Sunday, September 28, 2014

3 Lessons Traveling Taught Me About Life

As an American navigating through the Middle East, I'm in a somewhat unique position in terms of the recent tragedies across the world (IS/ISIS, ebola, cruel deaths). Being on this side of the world has thrown me closer to middle eastern politics by necessity and my heart cries out for the injustices executed back home and in nearby countries.

These recent tragedies forced me to take a step back and re-observe life from a different perspective. Usually I share my blog posts on FB but I'll let this one sit here quietly as a reminder for my future self. Without further adieu, here are 3 lessons traveling taught me about life:

1. Life is short
I unwillingly reflect and struggle with the concept of death every night: fear of my own death, impending deaths of my loved ones & deaths of loved ones already passed. In light of these recent events though I was slapped by a reminder of just how short life can be: 18 years for an unarmed black teenager, 63 years long for a depressed celebrity, 6 years cut short for a victim of terror.

While income, gender and race influence lifespan estimates, life is too short to hold grudges or be unhappy. We were all blessed and cursed to have experienced life and eventually it will be ripped away... all we can do is enjoy the ride.

Quote for this lesson: "Stop "tomorrowing" yourself to the end of your life"


2. Life is precious
Everyone you meet is facing a tough battle of some kind- yes, including privileged people. Why waste energy angrily trying to dictate how someone else should live their life? You do you, let them do them. You could be shocked by how little others' private decisions affect you.

Death- especially with all the recent worldwide tragedies- should serve more as a reminder to celebrate and enjoy life. We're all just trying to get by.   

"There are those who think that life is valueless because it comes to an end. They fail to see that the opposite argument might also be proposed: that if there were no end to life, life would have no value; that it is, in part, the ever-present danger of losing it which helps to bring home to us the value of life"


3. Life is what we make of it
Our media-obsessed generation tunes into daily tragedies from America to the Middle East and has become depressed as a result. Don't get stuck on depressing social media news stories! Get up, go outside and get involved with something positive you can do instead. Channel the negative energy into a positive outlet.

An hour per week at a soup kitchen... donating money to a charity... recycling clothes among friends... sharing excess items with the needy... it's not just about "be the change you wish to see in the world" but you quite literally are the change happening in the world. As much as we might like to deny it, every in/action you take shapes the future so don't let the feeling of hopelessness move you to behave powerlessly.

"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change"
"There are always flowers for those who want to see them"

Sunday, September 21, 2014

How to Haggle: A Foreigner's Guide

One night my friends and I were sipping martinis at Nic's bar on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills when a salesgirl approached our table and attempted to sell us a bottle of vodka. When no one spoke, I asked if we could try a sample first. Surprisingly, she returned a few minutes later with shots for potential buyers and I learned a great lesson: it never hurts to ask.


For many Westerners the concept of haggling may appear rude or shameful, but it's perfectly routine and even expected in other countries. In today's post I'll share a foreigner's guide on how to haggle, including what it is, when it's appropriate and best practices for successful haggling.

What is Haggling?

Simply, haggling is bargaining over the price of an item. You may have already haggled over the price of your car, house or expensive jewelry; or perhaps you haggled for smaller items at a garage sale. If you did it right, both you and the seller left the transaction feeling satisfied.

When Should You Haggle?

Typically haggling is encouraged when item prices are unlisted. In foreign countries you can haggle for goods and services from clothing to hotel room prices - check Google for "haggling customs [LOCATION]" to learn when haggling is appropriate.


5 Best Practices to Haggle Successfully:

1) Be Patient. Try not to buy anything from the first place you shop; instead, first look around at what's being offered at various shops and for how much to get an inside look at supply and demand.

2) No Touching. When asking for an item's price, don't touch it - just point to it. 2 reasons not to touch an item: 1) it shows interest so the owner will inflate the price, and 2) it creates an artificial feeling that you already own the item & makes you more willing to spend more to have it.

3) Stay Quiet. Don't make the first offer - it puts the seller in a position of power to charge you more. After the merchant names their price, ask for up to 50% off. When the seller makes a counteroffer, pause or say "hmm" before responding to make yourself seem less willing to buy.

4) Be Observant. Examine the item for imperfections, or use your earlier knowledge of going rates to justify your price and make you seem like a smart shopper.

