Turkish Muse

Scenes from a wedding (reception)

Last night Jeff and I went to the wedding reception of a dear friend on the Galata bridge, one of my favorite places in Istanbul to admire the view of Sultanahmet. We had a grand time, stayed out too late (we actually went to a July 4th party after the wedding reception), and drank and ate too much. So, in order to get back to my Sunday afternoon laziness post haste, I am merely posting photos here of Sonja and Ozan's lovely wedding reception for your enjoyment....Enjoy!

 

 

Ask the Expat: Online forums for expats?

Charlotte has an excellent question for Ask the Expat. Here's her query:

Hi, First I want to give you creds for a fab blog! Luckily I found it when I was looking for "info about Istanbul". I’m heading out to Istanbul in two months to study Turkish! Why I chose to study Turkish of all languages out there is rather short story. “I think it will be exciting” also more of a culture difference for me as I come from Sweden. I have lived abroad (in English speaking countries +CZ) earlier, but never in an Islamic country. It fascinates me, but also scares me a bit, as I am going there on my own.  I wonder if you know any contact forum online –where you can look for flatmates and events etc ? I usually find first week or two in a new country quite confusing as of all the newness! I read about your latest post about safety, which was good.. The agent who helped me to apply for my language course here in Sweden told me I should not walk alone. This is impossible, as again -Im going on my own. So reading that you are able to walk alone was reassuring! : )

Not to worry, Charlotte, of course you can walk around on your own! Now, there are a bunch of online forums for expats in Turkey, some great, some good and some downright bad. Here's a list of all the ones I know of. If you know of any others, feel free to list them in the comments!

International Women of Istanbul: As its name implies, this is a group for foreign women living in Istanbul. The only requirement for membership is that you or your spouse holds a foreign passport. The membership fee is 80 TL which includes a subscription to the organization's magazine and admission to a variety of events such as lunches, walking tours, potlucks or day trips.

Sublime Portal: This is a community information website for expats living in Turkey. To use it, you must register by creating a user name and password. After you do that, you have to post a brief introduction about yourself to the website's "New Member Introductions" page before you can post to the site's various discussion boards. There are boards for employment, buying and selling stuff, finding apartments, kids and families, among many others. The organizers also host networking events, the next of which is on July 25 at Rumeli Hisari.

Craigslist: Like its international counterparts, this site lists apartments, jobs, roommates wanted/needed and a whole variety of services. Unfortunately, the Istanbul version of Craigslist is not nearly half as good as most American city versions. The site is mostly hit or miss; sometimes you'll find great stuff and sometimes you'll come up short.

Internations: Internations is a global community of expats in different cities, Istanbul being one of them. The group is free to join, but you must be invited by a member. (If you want to join, send me an email; I'm happy to invite you.) There is some information about life in Istanbul on the group's website, but the main perk for joining is its monthly networking events at posh bars and hotels in and around Taksim.

MyMerhaba: Remember in the beginning when I said that some sites are great, some good, some downright bad? Well, this is one of the latter. MyMerhaba is a great idea that is badly executed. It is poorly written and some of its information is out of date or just plain wrong. That said, I would be remiss in not including it here because it is probably the single most widely known web site for expats. Sigh. The site lists events going on in Istanbul and other cities and posts interviews with other expats.

What are some other online forums that you frequent? Are there any other websites for expats that we should know about?

Have a question for Ask the Expat? Send an email to barbara@turkishmuse.com or leave a comment below!

Finder's fee

It's summertime in Istanbul and that means many things for a lot of people: sipping tea by the seaside, long walks by the Bosphorous, late nights at an outdoor meyhane, moving house.

Summer is prime moving season, so I find it appropriate that I am moved more now than ever to write about the messed up real estate situation in this country.

I'm sorry; I really do try to be positive about the differences I come across in Turkey, but sometimes...sometimes...I just...can't....help....it.

In this case, my topic is about emlakçıs, or real estate agents.

Ugh. I shudder at the thought.

In most places real estate agents perform a somewhat valuable service for sellers and buyers of property. They fill out all the paperwork, saving you the time of learning how to figure out property law, and make things a heck of a lot easier. Of course, most times you pay a pretty penny for their services.

In Turkey, a renter pays quite the fee to a real estate agent for booking an apartment: one month's rent to be exact. For doing nothing more than holding a key and opening the door for you, the renter is expected to pony up what is, essentially, the finder's fee.

Let me show you how this might work. Let's say you're walking around the neighborhood in which you would like to live. This is how many people looking for apartments find one: by walking around and scoping out signs that look like this:

You see the sign, the apartment is on a nice street, so you call the number for the emlak (real estate company). The agent tells you it's a one-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen, 80 metres squared, for 1300 TL a month. Okay, you think, let's see it.

