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

Turkish Language

Turkish is on of the major languages of the world, being the official language of Turkey. there is also a high usage (Population of Turks) in Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, France, The Netherlands, The United States, and Australia. Turkish is not related to any other major language of the Middle East like Arabic, Persian, or Hebrew, nor European. For this reason Turkish has almost no similarities in vocabulary or grammar with other languages, such as, English, French, and German. This makes learning Turkish difficult for speakers of other languages; however, it does have a regular structure with few exceptions, unlike English. Turkish is made up of mostly native words, while using a few loanwords from Arabic and Persian.

"one who says "I'm from the turkish nation", before everything must definitely speak Turkish.

• Turkish is an agglutinating language, with exclusive suffixation: Anne (Mother), Annem (My mother), Anneme (To my mother).
• Gender and definite and indefinite articles do not exist.
• Instead of prepositions, Postpositions are used. Benim icin (for me).
• Turkish is a subject-object-verb language. Example: Ben eve gittim - I home-to went (I went home).
• All forms that effect a verb are added by suffixes to the end of the verb. For example: Git (go), gitme (Don't go). 
• There is vowel harmony.
• Contains 29 letters; 21 consonants & 8 vowels. [Turkish words are read exactly as they are spelled. There are rare exceptions, unlike the English language ( See: read the 'o' in one & bone)]

Turkish is a fun language but sometimes tricky if you directly translate. You can come to a general conclusion, but in songs and TV shows, it is hard to understand what they actually mean. Turkish is very poetic and deep, there are also many proverbs; in fact I hear a proverb at least once a day while living here. Below are some simple examples of how the meaning is different from the direct translation:

• Cep telefon kapat. - Close the pocket telephone (Turn off the cell phone)
• Isik ac. - Open the light (Turn on the light)
• Nerde oturuyorsun? - Where do you sit? (Where do you live?)
• Ask Kac Beden Giyer? - What size does the love wear? (How many lovers can you have?)
• Ne haber 'Naber'? - What news? (What's up?)
• Ne var, ne yok? - What is there, what is there not? (What's up?)
• Memnun oldum. - I am satisfied. (I am pleased to meet you)
• Tuylerim kalkti - My hairs got up (I got cold chills / I got goosebumps)

I recommend you living in Turkey to learn Turkish, because every Language book I have come across explains wrong, or is too basic, not accounting for present day Turkish. If a textbook is your only method to learn I recommend "http://elementaryturkish.com/". It is the best textbook I have found.

Some basic Turkish to use while touring:

• Merhaba - Hello
• Benim adim _____ - My name is _____
• Nasilsin - How are you?
• Iyiyim - I am good.
• _____ Nerede - Where is the _____?
• Hosgeldin. - Welcome.
• Hosbulduk - I feel welcome
• Gule gule - Go with a smile (good bye).
• Neden - Why?
• _____ ne demek? - What does ____ mean? (for example, a particular word)
• Turkce bilmiyorum - I dont know Turkish
• Tesekkurler - Thank you
• Bir sey degil - Not at all (No problem)

Turkish In Use ;)

*Some of this info comes from "http://elementaryturkish.com/"*

New Years in Turkey!

New Years is a time for celebration, preparing for resolutions that will last no more than one week, and a time you spend with family and friends. How do you spend your time on New Years? In America, until you are a certain age you are asked to stay and spend it with family at home with some special foods and games. When you get a certain age to drive you are given a 2 hour talk about why you are not allowed to be out late, and that you will expect 50 calls until you get in the driveway, and the dangers of drinking and driving. (Which I believe this is a very important talk for kids that age.) Then you get to the age where you realize the dangers of drinking and driving, and decide to spend the whole night with friends, while calling home sending your New Years wishes.

As you know, in America, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND New Years all less than 1.5 months. Not that we don't love our families, but when you come to a certain age you want to spend the last holiday with friends; in a way its to much family in that certain time. (Again, not to say that we don't love our families, because I know I sure do!)

