Book Crossing

While in a pretty sweet underground cafe in Stockholm's Gamla Stan district, I came across a book that was participating in an awesome project called Book Crossing.

The idea is similar to a random free global library. Someone reads a book, registers it on the website, leaves the book somewhere in the hopes that it will soon be picked up by someone else to read. Each participating book has a tracking number so you can log into the website, enter the book's number and track where it's been, who it has been read by and their review of the book. You then enter information regarding the book's current whereabouts so that others can see where the book has traveled.

You can also search for specific books that are still "out in the wild." If the location is close enough to you, you can set out to find it like some hidden treasure!

I picked up Helen Fielding's "Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination." It's not my typical genre of book but I liked the idea of Book Crossing so I took the book back with me to Istanbul.

I managed to read the entire book during the course of my massively long 28 hour flight from Istanbul back to San Francisco and I've now left the book at a cafe in my hometown of Fremont, California.

I went back to the cafe and the book is no longer there though I haven't received a notice that someone has registered picking up the book on the website! I'm curious to see who picked up the book and where it will go next so whoever picked it up, register it please! I'm equally interested in seeing if I'll come across more Book Crossings in the near future!

Happy book hunting!

© Connie Hum 2009

Family Dating Service

One of the main topics of conversation between myself and my family whenever I 'm back in Fremont revolves around when I'm going to settle down, get married and have kids. Now, my family knows me well enough to know that it's going to take a lot and one heck of a guy to tie me down, and hopefully he won't "tie" me down, but rather join me in my traveling (mis)adventures, but still...that's what we talked about. A lot.

In fact, I had one cousin email me a company ID photograph of a coworker from the company directory that she thought I should meet. Another keeps telling me about her coworker that's really nice and funny. She wants to give me his email address.

It's all very nice and swell and I'm always up for meeting new people but honestly, I wouldn't know the first thing to do with such an introduction. "Um...Hi. My cousin wanted me to contact you because she thought we might want to make babies together someday..."? No thanks.

Since they keep trying to set me up, I'm starting to wonder if I should I let them set me up, just to see what hijinks will inevitably ensue from such awkward situations? I think it would be funny but at the same time, I don't really want to put myself through the unnecessary torture. Then again, at least after everything I can say that I've been on a blind date.

What say you?

© Connie Hum 2009

There's No Place Like Home...

While Dorothy discovered that "there's no place like home" in The Wizard of Oz, I have discovered that being back in my hometown is, for lack of a better word, weird. Fremont, California is, to me, just as strange and foreign as the land of Oz was for Dorothy, and I confess that I feel strange and foreign myself in this place.

It's only been a week since my arrival and I'm glad I'm back to see my Grandpa and the rest of my family but most of the time I just feel like I'm in suburban hell. I'm really just not made to live outside of big cities. Things don't make sense to me here. Why is everything so far away that it requires me to drive a car? How come the city buses go nowhere useful? Why must I risk life and limb each time I try to bike somewhere on my younger cousin's bike simply because people here don't know how to share the road with bikers? How come there isn't a basket on her bike for me to put my purse? =)

I don't think there's anything wrong with living in suburbia, it's just that I can't do it. I get far too bored.

I'll be in Fremont until the 1st of July so if anyone's in town, let me know and we'll catch up!

© Connie Hum 2009

Stockholm Syndrome

After the beautiful quiet of Copenhagen, Matteo and I were greeted in Stockholm with drunken Swedes in sailor caps, dancing and drinking in the back of a truck. We looked over at each other and smiled. This was our kind of town! Turns out that it's tradition to celebrate high school graduation in this way.
The weather in Stockholm was not as favorable for us as Copenhagen though. It was quite cold and rainy, so much so that I was forced to buy boots on my second day. Matteo and I tried to make the most of our time, walking and exploring outdoors as much as we could. We spent an entire day at the Vasa Museum, mostly in part to avoid the freezing rain, but it was a cool museum to check out. Matteo and I are practically experts on the Vasa ship now after all those hours so if you have any questions about this sunken then recovered Swedish ship, go ahead and ask us!

During our strolls we chanced upon a couple of Swedish celebrities. Our first was a Swedish pop singer named Dorian/Damian or something. We were in Skansen, Stockholm's open air museum and came across him rehearsing for a show. Our other Swedish celebrity sighting was the KING of Sweden. It was their national day and he came down a street, waving.

Matteo and I found that we really preferred the old Gamla Stan area of the city, where we literally stumbled upon some interesting cafes, bars and restaurants.

One night we walked past a very interesting jazz bar that looked like something out of NYC's Lower East Side. We came back after dinner and ended up dancing up a jazzy storm together amid a crowd of mostly really old people. Matteo and I were the first to start dancing and by the end of the night, most of the crowd had joined us!

On another late night, we were walking past a tiny, nondescript alley. I just happened to glance into it and noticed a lone candle blowing in the wind. I called Matteo over and we decided to check out the source of the candle. It was a no-name, packed restaurant! A secret restaurant that was popular with locals! Jackpot!!! We came back the next night for dinner and entered into the underground section of the restaurant. It was mostly candlelit and very charming, though we saw a big group of Frenchmen and Aussies. We struck up a conversation with the Aussies and I asked how they had heard of the restaurant. "We just happened to walk by." Awesome, the restaurant was still a secret! After dinner, we decided to walk past the bar. Then we noticed another door. Oh no... We walked out the door and saw the main entrance! We had gone in through the back door! So the restaurant wasn't exactly as secret as we thought but still, WE found it secretly and we're proud of this gem of a find!

We spent our last night in Stockholm with a group of Swedes in their home, singing ABBA songs. Really. We did! It was probably the best thing we did in Stockholm. The only decent video I have of us isn't that great, but you get to see Matteo really into it and I think that's pretty awesome. Our rendition of "Mamma Mia" was probably our best but we didn't have the camera set up for that. Too bad because we really rocked that song.