The real estate agent comes over in five minutes, unlocks the door and lets you in. Here's the kitchen, the agent says, and here's the salon. The washing machine goes here, he points out.

You like the apartment. You ask what is required to rent it. The first month's rent and a security deposit, the agent tells you. If the rent is 1300 TL, that's 2600 TL.

Ah, but you're forgetting something: the real estate agent fee, which will be another 1300 TL. So now you're shelling out 3900 TL to rent the apartment.

Does this make sense to you? Because it doesn't make sense to me.

In the US, if you hire a real estate agent, you work with that one agent to show you dozens of properties. You pay this agent a fee when you finally decide to buy property. (Most people in the US don't work with real estate agents to rent property). In Turkey, you might work with eight agents, all of whom show you one single property that you are interested in.

On principle, I can see paying a real estate agent who has shown me 12 apartments, but I can't see paying the one agent who happened to show me the one apartment I ended up taking. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Well, what does the landlord pay, you ask? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. See, the real estate agent isn't working for the landlord; in this system, he's working for you.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Is this how the system works everywhere else in the world? Is America the anomoly here?

Ask the Expat: Visas, university, pets and more!

Katherine is moving to Turkey and has several questions for Ask the Expat:

I have a couple of questions about moving to Istanbul. I just got back from a short visit there and fell in love with the people and all of Turkey. I noticed on your blog that you mentioned something about a residential visa. I am trying to find out how to get one and I am having some problems with that (I assume you are from the states and might know the process that I need to go through to obtain one).  I am also looking into attending University in Istanbul and I wondered if you have any hints about enrollment etc. My next question is in regards to pets. I have a dog that I would want to take with me but I am sure there are several obstacles to overcome before I could make that happen. If you know of anyplace where I can find information or advice about bringing pets to Turkey please let me know. Finally, my hope is to move to Turkey in October of this year. I was hoping you could give me a realistic time frame for getting all of the necessary paperwork etc. done. I am also hoping that we could stay in touch via email, because I am sure that I will run into many obstacles that I could use your advice on.

Whew, Katherine! That's a lot of questions! Let me see how I can help.

Regarding your visa: My personal experience with visas and permits in Turkey, I think, is different from most people's. I have what is called a "family unification" visa and residence permit that allows me to live in Turkey for one year (renewable every year.) I got my visa and permit through Jeff, who has a work permit and residence visa because he works for a Turkish university.

If you have found a job in Turkey, your employer will provide you with the necessary paperwork for you to go to the Turkish embassy or consulate nearest you in the US and apply for a one-year work and residence visa.

If you do not have an employer (or you have one who is too stingy to spring for the work visa), you will need to buy a 3-month tourist visa upon your arrival at the Istanbul airport. Every three months, you then need to leave the country (called a "visa run") so that you can re-enter with another 3-month visa. Quite a few expats do this.

Regarding university: Sorry, I don't have any tips on enrolling in a Turkish university as I have never done so.

Regarding bringing your dog to Turkey: YAY! I am so glad that you will be bringing your pet to Turkey. The absolute first thing that you should do is make an appointment with your vet. Talk to your vet about your moving plans. He or she should be able to get you all the USDA and EU forms that you need to fill out. If your vet can't do that for you, find the Veterinary Services Area Office nearest you. That office should help you navigate the paperwork you have to fill out.

Although not yet a member of the EU, Turkey has adopted EU legislation for the import of live animals.The EU has set out its rules and regulations for the movement of live animals here. You can download the necessary paperwork and fact sheets from there.

Your dog will need to have all of its shots and vaccinations updated and have a microchip inserted into its neck for tracking and location purposes should the dog get lost. (I should point out here that in Turkey it won't make a damn bit of difference if your dog has a microchip or not since most people won't think to scan for one. A collar and tag will work just fine here.)

As for getting all of your stuff done by October, you have plenty of time since you started so early. Check out my list of what to do before moving so that you don't miss anything.

What do you think? Do you have any other advice for Katherine?

Have a question for Ask the Expat? Send an email to barbara@turkishmuse.com or leave a comment below.

When a man is, indeed, an island

Have you seen Issiz Adam yet?

No? Oooh, you are missing out. Go out right now and get this movie. Download it, pay 5 TL for it at your local movie shop or splurge and get the whole dang thing at Mephisto.

This movie is good. I mean, really good. At times surprisingly funny, at others achingly sad, with superb acting, Issiz Adam is likely the story of hundreds, maybe thousands, of Istanbullu men and women living amidst throngs of people and yet so utterly alone.

I love it.

What other amazing Turkish films have I missed? This movie is, I am embarrassed to admit, my first foray into Turkish film. What do I suggest I continue with? Who are the current great directors and actors?

Happy Hour(s)

Summer has finally arrived in Istanbul and it has gotten HOT here. Walking among the crowds in Taksim is enough to make me break out in a sweat just thinking about it, but it's a price I'm willing to pay to hang out at what is currently one of my favorite bars in the city.