In Turkey, there are some similarities; people are split between staying at home with families or going out with friends. Since there are no other close holidays, it is not uncommon to hear that many individuals spend the time with family. Since there is a great public transportation system and a very cheap rate for taxi cabs, there is no worries about drinking and driving. For this reason, teenagers and young adults, if not spending their time with family, they typically go out rather than staying in for a house party.

Some typical things young adult's do for New Years Eve:

• Take a trip to Cesme - An hour drive beach city where you can go to clubs and sit on the beach.
• Go to normal clubs in Alsancak.
• Go to one of the many concerts (Famous singers give concerts around the country)
• Take a trip to Istanbul for a night on the town, possibly seeing a special concert.
• Travel to Uludag, Bursa - A ski resort town.

For me, last year I went to Istanbul for one night (flying in the evening and flying back in the early morning) to watch a Hadise concert. This year I decided to go with my host family to Uludag in Bursa, Turkey.

2010 - 2011 New Years Concert with #TeamHadise:

Hadise Acikgoz

Team Hadise

Team Hadise having a sip of Starbucks before the concert!

While the time was filled with skiing and playing in the snow, New Years Eve was filled with something else. Of course there was Santa Claus (Read my Christmas post to see why there was Santa Claus on New Years: Christmas in Turkey). After spending quite some time to get ready (With everyone wanting to look there best), we went to the dining hall to enjoy a fancy 3 course dinner that was served timely. We then went to the top of the hotel and watched a concert by Fedon, a Greek-Turkish singer. It was a classy concert of course, so there was special tables you stood at. We ordered red wine and was served fruits. After this we went to a dance club to end the night at about 5AM.

All in all, I can say it was my first high-class New Years celebration. I really enjoyed it, but I did miss the American tradition of spending it with family or friends at a house party.

You can see information about my ski trip last year to Uludag here: Livin' it up in a Turkish Snow Globe!

2011 - 2012 New Years Pictures:

Uludag, Bursa, Turkey

 

Unlimited Nuance (Poem)

Unlimited Nuance

By: Dustin Sherman

Gently whisping through

life.
Peace entails the
body.

Four chambers hold its’
eminence.
Beating, flowing, sifting
to strength.

The waves push it from
one shore to another
foreign land.
Alteration.

Pushing away from the
borders walls.
Terrified to embrace new
life with limbs.

Walls hosting deceit,
abstraction, endangerment.
Free spirits advance away from the
conformity.

Death is imminent, as it is to
ignorance.
Prolong ignorance,
engulfed by knowledge.

Truth is lurking.
Fear less.
Life is honored.
Hope is succeeded.

Gentle words of
assault,
will not hinder its
growth.

Disguised as innocence,
powered by paranormal,
enlightenment, a
lack thereof.

Ajar windows to
the tallest
mountain.
It pushes on.

Embraced by itself.
Strength learned.
Opened channels of its spongy matter.
The light piercing from its insides.

Bright self sufficient innerbeauty.

Christmas In Turkey

How do you spend your Christmas? If you're in America, you are most likely going to a church service on Christmas Eve, singing jolly songs and having a family dinner. Then all the children go to sleep as early as they possibly can anticipating Santa to come, if you are on the "good list." The next morning you wake up, eat some fresh cinnamon rolls, and open presents in your PJ's. Families get together, exchange gifts, and maybe even go visit a special friend in the evening. At least this is how I remember Christmas, in America.

What Does Christmas Mean?
I have been and still being asked: "What are your plans for Christmas?" At first I responded with an answer like "nothing" or "sitting at a cafe." However, you see, what they mean is, what are you doing for New Years? While Turkey has a variety of respect for religion, Islam is still the majority, so Christmas, the religious and commercial version, is swept under the carpet. The Turks, in my opinion, consider New Years as Christmas.