It was a great trip and I'm really glad that I got the chance to catch up with my friend, Matteo. Ciao Ca-so! Non andare via! See you soon!

Pictures from our Copenhagen/Stockholm trip are also now posted on my site.

© Connie Hum 2009

Copenhagen Is Just Like One Big Movie Set!

My week-long holiday in Scandinavia started out in Copenhagen. I arrived late in the afternoon and hopped on a bus toward my friend Allan's house. As I rode the bus, I fell in love with all the little brick houses and marveled at all the bikes on the streets. Copenhagen seemed so quaint and cute, and I thought "How fantastic that everyone gets around on bikes and they don't even need to lock them up!"

I arrived at Allan's place and spent a few hours chatting with him as we waited for Matteo's arrival from Italy. I shared my thought with Allan who quickly explained that the bikes were indeed locked up and that bike theft was actually a problem in Copenhagen.

Matteo arrived and we three shared a nice dinner together. Poor Allan had to sit through all our New York stories and memories but he did so graciously. Allan taught us a fun card game, something called Pirate's Poker.

I had trouble sleeping that night as we went to bed late and the rising sun at 3 in the morning woke me up prematurely. It was crazy the amount of daylight that we had in Copenhagen!

The next morning we met up with my Danes, Niklas and Rune, whom I met in Peru the year before, for brunch at a cafe called Laundromat. It's actually a real, working laundromat where you can sit and eat or read the hundreds of books that they had in their cafe. Pretty smart!

Matteo, Allan, Niklas, Rune and I spent the day walking all over Copenhagen, catching all the major sights. All the buildings were so cute and the streets were so clean. The inside of the buildings looked bare to me and the streets were pretty empty so I just kept feeling as if we were walking around a Disneyland type of a place or a huge movie set. I think the Danes got pretty annoyed that I kept saying their beloved city was a farce, but really, I just couldn't shake the feeling of being on a movie set! Everything was just so picturesque and things seemed so perfectly placed.

I was in search for a Danish but it turns out the Danish in Denmark is not in fact the Danish that I know of. Denmark's' version of the Danish was pretty good but still, how come the Danes can't make a proper Danish? =) That evening, Allan renewed my faith in Danish culinary skills by cooking us a traditional Danish meal of potatoes, meatballs and a delicious sauce. We then went out for drinks, where the Danes "forced" Matteo and I to take shots of something that I likened to "shit water" but they called it "Fisherman's Friend."

The next day Matteo and I climbed up a spiraling tower. It was so high that I actually felt vertigo at the top! We then ventured into Christiana, a free-town within Copenhagen. We tried to find this awesome bike that I wanted to rent but they were hard to find so we ended up with normal bikes. It was still fun but how funny would it have been to see me and Matteo riding around Copenhagen in a bike like this?

We rode to the Carlsberg Brewery, took a tour, enjoyed our complimentary beers and then rode back a bit tipsy to meet Rune at King's Garden. The weather at this point had chilled and Allan was nice enough to bring Matteo and I jackets and sweaters. We then went with Rune to the beautiful Tivoli garden. It was a very nice way to end our stay in Disneyland, er, I mean, Copenhagen. =)


© Connie Hum 2009

Home Again

After a week-long holiday split between Copenhagen and Stockholm, I arrived into Istanbul quite late and tired, having not had much sleep the night before (due to staying up late singing ABBA songs with a group of Swedes in their home) and on the flight (due to a crying baby sitting behind me but may well have been sitting on my head).

I had a lovely time (blogs to come) but I really missed Istanbul and was very happy to be back.

I didn't know how much I felt a connection to Istanbul until I came back from Stockholm. Seeing the cityscape lit up with mosques, minarets and boats along the Bosphorus as I crossed over the First bridge, a deep feeling settled inside my heart of something like coming home. Strange....but also quite a wonderful feeling. I love being able to call Istanbul home, even if it's for a short while.

Upon my arrival home, I joined Serra and Enes on the terrace and finished two strong drinks that helped me fall right to sleep. I was home indeed.

And here's a picture of tonight's amazing sunset.


© Connie Hum 2009

Turk-isms

Living in Istanbul is like having an in-depth case-study of Turkish anthropology. I have noticed common "quirks" that people use here, discovered what the "quirks" mean, and I, ever keen to be as "local" as possible, have even adopted some of these quirks into my own mannerisms. Yeah, I can say that I can act like a local here (ha ha), though I'm pretty sure no one will ever mistake me for one!

Some Turk-isms:

• The hard blink - It's very common for people to greet you with a hard or exaggerated blink (think I Dream of Jeannie without the arms and head nod). It's usually accompanied with a smile. It can also be used as a sign of agreement or any other gesture of general pleasantness.
  

• The lip smirk - Instead of saying no, most people will just smirk their lips. Take note that this action must produce some sort of noise. It's like blowing someone a kiss but with a hint of disgust. Sometimes the lip motion is subtle, but you can still hear the smirk.
  

• The over-dressing - There seems to be a collective fear of cold in Turkey and people dress to ensure that they won't get cold in case a sudden chill occurs. As it's now warm here in Istanbul, I am usually wearing a tank top, shorts or a skirt and flip flops. I walk around in the sun and I'm sweating, wishing I had worn less. Everybody else? Long sleeve shirts, sometimes even sweaters and sports jackets, always socks/stockings and covered shoes. Even on the hot, crowded buses no one moves to take off their extra layers. I can't understand it.

• The no-lines policy - The people here do not line up for anything really, unless there are specifically designated lines (such as in a grocery store). In places like bus stops, ferries and such, people just crowd together until everyone is onboard said transportation. "Cutting" in front of people occurs frequently as well. It's not really rude, it's just not very efficient.

