Eray Erdoğan
Eray met Ahmet and Burak and I in the park (see last 2 meetings), recognizing Ahmet since Eray had recently organized a thing through Roberts College - like an entrepreneur meetup.
I enjoyed having all four of us there talking.
Running a merch business for 10 years.
Now mostly full-time dad to one-year-old son.
When the music changes you change your dance.
Eray had a similar experience to me with his company.
Now he’s really interested in connecting people which is why he reached out to Roberts College and started doing this meetup thing.
Eray said president Erdogan is an amazing speaker and sent me a link to a talk that he said he’s watched 200+ times.
Erdogan has a street-style of speaking, and the mayor of Istanbul had that super-charm, too, and was also from the east Black Sea region like Erdogan, then Erdogan had him jailed.
Putin and Erdogan are the two longest-holding presidents.
Eray showed me how to give my remaining lira to the bread seller for Askıda Simit “bread on a hook”, ancient Ottoman-era tradition Islamic charity - paying it forward - buying bread you pay extra like buying three but taking two “one askıday ekmek”, then anyone in need can go to him and ask, “Askıda ekmek var mi?” (is there bread on the hook?) or simply take from the bread that’s on the hook, free of charge and without shame. Goes with Islamic proverb “What the right hand gives, the left hand should not know.”
Askıda Fatura - digital version lets you pay off unpaid utility bills posted online by low-income families.