You Know You're In America When:

• Everyone owns iPhone rather than blackberry
• The roads are wide and long
• You know your rights and use them extensively
• There are over 5 rows of books on weight loss and mental health, but people are still overweight and crazy
• There is next to no one walking on the sidewalks
• Everyone fights for the front row parking spot (Sometimes circling the parking lot several times)
• There is nothing open passed 9 on weekdays and 2 on weekends
• There are drive-thru restaurants at every corner
• America has 70% of the world’s lawyers/legal professions (There are law-suits for everything)
• On Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and Labor Day must be properly honored with a barbecue or grill-out. MUST!
• Students carry book bags and laptops to class
• You talk about international travel and they respond with "I'm part Irish, German and Italian."
• You enjoy house parties as much as going out
• Language embraces only the good feelings, a type of political correctness. (They are not fat, they are “Person of size”. They are not blind, they are “seeing-impaired”)
• People take with them the food that they did not eat in "To go bags"
• You go to a theme park and see fanny-packs galore (Typical American tourist identity)
• There are only self-service gas stations (Yes. You have to wash your own windows)
• There are water fountains everywhere (FREE drinkable water)
• There are police cars everywhere and are sneaky (They are experts at speed traps & writing tickets/fines)
• The commercials take as much time as the actual show
• You wake up far before 8AM for school
• To be a man, you must become an American football player or play some kind of "manly sport"
• Everyone in class bring their laptops
• Every licensed driver has at least 1 car
• People talk about their personal religion out loud
• There are yard decorations/ornaments (Deer. that make you slam on your brakes)
• Any noun can be turned into a verb and you can make up words daily
• Laws can change drastically between towns, cities, and states
• There are dollar stores everywhere (Everything in the store is $1 plus tax)
• Clubs/bars start getting busy around 11-12 and end at 2AM
• Only about 30% of the population owns passports
• Winning is the central idea to the American spirit
• Everything is thought of in terms of money. EVERYTHING!
• Anyone who is jobless is thought to be a non-person
• The Superbowl is the most important event in the universe (Millions of dollars spent on commercials, but yet we have economy problems)
• You can walk five minutes to your destination, but would rather drive to save time and energy
• The Americans think that the world would not survive without their existence.
• On St. Patrick’s everyone becomes Irish and wears green
• There is a tool/machine/gadget to do anything you want (God forbid doing anything manually)
• Everything comes with a warning label of some sort (Cups, gadgets, food, EVERYTHING)
• Children are raised to be independent
• It is considered rude to tell a joke that enables any social, ethnic, sexual, religious or racial stereotype
• Our most distinctive traits are –religious extremism, paranoia, greed, and boastfulness (Oops!)
• The typical quick breakfast is either cereal or pop-tarts
• People get confused using the metric system
• You know everything you put in your mouth will be bad for you, but that’s your only option. (Be prepared to gain weight. No one ever escapes it!)
• If it didn’t happen on the news, it didn’t happen at all
• There is reliable public transportation only in larger cities like New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles

This post was not meant to offend my any means. Just some observations I have taken note of since arriving from Turkey 2 months ago. Hope you enjoyed a good reality check of American culture. :-)

Note: I do not own the copyrights to these photos

How to Blend in With the Turks!

So as I write this, I am happily awaiting the arrival of my mother and my grandmother (mother's side) to come to Izmir this Wednesday. ONLY 2 FULL DAYS! Yes, That was needed, as I have not seen any of my family for nearly a year! In the midst of their packing, they constantly ask me how to pronounce names of my family and hello, how are you, and other basics. They also ask me about some normal to things to blend in. Although I am not Turkish, I am now at the point of being able to tell who is a tourist, and its very fun and down right cool to now know. I mean we all are tourists somewhere, and after living in a foreign place for nearly a year, I find it so cool to point out what I probably used to look like!

So what I can do is write a few recommendations or notes of how to at least slightly blend in with the Turks; you know, after your outfit, hair and skin color is taken out of the options to change.

1. Do not rely on maps! As a traveler, everyone has maps, right? Well, if you have a map for Turkey, many times they will be out of date or even completely wrong. You know how a map shows street names, numbers and all of that? Yeh. Don't come to Turkey expecting there to be street signs on every street corner like there are in United States for instance. Finding a road sign is like finding a needle in a hay stack, they are there, but trying to spot them takes up half your travels. My best recommendation is to ask the nearest market owner or people on the street. This is the easiest way to find your way, and also possibly even learn something or get a complimentary treat (Tea, gum, coffee, etc.) Which brings me to my next point.
   