Are there any other Turk-isms that you know of that I haven't noticed? If I notice any more, I'll be sure to let you know!

© Connie Hum 2009

Büyükada: The Big Island of Istanbul

This past Saturday, I spent the day in Büyükada, the largest of a chain of islands just seven miles southeast of Istanbul. I had heard of the islands and how nice the change of pace was from the hustle of Istanbul as no cars are allowed on the islands. People get around on foot, bicycles or horse-drawn carriages. The islands are now places of elaborate summer homes for Istanbul's wealthy families, but it was once a place of exile where members of the royal family and public figures were banished.

I took the 25 minute ferry from Bostancı to Büyükada, enjoying the cool sea breeze, and met my friends Assiye and Alex. We hopped on a phaeton (horse-drawn carriage) that would take us up to the hill where Büyükada's only main site is, a 20th-century monastery built on Byzantine foundations. It was small, quite a disappointment after walking up a steep hill in the blazing sun, but the views were well worth it.

We spent the afternoon strolling back down to the main square in Büyükada, admiring the mansions that lined the streets. We even saw an old mansion for sale and started coming up with ideas on what we would do if we bought it. Assiye is currently working on negotiating with the realtor... =)

I also took the opportunity to take photos with my Diana F camera, the results of which we'll have to wait and see (most likely once I get back to NYC as it's hard to find a place in Istanbul that will develop 120 mm film). We ended our afternoon with dondurma and Efes beer by the pool of their hotel.

Büyükada was certainly a nice retreat from Istanbul, but there really wasn't anything spectacular about it. For those that are coming to visit Istanbul and have a limited time, I wouldn't recommend making the trip out to the islands as there are far more interesting places to go to in Istanbul proper.

© Connie Hum 2009

Eurovision 2009

I hope everyone in the States is enjoying their 3-day Memorial Day weekend! And congratulations to Jon (a good friend since sophomore French class) and Yvette for getting married today! Sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate your big day with you! Consider my planning your honeymoon as gift enough!
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On Saturday, May 16th, I had the incredible experience of attending a Eurovision song contest party. For those who have not heard of Eurovision, it's a yearly song contest where each European country (plus other countries in the somewhat surrounding area) submits a song to compete against all the other countries. The final competition is held in the country that won the previous year. Each country performs their song and after all the performances, all the countries vote by giving points. The country with the most points after the voting wins the contest. The contest is wildly popular for some reason even though the songs are notoriously cheesy. It was a blast to watch it though.

The party was mainly foreign expats living in Istanbul so we were all rooting for Turkey. After each performance we would make notes on the song and performance. As the songs and performances usually entailed pretty awful music and costumes, it was fun to share comments with one another. This was probably what made watching Eurovision so fun. Otherwise, it may have just been a form of torture.

When the winner was announced at the end of the night, I have to admit, I was a bit mortified. I was in complete disbelief that Norway won with this song. It's so bad!!! Check out the dancers in the background.

All in all, I had a fun time watching Eurovision in Istanbul and I'm sure I'd be up for another Eurovision song contest party if I'm in Europe the next time it's on. On the other hand, if this happens to be the ONLY Eurovision song contest I ever get to experience, I'm okay with that too.

© Connie Hum 2009

Summertime: Refresh!

This past weekend gave me a sneak peek at Istanbul's summer season. The weather went from mild and temperate in the low seventies to hot, hot, hot, hitting the mid-eighties before noon.

Now when I walk around, I'm almost always drinking a cold ayran, a Turkish yogurt drink that most people grew up drinking, and then for some reason, wouldn't be caught dead drinking anymore once they were older. My Turkish friends think I'm silly for liking it so much to drink it almost everyday but I think it's very refreshing, the perfect thing for a walking around on a hot Istanbul day. The best part, it's completely easy to make!

Just whisk equal parts plain yogurt and water with a bit of salt (optional) until smooth and frothy. They say a sign of a good ayran depends on how frothy it is, though I haven't noticed a significant difference in the taste. You can serve over ice or keep cool in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Although plain yogurt is the standard for ayran, think of all the possibilities! I'd like to try adding some bananas (without salt) into my next batch. Maybe even strawberries another time? Better yet, both!

Yum...I think I'm going to pour myself a glass of ayran right now!

© Connie Hum 2009

Travel Challenge

By now, you realize that I love to travel and that nothing else makes my heart sing as much as being on the road. Although I firmly believe that traveling randomly around the world is really the only way to allow life's adventures to unfold itself before you, I wanted to set a travel goal for myself. My friend Andi gave me an inspiration. She's embarking on an ambitious travel challenge of traveling to 26 countries, each starting with the letters of the alphabet, to be completed in the next four years. Although my ultimate goal is to travel to EVERY country in the world, this is a fun start! Since I like to travel for long periods of time in a given place, I'm going to give myself four years (instead of five as I originally intended to make it more challenging) to complete the alphabet. Wish me luck!


Here's a list of all the countries I've been to. Those listed with an asterisk * indicate places that I have tickets already purchased to travel. Bold indicate trips I'm seriously considering.

A - Austria
B - Belgium, Bulgaria
C - Canada (Quebec), Costa Rica, Czech Republic
D - Denmark* (Copenhagen, May/June 2009)
E - Egypt (September 2009), England (London, October 2009)
F - France, Fiji (2011)
G - Germany, Greece, Grenada
H - Hungary
I - Iceland, Italy
J - Jordan (September 2009)
K -
L -
M - Mexico, Myanmar (Burma)
N - Netherlands
O -
P - Peru, Poland, Portugal
Q -
R - Romania
S - Slovenia, Spain, Sweden* (Stockholm, June 2009)
T - Turkey, Thailand (2010)
U - United States
V - Vatican City
W -
X - NO countries start with X...Perhaps this should be a city instead?
Y -
Z -

As you can see, I've still got quite a way to go! Anyone want to join me on any travel (mis)adventures between now and May 8, 2013? Let me know!