What Makes Christmas in Turkey?
You won't see the Salvation Army people ringing their bells nonstop in front of Wal-Mart. You can and will see Christmas light on some trees, and some buildings, but nothing even remotely close to the intensity of America. You will see snowflake decorations in the windows of shops. Many homes buy a "Christmas tree," but for the purpose of New Years! Unlike my own tradition, you have to buy your tree from the store. While you may be able to cut a tree somewhere else in Turkey, I wouldn't know nor have I seen.

Decorating the "Christmas Tree"

My Christmas in Turkey:
Well, I lived life like any other day on Christmas. I did treat myself to a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks as well as some cinnamon rolls and sat in front of Ege Park (A mall). Then went to Bostanli to play some Backgammon until 4AM.

I do remember last year a special friend, Gonca, came over with a card and a bottle of white wine. She was dressed up and made me get ready to go out and celebrate. Such a sweetheart! :D

Christmas AKA New Years:
Turkey has adapted their marketing and commercialization just like that of America. While turkey does not have "Black Friday" (Day after Thanksgiving shopping), they do start to market and promote bargains about the second week of December. While everyone in America buys and shares gifts on Christmas, Turks buy and share gifts on New Years Eve. If you are lucky you get a pair of brand new red underwear!!

Ceyda in her lucky red underwear, hahaha! :D

So I can say I miss my family and friends dearly, especially after missing my second year of Christmas. However I do look forward spending this "Christmas" in Uludag, a ski resort, with a "christmas tree, sharing gifts and laughter!

*I do not own the first Photo*

Swirling Dervishes & Mevlana

While sitting in a cafe in Turkey, sipping on Turkish coffee and soda mineral water, possibly playing tavla (backgammon), dama (checkers), or having a conversation you will sometimes be approached by people. I say people in general, because there are so many different kinds. Firstly you have the people asking for a lighter. Then there are the older men selling lottery tickets and scratch-offs (one of my favorites). There are also the young boys trying to sell roses to you for the girl sitting next to you. The men carrying around a tower of balloons, and the ones selling light-up toys. If you are hungry, there are men selling roasted and cold nuts, and the "cig-kofte" a raw meat that is delicious. You will also have beggars and children giving you a fortune card with hopes you will give them money. Lastly there is a group of people that work with organizations asking for money to support health groups, political groups and so on.

A lady from a leukemia support group arrived at our table asking for money. Of course I get out my wallet, especially since I knew she was official. She then gave me a pamphlet on their group and what they did. On it had an "advice" list from a famous philosopher, Mevlana, or better known as Rumi (Listed below). I was then interested to find out more about this philosopher and his influence.

Come to find out, he is the inspiration to the swirling dervishes(name of the people) participating in the dance known as "Sema." If you ever see a commercial or something about Turkish culture, people always seem to recognize the men twirling in a type of white costume. The traditional reasoning is that these 'twirlers' will spin to perfection. It is a journey through the spirit, mind, and love. It is said that after his 'journey' he will come back as a grown, more mature soul/person. He will have left his egos, his hatred, and his lies, coming to love life, and human nature.

Mevlana or Rumi, is well known for his poetry and teachings about love, peace, and harmony. He was a Muslim man, but looked at every religion with respect. He believed that every man should have his or her own faith, and to prosper through it, not to disturb others. Mevlana died in 1273, but left a legacy of teachings and is honored every year on the day of his death with a celebration of his teachings. There is also a museum in Konya where he is also laid to rest.

After reading some of his translated poetry and writings I find even more of a blessing to be here. To be able to walk the same streets as many ancient philosophers did is somehow amazing to me. The history of Turkey is deep and mystical, and each step I walk while in Turkey, I find something new, even as simple as a pamphlet!

