In one of my classes we spoke about culture shock; it’s a topic in our textbooks and kind of hard for 16 year olds – but they/we produced some lovely results.
Hi mister Sankofi. When you come to Turkey you should think about the following things.
- When you meet a friend or a family member it is common to kiss them.
- Don’t look people straight into the eyes.
- “Raki” is our traditional drink. Before you drink you should toast and say “Şerefe”. It means cheers in Turkish.
- If you see a line and you are big enough, you can cut it otherwise it will never be your turn.
- Make sure you are a fan of the right football team. Football is a good communication topic.
- Although in Turkey has an Islamic majority, it is a very open and modern country.
- Especially in Istanbul there is so much traffic. You should leave early, if you need to drive somewhere or if you need to go somewhere by car or bus.
- Try to be on time. Despite the traffic.
- The people in Turkey are generally very friendly, but if you don’t smile at them they can get unhappy.
- Expect the noise level to be very high.
If you follow these points and stay open minded you can survive. No no, you cannot only survive but you’ll have a great time in Turkey.