Blog — Remote Year

Our first week in the Asian leg of our journey was amazing!  We really soaked up the explosion of culture and flavor in our new home Penang.  Penang is truly a melting pot of many different cultures and the diversity comes through in amazing food, art, music, architecture and more.  George Town, where we live, was classified as a unesco world heritage location for these reasons.

Penang was rated the #1 food destination by Lonely Planet last year and it is easy to see why the minute you get here.  Hawkers (pronounced hock-ahs) line the streets and serve some of the most diverse, amazing cuisines.

Penang is know for their street art including cool wire art depicting aspects of their local culture.

While we spent time exploring, Remotes also began adjusting to the new work schedules that come with Asian hours and our new work space.

We hosted three local experts for a lunch and learn as we explored the history and culture of Georgetown and Penang.  The speakers were Jason Sim, Penang Global Tourism, Lee So Cheran, Invest Penang and Andy Koay, Georgetown World Heritage Incorporated.

A group of Remotes rented bikes and spent the day riding all the way around the island.

On Saturday, Scott and Andrew went to Devfest Georgetown.  In this session, a group is learning how to do more with Polymer.

Andrew met the guys who make a height-increasing shoe called Schuhster. “When I put these bad boys on, I was 9cm taller!”

Saturday morning, the apartment crew made a killer brunch. 

Throughout the week, Remotes checked out the national parks including Monkey Beach and the botanical gardens.

Last week, Cooper, Garcia, and Conley completed an epic hike of Penang Hill. It took 3 hours and they summited two peaks…somehow. 

“We toured the Tibetan and Burmese Buddhist temples. Buddha, buddha, buddha, buddha, buddha everywhere:”

Last week we wrapped up our time in Istanbul as our European leg came to a close.  Throughout the week we checked the last few things off our bucket lists and said our goodbyes.

A huge thanks to everyone who donated items in Istanbul to go to refugees as well as Chris Scott for connecting us with people that could get the items to the right people.  We had nearly 30 Istanbul travel cards donated with credit and Hannah collected many more items from Remotes. 

Food For Thought hosted it’s 4th event in Istanbul with Indian food prepared by Geetika and Anuja for a group of local guests. The menu celebrated similarities between Indian and Turkish cultures with items like Spicy Alleppey & Rakı for drinks, Masala Zor Garam for appetizers, Murgh Shahi and Aloo Shahi for mains, Sooji Laddoo & Chai for dessert. Everyone came together to discuss ideas/trends that most excite them right now followed by a music jam session. October event with be in Penang with Afro-Lusitano food prepared by Manuel Nascimento, traveling from Lisbon. For updates, pictures and behind the scenes, check out their site: http://www.foodxthought.co/ or FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/foodxthought

We hosted local entrepreneurs Janelle Berberoglu, Co-Founder, Chikirina and Orhan Yediyildiz / Dilara Dagli, Co-founders of Pickt Up for a mini Remote Year demo day.

Hannah had a gift giving presentation to Sila, our own Turkish Remote, to thank her for being our amazing guide for the month.  She was incredible, teaching people about the people and culture and showing everybody fun places to go and see.

We had our farewell party at the 360 Istanbul Restaurant.  

On Saturday morning, we embarked on the long journey to Asia.

A quick pitstop for Malaysian food on the drive from Kuala Lumpur to our new home, Penang, Malaysia.

Once we arrived in Penang, we had a welcome party on the rooftop of Chulia Mansion with local artist Daniel C. and local food.

Remotes continued to soak in the rich Turkish culture by digging deep into some unexpected places for our third week in Istanbul.

We started the week with Remote Year Ideascape, where people bring their half-baked ideas for the group to hash out and discuss.  People came with ideas around planning events, personal alarms, airline miles and security (actual ideas confidential)

A group of Remotes joined Jessie and Joe to the final event of the IBM SmartCamp Istanbul pitch competition they were mentoring.  Some really interesting ideas were pitched and we met some great people.