Seven advice of Mevlana (Rumi)

1. In generosity and helping others, be like a river
Comertlik ve yardim etmede akarsu gibi ol

2. In compassion and grace be like the sun

Sefkat ve merhamette gunes gibi ol

3. In concealing others faults be like the night

Baskalarinin kusurunu ortmede gece gibi ol

4. In anger and furry be like the dead

Hiddet ve asabiyette olu gibi ol

5. In modesty and humility be like the earth.

Tevazu ve alcak gonullulukte toprak gibi ol

6. In tolerance be like a sea

Hosgorude deniz gibi ol

7. Either exist as you are or be as you look

Ya oldugun gibi gorun ya da gorundugun gibi ol


*Note: I do not own the copyrights of these photos*

I Am An Exchange Student!

After browsing the internet, I came across a quote by a friend. It says everything that needs to be said about an exchange/study abroad experience. May you read and feel the rush and desire to travel the world! :D 

I am an exchange student. How do you know what is a dream if you never accomplished one? How do you know what is an adventure if you never took part in one? How do you know what is anguish if you never said goodbye to your family and friends with your eyes full of tears? How do you know what is diversity if you never lived under the same roof with people from all over the world? How do you know what is tolerance, if you never had to get used to something different even if you didn’t like it. How do you know what is autonomy, if you never had the chance to decide something by yourself? How do you know what it means to grow up, if you never stopped being a child to start a new course? How do you know what is to be helpless, if you never wanted to hug someone and had a computer screen to prevent you from doing it? How do you know what is distance, if you never, looking at a map, said “I am so far away”? How do you know what is a language, if you never had to learn one to make friends? How do you know what is patriotism, if you never shouted “ I love my country” holding a flag in your hands? How do you know what is the true reality, if you never had the chance to see a lot of them to make one. How do you know what is an opportunity, if you never caught one? How do you know what is pride, if you never experienced it for yourself at realizing how much you have accomplished? How do you know what is to seize the day, if you never saw the time running so fast? How do you know what is a friend, if the circumstances never showed you the true ones. How do you know what is a family, if you never had one that supported you unconditionally? How do you know what are borders, if you never crossed yours, to see what there was on the other side? How do you know what is imagination, if you never thought about the moment when you would go back home? How do you know the world, if you have never been an exchange student?

Every Story Has Its Ends!

What does one do when one has 2 weeks left after a year in a foreign country? I have laughed, I have cried, I have spent the best times, I have spent the worst times in Turkey. I have went through my ups and downs to adapt my life in Turkey. I have made Izmir, Turkey, the "city of love," my home!

I have only two emotions about going back to America. I have absolute excitement to see my family. They have been going through possibly the most worst scenarios a family can go through, and I want to be a light of hope for them. I also have complete and distinct fear of leaving Turkey and returning to the many problems that await me.

I feel like everything that I have experienced is coming to an abrupt end! How can this be? How does one cope with this kind of energy? This has been nothing I have experienced before. I know this slightly what I should be going through; however, the extremes that I will be going back to, to be frankly honest, scares the living shit out of me! I would like to know your thoughts, opinions, and advice in the comments section below!

How should I spend my last 2 weeks here? Life is spinning out of control, that I need to grab a hold of something. I will! Dustin means brave and valiant warrior, and I believe our names were given for a reason. I have the strength to fight a million, but I feel like I may fall down to a peasant level, not able to fight anymore. I may need a refresher course to become the warrior I was and am currently.

Like my family, Turkey has been the light of hope for me. It has made part of who I am and appreciate them both soo much! I have learned many things through the eyes of the Turks and I hope to bring that back with me!

I have promised myself to be as strong as possible through this,, but it will be painstakingly hard. I have come here to become the person I am now, and would not trade any split second of a moment, EVER! I will leave with tears water-falling from my eyes and my heart beat at an irregular rhythm, but I would recommend this experience to the world!

I leave every single person that reads this with strength, hope, power, happiness, passion, courageousness, stability, knowledge, compassion, confidence and ultimate love for your near and far future!

Video to watch: Dido - Sand In My Shoes

See the Beauty That Comes From Foreign Lips!

What kind of person can sit there and trash talk any musician if they cannot even understand a single word?

