Going to Turkey- student from Beloit College

<p>Hello! I go to Beloit College in Wisconsin! I am going abroad to Istanbul, Turkey Next semester. I was wondering if anyone has any advice. Beloit College has done a great job in preparing me paperwise, so I'm mostly wondering about experiences!</p>

<p>Istanbul is a really neat city. What are you going to be studying? And where? My parents have lived in Turkey for over a decade (5 years in Istanbul), so I have visited several times. I've never had to make my way around without a guide (typically my mom), though. It would be helpful to have someone show you around at first, I think. It's a large, busy city. I think it took most of the first year for my mom to feel comfortable navigating the city by bus, ferry, and foot. Definitely take a ferry ride down the Bosporus. That is the sort of thing that someone with more local experience could help you with, since you don't want an actual "tour," just one of the regular ferries. My Mom took care of all the logistics for us (she knew where to get the ferry she wanted, where it would go, which stops were worth getting out at (there's one stop with fantastic fresh yoghurt), buying tickets, etc.). I have no idea, really, about the actual details, but it's a great experience. Also, we went to the typical touristy spots and the Hagia Sofia, the cistern, and mosques are all really interesting places to visit. As I'm sure you know, there's a lot of history. It's unlike anything you'll see here in the US.</p>

<p>hey I am a senior this year in hs and went to Turkey last year on exchange for the year. </p>

<p>I was in Izmir which is probably around 9 hours from Istanbul by bus, although I went to Istanbul often throughout the year.<br>
Some things you should know:
Don't get into conversations about the Armenian genocide, they are sensitive about this issue and tend to get angry if you sympathize with Armenians
Don't disrespect Ataturk in conversation or otherwise (they are very patriotic and proud of their Republic)
DOOOOO go to Taksim (its party central in Istanbul on the European side)
Do go to Izmir and the mediterranean cities at least once, its beautiful there
Do eat doner kebab sandwiches</p>

<p>Remember that the country is rooted in tradition and some things might seem weird and completely alien to you at first. Its better to just accept things as they come and to not have preconceived notions on what you will experience. Exchange years to any country are unpredictable! If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them!</p>

<p>oh and which college are you going to? Istanbul Technical? Galatasaray? Sabanci? I also visited alot of these universities so I can tell you what they're like if you want :)</p>

<p>lol I didn't mean to convey that it IS weird, only that the culture might be a harder transition than say if you decided to go to England. Are you Chinese-American or actually from China? Regardless, if you live in a traditional chinese household in America or if you are from China, you might find some similarities. For example, you abolutely HAVE to take your shoes off when entering someone's house, and you always offer tea to a guest. Also, you will probably stay in an apartment, seeing as the dorms are pretty aweful in Turkey and barely anyone stays in them. If you stay with other students you probably won't have a much culture shock as I did, as young people are extremely modern and more open then say the older generation. Also, if you want to really integrate while you're there you should really work hard at learning the language. I'm not sure about Istanbul, but in Izmir barely anyone knew English so I was really forced to learn the language. It really shows you care and want to learn though if you learn the language regardless if everyone knows English.</p>

<p>Believe me, Turkey will be the best experience you've ever had. Many people aren't aware of Turkey's value. There are so many different cultures.. Especially in Istanbul, you can find every type of person. Istanbul is truly the center of civilization. With its location, history, beauty, I'm sure you'll love it. Of course, living in such an amazing city is going to have some price (I will let you figure that out on your own:). But, by all means, it's worth it... You might decide to spend the rest of your life there..</p>

<p>Just a quick addition to tehlikeli ask's reply: It is a false generalization to say that they get angry when you sympathize with Armenians. It would be more appropriate to say that they will not like it if you accuse them of the genocide. But, I would encourage you bring the topic up in a question style to learn what they have to say (I'm sure, in America, you have not really heard the point of view of a Turk on the issue).</p>

<p>I have heard the point of view of many Turks actually. When I lived there, it was a big issue mainly because so many things happened that sparked a lot of sensitivity. Hrant Dink's death, France threatening to fine people for denying the genocide, etc. I would find it unwise to accuse (as the current generation has no fault) or bringing the conversation up with someone you don't know very well and might offend.</p>

<p>oh sorry didn't know if you were talking to the exchange student or me in your last paragraph.</p>

<p>lol.. yeah I was talking to the exchange student. But no problem. You're definitely right, it would be very unwise to accuse them. What I meant to say was that he should ask, as if he simply wants to learn more about the issue, what happened. Of course, like you said, it kind of depends on the person you are talking to. You don't go up to a random person and ask them. It is important to know the person and know that he/she is knowledgable.
Tehlikeli Ask (Dangerous Love?? :) are you turkish??</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone who replied. I will be studying International Relations at Marmara University. I haven't learned much more than 4 phrases, but I will be taking Turkish when I get there. Could you tell me a little about the university? Also, I was told from visitors who have gone to Turkey that I should strive to dress conservative and anywhere outside Istanbul I should cover my head. Then I was told by Turkish exchange students that it doesn't matter what i wear in Istanbul. I plan on just being conservative until I can get a better feel for the vibe, what do you think? Also, I am african-american and am a little curious about race relations...seeing as race is a big deal here. I'm leaving in Jan and super excited to go. What words should I learn before I take off?</p>

