The B-Roll #6

The B-Roll #6: Mistakes were made

October 17, 2021

This is the sixth edition of my weekly newsletter, The B-Roll. Thank you for coming along for the ride. 

Hey buttercup,When I write the letter portion of these, I don't plan it. I sit down to write and then see what comes out. So even though I began writing this one on Saturday, life got in the way and you're getting it on Sunday.Most of you know that I'm headed back to Istanbul for 3 months. I've been talking about it for months but that flight is finally happening on Tuesday. As in, in 2 days. So I'm in frantic/not frantic limbo as I begin to pack and gather myself. I'm already an anxious traveler and a notorious over packer but I have promised myself that I'll do better this time.Last year, when I was headed to Turkey, I actually drove cross-country first to drop off the rest of my brother's belongings on the east coast. So, I packed even more ridiculously than usual because I was able to throw things in the car. I also hadn't been to Istanbul in the winter in 15 years, so the logical thing for me to do was pack sweaters, because winter, right? I ended up leaving a whole lot of stuff at my dad's because I wasn't going to take two suitcases worth of clothes on this trip. But I did end up bringing a few of my favorite sweaters with me to Istanbul. Then when I got there, I did the first thing I always do when I get there: I went and got a haircut and I decided bangs would be a good idea since it was during the pandemic and I wouldn't really be going out. And ya know, winter.Here are some facts about my birth city: Istanbul, unlike other parts of Turkey, has a couple of different microclimates depending on where you are in the city. From Britannica: By long tradition, the waters washing the peninsula are called “the three seas”: they are the Golden Horn, the Bosporus, and the Sea of Marmara. The Golden Horn is a deep drowned valley about 4.5 miles (7 km) long. Early inhabitants saw it as being shaped like a deer horn, but modern Turks call it the Haliç (“Canal”). The Bosporus (İstanbul Boğazı) is the channel connecting the Black Sea (Karadeniz) to the Mediterranean (Akdeniz) by way of the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) and the straits of the Dardanelles. The narrow Golden Horn separates old Istanbul (Stamboul) to the south from the “new” city of Beyoğlu to the north; the broader Bosporus divides European Istanbul from the city’s districts on the Asian shore—Üsküdar (ancient Chrysopolis) and Kadıköy (ancient Chalcedon). So, for those playing the home game, the weather where I was staying was actually quite humid and warm. Guess what humidity does to naturally curly hair. Needless to say, my bangs did not really see the day of light when I was out and about and my hair was usually up in a bun. (But I had to share the pic at the beginning of this letter because look how pretty they were before the humidity assaulted them).Oh and those sweaters? Let's just say I had to find some new weather appropriate clothes pretty quickly and given that it was pre-vaccines, trying on clothes was not super fun.Therefore, I will only be packing 2 of my favorite sweaters and plan to go shopping when I get to Istanbul this year. There will be no bangs.

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I have a lot on my mind but this trip is going to be so different than last year. Last year was a mental health sabbatical and my brain did not let me do anything. Literally. I would take ferry rides and then watch TV or nap. I think I only finished one book. Barely wrote but processed a great deal. (I'm going to be writing about that and work trauma in a separate post soon). This year, I'm going to be working at night, have trips planned with my childhood best friend, and might actually get to enjoy some of the restaurants that were closed due to the pandemic last year.I'm going to get a feel for what living in Istanbul would be like for me. I wrote an extensive post on the 25th anniversary of my immigration last year.

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The next edition of The B-Roll will be coming to you from Istanbul. I can't wait to share it all with you.

***Do you have a podcast or audiobook that you love? I'm looking for recommendations.

LANGUAGE CORNER: Not Constantinople

The name İstanbul (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈtanbuɫ], colloquially [ɯsˈtambuɫ]) is commonly held to derive from the Medieval Greek phrase "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν" (pronounced [is tim ˈbolin]), which means "to the city" and is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks.

May 23, 1453 is recognized as the birthday of Istanbul but it didn't become the official name of the city until 1930, 7 years after the Republic of Turkey was established.

SHARING CORNER: Some links, some books

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Thanks for reading this far, friend. As with everything in life, this will be a work-in-progress and you can always hit "Reply" to give me feedback, commentary, or your thoughts on the topic of the letter.Until next time, I wish you a sane and healthy week.With love,