Lest you all think that I'm spending everyday sightseeing and vacationing and having fun, let me put that rumor to rest right now. In truth, I have spent every single morning and afternoon this week parked in the warm-toned splendor of various Starbucks locations, working hard on my case study.
While this is perhaps not the ideal trip, I'm enjoying myself and having all the fun I want to have when Ariel and I are both done with work. I came here to spend time with her, and I enjoy that time more if I have already finished my work for the day. I don't feel any pressure to do any sightseeing here -- it's at least my fifth trip to Istanbul, and I've seen all the sights and done all the exploring that I want to do, so I don't feel that I'm missing out on anything. I'm very excited to be working, and particularly happy to be working on an interesting project involving issues that I really care about.
It feels wrong to be in a gorgeous foreign city and spend all day sitting in an American-owned franchise, but this is the best way to maximize my productivity while Ariel is at work.
I initially tried working in more local establishments, but they weren't as comfortable. They didn't have free wireless Internet access. They weren't air conditioned. They weren't quiet. They had attentive waiters who interrupted me every 10 minutes, not indifferent barristas who are happy to ignore me for hours.
I'm trying to jazz it up a bit by working at Starbucks locations near cool Istanbul sights. Monday, I went to the Taksim Starbucks. Tuesday, I went to the Sultanahmet Starbucks. Yesterday and today I've been holed up in the Besiktas Starbucks. Tomorrow, the Ortakoy Starbucks.
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