Shocking right? This post comes after I was watching a variety of non-English speaking singers on YouTube. I just browsed at some comments and I started remembering some of the comments I got after listening to foreign artists, such as Turkish, in my car.

Some of the comments I read and have heard:

"That's not singing that's a bunch of noise hurting my ears"

"That's a bunch of trash."

"Who would listen to something of another language?"

"This is a bunch of jibber-jabber."

"They will never make it" (meaning they cannot make it, because it's not English)

"English is the only way to go."

"If you can't understand it, why listen to it."

"They are trying to be different and cool."

"This is the anthem to terrorism."

... and the list goes on and on.

I would like to share my point of view and how I feel these are all, firstly, very cruel, secondly, very ignorant, and thirdly very close-minded.

Firstly, language is an absolute BEAUTIFUL thing. Since the beginning of time people were separated by language and culture, this I feel is what makes us all beautiful and special in our own way. Language is expressed in different ways. For example, to say your goodbyes to a friend in Turkish is completely different than saying your goodbyes in English. This does not make one better than the other, it makes them special, unique, and culturally adapted.

To say they will never make it, because they don't sing in English or that they are just trying to be different is absurd. If you look outside of the English speaking countries, there are thousands of very famous singers making it big in their own region; in Turkey alone I would need more than 5 hands! To think that if a singer does not make it America, they will not be famous, is a scary thought. Yes, of course coming to America and other English speaking countries is a plus, but to be that self-centered is beyond my belief. There are differences in success and if you want to place your definition of success to America alone, then you are in for a long haul in life. Sorry.

If I can't understand a song, why listen to it? Well for starters, their voice, the music, the beats, the art that is behind each breath a singer takes. If you don't understand what they are saying, ask! Translate, find someone to explain it. It is not hard at all to broaden your mind even a little bit! It scares me to think that we have people out there, that if they don't understand something, that they give up and don't pry for more knowledge, leaving them at square one, insulting something they know nothing about. (This does not just apply to music alone!)

Anthem of terrorism? Do I even need to explain this? There is terrorism in every single culture, every single region of the world, and every single language. If you even think for one second that just because a song is sung in something other than English, that it has terroristic roots, you may want to evaluate the world that you are living in, and find out what terrorism really is!

I understand, plenty of people have their niches, and some prefer certain things. If that's the way you see it, go ahead with it, really. I would not judge you one second. However, if you do not favor something such as the language, the music, the style, DO NOT follow your listening with an ignorant close-minded statement. Move on to something that IS in your comfort zone. Please, be open to the world. If you don't prefer it, then don't, but at least show respect to others culture, music, and region. We are all people and if you live with a self-centered attitude we will never make the progress that is necessary!

"Peace at Home, Peace in the World" ~Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

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~

The Evil Eye & Turkish Superstitions

Every country has them, we all joke about them, so I figured I would share them with from a Turkish view. You know what I'm talking about, superstitions. You know, when a black cat crosses your path it brings bad omens, when you walk under a ladder you obtain bad luck, or breaking a mirror will bring 7 years bad luck.

Most of these I have taken note of over my time while in Turkey, and some I actually believe in!

Here we go:

• Don't cut your nails at night, it will bring Satan. (back in the times with no lights, this would be told to children so that they wouldn't cut themselves)
• Enter a place with your right foot, brings good luck and good fortune.
• Never hand scissors, knives, or sharp objects to individuals, if done the individuals will fight. To prevent this, you place it down and the other person will pick it up.
• Likewise, leaving scissors open in the household will cause much conflict.
• Don't button your shirt while facing an individual, this will close the relationship.
• Don't kiss people on the eyes, you may not see that person in the future.
• When wearing your shoes, put the right shoe on first, this will lead your life in the right direction.
• While eating, one cannot place one foot over the other, this shows disrespect to the table and a sign of famine.
• If you see a snake while travelling to some wear you will have luck and good fortune.
• If shoes are not set upright, your life will turn sideways and bring bad luck. Also some say that a person will die.
• If a dog barks during the call to prayer (Ezan), someone in the neighbor will die.
• If your left hand is scratched, you will receive money. If your right hand is scratched you will spend money.
• Don't sleep in the same room as a cat, if done, the cat is said to steal your soul and shorten your life. (Ever wonder why cats have 9 lives!?) ;)
• Turning music off in the car while driving by graveyards allows for the dead to rest in peace and is general respect.
• Clothing or fabric on individuals cannot be sewn.
• While yawning you must close your mouth, or you are citing the call to prayer (Ezan) to Satan.
• It is said if you say something, good or bad, 40 times over time, it will come true.