© Connie Hum 2009

Cooking with İkbal: Turkish Tavuk and Pilav

This chicken dish is the equivalent to chicken noodle soup (just without the soup). İkbal showed me how to make it on a cold and rainy day, which was just the perfect day for some comfort food.

Again, there are no measurements so use your best judgement for how much food you think you will eat.

Ingredients for chicken:

• chopped carrots
• onion, quartered
• chicken (İkbal used bone-in thighs)
• salt
• water

Ingredients for pilav:

• piliç (short-grain rice)
• tel sehrıye (short, vermicelli-type pasta, can be excluded if you can't find it)
• butter
• chicken stock (from above recipe)

Rinse and soak the piliç. Set aside.

Place chicken, chopped carrots, and quartered onion into a large pot. Add enough water so that it barely reaches the top of the ingredients. Add salt.

Cover, bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

While the chicken is simmering, add butter to a non-stock pan or pot. Please don't use butter as liberally as İkbal does (wow, no wonder I'm not losing any weight). A tablespoon or two would be more than enough in my opinion.

Add tel sehrıye (about a quarter of the piliç) and stir.

Drain piliç and add to the pot. Add chicken stock. Keep in mind that for every cup of piliç you use, you will need the same amount of chicken stock. Since İkbal is cooking for the entire family, we used three cups of piliç, which required three cups of chicken stock to cook.

Stir all the ingredients until well mixed. Cover and simmer on low heat until the liquid is absorbed into the piliç and tel sehrıye. It took us about 20-25 minutes.
Serve the chicken over the pilav. It's the perfect meal for a rainy Spring afternoon!
If you have extra chicken stock left, don't just drain it! You can reserve it for another meal.

If you'd like to add a delicious, simple and easy to make Turkish salad to complete your meal, chop up some lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and cilantro. Top with olive oil, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and salt. Toss and enjoy! It's really light and refreshing. A perfect addition to any meal!

© Connie Hum 2009

Toilet Training Is Fun!

A couple weeks ago, we started toilet training Melda. I'd like to think that I helped in the process, but I can't really say that I did. I was mostly on watch, calling out to whoever, whenever the "dirty" work needed to be done, laughing all the while. It was quite fun. Really! Well, at least there were some funny stories to share.

Melda is quite the comedian and loves to just latch on to me (arms, legs, any loose limb she can find) and squeeze with her arms (sometimes nails too which can be quite painful) and legs to hold herself up. She hangs from chosen limb, saying "Melda's a monkey." Well, she did this one day after lunch, early on in the training. We laugh, I pretend to shake her off my leg and let her down. Then I notice a wet spot on my jeans. And then I notice a corresponding wet spot on Melda's pants. Boooo...

On another afternoon, Melda and I were upstairs playing. We always lock the gate leading downstairs to prevent any falls. Suddenly, Melda goes to the gate, tries to open it and with a panicked look, starts screaming. I've been trying to get Melda to "use her words" so I slowly walk over and calmly ask her what's the matter. She continues to scream at the gate. Again I calmly ask if there's something I can help her with. Then she manages to say "Toilet!" I take her downstairs to use her special potty and start laughing when I remember the panicked look on her face when she couldn't get downstairs. Poor thing. But hooray, she learned the word "toilet!"

Another night, I was playing with Mina and Melda. We were all lying on the ground, about to do something when Mina and I both sniffed something bad, looked at Melda's pants then at each other. " İKBAL!!!" Mina, İkbal and I couldn't stop laughing as Melda finished her business on the toilet. İkbal kept trying to get me to take pictures of the mess in Melda's pants but I couldn't stop laughing long enough to do it (and I didn't really want to).

All in all, the toilet training was a success and Melda is now diaper free! Congratulations Melda!

© Connie Hum 2009

Three Asian Girls Walk Into a Turkish Class...

And EVERYONE assumed that they were together, even though none of them had met before.

One was from New York (that's me), one was from Toronto and the other from Shanghai.

We were all interested in learning Turkish for various reasons and had come to the class out of curiosity. It just happened to be a coincidence that we were all Asian.

We kept having to explain to EVERYONE that we were not together and that we didn't know each other from before. They couldn't believe that the three random people interested in starting their next Turkish course all happened to be Asian girls. They had a harder time believing that we didn't know each other.

Completely understandable as this was probably the most condensed Asian population I have come across in Istanbul, save for the group of Japanese tourists I saw trying to cram themselves onto an already crammed Taksim/Tünel tram. Now THAT was pretty funny!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip # 17: If You Don't, Who Will?

Disclaimer: This might get preachy. I kept editing it, trying to make it less preachy, but I just have to accept that sometimes if you feel strongly enough about something, it may just sound preachy. Sorry!

One thing that keeps me passionate about living a green life is knowing what I do actually does effect things around me. How often do we go through life feeling small and insignificant? As if everything we're trying for has no impact in the grand scheme of things? Being green is one way in which I know my actions are taking effect on things around me and that there is an impact in what I do.

We, as humans, are supposedly the most intelligent creatures on Earth, yet we (as a whole race) are driving it into the ground, taking everything thing else on this planet with us, and, for the majority of us, not even thinking twice about it. The good thing about being the most intelligent creature on Earth? We can do something about it!

I don't want to sit by idly and say "I wish there was something I could do." Instead, because I am one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth, I'm going to do my part and do what I can for those that can't take action for themselves, particularly wildlife and nature.

Take a look at this slideshow from Treehugger about 10 animals that may very well become extinct in our lifetime.

