Meet Mabel

At a subway station in Istanbul one night, I spotted some rectangular squares in the gum section at the newsstand. On the front of the package was a black woman with bright-red lipstick, earring and a kerchief to match. Her name was Mabel, also the face of an entire line of products for a Turkish chocolatier. (There's a story that the owner of the company had thing for and with Mabel.)

Miss Mabel immediately reminded me of three mascots for American food companies: Uncle Ben of the rice maker, Ratsus of Cream of Wheat and, of course, Aunt Jemima of the breakfast-food boxes. I showed my new acquisitions from Turkey to a few buddies in an online forum and asked how they felt about Miss Mabel; all seemed offended, particularly by her kerchief, yet two of Mabel's three American counterparts were developed in the 19th century and all are still used today. Aunt Jemima, however, did lose her kerchief around 1990 and traded her servant's clothes for pearls and a proper collar.

How about you? Are you offended by the use of African-Americans as "mascots" for food companies? If so, how about the Quaker Oats man?

Turkish Delight

Presenting the Kup Griye, found at Baylan, a classic patisserie on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Kadıköy.

The dessert, worth the ferry trip to another continent, has been famous since Greek immigrant Philip Lenas started serving it in the 1920s. The shop has long been the meeting place of many famous writers, poets, painters and actors, who no doubt flocked there for the macarons, profiterol, tiramisu and chocolate-covered cherries.

Kup Griye, however is the star of the show. It's made with vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds, vanilla, pistachios, whipped cream, honey, caramel sauce and served with a cat's tongue biscuit.




Baylan, Muvakkithane Caddesi No. 9A, Kadıköy

Africa's Next Top Model?

İn İnstanbul's touristy Old City, many of the men on the street have a shtick. You can't really blame them as they're trying to make a livıng sellıng carpets or tours or fish dinners. İf you're not careful, you can easily be taken in. Here are some of my favorite lines yelled out to me on the street as İ walked past. Most of them are nicknames:

10. Black Goddess or Black Princess

9. Miss Africa

8. (Insert French phrase here) Many assume of course that I can't possıbly be Amerıcan or an English speaker.

7. Hey You!

6. You look famılıar (The times thıs was said to me, I really do thınk the guys thought I was someone they knew.)

5. Yes, please (Almost every merchant says this to every passerby. İ find it somewhat amusing.)

4. Traveling Princess (my favorite!)

3. Yo, yo, yo (my least favorite)

2. Soul Sıster No. 1

1. Africa's Next Top Model

P.S. After I posted this, a merchant came up with my new favorite: Michelle Obama

First İmpressions--İstanbul

Turkey feels foreign. No, it isn't the first foreign country that İ've visited but somehow, it feels different.

İn the airport, women with jeans wear headcoverings. Those who don't are covered fully ın burkas.

The elderly don't hesitate to stop me to ask ıf İ can open theır potato chip bag, retrieve their subway token from the machine or carry their grocery bags. Well, they don't always ask. İ don't speak Turkish so there are lots of gestures. Another elderly gentleman doesn't hesitate to ride 25 minutes out of his way to make sure İ arrive at my destination safely. "Where are you going?" people yell out on to me when İ appear to be lost.


Despite the recommendations of friends who have visited before, İ park myself ın Sultanahmet, the tourist distrıct. İt mıght not be as trendy as Beyöglu, but ıt has the largest concentration of historic sites. İ only have to go a few blocks to see Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) and the Blue Mosque. At every turn, there's a grand mosque. The hustle on the streets remınds me of Manhattan, the hills of San Francisco. This ıs the historic distrıct, so different than the trendiness and wealth that İ fınd on the other sıde of the Bosphorus.

Although İ am not Muslim, the calls to prayer that echo from the mosque loudspeakers out onto the streets is both beautıful and mesmerizıng.

Visiting 'Dangerous' Places

I received several calls from family members this week, mostly about my travel plans tomorrow.

"ARE YOU IN TURKEY?" read the email from my dad, days before my scheduled departure. Another family member was a bit more brazen: "I don't think I approve of you going there." Brian, one of my travel peeps, checked to see if my travels were registered with the US Department of State. I promptly let the government know my plans.

There's a lot that's gone on Turkey these last few days: a powerful earthquake that took the lives of about 850 on the northern shore, killings of Turkish soldiers by Kurdish militants and a subsequent counterattack, and a suicide bomber in the southeast part of the country.

It's safe to say that I prefer to travel to places that are off the beaten track. Nicaragua? Check. Warsaw? Check. Iceland in the winter? Been there, done that.

