Teddy's Perspective

During my time here in Istanbul I have been interning with the Istanbul Municipal Government in the Urban Planning Department. On the first day I was unsure about what the department's expectations would entail but soon after my 3rd serving of tea I was ready to get started on whatever they had in mind for me.

Most of the first day at the City Planning office consisted of paperwork, so the four of us interns were introduced to our future overseers and the Director of Urban Planning. As we waited for our paperwork to go through we were introduced a man named Murat who appeared very friendly and he began to teach us some basic phrases in Turkish. One thing that I could not help to notice was the hospitality that everyone provided us. We were repeatedly offered tea and Turkish coffee. I was quick to learn that in Turkish culture it is imperative to make any visitor feel welcome and greet them with tea.

On the second day we were each assigned our roles and our assignments for the coming weeks ahead. Each of us were given a separate city to research for one week and draw comparisons and ideas from their urban planning departments. The city assigned to me was New York. I researched the history and future of planning and also urban solutions for redevelopment. I prepared a slideshow and presented my work to the entire Urban Planning Department, including the Director. This was a great experience for me. It added some public speaking time to my log and also helped me learn how to work around a language barrier. It felt very rewarding to help provide information to a government office about how we operate urban development in the U.S.

I find myself to be very fortunate to have this opportunity to work in a foreign country, environment and government. Not many people can say they have worked in a foreign government office, especially in a place as historically relevant as Istanbul, Turkey.

The people of Turkey have treated all of us like royalty and I have gained an intangible set of values that can only be developed through cultural immersion. I am thoroughly grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Teddy Hobbs