relates to all aspects of business and not just helping the environment. It is like a chain cycle where it takes all elements of the business to keep the company functioning. Sustainability affects Supply Chain Management, Marketing and even my field of study Human Resources. The type of water initiatives that Turk Coca Cola have developed have been nothing but amazing. Their social projects have been dedicated to giving back to the people and the growth of their employees. The love and support that they give not only to their community but to people worldwide is the reason why they have thrived for so long.

After the meeting we came back to the hotel to relax and prepare for our last night in Istanbul. I am sad to leave but I am appreciative of all the knowledge that I have gained through this trip and the friendships that I will take with me back to the States. Like they say, they save the best for last and the restaurant that we ate at had to have the best view in all of Istanbul. It sits on a rooftop of one of the hotels in central Taxim Square. We ate with our Marmara University friends and shared our last laughs before we have to say goodbye. It was a perfect evening with a beautiful sunset. I will miss Istanbul like crazy, especially on those days when I’m at work but I know I will see it again soon. Until then Teşekkür ederim.

Hey guys, today was one of the best days for me so far. When I woke up this morning I was prepared to be on the bus for at least 45 minutes but low and behold it was only 15 minutes. So I got lucky. The first part of our day started out at Dolmabahce Palace which is one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. This palace reminded me of a story out of a fairytale book. The money and craftsmanship that was put into the design of this place is incredible.

The walls and the ceilings are embedded with over two tons of gold. Some of the chandlers weighed up to almost 4 tons. One interesting fact that I found out was that the women were not allowed into the main palace and the men were not allowed into Harem where the females resided. Another fact that caught my attention was that none of the sultan’s wives were Turkish. All of them came from other nationalities, which was different. Some were Persian, African but majority of them were Russian.

The second part of our day brought us to a boat trip. For two hours we rode around the Bosphorus enjoying the sunlight, breeze and waves. This was not only refreshing but also a stress reliever. To be able to soak in the sun and smell water and hear the boat motor as it propels through the waves is breathtaking. It is a experience that I believe everyone should have. I watched in excitement as a seagull swooped down into the water looking for fish. If it was up to me I would be on that boat everyday. High hopes, maybe one day. Until tomorrow

The weekend is here! We’ve had a very busy but fun week and it doesn’t stop there. Today was a tourist day where there were no meetings but just site seeing and soaking in the history and architecture that Istanbul has to offer.

We started off by visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque. Here we were able to see a grave site where custom hats were placed on top of the grave stones. Depending on the status of the individual would depict the type of hat that would be on there. The mosque is so big that the area where the ritual washing would usually take place is done outside surrounding the mosque instead of inside.

Our next stop that to me was one of my favorites was the Hagia Sophia. This is one of the greatest marvels of architecture ever constructed. It was constructed as a basilica in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It served as a Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, then an imperial mosque and now a museum.

After the Hagia Sophia our journey led us to the Cistern. This particular Cistern collected water for the gardens. This was a interesting visit because of the story that it entails that relates to the Greek mythology story of Medusa. At the end of the Cistern are statue heads of Medusa that have been turned upside down.

The last stop that our trip brought us to was the Grand Bazaar. I had been looking forward to this since before we came on our trip. I had heard different stories about how the Grand Bazaar was the hugest shopping district in the world. Since I love to shop that was the perfect place for me. When we arrived I was amazed at the different shops that they had and the mass of people that were there as well. Another great part about the Bazaar is that you get to bargain for everything that is sold. I ended up getting some nice gifts for my family at good prices. So it’s safe to safe my bargaining skills are pretty good. Overall a fun day. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has to offer.                                                    

Today started out a little rough. My roommate Matt and I woke up late and almost missed our bus. I know that’s not a good way to start a day but as the day progressed it turned out to be a great one. I wanted to add that the traffic here isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We surprisingly got to our first destination in a timely manner. We went to Cilek Mobilya which is a Turkish children’s furniture.

When I first heard that we were going to a furniture company I was a little skeptical. I did not realize how interesting and fun this company would be. When we arrived the president Muzaffer Cilek gave us a tour of the facility. Cilek has been around for 20 years and their unique designs has been the driver for their sales. They have over 444 sales points in 66 countries. Speaking with the president, the director of marketing and the director of human resources has given me an insight on the company’s culture, brand and day to day operations.

The second part of our journey brought us to Fox Turkey. This was a interesting venture as well. In America majority of people views Fox, at least Fox news as being very bias and manipulative but that wasn’t the case in Turkey. We received a tour from the news operations manager Onur Kumbaracibasi who explained the process of how shows are produced, the length of those shows and the advertisements that goes along with those shows. It was interesting to find out that the Turkish government has regulations that restricts the network from advertising alcohol, any type of newspapers, a multitude of brands and other things to say the least.

Turkish Fox now has 10 different channels with majority of their soap operas lasting up to 3 hours a episode. The reason they do this is because Turkish law only allows 12 mins of advertisement per hour. So to get the amount of advertisement that they need they have shows that last up to 3 hours. This day has been a learning experience and we will see what tomorrow will bring.

On our ventures we were able to visit a historical Mosque. The architecture for this building and the creativity is astonishing.

Today is official our first full day in Istanbul. It is also a national holiday celebrating the  beginning of the war leading to Turkey’s independence. This day is a day to also celebrate the youth of the country as well.

We started the day by having a panel discussion with three prestiges Turkish figures. The first one was Ahmet Damgacioglu who spoke on the importance and the use of solar energy. He is a entrepreneur who is wants to expand the use of solar energy in Turkey.

The second speaker was Can Ceylanoglu who is a Supply Chain Manager for Phillips Health Systems. He spoke on the brand and the expansion of Phillips into different markets. The third speaker was Haluk Sahin who is a leading Journalist and gave us an insight into the economical and political aspects of Turkey and the reasons for countries that are in the top markets.

After the meeting we ventured out with our fellow Marmara University peers to the Asian side of Istanbul. We took a ferry across the Bosporus Sea and the view was amazing. I’ve never experienced such a peaceful and tranquel moment. After exploring the other side of Istanbul we headed back to our hotel to prepare for the dance theater.

At the dance theater we saw a terrific performance by a cast of well talented dancers. There were dances that depicted the culture of Turkey and even belly dancers. Overall it was an adventurous day and I cannot wait to see what the next day has to offer.

After a long flight and a even longer layover we finally arrived in Istanbul Turkey Monday afternoon. We got to meet a amazing group of Marmara students that took us on a excursion around Tasim Square. Tasim Square is the central location of where we are staying that has a multitude of street vendors, restaurants and clothing stores. From left to right Pinar- Marmara University, Paku- Georgia State University, Serenity- Georgia State University, Elmorris- Georgia State University, Meaghan- Georgia State University, Kemal- Marmara University.

It was a wonderful experience for me and my colleagues being able to talk with different employees on the diversity and structure of CNN.