5) Walk Away. Ultimately the goal is to leave satisfied, right? That includes walking away when an item's value isn't worth its asking price & 5 more minutes of back-and-forth won't achieve a happy medium for either party, so be prepared to walk away from a transaction.

BONUS TIP: If traveling between seasons (e.g. Summer to Fall), arrive early since merchants will happily sell their extra off-season goods in order to make room for new items. Alternatively, arrive an hour before the market closes to capitalize on merchants' eagerness to get rid of unsold merchandise and make an extra sale.

When traveling and shopping abroad, it doesn't hurt to ask for a lower price. Done right, haggling should be a fun and mutually profitable experience for both the seller and buyer. Have you ever haggled in a foreign country? Share where and what it was like in the comments!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

KIT with Travel Friends by Asking These 7 Questions

Keeping in touch with new friends you made while on vacation or traveling can be tricky since you relate to them differently from lifelong friends; this goes doubly so for socially anxious travelers who may not know what to say when catching up with travel friends.


The best way to overcome this difficulty is by making repeated attempts to initiate contact e.g. liking/commenting on Facebook statuses, chatting on Kik or Whatsapp. But, what can you actually say when trying to reconnect with your travel buddies? Answer: ask travel-related questions! People love talking about themselves so here are 7 travel-friend-specific questions you can ask to help KIT:
  1. Have they revisited the place you both traveled to and have they picked up more of the language?
  2. Do they plan on traveling anywhere else? Where else would they like to go?
  3. Have they met any other travelers on their journey? What was that experience like?
  4. Would they like to share pictures from their latest travels with you?
  5. Where do they recommend as your next travel spot?
  6. Which websites or apps have they had the most luck with in terms of booking travel arrangements e.g. transportation, housing?
  7. Do they know of any useful travel blogs or tips for visiting a certain city or country? Are there any problems or scams you should look out for?
BONUS QUESTION: Where do they go to meet more travel buddies? This question can help you develop a deeper friendship with your current travel friend while introducing you to more travelers.
Non-travel related questions can include FORD topics (Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams).


As a social traveler with friends in several countries, I know it becomes difficult to keep in contact with anyone over time due to evolving life stages and keeping in touch with friends made while traveling can be especially tricky. It's still possible to maintain deep, new lifelong friendships though as long as we make an effort to KIT. Happy traveling!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Life in Ankara, Turkey

Like many other Americans, I harbored some reservations about Turkey when my fiance first suggested the idea of moving abroad. Now, tomorrow marks 6 months since we landed in Ankara and I'm dragging my feet in planning our next destination.


Ankara, Turkey holds a population of 4.5 million+ and is second only to Istanbul which boasts a population of 14 million+ people. If Istanbul is the Beverly Hills of Turkey, Ankara is the Westwood Village. Ankara is an active but cozy city while Istanbul is decidedly more impressive and boisterous. In sum: Istanbul is for vacationing while Ankara is for living.










In 2012 when my fiance visited Ankara for work, I asked him to describe the city for me. At first I was frustrated trying to understand how it could be "peaceful" and "politically unstable" at the same time but upon arriving I soon learned what he meant.

Most people are just trying to live their lives, attending state universities for free or working 60 hours/week. Political unrest exists but mostly rises following elections like the recent one wherein Erdogan, the former Prime Minister of Turkey, was elected President.

Kocatepe, the largest mosque in Ankara, can accommodate 24,000 people
As the center of Turkish government, Ankara houses all foreign embassies. I visited the US embassy earlier this year when I unknowingly misplaced my passport in a taxi. Within 24 hours the embassy discovered which hotel I was staying at-despite the fact that my name wasn't even on the hotel records-and called for me to retrieve it. Thanks, NSA. Honestly it was scary, but reassuring that at least as an American I'm always safe here.













Since my fiance and I are both fortunate enough to work from home, most of our free time is spent cooking new foods (I can no longer live without Ottoman spice), taking walks in the park and practicing limited Turkish with our friends at the local grocery store Cagdas (pronounced Chadash).

While it hasn't all been sunshine and daisies, I've fallen in love with Ankara. There's a local Turkish saying that "the most beautiful part of Ankara is the road to Istanbul" but I don't mind - this way Ankara remains a hidden gem away from tourists for me to enjoy.


Good night Ankara, good afternoon Los Angeles!

*Note: I do not own any of these photos