Asan Iranian, Turks are not so much of an unknown minority to me. we have lots of them residing in Iran and developing their own cultures. there are at least 3 major states in Iran that belongs to Turks and they’re right next to the border with Turkey, which means a lot of costumes and traditions are shared. however, moving to Turkey taught me how different Turkish people can be, on the other side of the border.
I moved to Turkey in 2019, right when the pandemic started. I can tell that their government handled the pandemic very well. there was never a shortage of sanitary products. these items were also provided at a reasonable price for everyone.
Although there was something that I found both funny and confusing, people weren’t following the lockdown rules all the time. it surprised me because Turkish people care a lot about hygiene however it took them months to embrace the pandemic.
My second shock in Turkey was the number of people who smoke. there is almost no place you can go without being exposed to secondhand smoke. as someone who quit years ago, it is very uncomfortable because I can’t even walk comfortably in the streets without breathing someone’s cigarette. I haven’t had this issue in other countries.
Even the pandemic rules couldn’t stop Turkish people to stop smoking outside. I saw a lot of them negotiating with the police officers (who were in charge of fining anyone who removes a mask) to be able to smoke outside. well, they have won because I’ve seen them smoking freely a lot, in their not-so-acceptable social distancing.
Despite having many international tourists and foreigners who work here, Turkish people are not good at English at all. I had a very hard time communicating with them till I learn their language and in the meantime, they made me suffer a lot. but that doesn’t just end here, they see foreigners as a sack of coins and will do anything to take more money from them and then avoid conversations because of language barriers.
That’s why I don’t think they will ever learn English! at least for the sake of marketing!
I’ve noticed this attitude since the moment I landed in the country. I understand that Turkey earns a big part of its budget from tourism, I just wish it was more humane and respectful so I wouldn’t feel robbed and humiliated again and again.
Turkish people are highly interested in dating foreigners but they rarely cross boundaries. as well as their TV dramas prove, they’re not very straightforward in a relationship and it can cause uncertainty and doubts all the time.
The youth of Turkey have different mindsets from their previous generations. they tend to be freer and more modern regardless of their religion.
It’s very interesting to me that Turkish women are more independent than Turkish men.
So far almost every young man I knew has been living with his parents or is regularly in touch with them. however, girls leave their parents’ homes quite earlier. I somehow see that as an upbringing issue. only a small percentage of Turkish men cook and clean and that means they’re not capable of handling a place on their own.
Generally, Turkish culture is patriarchal. men are usually dominant both in relationships and family. they love to be introduced as feminists but in the reality, they need much more time to adapt to that. both in culture and law, there is not enough freedom and support for women as local people claim. regardless, Turkish women are brave and confident and I’m sure they will always find a way to claim their rights.
The societal structure in Turkey is very diverse. here we have old-fashioned families with fading traditions and we also have very modern families who live completely the opposite life. I believe this makes Turkey a great place to travel, you can find all types of people you like to hang out with.
Turkish people are very hospitable with great business skills, but they’re just a little bit greedy with money. in my opinion, watching how wealthy tourists’ live a luxurious life has increased their demands from life. they like to take risky steps to live a similar fancy life.
The last thing that shocks me here is the high libido! it surprises me every time how sex means a lot (more than it should) to the Turkish community. they also discuss sex topics more comfortably than other nations, which I find very interesting. for this reason, cheating and having more than one partner can be the norm. in the past, they used to hide this but the current young generation is more confident about it for some reason that I don’t understand!
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Living in Turkey brought a lot of obstacles for me. dealing with new people was the roughest thing because I was unprepared for facing a community like this and unfortunately, not so many people share so much about the real side of Turkey, which I’m sure I haven’t discovered fully yet.
Turkey is great for short travel, ie a maximum of a month. the rest can’t be easy to bear if you’re not local. the culture hasn’t reached a foreigner-friendly level yet.
There is a lot to be careful about once you travel to Turkey and it can confuse you a lot during your stay. although they’re nice people and I find befriending them a solution that works most of the time.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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I find the these point of views of Mehra close to the truth especially the part that says Turkish would use the opportunity to charge more if you are a foreigner. However I find it interesting that Turkish females to be strong coming from a male dominate culture. Mehra was right when he decided to learn the language as this is the best way to avoid problems and tackle life there. I frequent Turkiyia and found this to be useful as tourist.
I disagree with most that is said here. I lived in Turkey 20 years ago, and while it is undoubtedly different from other nations, it is the most modern of Islamic countries. Maybe the author is just not used to living in a different country, although as an Iranian, coming from a fundamentalist Islamic nation, at least that part should have made it easier to adapt in a 99% Muslim country. To say that the country is not ready for outsiders or visitors to stay longer than a month, as this would make the visiting guest uncomfortable when dealing with… Read more »