BootsnAll Travel Community

So I was just offered a year long position in Turkey but my parents are flipping out. You know--sending me all the bulletins of the terrorist attacks. On top of that, I`m a 24 year old blonde. Am I just asking for trouble?

Well, it depends.
Where is the position?

If you have a squiz at the thread just below on "Is it safe or are we crazy" Turkey probably rates as a kindergarten in most peoples minds relative to some other middleeastern countries reviewed in that thread.
There have been bombings in Turkey and with their interest in the region (including northern Iraq) that the Kurds would like to form as their homeland, there being many Kurds in the southeast of Turkey too, there could in coming years be further unrest.
But that said, it's more of a democracy than some of the other countries all be it with an Islamic party government at moment without for now sharia or Islam law ruling.
On top of that re your personal situation, seeing as you'll have a job it is likely that your employers and fellow employees will be doing what is necessary to make you fit in, be comfortable and safe and lots of European people holiday in Turkey so probably no need to dye the hair but be aware as you would in any city of taking precautions in going out - one of the posts in the thread below refers to a near rape in a Beirut nightclub and sure, some middle eastern men as westerners do also may have an attitude that a western woman or women out alone is tantamount to an invitation - I know of similar occurrence in Turkey over twenty years ago, and be it Muslim beliefs on women or not it seems as tho it is something to keep in mind.

It's pretty safe. The women there generally dress more modestly than most Western women, but they expose some skin too and they're quite stylish. They seem to be really understanding towards foreigners.

They're also really nice (outside of the Sultanamhet, where you're like a walking-corpse for the vultures to feed on). Very hospitable, friendly people. They'll try to chat with you even if there's no common language, and they're very polite. They'll invite you to tea a lot. At first I was suspicious of the tea invites, because the creeps in the tourist areas were freaking me out. But there would be times when I would be sitting somewhere, obviously not in the mood to talk to anyone, or lost in some area where people didn't speak English, and someone send a little cup and saucer of apple tea my way with their compliments.

I've heard things are pretty tame with the Kurds right now (but not sure). Doesn't seem to be so much terrorist stuff going on.

Terrorism-wise I think Turkey is on par with Spain - there are bombings on a small scale, but most tourists don't seem to be put off by it. And the Turkish government really seems to be working on safety, you have to go through a metal detector at every big tourist site (Hagia Sofia, Topkapi palace, etc.) and before you're even allowed to enter Istanbul airport. I've only been to Istanbul, but I assume the same is true for other places that are possible targets.

I wasn't harassed nearly as much in Istanbul as I was in Tunisia. Men will adress you on the street, but if you ignore them they won't bother you, and if you have a question they're actually quite helpful. I never felt threatened for a minute.

I land in Istanbul on 3/23 with my three children, so I'll let everyone know.

I wouldn't dream of recklessly bringing my kids anywhere dangerous. I think of it as similar to surfing the web: I'm concerned and watchful because there are places that should be avoided, but I prefer conveying the message that the world is an interesting place. Of course we'll be careful; but there are rational concerns, and there are irrational ones.

Sputnik, I was going to quote you, but it seems the part I was going to quote is actually your sig. Even better.

Would you talk to my parents for me?? You've said so succintly in one phrase what I've been trying to get across for the better part of a year - life isn't worth living if you're going to spend it in fear. I could get hit while crossing the street probably as likely as getting kidnapped in Turkey (or in my case, Syria and Jordan as well).

Well said, my friend.

Yes. It is as safe as most places in Europe. Be careful, be sane, it's safe.

Don't go looking for prostitutes in the Russian district in Istanbul. But then, who really does that?

The main crimes there are that of con games, and there are plenty of those.

Violence? Not much at all.

Many tourist bars in Istanbul can write up exorbitant bills and force you to pay them. So, bring very little money and pay attention to how much everything costs. Or you can avoid the tourist bars. Thats a normal risk for many foriegn cities.