When Jeff and I go out for drinks, we have an unspoken rule that governs our choice of venue: Beer has got to be less than 5 TL. And by beer, I mean Efes.

I mean, seriously, when Efes is your only choice of beer, and it's not even great beer, why pay more than 5 TL for it if you're planning to sit around for a few hours, chat with some friends and drink? I'll pay more for a drink if there is a view involved, but that's another post for another day.

One of my favorite places to spend a few hours after work or on a Saturday afternoon is Bab-i Ali, a bar just off Istiklal Caddesi where you can sit outside and watch the world go by.

To get there from Taksim Square, turn right at the corner with the United Colors of Benetton store. Walk past all the touts trying to entice you into their restaurants with calls of "Hello? Yes, please. Do you eat?"

About halfway down the street you will see Bab-i Ali on your left.

And hey! There's Jeff and our friend Ahmet now!

(Looks like Jeff has had a few already!)

My favorite thing about Bab-i Ali, I'll be honest, are the prices. You can get an otuzluk (30 ml of Efes) for 2 TL, an ellilik (50 cl) for 3 TL, and a yetmislik (70 ml) for 3 TL. Prices don't get any better than that for beer in this town.

How can the prices be so low, you ask? Isn't the beer watered down? No, and do you know how I know that? Because after two elliliks I'm drunk, that's how.

What really baffles me is that all along the street, bars sell beer for a lira or two more for the same size beer! I don't get it. Why spend 4 or 5 TL for 50 ml of beer when you can spend 3 next door? It's something I don't think I'll ever understand.

The great thing about sitting outside on the street is the entertainment that passes by. There's live accordion music....

And fresh popcorn.....

And simit, if you so desire....

But the best part is the laughs....

What about you? Where do you like to go have a beer outside now that the weather is warm?

Bab-i Ali Bar
Sehit Muhtar Mah. Mis Sok No 15 Beyoglu
0212 249 37 84
www.babialicafe.com

Ask the Expat: Is Istanbul safe for women?

Margaret has a good question for Ask the Expat. Here's her email:

Hi--I've been offered what I think is a good English teaching job in Istanbul. Biggest concern I guess is safety (I'm a 56 y.o. female). I was also offered a job in Mexico City and that scares me even more. Do you feel safe there and do you think I would be able to find a place on my own to live? I read what you said about housing and it was very helpful. I would enjoy an apartment alone if possible. Your website was great to find. Thank you! Margaret

Margaret, this is an excellent question and one that is asked often, especially among women.

Here's what the Overseas Security Advisory Council's March 2009 report on Istanbul says:

"Istanbul's overall crime rate remains lower than that of other cities of a comparable size. While the majority of crime is non-violent in nature, both the level of crime and aggressiveness of criminals remains a concern.  Criminal incidents tend to be concentrated in areas frequented by tourists such as Taksim Square, Istiklal Caddesi, Sultanahmet, and the Grand Bazaar. 

Traffic and the threat of accidents provide a daily challenge for anyone living or visiting Istanbul. Drivers are aggressive and frequently ignore basic traffic regulations by driving through red lights and stop signs, or turning left from the far right lane. Pedestrians do not have the right of way and extreme caution should be exercised when crossing streets.

Indigenous and international terrorist groups operate in Turkey, including in the Istanbul area.  The detonation of "sound bombs" by indigenous terrorist groups is a common occurrence throughout Turkey.  The majority of indigenous terror groups, with the exception of DHKP/C, do not target Americans. The November 2003 Istanbulbombings (two synagogues, British Consulate, and HSBC building) demonstrated the threat from transnational terrorism exists.

In July 2008, the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was attacked.  Three police officers were killed and two were wounded. One of the three terrorist killed had previously visited Afghanistan but no direct link has yet been made to any terrorist group.  Whether the threat is from al-Qa’ida affiliated groups or individuals who may have been foreign fighters, the attacks highlight that Western interests are potential targets in Turkey. 

Despite these concerns one can safely visit or reside in Istanbul by using common sense and good judgment." (emphasis mine)

As for what the OSAC says about Mexico City, you can read that here. (Hint: Crime in Mexico City, as you rightly suspected, is higher and more violent than in Istanbul.)

From a personal perspective, I find Istanbul to be quite safe. In the two years I have lived here, I have had no problems. Like most people who live in any big city, I take the normal precautions while walking anywhere in the city, such as being aware of my surroundings at all times; never leaving my purse unattended; carrying my purse close to my body and high under my arm, making it more unlikely that someone can pull it off my shoulder and run away with it; and always telling someone I know (like Jeff or a close friend) when I am walking anywhere late at night. I also make absolutely sure to deadbolt the door to my apartment every night.

