Istanbul Interview

– Why are airports so freaking cold all the time? I asked while trying to convince myself that yet another doughnut will keep me warm inside out.

While I was wobbling back from the airport food stand, I came upon yet another Tinder worthy description of myself: hungry traveler. I don't mean that in a "hungry for conversation" or "knowledge" kind of way. I'm never in the mood for talking and pack an extra book just in case I breeze through the first one and a big magazine that skillfully hides me from the rest of the chatty travelers.

I mean it in an old testament, embarrassing wrath of bowels symphony kind of way. When asked if I want chicken or fish on the flight, there's a reptilian part of me that wants to scream: "Both!". Luckily, the potty-trained part chooses only one of them, then smiles and asks for a second dessert if possible. As I was thanking God that the T-Rex sized appetite is still safely contained by this chipmunk frame, a heard a voice saying:

– Are you on the red-eye to Istanbul, too? The man standing across me asked out of nowhere.

I slowly lowered my reading pieces and uncovered my face just for a moment, so I could utter the world's most dismantling "Yes". "It's kind of obvious since we're both at this gate because we're on the same flight, duh", I thought. – Too bad, it's going to be delayed, you know?

– That's not happening! I said in a heartbeat. Look, the board has not changed. There's no delayed fli...

I didn't even manage to finish the word and the flight status changed.

– Yeah, I've been checking the flights, he said again while showing me an app full of graphs, coloured lines and numbers, the type of an app that only an engineer would have.

– Oh. Ok, thanks for the update, I mumbled and buried my head in the papers I printed for this specific trip.

I needed to focus. I was going to a fancy (read nerve-racking) interview for an industry I knew nothing about.

The company that was recruiting was so high-end that, for the first time in my life, they've paid my entire trip and travel expenses. Red carpet treatment. Somehow I made it through all the preliminary phases and now I was on my way to the final stage of the interview and had a meeting with the CEO and other short list candidates. I was a hot trembling mess of anxiety, that only a third doughnut could calm down.

I was traveling by myself – which I love doing usually – and was supposed to be in Istanbul for only 48 hours – sufficient time for things to go terribly wrong. We've all seen Taken. Talking to strangers in the airport was a big no-no. Are you cold? He asked again politely.

– No, I said while shaking my head and squinting my eyes. "Can't you please not hit on me, thank you?" I was thinking in my head. "I mean, can't a girl go somewhere by herself and not have to deal with men making a pass at her?" "He's even got a wedding ring", I thought while rolling my eyes so hard you could almost hear them.

I immediately started doing the math – which always adds to my crankiness. "I was supposed to get there at 11 pm, but now we'll only land at 1 am, and that means I'll be at the hotel at 2 am and get exactly 4 hours of shut-eye until the interview. Kill. Me. Now."-

– They say it's delayed for only 2 hours, but it will be longer, the guy said again, while moving on the same row of seats that I was on.

I didn't look up. "This guy is unbelievable!". I'll furiously journal about this later, I said to myself.

– So, why are you traveling to Istanbul? Business or pleasure?

– An interview, I said annoyed.