Remotes went to an Improv show, and Trish fearlessly volunteered to go on stage to talk about her day at “the compound”

Remote run crew after a quick morning 10k

Nissa working from the Starbucks in Bebek… One of the nicest in the world, four stories high and an amazing view!

Andrew led week two of the Remote Year accelerator, where we went over how to test out ideas in the Lean methodology and then broke out into smaller groups for people to get advice on their specific projects.

Jamie and Cassie with their lovely host for Pop-up Restaurant Istanbul

Nissa met a friend, Sena, who works for one of the major TV stations, Ciner Studyolari, and she took Nissa for a tour on Sunday

Kimmoy and Cassie with the artist at an art exhibit opening. 

Some Remotes flew out to Ephesus to check out the ancient city and salt formations.

Another group of Remotes headed to Germany for the opening week of Oktoberfest

Trevor took the ‘Mussel Challenge’ and ate 100 mussels in under an hour.  Major life accomplishment as a crowd of around 40 locals surrounded him to watch him complete the feat.

After our first week of exploring far and wide in Istanbul, week two was more focused on connecting professionally with each other and the local community.

Cassie lead a group of people on a tour of the Eaton plant in Istanbul.  

Andrew lead the first week of the newly formed Remote Accelerator.  The plan is to have a weekly meeting where Remotes bring their projects and get feedback, thoughts and advice from the community.  This week we started with a tutorial on the Lean methodology and practiced creating business model canvases.

And more amazing durum…

Remotes working in the lobby of our building.

Some Remotes went to the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Istanbul pitch event. Several startups pitched their ideas to a professional panel with the hope of being selected for a first round interview with Entrepreneur Roundtable Accelerator in New York City.

We hung out at the Kolektif house more this week, connecting with their community of creators and enjoying their beautiful space.

Jessie and Joe served as mentors offering questions, feedback, advice, and critiques on 10 startup’s pitches as they compete to get into the finals for a chance to join to the IBM SmartCamp Accelerator program in the IBM SmartCamp Istanbul Semi-Finals at Starter’s Hub.

A few Remotes went to Cappadocia, famous for hot air balloons and cave villages.

Remotes Checking out the Art International Festival, where you are part of the art.

Turkish coffee fortune telling.

Remote Year band had a little jam session to end the week on Sunday.  Deciding between a few names, what do you like better, Remote Control or The Remotes?

With over 14 million residents, Istanbul is the 5th largest city in the world.  Straddling the Bosphorus, Istanbul is both in Europe and Asia.  Formerly the part of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman empires, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) has a long history and rich culture.

Throughout the week, Remotes explored far and wide, enjoying many traditional Turkish things.  Kumpir, a Turkish baked potato is a local favorite, jam-packed with all different types of toppings.

Traditional Turkish food is primarily grilled meats and lots of vegetables.

A group of Remotes enjoying çay, a red colored tea served literally everywhere.

Turkish coffee is a unique style of coffee which still has grounds in it.  They say you can have your fortune told from the grounds at the end of a cup.  Manu is helping Nitin find his fortune.

Turkish baths and hair salons are all over and Remotes enjoyed trying new services.

Nargilla is a huge part of Turkish culture, with Nargilla cafes lining the streets in most commercial areas.

There are many great places to get work done at cafes along the Bosphorus.

This week, Gregg Delman visited us to teach us about PR. 

Gregg Delman is a Partner at DRSmedia, a strategic marketing and media relations firm focused on consumer technology. Located in Silicon Valley, some of Gregg’s clients have included Face.com (acquired by Facebook in June 2012), Boku (mobile payments company backed by Andreessen Horowitz, NEA and Telefonica), and AOL. Prior to DRSmedia, Gregg was Director of Business Development at Legacy Locker, a startup that served as a last will and testament for digital property. Gregg started his career as a Consultant for Deloitte LLP in San Francisco and holds a J.D., M.B.A., and LL.M. in Taxation. He is admitted to practice law in California, New Jersey, and New York.

Speaking with journalists is a learned behavior and can be scary for the uninitiated. Understanding how to effectively communicate with the press requires an ability to understand how this game is played and having the necessary tools to convey your point of view succinctly and on message.  Participants will learn how to represent themselves in a manner that produces the highest probability of their message being received, absorbed and published.
 

