Hey all! Chris here. Been in Istanbul for one month now. Three months ago, I’d have had no idea I would be posting up here in a flat of our own, with a job, ready to spend winter and spring.

The city definitely has a magnetic vibe about it, or like a quick moving current which has pulled me in (and it’s not just the cheap pomegranate juice I’m sipping on in this picture). I love it here! I’ve never lived in a big city, and now I’m in one of the world’s top five; I’m blown away. It’s also been a major change of pace since traveling for the last 6 months, moving from city to city (or sometimes, country to country) in a week or less, occasionally stopping for longer periods here and there (to WWOOF, for instance). Now we’re settled and have a space of our own for the first time in half a year, and it feels quite nice.

I’ve been catching up on all the cooking I was used to doing in California. Sure, I’ve cooked here and there at some hosts’ places, or while WWOOFing. But to be able to stock up on ingredients and shop more extensively at local markets is where it’s at. I’ve been trying here and there to reproduce the tastes I have experienced in not just Turkey, but Egypt and everywhere inbetween; however, the abundance of certain ingredients (like around 50 cents a pound for tomatos, eggplants and other foods common in Turkish foods) has imparted a nearly inevitable local flavor onto the foods I’ve been cooking up. And chiles are cheap too, thank the universe.

Musically, I’ve been working my way into different scenes as time goes on. My landlord introduced me to a kind spot which seems open to artists and musicians alike—a jam space in Cihangir with 2 stereo overhead mic’s to record, amps, a keyboard, guitars; in front, all sorts of pottery made by one of the guys who lives above the place; lots of painted art around as well. Got invited to maybe play bass with a group there.

Also found another place, Kooperatif, which has weekly jams. One day is middle eastern & balkan jams, and the other is musique concret, a type of experimental avant garde improvisation of French origins.

Then of course there is the busking side of things. Lau and I have run into various opportunities musically while busking (though most have fallen through, like playing paid gigs at one girl’s mom’s new balkan restaurant). Otherwise, I’ve gotten to participate in a Colombian photographer’s photography book of tango shots, with me on the margins of a set of shots with a local tango teacher and student in the focus. We’ve met different kind folks and exchanged smiles with thousands while playing on the streets of Istanbul. The man below was a friendly Armenian dude who recognized the couple of Armenian pieces I picked up from the UCSB Middle East Ensemble. Awesome.

One more recent musical development is a woman who is putting together a theater show of shorts, one acts, monologues & comedic musical bits based around the theme of love & expat life in Istanbul. I have volunteered my musical services for the performace in April. Should be fun.

Another friend is helping do music for a children’s Turkish adaptation of Rapunzel! One of the awesome things about such a big city, I’m finding, is how much crazy, diverse and awesome stuff is going down everywhere, all the time. I think I’ll plan a little parade through Taksim sometime. We’ll see.