Nazar & The Evil Eye:

This is the most widely known superstition in Turkey regardless of age and background. The Nazar is basically harmful energies or vibes that are given from envious, jealous, and greedy people to another willingly and unwillingly. The Nazar is believed to cause many bad things in your life. Bad things can happen, such as: feeling of fatigue, accidents, problems when trying to perform planned events, even death. The evil eye which is blue, white, yellow and made of glass is said to absorb these negative energies, and if broken, it has absorbed too much bad energy. Even a very dear loved one can give you Nazar because of the strong flow of love.

There are bracelets, necklaces, wall decorations, and even some doorways have them cemented into the ground!

One thing other than wearing an evil eye is to not share your successes or plans for future. Even your closest friends can be happy for you, but still hold their jealousy within. It is better to share little and share plans after they have occurred, such as job interviews, vacations, new relationships, or making an expensive purchase.

So what about YOU? Are there any for Turkey that I am forgetting or haven't heard?! Comment them down below!! :D

Note: I may add more superstitions as people point them out. I also do not own the rights to these photographs!

Up, Up and Away!

Being in Turkey gives you many options to travel, especially with the price to fly and take buses to anywhere! I have been wanting to make a blog about the flying options in Turkey for quite some time. I follow a blog religiously, Turkish Muse. I would like to thank the author, Barbara Isenberg, for allowing me to use the post as a guest blog post!

10 Things I've Learned About Flying in Turkey

Since moving to Istanbul for work in early November, I have flown back and forth from Istanbul to Izmir a total of 19 times. That number doesn't include one international fight in mid-November to Sofia, Bulgaria, where Jeff and I spent our Kurban Bayram.

Needless to say, I've learned quite a bit about how flying in Turkey works and have some tips and tricks that may help you the next time you board a plane in Turkey.

First, let's lay out some basics:

Turkish Airlines (THY) is Turkey's flagship carrier and it's largest. Pegasus Airlines is a serious contender to THY, especially with regards to short-haul international flights.Atlas Jet is a low-cost carrier (LCC) and primarily focuses on domestic lines and flights to the east, including Iraq. Onur Air is another LCC and is absolutely no frills. It is often the cheapest option available. (Sun Express is another LCC and also happens to fly internationally. I have never flown with this alrine before.)

But there's a lot of other things I've figured out since I started flying between Istanbul and Izmir every week. Here are the top ten.

1. It makes absolutely no difference which airline you fly as to whether your plane will have an on-time or late departure. Before I started commuting between Istanbul and Izmir, I thought that THY flights would, more often than not, be on time, while Onur Air flights would likely be late, seeing as how THY and Onur are at the top and bottom of the totem pole, respectively. Not so. The price you pay for the ticket and whether you get food onboard has nothing to do with a plane's departure time.

2. Flying into and out of Istanbul Ataturk Airport is real bitch. Sorry, I can't really put it any other way. There are too many flights going in and out of that airport and simply not enough runways to accommodate them all. This leads not only to delayed departures and arrivals, but the need to take a bus from the gate to the airplane because there simply isn't enough space for every plane to pull up to its own gate.

3. But the new Starbucks at the domestic terminal at Ataturk Airport is awesome. Instead of my only options being 12 TL Efes and 8 TL tomato sandwiches, I can now get a cafe latte (a huge weakness of mine) to propel myself for the flight. Now if only we could get one in Izmir.....