Remote Year staff meeting selfie 🙂

David hosted a Shabbat dinner and taught people about his family’s weekly traditions.

Sila is a Remote who is actually from Istanbul.  She led a group on a walking tour throughout her city, highlighting her favorite parts.

On Saturday night, the beautiful co-working space Kolektif invited RY to a jam session! Over 200 people came out to jam, dance, sing and have fun.

This past weekend, Trio Travel Marketing launched a #CHEERS campaign to celebrate our new home in Istanbul. They are excited to explore the gastronomy, culture and business opportunities in this vibrant city. Anyone can join their celebration by tagging pictures of their favorite beverages on Social Media with #CHEERS and #TRIOCHEERS around the world – from coffee to cocktails, any drink you like can be included.

On Sunday we ended the week with a 16 team Remote Year fantasy football draft.  People from all over the world participated, regardless of their knowledge of this year’s sleeper picks 🙂

As our time in Croatia came to a close, we enjoyed our last few days in the sun before moving to our fourth home for the year, Istanbul.

We held an info session on Istanbul to talk about the city, its culture and what to expect while there.

The Trio (Katelyn, Fernanda and Kimmoy) interview was published at The Dubrovnik Times /Dubrovnik Explorer (photo) as well as online Dubrovacki and Croatia Week thanks to their team interaction with Dubrovnik Tourist Board and contacts with local press..  If you want to get in touch with them, feel free to email them at [email protected]

Geetika and Anuja hosted their third Food for Thought event.  This month’s event featured Brazilian cooking with help from Fernanda.  Learn more about Food for Thought on their website here or their Facebook here.

At the end of dinner, Fabio (also from Brazil) led the group in capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music.

At the end of the week two of our friends from Poligon came to visit.

A group of Remotes took a road trip to Bosnia and stopped to do some bridge jumping on the way back.

Many Remotes got scuba certified while in Croatia and went for a big dive on the last day.  It was a big accomplishment for many people who came with the goal of learning and others who decided to do it while on Remote Year.

After a long day of diving, grilled meat.

Big group dinner for the last night in Cavtat.

Everybody headed to the airport to move to our new home, Istanbul.

The first morning, Sila planned a big group brunch to begin showing us around her home.

After brunch, Sila lead a group of Remotes onto the ferry to check out the Asian side of the city.

A beautiful view of the Bosphorus from Ortakoy

Trish jumped behind the counter to help make Kampir, or Turkish baked potatoes.

As we head into our final week in Croatia, everybody has been soaking in the salt and sun, enjoying the peaceful life on the coast.

Marc happily got some work done from a reclining position in our work space.

Cassie organized a Jazz night for the group.

There were many dinners cooked throughout the week…

There were also a few dinners out, enjoying fresh seafood along the coast.

And people got to work from scenic vantage points.

We held a Remote Year values session, where we tried to identify two things: 1) shared values of the group, and 2) what Remotes really wanted to get out of the RY experience. 

Groups made posters about what Remote Year meant to them and presented to the group

In preparation for the session, we had people fill out a survey, and we made a Wordl out of their free-form responses

Hannah lead a group of Remotes to a local dog shelter, where we helped clean up, organize, and care for the dogs.  Since then, two more groups have returned to pitch in and a team of people on Remote Year are now building the shelter a new website to help build support.

The weekend kicked off with a big brunch for Nicki’s birthday.

While some other people checked out some views around town.

One group went for a hike.

Cristovam’s girlfriend came in town from Brazil and brought ingredients to host a Brazilian themed party.

Its hard to believe that we are already half way through our time here in Croatia.  It is flying by!  Every day is relaxing and beautiful, which has helped Remotes begin to think deeply about their professional lives.  The chatter about passion and purpose is palpable as people explore what impact they want to have on the world and begin searching for the tools and support to go out and achieve their goals.

This week we tried a new concept called ‘Pitches’, where people throw out an undeveloped idea to the group and they get feedback in real time.