What's the recurring reason that these animals are becoming extinct? Human neglect and our complete lack of respect for the environment. 2 of these animals are near extinction because humans have almost hunted them into oblivion, another 5 due to loss of habitat by destruction caused by humans (most often in efforts to sustain our gregarious living habits), and 3 animals from a combination of both.

I think the first experience in which I felt so strongly about animal conservation was when I watched a leatherback turtle lay her eggs in Grenada. During that amazing night, I learned how these beautiful creatures were declining in huge numbers due to human neglect, egg poaching and habitat destruction. The truly unfortunate thing is that the fate of leatherback turtles are really in our hands. If we do nothing to help save their species, they will disappear. And not just the leatherback turtles, but many other animals as well.

I also think back on my trip to Kauai almost ten yers ago. One of the highlights of that trip was my last night. I was drying off on the beach after a day of snorkeling and I caught sight of something flapping in the ocean. Although I couldn't make out what it was, I rushed out into the water. Sure enough, I ended up swimming with two green turtles as the sun started to set! Almost ten years later, I still get butterflies just thinking about that moment: the excitement, the joy, the sheer elation of the experience of swimming with those turtles. I want to have more of those experiences and I want you to have that experience and I want my future children to have that experience too.

Perhaps this is why I'm so passionate about environmentalism and being green. I think this home we call Earth is just so amazing, with so many beautiful things to see and to experience. I'm willing to do everything I possibly can to keep it that way. For me and for future generations.

What about you? Are you going to join me in keeping this Earth amazing so that we can all continue to live beautiful and amazing lives, wherever we are and whatever we are doing?

The Earth Day blog series have been a real pleasure for me but I think this is the perfect way to end it. I'm sorry that it's a week ahead of schedule but I'm sure there will be more discussions about this in my blog in the future. Thank you for following along!

Earth Day may have passed but we shouldn't focus on appreciating the Earth just one day out of the year. We should appreciate it every day and we should live our lives without taking our world for granted. It's for us, it's for our future and it's for all things living.

Go Team Green!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #16: Green at Work

Seeing as a majority of us spend a huge amount of time at the workplace (and hopefully not begrudgingly), it only makes sense to bring the green to work with us while we're making the green.

Here are some easy and simple ideas to help you create a low-impact workplace:

• Optimize your energy - Make sure that your computer is set to an energy-saving mode. Shut down your computer every evening before you leave work as the standby mode will still require power. Always shut off the lights in your office and conference rooms when you're not using them.
  

• Stop unnecessary printing - Print only the things you absolutely need to. In this digital age, there is hardly anything that you should need to print. You can store files on your computer (remember to back it up to an external hard drive) instead of file cabinets. You save not only trees, but office space and file retrieval time, especially when you move offices. Use RECYCLED PAPER if and when you do print and remember to print double-sided.

• Work from home - Eliminate the commute and you're sparing the air from all the pollutants your car emits and the gas required to make the trip to work. An added bonus, you can work in your pajamas! If working from home isn't an option for you, look into carpooling.
  

• Green dry-cleaning - As much as I resisted having to dress professionally at work (the extra money spent and time lost required shopping for clothes that I wouldn't normally wear), I would still wind up with "fancy adult" clothes that require more attention than a quick toss into the wash. Traditional dry cleaners use a whole lot of toxic chemicals, which has been linked to groundwater pollution, cancer and reproductive disorders, in their cleaning process. For clothes that require dry-cleaning, look for green cleaners in your neighborhood that offer a special, environmentally-friendly option called "wet-cleaning". Green Apple Cleaners is a good one in NYC and New Jersey that picks up and delivers to your office for free.

• RECYCLE! - If your company doesn't already have a recycling program in place, consider finding a new job because your company is already behind the times. Really. OR, if you prefer to keep your job, start a recycling program at your company.

• Bring your reusables - I've said it before and I'll say it again. Stop using disposables! Bring in your own coffee mug, use your reusable water bottle, and keep a set of your own utensils at the office to help eliminate a huge amount of waste.
  

I did all these things while I was working at McKinsey and I always got compliments from people for being an "inspiration." Plus, people thought I was really fancy because I had a chic mug and I was always using china when I ate. =)

What other great green workplace tips can you share with us?

© Connie Hum 2009

EARTH DAY Tip: Celebrate by Encouraging Others to Go Green!

HAPPY EARTH DAY! Let's keep making Earth Day everyday!

I'm a firm believer that everyone can make small changes that will help make the world a greener place. Being green doesn't have to be a fringe group of tree-hugging hippies, just look at the group that's been reading and commenting along with my Earth Day blog series. Definitely no tree-hugging hippies in this bunch.

But how do we, the non tree-hugging hippies, get more people involved in helping to improve our world? Can we help make "tree-hugging" more hug-able?

The best thing to do to spread the green is to set an example. Show your friends and family how easy it is to be a part of the green movement by rocking your reusable water bottle and shopping bags wherever you go, send people amazing flowers from your compost-fertilized garden, recycle and ask friends and family to do the same (at least in your home) and so on. Once they see how simple and yes, even how enjoyable being green is, they might just start acting more green too.

The biggest thing is not to point out what in particular they are doing wrong. No one likes to get criticized and doing that isn't going to make people want to change their ways. You can make simple suggestions that focus more on how being green has benefited you and how it may benefit them too. "I used to spend so much money on bottled water but now, with my reusable bottle and drinking filtered water, I've saved so much money."

Another way to help people be more green is to let them know why being green is better for them, and not just the environment. People may not necessarily care about the effects on the environment because they don't think that it effects them directly but if you point out that styrofoam leaks chemicals into food and drinks which can cause health complications and possibly even cancer, then maybe people will think twice the next time they reach for a styrofoam container.

