We arrived last evening to Malatya and took a little time to settle in to our rooms. The hotel is beautiful and MUCH more than I ever expected. Although I don't mind the accomodations, I again feel honored to be a part of an elite group of CSC IBMers.
Today was the official start of our assignment. We spent the morning preparing for our afternoon meeting with the Governorate of Malatya. Amid discussions of presentation content and agenda planning we made time for breakfast, tea time and lunch.
Our meeting with the Governorate was scheduled from 2-4:00 pm. I found it quite interesting that for such an important meeting, we were just arriving at the government building at 2:05pm. Typically for such an important meeting in the US, we would have been there at least 30 minutes prior to ensure we had time to recover from all the unexpected "glitches" in setup.
Entry into many buildings in Turkey require going through a security check, similar to the airport security but not quite as rigorous. After going through security in the government building we congregated in the hallway on the first floor. The first thing that popped into my head was the similar feel of the Alcatrez Prison. The hallways echoed, the paint was mint green and chipped. the doors were steel on the outside and had a padded covering on the inside. On the surface, it looked a little rough but honestly it was a great reminder of where in the world we are and why we are working to help improve the economics of this region. Upon settling into the conference room, we waited for the Governorate to arrive. He arrived at approximately 2:40 for his 2:00 meeting :) This was the first time many of us have ever used an interpreter for communication. There was nervousness to deliver a good presentation but I think the team did a good job! The Governorate was engaged for the entire meeting asking questions and offering additional information for our assignments. Although scheduled to end at 4pm, he was fully engaged in our meeting until 5pm.
We were able to make a brief stop at the Firat office where we will be working for the next four weeks. There were as many, if not more, Firat employees there to meet us than there were CSC members. The office building is brand new and honestly another environment that I didn't imagine to be working in for a CSC assignment. The Firat employees all speak English very well, are well educated and were very good hosts for the remainder of the evening.
Our day concluded with dinner at a Turkish restaurant with the Governorate and Firat representatives. Again we were running late for our 7:00 dinner and arrived at 7:05. Not to worry, the Governorate arrived at approximately 8pm. There was food, food, and more food! It was great to try a variety of foods but I was ashamed at how much food was thrown away. There was no possible way to eat all that was given to us. We approximated at least ten different courses and four rounds of different drinks! The foods were very fragrant and rich in taste. Dessert of course was my favorite!
Bring on 6 rounds of appetizers....
- Appetizer dishes (beans, olives, wheat and pesto appetizer, etc)
- Salad
- Soup
- Flat bread (with hot pepper pesto and cacik)
- Lahmacun
- Turkish meatballs called Grenades
The main course served on one plate...
- Lamb chop, rice and a mixed vegetable
Drinks please...
- Water
- Fermented carrot juice (tasted like olive juice to me) and/or Yogurt water mixture (very common drink)
- Carbonated beverage (soda, mineral water or lime mineral water)
- Tea (this was my 4th round of tea for the day but it is very good)
Desserts in abundance...
- Turkish pastries, dried apricots and pumpkin slices
- Kunefe
- Assorted tray of nuts
- Chocolate dipped cookie stick (looked like long thin pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate)
There was a constant stream of food flowing to and from the table for nearly 2 hours! This was a true turkish feast! After 2 days in Turkey I'm beginning to think that with a little hair dye, I could start to fit in. I struggle with being on the clock and like the fashionably late Turkish style demonstrated today! I also love the 4 rounds of dessert...there still so many more things to experience and pounds to gain! :)
