Catie, Author at following the funks

RAMBLINGS: Are systems and workflows truly productive?

November 21, 2017November 21, 20172017, EVERYDAY LIFE, EXPAT LIFE, WORK Catie 2 Comments

(Welcome to Day 1 of a 31 day challenge to write 500 words or more. For more on that click here: goinswriter.com)

Running together is like, his least favorite thing to do. But talking while running is worse which usually means I promise not to talk to him if we run together.

Yet, my loving husband found himself on a run with his wife NOT listening to his podcast like he prefers but instead, once again was helping me process how to be more productive with my work/life balance.

He was encouraging me while doing the thing he least loves, twice over.

You see, I was yet again discouraged and hard on myself for not staying on task and in return not making very much progress to my to-do list. It’s not the first time we have had this conversation and in fact, I thought I WAS doing well at it. That morning, instead of writing, I found myself finishing my Christmas Card list, Christmas shopping, and spent way to much time on my phone.

How did I get distracted when I had started with such good intentions?

We work backwards…

How did I start on the Christmas Card list? I was looking for Christmas gift and remembered I needed to send the card list to my sister.

How did I think about the Christmas gifts? Jason has sent me text message thanking me for taking care of the gifs.

Message = Trigger

Ugh. Totally not his fault.

But really what has started this problem was I was ALREADY distracted before starting to write. WHY? My phone. I usually bring my phone out of my room and jump straight onto everything that I missed while I was sleeping 9 hours ahead of the states.

Real Trigger = Opening my phone before I finish my morning routine.

Other Trigger = NOT moving from my reading chair to my work area.

So we had this conversation about creating routines and systems to help me ‘have a plan’ and ‘know exactly what do to’.

Here are the questions that continually plague my mind:

How does a distracted and jumbled mind work productively?

How do you move past feelings to do your hard projects?

How do you tackle projects that seem too big to manage?

What is the trigger to keep me from doing the things I need to do? Is it environment? Is it my phone? Do I just say yes to every thought that comes to mind?

How do you move past wanting to take care of tasks that trigger my thoughts… that I want to do but can wait until later?

It seems SOOOO SIMPLE.

Just do them…

Just start your big project…

Just forget about feelings and move forward.

Just start…

But sometimes it IS NOT ENOUGH.

and

Sometimes, we are, *um* I am like a 5-year-old and can’t seem to resist the temptations, like NOT looking at my phone… or Instagram… or anything else.

So you know what? I am starting to put the Triggers out of hands reach.

What does that even mean?

Here are a few guidelines I will work on to help create triggers and boundaries:

I will leave my phone in my room until I finish my morning routine and 1-hour writing.

I will start my writing at my desk or dining table.

I will start changing environments for different task –

Consider using a coffee shop right after Turkish lessons to do my homework so I don’t put it off.
Consider another writing location for Monday’s and Friday when I do most of my writing.

I will create a task list the night before to know what my next morning will look like

I will place that task list in front of me so I know what my top 3 are for the day.

I will have a list of random thoughts that come to mind while I am working.

Who’s with me???

Questions for you:

Who else has this problem?

Who will keep me accountable?

What tips do you have for me?

REVIEW: Why Glamping is the new way to camp – Our experience with Glamping Hub

November 13, 2017November 13, 20172017, REVIEWS, TRAVELS, TURKEY Catie

Glamping is a new term to Turkey and one I hope that catches on! Glamping is the slang word for ‘glamorous camping’ and it’s a great alternative to being in nature without the nature being on you! This fall we used Glamping Hub and booked a weekend at Saklı Göl Evleri. (Listen in to our podcast episode041 to hear about this experience as well!)

I had considered some glamping locations for our travels through SouthEast Asia but camping in another country can mean different rules and would have to figure out where to even camp. Sometimes the culture of camping can definitely be foreign. Choosing to stay with a glamping hub location meant someone else knows the rules and takes care of the details.