I also think that most people would be willing to be greener if they knew where to start. Encourage newcomers and help them get started on going green. Suggest little changes first and work your way up from there. Encouraging someone to sort their trash for recycling is a lot easier than convincing someone to invite worms into their home. Perhaps (and please take this as humbly as possible) directing them to this blog site may help? Treehugger is also a good resource for beginners.

I don't think it's realistic to turn a heavy duty consumer into a zero-emissions person, but if we can get even one person to do something differently, that is going to help the environment in a huge way. Especially since it's more than likely that each person will somehow be able to influence another. So go on! Try to get at least one person to do ONE thing greener! It really will make a difference!

In fact, I would like to know if and how I've influenced you in the green process. Have I? In what way? Please, stroke my ego. Haha...

Does anyone else have any good pointers for spreading the Green cheer? Please let us know how we can help others to the "greener side" of the grass. Thanks!!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #14: Become a (Part-Time) Localvore!

New vocabulary! A localvore is a person who only eats locally-grown and produced food. Why become a localvore, even part-time?

• Less resources, mainly fossil fuels, are spent on the packaging and transportation of your food
  

• It supports your local economy instead of big corporations, who are also some of the biggest polluters
  

• You're eating fresher and less processed foods because the food doesn't have to travel as far or need to be preserved
  

How local do you have to stay in order to be a localvore? Many people differ on what they would consider "local" but the standard is 100 miles or less from your home. If you can eat food within a 100 miles of your home, you're a localvore!

You can even take it one step further and start a fruit and vegetable garden in your own home (especially now that you've started composting and will have all that fertilizer soon)! Tomatoes are super easy to grow, as are fruit trees. Fresh herbs turn ordinary dishes into WOW dishes. Even for those living in New York City, you can find some space for a small herb plant. Perhaps in the corner of your kitchen counter, or even your window sill.

Try being a localvore for a week and see how easy it is. Or try it with certain foods (particularly meat and dairy products) to lessen your environmental impact.

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #13: Composting!

I'm sorry, but I get very excited about composting and this blog is making me very happy! I suppose it's because eliminating waste is something that I constantly think about and I feel composting is such an easy and effective thing to do to help the environment. And you get to do it with worms!!! It's like being a kid again!

Organic waste in landfills is wasted space and it decomposes to release methane gas, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. By composting our food waste, we can eliminate around 13% of methane gas from the ozone! Now that's effective green-ing!

For those of you lucky enough to have homes with actual gardens and space, you can buy a compost system (some without worms) to turn your food waste into fertilizer. There are many different designs, types and sizes, so I'm sure you can find one that suits you best.

When I decided last year that I wanted to try composting in Manhattan, I did a ton of research. Again, space was an issue and I finally decided on the Happy Farmer Kitchen Composter. It's small, doesn't use worms but a mix of Bokashi to help compost and was airtight to prevent any smells from leaking into my small living space. It was perfect for my needs and I started happily composting. Until Halloween came. I carved some pumpkins and put them in with the rest of my compost. Unfortunately, I didn't put enough Bokashi in. A month later, I had a huge stinking mess on my hands. I still like my Happy Farmer composter and would certainly give it another try but I will be sure to use more Bokashi in the future, especially when dealing with pumpkins.

Had I the space and a willing roommate, I definitely would have started composting with an indoor worm compost. My partner in Earth-saving, Parker, started worm composting in his apartment in Chicago and gave me the rundown. It sounds like my kind of project! To make your own worm composting bin, follow Parker's easy instructions. If you live in New York, the Lower East Side Ecology Center offers free indoor worm composting workshops to help you get started.

1. Purchase a heavy duty, 10-gallon storage bin. This is going to be your compost bin.
   
2. Drill holes into your worm bin, approximately 1-1.5 inches apart. All over. Lid, sides, bottom. Everywhere. Connie suggests drilling small holes to prevent any possible worm escapes.
   
3. Shred newspaper, junk mail or any kind of non-glossy paper (preferably something that was headed towards recycling anyway) into 6inch x 1inch strips.
4. Fill a bucket with water and immerse the shredded newspaper in the water.
   
5. Pull the paper out of the water and squeeze it out. Now you have a ball of damp, compacted paper strips. You need to kind of pull them all apart, filling the bin halfway, essentially making a damp matrix of loosely piled strips of paper that worms can crawl through and not be uncomfortably dry.
6. Obtain worms. They can be bought online or from pet stores. If you know someone with a worm bin, maybe they'll let you have a few to get started. They will eventually reproduce and you'll have more. Look online for more worm details.
7. Put worms in bin. Give them a handful of dirt to help them digest their food.
8. Store your bin between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, out of direct sunlight.
   

Now your bin is ready to start composting your food waste!

1. Feed your worms the leftovers from anything you would pretty much feed a vegan person. They should not be given meat, dairy, eggs, sweets, cooked foods, or oily foods. Appropriate worm food is stuff like fruit or vegetable peels, the end of a lettuce, any veggies that go bad, dead leaves from plants, apple cores, onion ends, etc.
2. Feed them by burying something appropriate in the substrate, trying to bury it in varying spots.
3. Worms will eat about their weight in food per day. So make sure you're giving them enough, but not piling up more food than they'll ever finish. Parker likes to feed them a couple big chunks of something (like the end of a romaine lettuce or carrots) at the same time as something that's in small pieces. This way if he forgets about them for a couple days they'll just gnaw on that romaine, but until then they can gobble up the smaller stuff quickly.
4. Don't let the bin get too dry or too wet. It should be damp inside, not too wet and not too dry. If it's wet, leave the lid off for a few hours and drill a few more holes. If the paper substrate feels dry, add a little bit of water
5. Don't add too much citrus peels at once, it can make the bin acidic and the worms become unhappy.
6. Keep the worms happy by checking to see that the bin is not too wet or dry, that they have food, etc.
   