It doesn't matter that I always do my homework before I take off, that I'm reasonably cautious and that I'm (now) a veteran traveler. Someone, some place will always turn up angry with me for insisting that the war that the long-ended war in Nicaragua is still ongoing and is a threat to my life. I'm grateful that this time--with Turkey--my loved ones are up on foreign affairs and are concerned for my well-being. Yet, I'm still moving forward, with no plans to stop in those affected regions that are 500 miles away. Could an earthquake move to my region? Of course.

I get it. Most of us have a fear of the unknown. For weeks, I've been stressing over what could, can, might happen after I leave my job --and I haven't even left it yet. You really just don't know. What I do know is that earthquakes, terrorist attacks, plane crashes and the like can and do happen just about anywhere. I witness an earthquake AND a hurricane in Manhattan just weeks ago. I'm not going to waste time predicting when and where they might happen and spend good time avoiding things that may not come to pass. Do people avoid New York because of an earthquake in San Francisco?

I do, however, think some cautiousness is healthy as it keeps on our toes. That said, I'm always nervous or cautious when traveling to a new place. We all should be. I'm not traipsing into North Korea or Afghanistan tomorrow, but I am going to Turkey.


I love this recent post from BootsnAll on 'dangerous destinations' that are worth the risk. I've been to South Africa. Loved it. I'm headed to Colombia pretty soon. But real talk, I'm afraid of Brazil. Where wouldn't you go?

Wheels up!

Planning for a RTW (Round-the-World) Trip

Two nights ago, I attended a seminar for people planning a career break. Titled Meet, Plan, Go, the nationwide seminar was intended to provide inspiration and "how-to" advice to people planning--or hoping--to take sabbaticals to travel.

It was encouraging to see a room full of people my age. The panelists and others had taken sabbaticals before; many attending were planning to leave shortly.
Many hated the lives they are living behind a desk; others, like me, simply wanted a break or were searching for more.

Because I've been planning this for a while, I had already thought about or completed a number of things that came up in the seminar (which countries to hit, what to do on a sabbatical, how to save money, renting out my property, getting vaccinations) but there were a number of things I hadn't considered or have yet to complete (getting visas, setting up power of attorney/living will arrangements, taking inventory of credit cards).

Planning a trip around the world is difficult--even for the most neurotic researcher *looks at self in the mirror*. But the planning is also a big part of the fun.

Here are some key takeaways from Meet, Plan, Go!:

Why do people take sabbaticals?
They are exhausted.
To reacquaint themselves with themselves
To do things they've always wanted to do--like volunteering or learning to SCUBA dive


So many people around the world are traveling on sabbaticals--they just might not be Americans.

Worried about what people will say/think? You will always have people who won't support you.A career break is a perfect opportunity to learn new skills, experience the outdoors and broaden your horizons.

Look at a sabbatical for what you could gain, not what you will lose.

Career breakers should be positive; others will respond accordingly.

What about that career anxiety?
A one-year break doesn't erase 10, 15, or 20 years of work experience.

The right employer will hire a career-breaker for her ability to take risks, think creatively and be innovative.

If you're particularly concerned about employment, send potential employers resumes before you leave, letting them know your plans and your future interest in the company. One woman had a company save her a job.

No one has ever heard a career-breaker say he regretted it.

Onward!

Living Your Dreams

In the last day or two, I made the decision to leave my current job and career and travel the world on a sabbatical. I've discussed possible departure dates with my employer as I've kicked around in my head what I'm doing, if I'm doing it, where I'm going and what is next. In the end, I knew that if I didn't jump, I'd forever stand still.

This decision has been a long time coming or at least something I've been thinking about doing for a while. It isn't a perfect time for to go; I'm not sure there is a perfect time. The only thing stopping me had been fear. Fear of letting go. Fear of what's next. Fear of HOME-LESS-NESS. (One of my friends assured me I could always come live with her. Whew!) My friends are toasting me now--at least to my face--but I'm still terrified.

My tentative decision comes as the world learns that Steve Jobs has died. Mr. Jobs had been a mental role model for many people, particularly for his perfectionism but also for being a visionary. What a legacy he leaves!

Check out this quote from him:

‎"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

RIP, Mr. Jobs. Thank you for your words--and your legacy. I know others will have LOTS of opinions about my round-the-world tour. (ACK!) I'm stepping out on faith to follow my heart and intuition. Friends and readers, would you quit your job and travel the world? Do you think it's foolish? What dreams, goals, hopes do you have? What are you afraid to do? What's stopping you from living life to the fullest? Bring it on! BTW, while you're praying on your goals, keep me in your prayers and give me a shoutout if I can stay on your couch!

xoxox