Don’t you ever have any problems?
I am not blind and I don’t like everything. Every time I fly to Turkey with the Turkish charter company I am amazed by the lack of common courtesy, in queues or other stressful situations, shown by people who are normally so helpful and polite.
If you are an animal lover, environmentalist or love the German sense of order you will have problems in Turkey.
Turkish traffic is a problem, especially for the less able members of the society. In extreme cases, it is hazardous for unwary pedestrians. And even if you are able-bodied and alert, you might be better advised to stay at home. You might not notice car, a hole in the road, or some other obstacle (which would have been swiftly dealt with in Austria). Paying due care and attention like a native is worth it, because you would probably be shocked at conditions in regular Turkish hospitals situated in rural areas.
And if you like television, watching repeats, primitive action movies and violence, you will get your money’s worth. Even the smallest cottage has a television and it is often left on for your benefit (people want to do you a good turn and ensure you will not be bored). Violence is not limited to the small screen. Weddings and other occasions provide ample opportunity (“honour” means a lot and is quickly wounded). Despite this, I have to say that I feel safe in Turkey. It is inconceivable that anyone would be assaulted in the street and passers by look away, as is possible in Austria. And when two people do get into a scuffle, there are usually enough people around to avoid the worst occurring and to separate the combatants.
An otherwise enjoyable holiday for many people is spoiled by the inflated “tourist prices”. Not everybody likes to discover they have paid several times the normal retail price! Unfortunately a “yabanci” (foreigner) must reconcile himself to this happening a few times. Ironically, in this “crazy” country, you can experience the opposite: as a foreigner you may get preferential treatment and pay less than is customary (or even receive a gift!). Turkey is a land of surprises, not only in World Cup football.
I am continually surprised at how little school children speak English, despite the fact that they have 2-3 hours of English per week, are highly motivated and rarely miss an opportunity to try out what they have learned. I don’t know what the lessons are like, but given the minimum wage that teachers are paid, I have to admit it must require a lot of idealism to generate enough motivation for the job.
Having bought a house and two pieces of land, I also know that paying a “tip” in certain circumstances is an accepted practice and speeds up the process. No one seems to find anything remotely wrong about this. Also, to many people, it seems crazy to declare the correct (actual) price so that tax can be levied.
One matter, which I (apparently) encounter more than others concerns lending money and running up debts. It appears to me that it is considered normal to be in debt and to incur further debt in order to settle older outstanding payments. Given the high inflation rate of the Turkish Lira, having a large dept may actually be quite a shrewd move. In the long run, the only people who do not benefit are those who do not want any debts and the ones who land money.
The likelihood of getting your money repaid in the foreseeable (or not even) future, is 50% or less, in my experience. Concluding these negative comments about my favourite country (which it remains despite all this!) I now come to the issue, which challenges me most. I learned relatively quickly, that, in this otherwise wonderful country, words are taken less literally than in Austria. To have a look at the first entry in the guest book (which I have contributed), click here.
It seems that Turkish people can cite a long list of reasons to explain why telling the truth is not felt to be the best or most appropriate course of action. Here is an example. You go to a cattle dealer to buy a donkey (or in my case a mule!). You have never done anything like this before so you take along two friends, who have some experience in these matters. Since these animals can sometimes be quite old, you are particularly keen to ascertain the animal’s age. The dealer tells you it is between 8 and 10 years old. One of my companions, who is well acquainted with such matters, looks more closely at Garip’s (my future friend) teeth and confirms that the animal is closer to 10 years. To me, Garip looks even older, but because I am the least knowledgeable person present, I say nothing.
Since the mule can pull a plough and a cart and I am offered a donkey cart complete with fixtures and fittings, I buy this as part of the deal. It was a good thing that I didn’t do this deal alone and took knowledgeable friends with me! The next day, when I discover that the cart and dishes do not go together, a fact confirmed by my advisors, I finally summon up the courage to ask whether they didn’t notice this the day before. One of my friends explains that he couldn’t have spoken the truth openly in front of the dealer, who was from the same village.
The beautiful horse drawn cart (or donkey cart) has been put to good use to decorate the courtyard, even if this is somewhat removed from its actual purpose. I am very pleased with Garip, my loyal friend, even if I am now convinced that he is at least twice as old as the dealer claimed. The whole experience has given me a personal taste of am instance where the truth is a stranger.
Incidentally, do you know what a mule is (or a donkey mule)? If not, you can learn here.
The fact that people do not trust one another, does not surprise me too much. Perhaps in this respect (trust and honesty) Turkish people could learn from “Europeans”, although I am not claiming that bribery and dishonesty are not problems in western Europe. After my experiences in Turkey, I have become more sensitive to such things and often discover the same in Austria (even if they occur less blatantly)!