Don’t misunderstand, I am a camping girl! I love the campfire, morning smells of tree and dew, and the sounds of nature. However, when we left the states to move to Turkey, we left all our camping equipment behind. Maybe one day we will bring it over, but even then it would be hard to transport it since we do not own a car. So what do you do when you want to go camping but don’t have the convenience of it?

Our new solution is glamping of course!

Here are a few reasons we loved Glamping over camping:

We don’t have to buy all the equipment!
We don’t have to bring all the equipment!
Never worry about getting cold. Glamping locations usually come with comfy, warm linens and a heater!
Rain? Stay inside your nice warm cabin and enjoy the view… or TV.
Budget friendly!
Food is provided or available for purchase. Well… at least ours was!

Glamping Hub is the perfect blend of comfort in the middle of nature.

Staying with Glamping Hub was not just a place to sleep, but an experience. Jason and I wanted to experience the Glamping sites that Turkey had to offer! The booking process is easy and the website is user-friendly. Sign up, search a location or country for a glamping host, and message the guide to check for availability if needed. Or if you prefer, just book right away. You can save properties you find interesting at a later date.

Just an hour drive north of the popular summer destination of Antalya lies several man-made lakes created by a few electrical dams. For years, the place we stayed at was only used as a daytime getaway for those wanting to spend a day outside of the city in the mountains, enjoy a breakfast or lunch with family, or relax the whole day with friends. Within the last 5 years, the owner has slowly created a weekend retreat by building tents and cabins into the side of the mountain above the restaurant. It has such a modern feel to it that you forget you are staying in a tent!

The tents and cabins are equipped with private bathroom with a waterfall shower (some even have a personal jacuzzi!), a LED TV, a minibar, self-regulated air-conditioning/heating, a hairdryer, a sofa, and 2 armchairs, and a closet to store your belongings. Daily cleaning services are available as well. The best part about the tents and cabins is the balcony because each comes with a panoramic view of the lake where you can watch the colors of sunrise and sunset!

Activities are easy to come by here. Bicycles and canoes are available to rent at an hourly or day rate. Ask for a map of the area from the manager and pick one of the walking/hiking paths and go by foot or bike. If you have a larger group, the owner can organize a boat tour for fishing or one that takes you through the small river connecting 2 of the lakes. For history lovers, Sagalassos, Kremna, and the Ancient city of Milyos are some of the historical places you can visit nearby.

Enjoy ordering Turkish food from the barbecue restaurant. On a hot summer day, the natural spring water infinity pool is the perfect place to sunbathe. The facilities are family-friendly, providing a playground and shallow pool area for children. Multiple sitting areas mean you can enjoy different views of the lake or find solitude away from other guests.

Our time at the Saklı Gol Evleri was amazing. From the friendly greetings and tea offered upon our arrival to the beautifully designed rooms with a view, we loved everything about our stay here. Our room had a panoramic view of the lake where we enjoyed the mornings while our drinking coffee. The self-regulated heater and down comforters on the beds allowed us to always be at a comfortable temperature.

Breakfast was provided for us (although it may not be included with all rooms) but it looks as if it could feed more than just the 2 of us! The gozleme, or Turkish quesadilla, filled with cheese and parsley came to us hot and fresh. We definitely started craving it by the time we left! Lunch and dinner are on your own but there is always a cook on hand to take orders. We found that the delicious Turkish breakfast filled us up until dinner time.

Nature walks and relaxing filled our time here. One day we drove to Sagalassos, the ancient ruins of a city dating back to the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire situated at an altitude of 1450–1700 meters. Another time, we joined the boat tours that weaved through the small river connecting the lakes. The last morning we woke up early and watched the sunrise on the top of the Karacaören mountain!

Our weekend glamping was such a wonderful experience for us. With a unique resource of hand-picked destinations around the world, I’ll definitely be booking with Glamping Hub again! Not only did we find a new place to visit, we found a new way to travel. We suggest that if you want to see the true beauty of Turkey and enjoy the quiet, serene nature, stay at Saklı Göl Evleri!

