When I came to Turkey in September, I met completely different world. Before I decided to choose Mersin, I had read many books and articles about this country. I was really fascinated with the exotism of the Mediterranean area because among many Polish people it’s associated with some kind of paradise. I was especially interested with Turkish customs and rules to not offend anybody because of cultural differences. That’s why I thought that I will not experience any cultural shock. I was aware of the fact that my life here will be different from this in Poland. But now I know that reading a book is not the same as living here. The things that surprised me the most in Turkey were: climate, cuisine, customs and general friendliness even if I had read about them before.
The phenomenon with which I would like to start is the hot weather. It was unforgettable experience when the first gust of wind at the airport in Istanbul blew a heat in my face. In Mersin it was even hotter. I was crazy about it in spite of the fact that sometimes high temperature was a little bit nagging and one of my friends was even sick because of this. During the summer the highest temperature in Poland is about 30’C and when we have 25’C we are really happy thus Turkish climate is like a paradise. All this term was a summer for me and everyone in my country was jealous because of the weather. Even a week ago I was swimming in a sea while people were wearing long sleeves and sometimes even jackets because it was the end of November. Undoubtedly, Turkey is a really exotic country and in Poland we can only dream about palm-trees and so many sunny days.
The second surprising thing for me was Turkish cuisine. Especially kebabs which are very popular in Poland. Now I know that they are not kebabs at all! “Polish kebab” is a lamb or chicken meat with vegetables rolled in a thin kind of bread. When we have ordered Adana Kebab in Mersin we were pretty surprised with our meal. Furthermore, cuisine here is extremely spicy and at the beginning we had problems with our stomachs so I could eat only bread with yoghurt. I was shocked when I saw a man who was eating little peppers like chips without any strange grimace on his face. Now, I’m the greatest fan of Turkish cuisine. I love lahmacun, iskender, kebab and tantuni. I like also Turkish sweets which are much sweeter than those in Poland. My favorite is künefe. I wish I had this dessert in Poland. In fact, everything tastes here differently: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and of course oranges. In Mersin it was my first time when I could drink a fresh juice in a vitamin bar. I’ve learnt how to eat and drink with real pleasure so in this matter I’m like a Turkish woman.
In addition to climate and cuisine, Turkish customs create another area which can surprise a foreigner. For example the way of greeting with hugging and kissing was very unusual for me, especially among the men. Another custom which was a little bit strange is pouring cologne water into hands in restaurants, during holiday’s time and in many other occasions. Also when we were leaving our friend’s house in Gaziantep, her mother was pouring water from the window. The last surprising thing I have met in Turkey takes place in all kinds of restaurants. In Poland it is very rude to snatch plates immediately after meal when others around the table are still eating. Here the rule is opposite and the waiter takes plates so fast that sometimes I can’t notice if I have really finished my meal or not. I think that Polish man who doesn’t know this Turkish custom could be even angry at the beginning. As we can see each country is unique and sometimes it’s funny to enter completely different culture.
Finally, one of the biggest Turkish strengths is its friendliness. As hot as the weather, are hearts of people living here. In Poland we have only 3 months of summer and the rest of the year is cloudy and depressive. The same is with people. They are becoming sad together with falling leaves during the autumn. They are often reserved and withdrawn. That’s why I was very surprised when I could see so many smiling faces. In Turkey I have met a lot of cheerful people. Even a man at grocer’s shop has always smile on his face. After two weeks of living here, one of our new friends invited us to her hometown for holidays. It was really nice and I was moved because everybody treated us as members of family. Even her mother was calling me her “helpful daughter” and now we are changing e-mails from time to time. I didn’t expect that I will find so kind people who always look on the bright side of life
In conclusion, I can easily say that living in a different country is difficult at the beginning, especially for a young and inexperienced human being. There are always many surprising things, because every country is unique. I had also sad moments and I was afraid that I made a mistake in coming here and that I will never be a part of this society. But now, when my adventure is drawing to an end, I know that I will miss “my Turkey”. I celebrated its festivals and holidays, I have met many friends here and I come to love all these small lovely buses with people who are giving money for a ticket through the others. Maybe I can even venture to say that a part of me is Turkish.
Anna Roszak (Poland)
2008-2009 Fall