If you have a cute girlfriend, guard her very carefully. Many Turkish men that work in tourism don't seem to understand the distinction between Free girl and Girl with Boyfriend, and can be quite rude about it. A little tact and firmness goes a long way.

Wanderer,
Why not introduce your parents to BootsnAll, and you could have them wandering off here and there and so busy planning for their next destination, there'll be far less time for them to dwell on your safety if they see any reason at all to that still.

Ah Tortuga,
Just in case you hadn't noticed Alyssabeth is a cutie herself it would seem.

Sigh. I wish, gonorth.
My mom might take an interest in it, but my dad has very little desire to travel.
yeah, I'll mention it to them. might make mom just more naggy, "why can't we go somewhere? you never want to go anywhere. I want to travel too"

lol

Oh my, you're a blonde? If you get a wedding ring, it'll deflect a lot of attention.

If you like attention from Turkish men, and can flirt from a position of confidence and strength, you'll get an inside view of Istanbul that an un-handsome male will never have.

Just be very careful to ALWAYS separate romance and money, no matter how much trust you think is involved. Are you going to Istanbul? If so, make that a double imperative. From what my friend, who dates a Turkish man, says, friendship is not a good guarantee of good business practices. I have seen Many examples of this.
Heck, that even holds with a Turk on Turk transaction.

If you keep money out of it from the start, your relationship will not degrade, and thats a good thing.

Thank you for all your words of advice. I feel much more comfortable about going to Turkey and just bought my ticket to Istanbul yesterday. From there I`ll be going to Izmit. A few months later I will move to Ankara. Do you know anything about these cities? I hear that Ankara is boring. Is that true?

And I`ll definitely take you up on your wedding ring idea. I don`t enjoy getting extra attention.

I'd think Alyssabeth that having the opportunity to immerse yourself in a land with great ancient history that you'll be able to find all manner of interesting things to keep you occupied including explanations for why that husband of yours is not visiting! and Ankara was on the old Asian caravan route.
I think www.allaboutturkey.com will be a good starter site for you.

Ankara is indeed boring, but you are an easy bus ride from Goreme which is more fun.
Plus, there are decent flights on THY to anywhere via Ankara.

Izmit is industrial yuck.

I like Izmit but then again I like everywhere in Turkey.

Ankara isn't boring. Get with some locals and have them take you to anarchist cafes in Kizilay. Get someone to take you to a sunnet...better if their are Kurdish or Laz people.

The city you are in doesn't matter. If you find good people then you'll be okay.

Explore around Ulus..it's neat there in the winter..lots of hills, densely packed neighborhoods and smiles.

Great, thanks for the advice. Now I have a question that`s off the main topic--what should I bring that I can`t get in Turkey? Do I need to bring a outlet converter (I really don`t know the technical name for it, ha) since Im coming from the States? Should I buy all of my clothes in the States too? What will I miss terribly and wish I had brought with me?

What I would bring along that I know one cannot easily find there:

Balsamic vinegar, peanut butter, cured bacon and ham.
Earplugs. Paperback books to trade.

I actually had something with ham in it in a cafe in Istanbul! I didn't realise how unusual that was when I ordered it, it only hit me later.

Unless you intend toi take your washing machine, dryer and refrigerator you should not need a voltage/cycles convertor and if you check any portable stuff you're taking it should have a lable either on the unit or on the power unit attached to the power lead that will show input voltage as 100 - 240V which means it is good for international use and so all you will need is an outlet adaptor.
www.kropla.com wprld power plugs will show you what the Turkish power outlets are, but see if you can buy a universal one which will be good for future travel.

If you do want something large and comfortable to take I'd try and find out what the toilet situation will be, and if need be take a toilet bowl, plenty of toilet paper or study up on "to squat, or not to squat...." in BootsnAll members forum, do some practice and look out for crutchless clobber!
We're all terribly excited for you and will await with anticipation future real time installments to that thread