2. Do not think that Turkish people do not know or speak English. If you go somewhere playing a game of charades or flipping through your fresh new Turkish-English phrase dictionary, you might get some innocent laughs and be asked to just simply ask in English. Although sometimes there is a huge language barrier, you will be very surprised how even simple English can help you on your travels.
   
3. When crossing streets in Turkey, run like there is a huge animal chasing you! Turks are known as very hospitable and polite people; however, something happens like a morphing transformation when they get behind the wheel of a car. It does not matter if the cross light says walk, look left and right before crossing, and while crossing, keep your eyes open for those little moped motorcycles. This and only this may be your only life-sentence while in Turkey, so I repeat, cross streets with speed and caution!
   
4. When entering the house of a Turk, take off your shoes. This is just a simple cultural respect. Some families even take their shoes off before even entering the house. Do not be surprised either if you are handed a pair of slippers to wear around the house, they want you to be comfortable. So after entering the house, take off your shoes, and if they say it is not a problem (as sometimes, this is not a problem), then leave them on as you wish.
   
5. Never disrespect bar owners, waiters, taxi drivers, or hotel receptionists. In general you should show respect anyways, as it is plain courtesy. However there are those times when something goes wrong: the wrong meal, bad hotel room, the taxi takes you to the wrong place, etc. When these instances come up approach them calmly, and I guarantee they will handle the situation to the best of their ability (Hospitality, AGAIN) and you may even get a free meal, taxi ride, or discounted hotel room. Turks will do ANYTHING to make you feel welcome, happy and relaxed. While talking about respect, never, ever, ever, ever disrespect the name of Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Do not even test what will happen, Please!
   
6. Be ready to eat when coming to Turkey. Again and again, I write on my blog about the Turkish hospitality, and it is so evident when you get here. When at a meal, they will push food on you over and over again. Sometimes, if you are not used to it, it can be overbearing, but they do not want you going hungry, EVER. It is considered rude if you do not at least try what they offer you, but if you are genuinely full, just put your hand over your chest and say tesekkurler (thank you). Turks are persistent with hospitality and will even give you their own bed if all the beds are taken up.
   
7. When getting on a public bus, hold on tight. Turkish transportation offers many options from Dolmus (mini-bus), taxi, taxi dolmus, bus, metro, Vapur (Ferry), and metro-bus (Istanbul). Generally buses come every 15-25 minutes, ferries and metros have a set schedules, and the dolmus comes at random in their designated routes. Just a simple tip, though, when getting on a public bus, hold on tight, because the bus drivers love to drive, turn, and stop with speed. If you are elderly, individuals will give up their seat for you to sit in mild comfort. If you are young or capable of standing, be courteous and let the elderly or disabled have your seat.
   
8. Dont assume that you will come here and wear a turban. While some Turks prefer to cover their hair, you are not forced, nor inclined to wear one. Turkey is secular, and you can practice however you wish. If you are on the West, it is very modern and you may not even notice the difference, while the East has more conservative individuals. When touring mosques however it is required to cover your hair out of respect to the people actually practicing that religion.
   
9. Be prepared for a Turkish man to say I love you upon the first night of meeting. Turks are very romantic, and also have a different view on love. There is no like or dislike of something, it is always  love or hate. So when a Turk says he loves you upon meeting you, this does not necessarily mean he is in love with you, it just means he has a deep liking for you. Turks are very poetic and romantic, but also very jealous lovers. So be prepared to be swept off your feet, but I wouldnt recommend this in your itinerary.
   
10. Share everything. Just as Turks are hospitable to you, do yourself and them a favor and be the same back. For example, after buying a pack of gum, a bottle of water, or cigarettes, offer them some before taking some for yourself! You can also leave an open pack of whatever on the table, for people to have at their desire, dont buy something and stuff it in your pocket or purse for yourself. This thing is so simple, but will prove that you are just as much Turkish as the natives.

These were just a few that I thought of from the top of my head, but if you want to be as Turkish as possible check out some books at the library and listen to some music to feel the heart, soul, and peace of the Turkish individuals.

Everyone enjoy your stay in Turkey and in advance, Turkiye'ye Hosgeldin.

~Welcome to Turkey~

Struttin' Through Stockholm.