7. The box will probably grow a whole slew of weird molds and fungi in it. This is OK, it's a harmonious environment. But if you're finding a lot of weird, evil-looking bugs (especially centipedes) in your worm box, it probably has gone bad. (Connie's input: Consult a worm composting expert, or the LESEC website mentioned above)
8. In about 6 months, when you can't see the paper anymore, take out your fertilizer for your garden and replace with more paper to start the process again.

Doesn't that sound like such an awesome thing to do? You keep unnecessary waste out of the landfills which reduces the amount of methane gas in the air, you get fertilizer for virtually free to help your garden grow beautiful, and you get to play with worms! I really do encourage you to give composting a try!

Anyone have fun composting stories to share? Please do and make my day! =)

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #12: Dispose Those Disposables!

The average American creates about 4.5 pounds of waste each day, that amounts to almost 1,600 pound (726 kilos) a year! Yikes! Where does all that waste go? Well, they eventually end up in landfills and/or the oceans. It would be virtually impossible for us to create no waste at all but there are ways that we can eliminate the huge amounts of unnecessary waste that we send to landfills.

Here's a breakdown of common trash that we send to waste away the years (I love puns) in landfills and how we can start eliminating it from our trash cans:

• Paper products - Use less paper products whenever possible. When drying my hands, I make sure only to use 1 sheet of paper towel. My hands are the same dryness afterward and I'm using half the amount of paper towels that most people use. Same goes for napkins. If you're a pretty neat eater, you could probably get away with not using a napkin at all during a meal and just wiping your mouth with the towel you used to dry your hands after you wash them. Another good way to not create excess paper waste: use handkerchiefs instead of tissue. Toss your hanky in with the wash and you're all set!

• Disposable utensils - When I used to work in the office, I kept a set of real utensils and a plate that I borrowed from the cafeteria in my desk. I never had to use plastic utensils or paper plates and it was just a quick wash to clean them. Likewise, I also kept a pair of chopsticks in my purse so that I wouldn't have to use those cheap, chemically processed wooden chopsticks that so many Asian restaurants use and throw out after you use them that one time. After a year, I saved around 1000 plastic forks, knives and paper plates from going to a landfill.
  

• Plastic or paper cups - At the office, I had a mug that I used for my daily teas and occasional coffee binges. I drank a lot of tea each day so my estimated saved waste from a landfill is probably 5 cups a day, or 1200 in a year. If you forget to bring in your own mug to the office, use the same cup for the day and send only one cup to the trash, instead of several.

*Please note that there are now great biodegradable disposable options on the market and are commonly available. If you need to use disposables, please use the these as they are the best disposable option for the environment. They work just as well as the conventional disposables, but with less harm to the environment.

• Food waste - A huge portion of our waste is actually food waste, which we can prevent from reaching landfills by composting. Yes, composting! Turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich soil. Totally green and pretty darn awesome if you ask me! This was a project that I was very excited about and did a lot of research in. My story and a whole blog dedicated to composting next week so take the weekend to think about how sweet the idea of composting is, and learn how to start composting on Monday!

Really, waste is one major part of going green where we can make a huge difference and that's one of the main reasons that I'm so into it. Making less waste helps us because we're saving trash from landfills AND we're saving money because we have to restock less often. You don't really have to change your lifestyle to make less waste, you just have to be aware of what your daily waste habits are and try to reduce them.

If you have other ways to help eliminate excess waste from landfills, please share them here!

And please, think about the awesomeness that is composting over the weekend. More on that on Monday!

© Connie Hum 2009

Falling Into Place

Man, I need a break from all the Earth Day blogging! =) It's such a great topic to talk about but it's definitely hard for me to find something to write about and then write it everyday! I'm glad to be taking the blog on a tangent for a moment.

Well, I've been in Istanbul for over a month now and things are really starting to fall into place for me. I finally found a foundation to volunteer with AND they're teaching me Turkish there too! It's the Başak Arts & Culture Foundation and they mainly work with Kurdish immigrants who have relocated to Istanbul. Through arts, dance, theater, language and education, we help them get situated and overcome social and psychological problems.

My Turkish is slowly coming along with the help from Rosetta Stone and being around it all the time. I am understanding much more than I am able to speak, though if people are patient and wait for me to form my sentences and align my suffixes, I'm communicating on a level similar to that of a evil, hillbilly child. If anyone's read David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day," there's an essay about him living in France and trying to learn French, only to discover that his language skills range "from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly when he asks a butcher `Is thems the thoughts of cows?' as he points to the calves' brains displayed in the front window. I imagine that's not far from how I am speaking in Turkish, though thankfully, I'm not in the market for calves brains, just liver sandwiches. =) Bleh!

Mina and Melda are doing well with their English and the family and I have already noticed an improvement. Mina's grammar and vocabulary is growing each day. She loves drawing and we draw pictures almost every evening. Mina's also very fond of treasure hunts and I'm running out of places to hide clues for her. We've started baking scones together and I'm hoping to advance to more desserts though it's hard because I can't find all the necessary ingredients. Melda's vocabulary is growing and she's even started speaking simple sentences to me. She's very polite and requests things with "Yes, please" though it sounds more like "ness please." We're working on her Y's. Playing all together can get tough at times as they both want undivided attention but whenever we have a dance party, we three are happy as can be.

I'm still in the (slow) process of finding a bellydance teacher in Istanbul. I really had no idea it would be this difficult!

I'm really excited to see what else I can progress with in the next 5 or 6 months that I'll be in Istanbul. If I've come this far in little over a month, I just might be able to reclaim Constantinople by the time I'm through here! =)

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Blog RECAP

Hi everyone,

First off, thanks for following along with my Earth Day blog series! Now that we're about halfway through the blog series, let's see how we're doing!