If you want to see more pictures from different Glamping trips others went on, then go check out the Glamping Hub Instagram. This is where I first went to get some inspiration and became curious about locations near us.

I want to give a huge thank you to *Glamping Hub and *Saklı Göl Evleri for our complimentary stay. It was truly beautiful.

For more information:

Our Glamping Location –Saklı Göl Evleri

Website: Glamping Hub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/localguddy/

Podcast episode about our experience: EPISODE041: When Glamping becomes your new favorite hobby

Like it? Share it!

[DISCLAIMER: *This post was in collaboration with a brand.* I was not paid for this post. However, I did receive a complimentary voucher from Glamping Hub and a stay from Saklı Göl Evleri a travel writer and expat blogger. One of the purposes of our website is to highlight tours and services for travelers like ourselves. At the same time, we will not recommend businesses/activities we do not think our readers will enjoy regardless of the friendship we create along the way.]

TURKEY: Day out on the sea lookbook

November 6, 2017November 6, 20172017, IZMIR, TURKEY, WEEKENDS Catie

Mondays can be busy and overwhelming to the senses. You want to start the week off right and avoid distractions… find some flow for your work. So in honor of busy Mondays everywhere, today I bring you a wordless lookbook reminiscing some warm summer days!

But before you start, just a quick explanation. Turkey has a huge coastline! The north, west, and south all border major seas. One of the best summer day trips is renting a boat with friends and taking a small tour (about 5 stops) along parts of the coast. This tour was with Teos Tur out of Sağıcık, a city on the southwest coast.

After meeting our captain about 9 am, we headed out for the day stopping along different coves and enjoying the landscapes. At each stop there is time to swim, explore, sunbath, and snorkel. Definitely bring your water games, snorkeling gear, and floaties!

The captain provides tea and coffee, but we bring any food we would like to eat throughout the day. Our group decided to only do lunch together (although the Turkish way would be to do breakfast and lunch). Our friends brought kofte(meatballs) and kebabs from the local butcher that the captain grilled for us when we were ready. Everyone brought a dish to share: bread, fruit, salad, etc. It also happened to be just before Jason’s birthday this year. We brought a cake to celebrate. Nothing fancy, but it is always fun to have a mid-day meal in your swimsuit between the dips in the sea!

Enjoy our day on the Aegean sea! (P.S.- If you like this, then you will love listening in to our podcast episode about our sailing trip along the Mediterranean coast!)

EVENTS: 2017 Izmir Coffee Festival

November 1, 20172017, EVENTS, IZMIR, TURKEY Catie

On October 13-15, 2017, the 2nd annual Izmir Coffee Festival was held at the Izmir Arena. I recently recap our experience from the first ever Izmir Coffee Festival. The same organizers, Next Organization and Ateş Prodüksiyon, of private festivals (also planned the Izmir Chocolate Festival), have continued to produce an even better festival this year. Tickets were 38 TL each for a 1-day pass or 76 TL for a 3-day entry.

Like I mentioned, coffee is no stranger to Turkish culture. Turkish coffee is long steeped in Turkish tradition. Specialty coffee, however, is on the rise! Almost 10 years later, Turkey is home to lots of little startups for coffee roasting and small coffee shops serving not only filtered coffee but also options for pour-overs, Chemex, and AeroPress. In our neighborhood alone I can find 5-6 different coffee shops to enjoy my favorite way to drink coffee! Many of them do their own roasting too.

The first day of the coffee festival was PERFECT. The weather was a breezy, sunny 73 degrees. While last year was crowded and the layout of venues was too close together, this year the layout of shops were much improved giving the guests room to move with ease and vendors more room to work.More vendors were placed outdoors and the whole of the outdoor space better utilized.