4. The food and customer service on THY flights is bar none. Yes, you pay a premium to fly THY, but when you do, the food is excellent. Even on a 55-minute flight (like the one from Istanbul to Izmir), you get a sandwich, a salad with fresh veggies, a small slice of cake, water and another beverage of your choice (not alcohol). The food served on board International flights is even better, and they give you booze.

5. Pegasus is a serious contender to THY when it comes to international flights. Back in November, when Jeff and I went to Sofia, Bulgaria, we flew Pegasus because the company had just begun to offer flights there. I don't quite remember how much we paid for our tickets, but I know they were significantly cheaper than THY, which previously had a monopoly on flights to Sofia. To give you an idea of the cost difference, a round-trip ticket between Istanbul (Sabiha Gokcen) and Sofia, Bulgaria as of today for March 16, 2011, returning March 19, 2011, will cost you 174 TL on Pegasus and 372 TL on THY. That's a significant savings.

6. Onur Air's website and telephone customer service totally blows. Their non-user-friendly website is full of links to pages only available in Turkish (even though you're on the English-language version), cryptic error messages and written English that in many cases makes absolutely no sense. It's possible to buy a ticket on their website -- I have done it many times -- but it is quite painful. Calling the company is even worse, as they typically don't have any English-language customer service reps available.

7. If you are ever in need of a last-minute airplane ticket, call THY. Last week, I took the 6pm Havas from Taksim in order to take a 7:45pm Atlas Jet flight to Izmir. I had already checked in online and had printed out my boarding pass, and since the Friday night 6pm Havas typically takes 1 hour to get to Ataturk, I thought I'd be fine. Well, 7:45 came and went and I was still on the Havas. Multiple phone calls to Atlas Jet led to absolutely nothing at all since the woman couldn't speak English. One phone call to THY and within 4 minutes I had booked myself on another flight and was ready to go. Yes, I paid a premium for my ticket, but I was incredibly impressed with the prompt and professional customer service I received.

8. The marble poundcake served for free on Atlas Jet is absolutely delightful.Coupled with a cup of tea, this almost makes up for the fact that the company has such lousy flight time offerings.

9. Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the Asian side of Istanbul is lovely to fly in and out of. I avoided flying out of that airport for quite a long time and only did it this past November because Pegasus flies its international fights out of there (see #5). When we traveled to Sofia, the airport wasn't crowded, there were plenty of restaurants and shops to occupy us before our plane left and everything ran smoothly. I am actually looking forward to flying out of there in May when we go to Paris instead of out of Ataturk (see #2).

10. Overall, flying in Turkey is often a pleasant experience. Compared to the US, where I have read ad nauseum about the TSA's inane security methods, where ticket prices are double what they are here, and where you have to pay to even take a carry-on, flying in Turkey is altogether lovely. Sure, sometimes the plane is late, but customer service here actually exists and in this country at least there are actual perks to flying. In Turkey, where bus fare from Istanbul to Izmir is only slightly cheaper than a plane ticket, it is a real treat to fly halfway across the country in 45 minutes.

While I'm glad to have all this new info under my belt, I'm happy to report that I won't be making the trip back and forth between Istanbul and Izmir for much longer. More details on that coming soon....

Direct link to original post: Flying in Turkey

About the author: Barbara, American, is an avid traveler and blogger, living in Turkey with her husband, Jeff, who is a professor at my current university, Yasar University. Her writings are always thoughtful and with much skill! I admire her love for Turkey and traveling in general. Thanks again, Barbara, for allowing me to use your post.

Most likely the best airlines in the world, Turkish Airlines!

My favorite view: Knowing you are going somewhere new, experiencing new things, growing into new things.