<p>Marmara University is one of the best universities in the country. Its known for Economics I'm pretty sure. Oh and I knew only aroung two phrases before I went and I was fluent in around 6 months, you'll be fine. </p>

<p>Also, whoever told you that you should wear a headscarf anywhere outside of Istanbul is soooo incorrect its unbelievable. Ataturk, the founder of Turkey, formally banned women from wearing headscarfs in public or government buildings in the 1920's. You will of course see some Muslim women wearing headscarfs, and some even wearing the burka, but you should feel no pressure to wear one. I was in Izmir, where almost no one wore headscarfs. In terms of clothing however, you should probably not wear tiny skirts or midriff baring shirts unless you go clubbing where there's absolutely no rules as to what to wear. Istanbul is definitely a fashionable city though and people put a lot of emphasis on what they wear, more so than Americans. </p>

<p>Also, Turks aren't really used to seeing many african american people so you'll probably get a lot of attention in the beginning, but don't let it bother you. My friend from New York, who was in Istanbul, got some scattered ignorance at first, but it wasn't overwhelming. It wasn't that they were racist, just ill-informed. I'm thinking that university students will probably be more mature than the highschool kids and you won't have a problem racially.</p>

<p>oh and to UniverCity- I'm not Turkish, but know fluent Turkish from the year abroad. haha I was waiting for someone to translate my name. Do you know Turkish too?</p>

<p>Wow, whoever told you that does not have a clue about what's going on. Let alone having to wear headscarf's in Turkey, right now they DON'T</p>

<p>Sorry, my last post was cut off..</p>

<p>So as I was saying, forget having to wear a headscarf, right now people who wear them are outcasts in society. You are not allowed to wear them in schools. So whoever told you that obviously does not know anything. Believe me, Turkey is going to be very different than what you expect right now. Not just Istanbul. It is very western these days. So you don't have to worry at all about your attire. </p>

<p>About the race thing. I had a African American friend who went to Turkey and experienced some unpleasant situations, such as accusations from cops. BUT, I would not worry to much about it, because that was many years ago and people in Turkey are very used to seeing foreigners because of tourism. As tehlikeli ask said, I do not believe you will experience anything like that in the environment you are going to be in. </p>

<p>Tehlikeli ask: Yeah I also speak a little bit of Turkish. It grabbed my attention when I saw your name. You don't see too many people on cc that speak Turkish. degil mi? :)</p>

<p>haklisin, kimse Amerika'da Turkce konusmuyor. Yazik bize :(! Turkce kaybettim cok cunku hergun konusmuyorum artik. haha Turkler yok Maine'de maalesef.</p>

<p>oh yeah and also in response to your saying that headscarved women were outcasts, its true amongst a lot of modern Turks. I met many people who were offended by women who wore it and were outraged when foreigners assumed that it was required to wear one in Turkey.</p>

<p>:) evet. bende oyle. gun gectikce turkceyi unuttigumu hissediyorum. bazen turklerle karsilasiyorum, konusurken zorlaniyorum. turkiye'ye gitmeyi cok istiyorum, unutmamak icin.</p>

<p>nereden Turkce ogrendin sen? Masallah Turkce guzel konusuyorsun. Ben Nisanda gibi Turkiye'ye giderim ve "host" ailemle kalirim. Hic Turk yok sehirimde o zaman ben hic gorusmuyorum ve konusuyorum Turklerle. Turk ailemi bazen ariyorum ve Turkce konusmasini bana da zor geliyor. Hic mi Turkiye'ye gittin sen? Ben hic ogrenemedim Amerika'da Turkiye'ye gitmeden. Gitcek misin Universitide?</p>

<p>tesekkur ederim. Biz eskiden her yaz turkiyeye giderdik tatil icin. ogrendim ben biraz turkce o zaman. cunku, kolay oluyor kucuk olunca. ama artik, her yaz gitmiyoruz. ama galiba, artik usa'de turk daha fazla var, ve buyuyor. Universite'de tatil icin gitmek istiyor. sen?</p>

<p>Ben Arapca'yi universitide ogrenmek istiyorum. Ben bi cevap icin bekliyorum Georgetown'dan suanda ve gercekten cok heyecanliyim. Beni kabul etti umarim. Orada Arapca ve Uluslararasi Iliskileri okumak istiyorum ve ondan sonra galiba Misir'a giderim exchange icin. Universitide misin? ya da tercih ediyor musun bu sene?</p>

<p>cok guzel. ingilizce, turkce, ve arapca bilmek cok isine yarar uluslar arasi iliskilerde. ben lise'de seniorim. Birsey sorucam. Niye fransizca ogrenip avrupa gitmek yerine, arapca ogrenip misir'a gitmek istiyorsun. ilgimi cekti, o yuzden soruyorum.</p>