Yesterday I got back to Istanbul, and stepping out of the airport in my snazzy ski jacket I immediately broke into a sweat when the 14 degree Celsius air hit me like a wall. It is unseasonably warm, but not warm enough to wear only a denim jacket at night. I found that out the hard way. Apparently I really struggle with choosing appropriate outerwear.
So I was reading this article (read it!) on the TimeOut Istanbul website about how to truly integrate as an expat. For obvious reasons the title "Expat transition tips" attracted my attention, because I am "transitioning" and I am (kinda, not really) an expat. I got a little downhearted when I realized that according to this magazine, I am nowhere near being an integrated expat.
Since the article presents transition tips in list form (yay!), I will follow the same format in describing why I am failing at my goal.
1. Befriend a local Manav, Tekel, and Eczane.
Wait, who are Manav, Tekel, and Eczane? Ohhh I get it, Eczane means pharmacy. So they want me to befriend local shopkeepers so I can make friends in the area, support local business, and practice Turkish. While I do go to local shops and I've been to a pharmacy a couple of times, I am nowhere near being buddies with any of the shopkeepers. From what I can tell, at least in my neighborhood, the staffs at these places are big enough so that I don't run into the same people regularly. There is one exception I can think of, and that's the Hisar bakery where I buy my bread, and they're just straight-up unfriendly and far too busy to care about being my friend.
2. Jump off the fence and pick a team.
I haven't even been to a soccer (football, what have you) match yet. Oops.
3. Learn Backgammon in a makeshift teagarden.
I know how to play, but I always forget how to set up the board, and I avoid playing against Turks because I hate to lose. However, I do know that the Turkish word for backgammon is Tavla.
4. Leave food out for the street cats.
Why would I do this when the stray cats on campus are notorious for taking food out of your hands? They have eaten enough of everyone else's sandwiches to survive off of their own fat stores for a year. I have the scratches to prove it, too.
5. Slow it down to a snail's pace.
I am a fast walker, even by American standards. People tell me that it's because I'm tall, but I think it's because I'm from a cold climate and I have a hurry-your-ass-up instinct to get where I'm going as fast as I can so I can get out of the cold. I really doubt that I will ever stop habitually passing people on the sidewalks of Turkey.
6. Go public with a loud lovers tiff.
Not my style, thanks. First of all, I prefer passive aggression to straight-up confrontation. In fact, I avoid confrontation as much as I can. In public? Forget about it. Oh yeah, and I don't have a lover. So there's that element, too.
7. Make out passionately in a cafe.
See above.
8. Join a protest.
The one time I encountered riot police, I was innocently walking with my friend Alison to a bus stop. We both saw them marching towards us and we ran the other way. Like I said, I'm non-confrontational.
9. Drink Efes.
Ok, you got me. I do drink Efes.
10. Get up close and personal.
I guess I can work on it, but I don't really feel the need to ask people how much they weigh, what they make, and how old they are. Maybe I will start. Next time the crew coach Batuhan asks me how much I weigh, I'm going to turn the question around on him. Apparently he used to be a lightweight!
So needless to say, I have a lot to work on before I am a properly integrated expat. I wonder how many of these I can accomplish in the next four months...
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