Sultan Tea and Mesir Macunu Paste - Manisa

Another attempt at random travelling was succeeded over the weekend. Upon waking on Sunday afternoon, I was directed by my host mom that we would be travelling for a cup of tea and relaxation, as the entire family needed it. Laying an hour drive from Izmir, Turkey is the ancient city, Manisa. We ate a light lunch of macaroni and kofte (meatballs) and prepared for the short drive.

The moment you arrive in Manisa you can feel the religious and mind-provoking atmosphere. The city itself is home to 5 of the past historical sultans of Ottoman Empire and was the training grounds for many upcoming princes. While the city is quite modern and hosts various options, one can still see or feel the history, Ottoman architecture, and spiritual aura. Manisa is home to many ancient thinkers and philosophers; that of religion, politics, family, and health.

Inside of Ayni Ali

Collection of Nargile/Waterpipes

There is a quaint and popular area, the Sultan Mosque, where there is a café named Ayni Ali, where we went to enjoy Sultan Cayi (spiced tea), Nargile (Hookah), and Turkish coffee. Of course I had my fortune read, which seemed to be much more in depth than times before. The quaint, relaxed, peaceful, and spiritual aura seems to permeate one into thinking more profoundly. The other thing that Manisa is highly known for is Manisa Mesir Macunu, an herbal spice paste, which is delicious and very healthy for you.

Another style of preparing Turkish coffee over coals.

The story behind this paste is Ayse Hafsa Sultan, the Sultans wife, being very ill after her husband’s death with no cure found from doctors. After receiving word that the Sultans wife was ill, Merkez Muslihiddin Efendi he mixed 41 different types of plants and spices together to form a medicinal paste and sent it to the palace. When the Sultans wife ate this paste she regained health. After this finding, they decided that this paste should be available to everyone. So they chose March 21st, the start of spring, to make a festival distributing and "tossing" the paste to public.

Below is a list of spices and herbs used in making the Mesir Paste, along with their Turkish and Latin names:

• Allspice (Yeni bahar)
• Alpina officinarum root (Havlican koku)
• Anise (Anason)
• Black cumin (Corek otu)
• Black myrobalan (Kara halile)
• Black pepper (Karabiber)
• Buckthorn (Topalak or Akdiken)
• Cardamon (Kakule)
• Cassia (Hiyarsenbe)
• Chebulic myrobalan (Kara halile)
• China root (Cop-i cini)
• Cinnamon (Tarcin)
• Cloves (Karanfil)
• Coconut (Hindistan cevizi)
• Coriander (Kisnis)
• Cubeb (Kebabe)
• Cumin (Kimyon)
• Dried orange blossom (Portakal cicegi)
• Fennel (Rezene)
• Galingale (Havlican)
• Ginger (Zencefil)
• Iksir sugar (Iksir sekeri)
• India blossom (Hindistan cicegi)
• Java pepper (Kuyruklu biber)
• Licorice extract (Meyan bali)
• Licorice root (Meyan koku)
• Mastic (Cam sakizi)
• Millet (Hintdarisi)
• Myrrh (Murrusafi)
• Muskroot (Sumbul)
• Mustard seed (Hardal tohumu)
• Orange peel (Portakal kabugu)
• Rhubarb (Ravend)
• Saffron (Safran)
• Citric acid (Limon tuzu)
• Senna (Sinameki)
• Turmeric (Zerdecal)
• Udulkahr (Udulkahir)
• Vanilla (Vanilya)
• Woad (Civit)
• Yellow myrobalan (Sari halile)

Easiest way for me to eat it: Bite off a small piece, and then suck on it. This will prevent it from being all stuck in your teeth, as it is a very sticky and tacky substance.


If you make a journey to Turkey and see the costumed individuals selling this paste on the street, take a leap and spend the 5TL. It is worth it and highly recommended.

Making the most of every day is what I try to do, and while staying in Turkey, I may not be doing anything extravagant; however, the simple thing, new opinions, and new knowledge are what make my day. When travelling, even your home town, open your eyes and smell your surroundings. It can be very amazing what you might realize and come to find even in your own back yard or a foreign country.