Chris lead the group meeting for their remote conference they are developing.

Reid locked in to his work station to get some work done.

Remote Year team Sam, Jesse and Hannah gettin’ stuff done.

Nicki’s family came in town and hosted a group of Remotes for drinks by the water.

Nitin and the girls did a spa night.

Big group headed to Sunset Bar for drinks and night time dip in the water.

April hosted a knitting class – Nitin was a great!

It rained for the first time this week, but like all issues, we got through it together.

On Friday we had our Men’s and Women’s night.  We got two boats and headed out to sea.

The guys showed off their diving skills for the onlooking girls’ boat.

Both boats docked at a private island, where a beautiful spread of grilled fish awaited.

Manu and Geeti danced to the songs of an accordion 

Finally we all headed back together.

We had a beach day with a group of Croatians at a hidden beach area they told us about.

It is crazy that we are already a week in to our time in Croatia.  This place feels like paradise. Every morning the sun is shining bright and hot, making frequent dips in the salty ocean requisite.  After working and swimming, we end each day with breath-taking sunsets while eating fresh caught fish along the coast.

As the week got started, Hannah welcomed Nitin back from the states with a big hug.

We had our town hall overlooking a beautiful view of the sea.

And then people got to work in our new workspace.

Throughout the week, Remotes tried out different water activities. 

A group coordinated instructions to get their scuba certifications so that they are ready to go for Malaysia and Thailand.

Stephen cruised around on a wake board.

Caryn and Nissa watched Stephen from the comfort of the boat.

Remotes explored town to find scenic spots to get some work done.

Hannah zippin’ around town on her scooter.

Terrell took a conference call from the comfort of a raft.

Trevor rockin’ in his pink hat with a group at lunch.

Throughout the week, a lot of Remotes cooked dinner and hosted friends in their new accommodations.

Everything at this pot luck started with an ‘S’ – spaghetti, salad, salami, some grapes…

The old Andel crew (people that lived in the Andel building in Prague) had a group dinner.

And one potluck turned into a barbershop as Chris cut the other Chris’ hair.

Hannah led a group of Remotes on a hike on Lopud island.

Some risk-taking Remotes headed to Hvar to go sky-diving.  They came back in one piece.

April and Sarah channeled their inner pirates with some tropical birds.

Sam and Chris had a relaxing Sunday on the beach.

We ended the week with a sunset kayak tour.

Fresh fish and drinks along the coast watching the sunset was the best way to end our first week in paradise.

Last week we made a final lap through Ljubljana and said our goodbyes before packing up our lives to move to our third home of our journey – Cavtat, Croatia.

Chris got some work done on Monday from outside a coffee shop in Venice on his trip with Fabio.

We did a community breakfast and Sarah brought her Australian home-town favorite, Vegemite.  She made Vegemite toast with butter for people to try.  While some people said it was okay, most thought it was too strong and salty.

On Thursday night we did our going away party at a cool venue with a cloud on the ceiling.

Once people finished eating, a game of Twister broke out.

On Friday, we played baseball against a Slovenian team of baseball enthusiasts hosted by Scoutee, a iphone dongle for measuring ball speed.

We had drinks at Vander on the rooftop overlooking Ljubljana for our last night.

Just before we left, people left their final mark on the city.

Stephen added his old pair of shoes to the power line.

Britanny and Marc helped round up people’s fans to donate to a local hospital.

Fernanda added a lock to the lock bridge.

We got up early on Saturday morning to head to our new home in Croatia.

Hannah rounded up all of our passports to get checked at the border. 

Driving through Croatia, you need to pass into and out of Bosnia.  Bosnia has a 10 km stretch of land that extends through Croatia to the coast.  While driving across that stretch, we stopped for a break and were greeted with this amazing sunset view.

We finally got to Cavtat, a village just outside of the city of Dubrovnik.  Our new home.

Our new workspace, a converted meeting room in the beautiful Hotel Croatia.

Remote David P. helping the IT staff configure the network settings.

Group potluck dinner at one of the Remote apartments’ patio.

Sunday sun sets are the best way to be welcomed to a new home.