During another moment of my school break I meandered over to Stockholm, Sweden. I must say that out of the 3 countries (Finland, Estonia, and Sweden), while I enjoyed Finland for its society and sociality of individuals, Stockholm had by far the best buildings, architectures and scenery. Located on the east coast of Sweden on the edge of the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is a pleasure to the eye, with many historical buildings along every water side and inner-lands.

To get to Sweden we took a cruise ship with our own cabin that lasted about 14 hours. It was super cheap, which was the exact reason we took this route. I am here to tell you though; time was not wasted and still enjoyed. I have to say that Finnish people REALLY enjoy their alcohol. I promise you that at least 75% or more of the people on that cruise ship were drunk. It was quite sad actually. No one that I ran into had any sense of themselves or respect in a way. I did however run into a very comical encounter at the ball room. While standing around, this 40 year old, very young woman came up to me asking for a drink or cigarette, I had neither so I kindly said "no, unfortunately." She continued to say that if she would have been 20 years younger she would have already had me in her room by now. This caused me so much laughter, you cannot imagine. I did however talk to her about some things, keeping her company and telling jokes while she was considerably drunk. I turned to my friend to say a few things and all of the sudden this woman falls backwards, completely ungracefully, and caused the biggest scene. The expression on her face was priceless and will never forget that moment ever. Afterwards we searched for some cheap food and came across this amazing salmon salad that was to die for, with olive oil and vinegar, anyone would say Bon Appetite!

After arriving in Stockholm I took a quick glance of my surroundings. The buildings are all well preserved and untouched, this is because Sweden was never invaded or attacked, and they typically play a neutral role in the war. However don’t be so quick to think that their neutrality as a government lives through its people. Some of the Swedish individuals are rude, cold, and not willing to lend a helping hand. On the other hand, Sweden allows many/any immigrants to come and live with a refugee or immigrant status. I could guess that 30% of Stockholm's population was of immigrants; immigrants from Finland, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Spain, Serbia, Croatia, Poland, Iran, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, and Somalia.


A prime and simple example of rudeness that I witnessed is as follows. Firstly, while in the subway station, please note that Sweden has one of the most horrible metro systems in the places I have seen. To explain, one track can have 2-3 different "colors" of trains going to different places in the city. There were four tracks, two above and two below. Mind you, there were no English signs to help, which really shocked and surprised me given their high rate of immigration and multi-cultures. All of these things made it nearly a disaster to catch the right train. One day we asked the ticket stamping lady which train would take us to the other side of the city. She said "track 1." However while remembering there are so many colors of trains (Only in the title, all the trains were actually the same color, VERY tricky and confusing), I asked which color is the train. I received a lovely death stare, she took our tickets, slammed the stamp with anger onto the stub, and she merely proceeded to tell me "The train is blue, the course is red, its down-stairs, the ground is cement, and you wait for your destination." I was thinking to myself, what should I say? I proceeded with a smile saying "I see that today is not your day, and I apologize for getting you unraveled, have a much better day!"

Anyways, their public transportation was an adventure to say the least. It also drains the pocket very rapidly. One evening my friend and I were dead frozen, so we decided to take a cab to the hostel. A 5-10 minute ride. 30 euros! This is 50 American U.S. dollars. My jaw dropped, I nearly fainted/cried to myself. I think I will leave that subject at that. Haha.





The riots that had been occurring in the Middle East and Northern Africa (but mainly from Middle East) were occurring very mildly and controlled in Stockholm. Most of them were of Arabic background and some of Kurdish and Persian background. There were a few places where they were giving big speeches and chants, but it was very safe. These did not disturb me, because I know the security and well-being of the society is protected heavily. This was very prevalent in Finland and Sweden, and something that I appreciated a lot. It is always a nice and secure feeling to know that you are safe and out of harm’s way where you are travelling. 

Overall, it was a great trip; I saw a lot of sites. The scenery was brilliant. The customer service was ok, and the people were rude. I would recommend doing some studying about their transportation before you go. However if it is warm out and you have plenty of time, you can walk to the main sites within 30-45 minutes in any direction.

Always remember that while travelling somewhere new and exciting, walk! When you walk, you are going at a pace that lets you take in your surroundings, see more things. If you take metros or buses, yes they will get you to more touristic places and be quicker. But the biggest enjoyment about travelling is nothing has to be planned. Look at a map, place your finger on the destination and start walking. You will see many more simple things; you will notice the way people walk and talk. It is these things that you will remember and appreciate more!

"Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going." -Paul Theroux