Of course, I have heard horror stories, as you do. I have heard of about half a dozen foreigners whose apartments have been broken into while they were sleeping. Sometimes the perpetrator came in through an open window near the ground floor; in one instance, the burglar came right in through the apartment door. Quite how he managed to do that, I don't know. (Most doors here are made of steel.) In every instance I have ever heard of, no one was hurt but belongings were stolen, mostly electronics like computers, cameras and phones.

Of course, when you are in touristy areas such as Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar, Istiklal Caddesi and Taksim in general, pickpockets are rife and they prey on non-Turks. They make no distinction between travellers and foreigners who live here, so keep an eye on your pockets and your purse.

As for the more serious type of crime, let me say this: Turks are a very gentle people, especially towards women. Most of the time when you hear of people running into trouble, it's because they were involved with the wrong crowd of people. Here, it's usually the people who make trouble who end up finding it.

When I lived in Philadelphia for four years, there were several times when I was afraid. There were times I'd be walking in North Philly at night -- not late, mind you, but it was dark -- or in a sketchy section of South Philly and I would actually be afraid of getting shot, or abducted, or raped in a dark alley somewhere. I have NEVER worried about that in Istanbul.

Crime does happen, yes, but by taking the normal precautions, you can live safely and comfortably.

And, yes, you can live alone. Depending on where you are working, you may want to check out the neighborhoods of Cihangir, Nisantasi, Bebek, Harbiye, or Kadikoy.

What do you think? How do you stay safe in a big city?

Have a question for Ask the Expat? Send an email to barbara@turkishmuse.com or leave a comment below.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, and especially to mine: I love you to pieces, Dad, today and everyday.

To see more pictures from Slate's amazing Father's Day photography tribute, click here.

Graffiti museum

A couple of days ago I read an article in, of all places, the New York Times about a derelict building turned museum for spray paint artists in Beyoglu. Apparently, the municipality turned over the old Banker Han building to the artists and told them to make their art there instead of, say, on the side of a real bank in Taksim.

Despite the fact that I did as the article said and phoned the crew to make sure the building was open, it in fact was not when Jeff and I showed up today. Jeff couldn't have cared less, I don't think, but I was a bit disappointed.

I didn't get to see the inside, but I'm sure it would have been cool. I really think it's a great idea for the municipality to give these artists a sanctioned space in which to do their thing. (And how progressive for Turkey too!)

Hey, you never know: maybe Istanbul could become the next Philadelphia.

Packing for a trip

Ever since I found out about the website One Bag I made a promise to myself that I would try out author Doug Dyment's idea that you can pack everything you need for a trip, no matter how long, in one carry-on suitcase.

That's right, folks: a single carry-on bag should suffice for whatever kind of trip you are taking.

Since then, I've read articles about how to fold your clothes -- roll them or stack them? -- and all the different products you can buy to "organize" your clothes and toiletries and shoes once they're in your suitcase. Personally, I don't buy into that stuff. I tend to throw stuff in, folded, of course, then shut the top and away I go.

When I travel, I tend to use my carry-on size bag for trips of less than one week, but I do tend to check it in at the airport. It's just easier. And, yes, I know, every time I do that, I up my chances that some idiot is going to misplace it or, worse, steal something from it.

My problem has never been that I pack too much stuff. My problem is that I pack too much of the wrong stuff.

So for our recent four-day trip to Izmir I decided to try out the One Bag approach. I downloaded the One Bag packing checklist, a guide to what you should -- and only what you should -- be bringing with you, and I drafted this list of what to bring with me to Izmir:

2 skirts
1 pair pants
1 dress
4 t-shirts
Underclothes
1 pair sandals
Toiletry bag (This one was easy. Since I go to the gym most mornings, I just threw in the same toiletry bag I schlep back and forth from home to gym to work and back again.)
Pajamas
Sunblock
Swimsuit
Camera
Camera/laptop cord
Extra batteries for camera
Laptop
Laptop cord and charger
Cell phone and charger
Purse (with wallet and camera inside)
Passport and residence permit
Glasses with suntint

Before I actually packed the suitcase, I set about to collect all the things I wanted to put in it.

But wait ... What's that? Is that Phoenix sleeping on my suitcase?

Once I ousted him off, I laid out all my stuff on the table next to the suitcase so I could make sure I had everything.

Then I threw in the toiletries, which I have read you're supposed to put in the middle:

Then came the clothes on either side:

Then I threw in the chargers:

And I was done!

Somehow, though, I don't think I did something right here. Is that all it takes? Granted, this little experiment was easy. It is summer, after all, which means the clothes I packed are much lighter and it was only a 4-day trip.

How do you pack for a trip? Do you throw everything in the suitcase the morning of your flight? Or plan out your outfits in advance? And how do you pack it? Do you pack differently for a car trip as opposed to a plane trip?

Leave your comments below!