Parker in Chicago introduced worm composting to six people in the Chicago area, Mi-An turns off the water when she brushes her teeth to help conserve water, Neil's learned to never bring styrofoam into my home, Cobo Duane recycles dirty magazines as wrapping paper, I shower like Jennifer Aniston to save water and we're all learning to go green-er, together!

What changes have you made to go green-er? What are you having trouble with? Did you calculate your carbon and ecological footprints? Have you managed to decrease your footprint in the last two weeks? Is there a topic that you want to know more about that I haven't discussed so far? Come on, I'm pretty new to this "green thing" too and I'm running out of blog ideas. Share and comment below. We're all here to support each other in the process!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #10: Workout, Bulk Up, Green In

Many of us want to be in better shape and are members of gyms (whether or not we actually go is another story) and unfortunately, with a majority of the equipment connected to an outlet during all hours of operation, not too many gyms out there are what we would consider green.

We may not be able to change the way our local gym operates, but we can certainly make our environmental impact less while we break a sweat. Even for those of us who aren't fitness buffs, there are ways to improve our own health while staying green.

• Take it outside and enjoy the sun - Instead of cooping yourself up indoors when the weather's nice, jog, roller-blade or ride a bike outside. Go hiking and enjoy nature. For those living near the sea, go swimming in the ocean or take up surfing. I was probably in the best shape of my life when I was surfing in San Diego, all that paddling to tone my arms and back. In an effort to promote public health in Istanbul, the city has put up outdoor gyms for everyone's use. I have to admit though, it's kinda funny to see people using these outdoor gym equipment, but as you see, people ARE using them!
  

• Play team sports - It's fun to get your friends together on a sunny weekend afternoon for a friendly game of softball, kickball, soccer, or touch football. Just don't go to Calle Ocho for their sangria brunch before your designated meeting time!

• Replace driving with walking/biking - If you're not going far, leave your car at home and walk or bike to your destination. If you can, walk or bike to work occasionally.
  

• Work out at home - Clear some space to do lunges, sit ups and stretches. Grab some canned food or soda cans and lift them to tone your arms and back. I sometimes would just blast my ipod and dance in my living room with my dog. It's fun and burns calories!
  

Here's a site dedicated to everything Green Fitness.

Do you have other tips for going green at the gym? Share them with us!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #9: Fish, A Lesson from Jeremy Piven

Okay, this really has nothing to do with Jeremy Piven (are you happy Kristin?) but that was all I could think of as a title for this blog.

In all reality, global fishing is being done at an extremely unsustainable rate, meaning that humans are taking more fish out of the oceans than can be replaced by the ones left. Almost 90% of all the ocean's large fish has been fished out and several major commercial fish populations' survival are being threatened. Scientists estimate that, unless current fishing practices improve, all stocks of currently fished species will collapse by 2048! That is in our lifetime.

Add pollution in our oceans, high levels of mercury in our fish and we've got a major problem on our hands. The hazards of long-line fishing are also depleting marine life as well. Sea turtles and sea birds, including an estimated 100,000 albatrosses, are killed as the unnecessary result of bycatch from long-lines. Sea turtles are near extinction and 19 out of 21 albatross species are threatened, yet nothing is being done to stop long-line fishing.

Given the current system in place that brings me fish from the oceans, I have chosen to refrain from eating fish, particularly fish that are precariously on the brink of extinction and those that are being fished in unsustainable and environmentally detrimental ways, as much as possible.

This doesn't mean that you have to give up fish to help save our oceans. It will certainly help though and I would encourage you to think twice the next time you want to order fish. If you want to continue to enjoy fish, just be thoughtful about it. Here's a great site from the Environmental Defense Fund to help you make smarter fish choices for your own health and for the environment.

A good documentary to watch about the fishing industry and long-line fishing is "Shark Water." Great cinematography and underwater footage. It absolutely took my breath away!

© Connie Hum 2009

Earth Day Tip #8: Paper or Plastic?

Ah, the big question everyone gets at the check-out counter: "Paper or plastic?" What's a green-savvy consumer to do?

I did some research on paper versus plastic and found that there really isn't a clear-cut answer. Although plastic is pretty horrible for the environment and doesn't recycle easily, it doesn't necessarily mean that paper is the better environmental choice. Paper bags are made from paper, which still comes from trees. Even paper bags made from recycled paper at one point came from trees. The process to turn trees or recycled paper into paper bags is long and riddled with chemicals, energy use and spent resources, as is producing and recycling plastic.

Environmentally, bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store is the best option out there.

For those of you who can drive to your grocery store, just keep some reusable grocery bags in the trunk. Don't forget to bring them into the store with you! For those living in the big city and no access to a car, you can use reusable bags that can be folded down and easily stored in your purse or backpack. I like Chico Bag for their ultra-portable and super cute designs, but there are plenty of good options out there, like the ones Cheryl, Kristin and Demetri are using.


**Extra green points:
Make your own recyclable bags! It's so easy! Just take an old t-shirt, cut off the sleeves leaving the shoulder area intact, cut a small amount off around the neck to create a good-sized opening, turn it inside out before sealing off the bottom of the shirt, turn the shirt right-side out and voila! Your very own reusable bag! I'd also advise you to hem the edges to prevent fraying.

What if you forget your reusable bag the next time you buy groceries? It's okay to take the paper or plastic offered by the store, just remember to use the paper bag again (here's that other type of recycling we talked about) before throwing it out. They're good for gift wrapping or dry waste around the house (like in your office). If you opt for plastic, tie it in a knot and recycle it. Lots of stores are now accepting plastic bags for recycling.

Just a note: As the green movement has picked up steam over the last few years, more and more grocery stores are opting to charge consumers for plastic bags or ban them all together. That's extra encouragement for you to remember your reusable bag next time!

Read the full article on paper versus plastic.

© Connie Hum 2009