I am not blind and I don’t like everything. Every time I fly to Turkey with the Turkish charter company I am amazed by the lack of common courtesy, in queues or other stressful situations, shown by people who are normally so helpful and polite.
If you are an animal lover, environmentalist or love the German sense of order you will have problems in Turkey.
Turkish traffic is a problem, especially for the less able members of the society. In extreme cases, it is hazardous for unwary pedestrians. And even if you are able-bodied and alert, you might be better advised to stay at home. You might not notice car, a hole in the road, or some other obstacle (which would have been swiftly dealt with in Austria). Paying due care and attention like a native is worth it, because you would probably be shocked at conditions in regular Turkish hospitals situated in rural areas.
And if you like television, watching repeats, primitive action movies and violence, you will get your money’s worth. Even the smallest cottage has a television and it is often left on for your benefit (people want to do you a good turn and ensure you will not be bored). Violence is not limited to the small screen. Weddings and other occasions provide ample opportunity (“honour” means a lot and is quickly wounded). Despite this, I have to say that I feel safe in Turkey. It is inconceivable that anyone would be assaulted in the street and passers by look away, as is possible in Austria. And when two people do get into a scuffle, there are usually enough people around to avoid the worst occurring and to separate the combatants.
An otherwise enjoyable holiday for many people is spoiled by the inflated “tourist prices”. Not everybody likes to discover they have paid several times the normal retail price! Unfortunately a “yabanci” (foreigner) must reconcile himself to this happening a few times. Ironically, in this “crazy” country, you can experience the opposite: as a foreigner you may get preferential treatment and pay less than is customary (or even receive a gift!). Turkey is a land of surprises, not only in World Cup football.
I am continually surprised at how little school children speak English, despite the fact that they have 2-3 hours of English per week, are highly motivated and rarely miss an opportunity to try out what they have learned. I don’t know what the lessons are like, but given the minimum wage that teachers are paid, I have to admit it must require a lot of idealism to generate enough motivation for the job.
Having bought a house and two pieces of land, I also know that paying a “tip” in certain circumstances is an accepted practice and speeds up the process. No one seems to find anything remotely wrong about this. Also, to many people, it seems crazy to declare the correct (actual) price so that tax can be levied.
One matter, which I (apparently) encounter more than others concerns lending money and running up debts. It appears to me that it is considered normal to be in debt and to incur further debt in order to settle older outstanding payments. Given the high inflation rate of the Turkish Lira, having a large dept may actually be quite a shrewd move. In the long run, the only people who do not benefit are those who do not want any debts and the ones who land money.
The likelihood of getting your money repaid in the foreseeable (or not even) future, is 50% or less, in my experience. Concluding these negative comments about my favourite country (which it remains despite all this!) I now come to the issue, which challenges me most. I learned relatively quickly, that, in this otherwise wonderful country, words are taken less literally than in Austria. To have a look at the first entry in the guest book (which I have contributed), click here.
It seems that Turkish people can cite a long list of reasons to explain why telling the truth is not felt to be the best or most appropriate course of action. Here is an example. You go to a cattle dealer to buy a donkey (or in my case a mule!). You have never done anything like this before so you take along two friends, who have some experience in these matters. Since these animals can sometimes be quite old, you are particularly keen to ascertain the animal’s age. The dealer tells you it is between 8 and 10 years old. One of my companions, who is well acquainted with such matters, looks more closely at Garip’s (my future friend) teeth and confirms that the animal is closer to 10 years. To me, Garip looks even older, but because I am the least knowledgeable person present, I say nothing.
Since the mule can pull a plough and a cart and I am offered a donkey cart complete with fixtures and fittings, I buy this as part of the deal. It was a good thing that I didn’t do this deal alone and took knowledgeable friends with me! The next day, when I discover that the cart and dishes do not go together, a fact confirmed by my advisors, I finally summon up the courage to ask whether they didn’t notice this the day before. One of my friends explains that he couldn’t have spoken the truth openly in front of the dealer, who was from the same village.
The beautiful horse drawn cart (or donkey cart) has been put to good use to decorate the courtyard, even if this is somewhat removed from its actual purpose. I am very pleased with Garip, my loyal friend, even if I am now convinced that he is at least twice as old as the dealer claimed. The whole experience has given me a personal taste of am instance where the truth is a stranger.
Incidentally, do you know what a mule is (or a donkey mule)? If not, you can learn here.
The fact that people do not trust one another, does not surprise me too much. Perhaps in this respect (trust and honesty) Turkish people could learn from “Europeans”, although I am not claiming that bribery and dishonesty are not problems in western Europe. After my experiences in Turkey, I have become more sensitive to such things and often discover the same in Austria (even if they occur less blatantly)!
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