Like last year, I anticipated most booths to represent coffee companies, and it proved to be true this year as well. Of course, we made sure to stop by Jason’s favorite afternoon workplace, RAF – Roast and Found, and enjoy our first latte from them. The soon to open LessOrdinary Coffee sold one of my favorites of the festival, a Coffee Sangria for 25 TL. I was surprised at the number of Istanbul representatives such as Arabica Trading House Roasters that service to coffee shops like the new Story Coffee in Istanbul. By far, the most intrigue coffee item at the coffee festival was the Nitro Brew coffee. This carbonated cold brew looks similar to beer in color, but definitely, keeps its taste!

Several small businesses sold miscellaneous items to give the guests some diversity. I met the owner of Basic Jewel again from last years festival. I love her simple yet unique design for pendants and earrings. A couple of new favorites were pastries from Leone Patisserie and Boulangerie and sweet delicious spread from Dulce La Leche in Assos, Turkey. Towards the back of the area, the festival provided an amazing play area for kids! Lounge chairs lined the coast so guest could relax with a gorgeous view of the Izmir’s bay. If you fancy learning more about coffee, the festival offered workshops and held seminars on different topics related to coffee.

When to go

For those who want to visit for the whole day, Saturday and Sunday would give you a full day of wandering the area and watching performers such as DJs, dance instructors, and sports instructors. The program rotates performers on a central stage with a large area to sit and enjoy your purchases and free coffee samples. But if you enjoy lesser crowds, go early the first day as well as first thing Saturday and Sunday morning!

List of activities and services:

– Catering, tasting, cupping
– concerts and music concerts, interviews (pre-registration for some interviews)
– Workshops (Pre-registration is available for some workshops.)
– Children’s play areas, adult play areas, close up shows
– Sports events, dance shows, latte show shows,
– Street art performances, contests, and surprise gifts
– Recreation areas
– Selfie area

We are excited to head back to the 2018 festival and see what they have in store for guest next year!

For more information:

Website: http://coffeefestivalizmir.com

Address: 1649 Sokak No: 107 Turan – Bayraklı / İZMİR

Telephone: 0 232 382 2 382 & 0 232 382 38 28

Like this post? Pin it and share it with a friend!

WRITING: Article featured in SUITCASE Magazine

October 26, 2017January 4, 20182017, WRITING Catie

Romania was supposed to be a ‘side trip’ to our month-long SouthEast Asia itinerary, but it has definitely gotten more attention. This month, SUITCASE Magazine features my article titled CASTLES, CRÊPES AND THE CARPATHIANS: EXPLORING BRASOV, ROMANIA on their online publication.

SUITCASE Magazine is a quarterly print magazine as well as an online website that giving adventurous creatives and entrepreneurs eclectic and affordable travel options. They also dabble in apps and a series of pop-up shops and eventers around the UK. Suitcase ‘aims to immerse you in the fabric of a destination, helping you explore with insider knowledge and acting as a point of entry for cultures around the world.’

Continue reading here…

Here is the start of the article:

Often overlooked on the regular European tourist trail, Romania is a worthy travel destination in its own right, offering a varied getaway thanks to architectural towns and medieval villages set against a backdrop of dense forests and rugged mountains.

With 20 million people spread over 240,000 square kilometres, the country is perfect for a road-trip-meets-city adventure. Serviced by most major airlines, Bucharest makes an easy starting point. Once known as the “little Paris” of Romania, the capital sets an example for the smaller outlying villages like Brasov, with a diverse cityscape made up of gothic, baroque and renaissance styles.

Sitting in the centre of Romania’s Transylvania region in the Carpathian Mountains (made famous by Dracula) Brasov was established by the Teutonic Knights in the 13^th century. During the medieval period it was occupied by the Saxons, who turned the city into a walled citadel to protect against invaders. Today, Brasov is surrounded by those same medieval stone walls, but crêpe stands and cafés line the town’s wide, pedestrian-only main boulevard.

…..

Continue reading here.

Thank you SUITCASE Magazine for the feature. I am honored to be working with you as a writer.

To my readers:

Did you enjoy the article?

What was something new you learned?