A bad toy

 I tend to do most of the shopping for my daughter Sophie’s clothes, shoes, and toys in the US. Diapers and food are pretty much the only things we buy for her locally here in Istanbul. We always return back to Turkey with a lot of extra luggage. I have to admit, I often feel embarrassed when I approach the check-in counter at the airport in the US with all my suitcases and boxes in tow. By the time I finish packing my suitcases at home in the US and get them to the airport, I feel completely exhausted and tell myself “I gotta stop doing this to myself...it’s not worth the stress and trouble”. And when I unpack them here in Turkey, I am terrified trying to figure out where to store all this stuff in our tiny two-bedroom apartment. 

Returning back to Turkey. Unloading cars at the airport in Atlanta. 

We drove two cars to the airport that day. This is just stuff form one car.

One of the reasons I try to buy everything in the US is that the baby gear, clothes and toys are a lot cheaper there than they are in Turkey. All this stuff costs here at least twice as much if not more. I also like to read reviews before buying toys, which is not very common in Turkey. The other reason why I don’t like shopping for toys and clothes in Turkey is that I don’t find the stores for kids here very appealing. Most of the times they are quite small, not well organized, not very clean and have a very dull lighting. Children are not allowed to touch anything at the store. A sales associate literally follows you around the store, reminding your child not to touch anything and straightens items on the shelf immediately after you looked at them. I find it very frustrating and annoying.

        

A toy store at one of the malls in Istanbul

Inside the toy store

There is one store though that I’ve always liked better than the other ones. It’s called “Imaginarium”. Imaginarium is a Spanish toy store with locations throughout Europe. I like their store design, lighting and displays. Their toys also look pretty nice and fun although pretty pricey. It’s the only toy store in Istanbul that makes me want to shop for toys, but I always walk out of there feeling that I overpaid for the toy I just purchased. 

Imaginarium store

                      

Inside one of the Imaginarium stores

Sophie is into phones these days. She loves to pretend calling somebody and chat with her imaginary friends on the other line. A few weeks ago, I stopped by at Imaginarium to check out their sales. I saw a set of two “walkie-talkie” type phones. The box said you can use the phones within the 80m radius and I immediately jumped on it imagining Sophie having tons of fun chatting with her friends on the phone at the next play date in our home. The phone set was on sale with 50% off for only 59TL/$35 and I felt very lucky to have found such a great deal.  

Right after the store I picked up Sophie from Hokus Pokus, her daycare, and rushed home to show her the new toy. We were very disappointed when we unpacked the phones and tried playing with them. The phones are made from a very thin cheap plastic and look very cheap. They only work when both phones are very close to each other. The manual states they work as far as 80m apart from each other, I’d say within 10m at the most. It’s worthless because then you just hear the person talk right next to you. In addition there is a lot of static noise, which makes it difficult to hear the person on the other line. So the toy is not a keeper.

Phone set waiting to be returned

I wasn’t sure whether or not I could return the toy back to Imaginarium, because return policies here are not as flexible as they are in the US. To my surprise, I was able to return the phones without any problems for a store credit valid for the next six months. “Imaginarium” has a 30 day/store credit return policy. Hopefully we can find a fun and good quality toy next time we shop there. 

Lately, I have been questioning my attitude towards shopping in Turkey thinking maybe it's really not worth the trouble importing everything from the US. But when I walked out of Imaginarium after returning the phones, I felt pretty convinced that it actually still makes sense to me to do my shopping in the US. Not only it's cheaper, but for me, it's also a more fun and pleasant experience...and I can rest assured, if there is something wrong with my purchase, I can always return it hassle-free no questions asked. 

Lunch at Ethiopian and a lovely afternoon in Taksim

Taksim Square

Last week I met with one of my closest friends in Istanbul, Joy. We wanted to check out the new Ethiopian restaurant, She-Va, that recently opened in Istanbul. It was a nice warm day and we decided to spend the entire afternoon exploring the Taksim area. Taksim is a famous area on the European side of Istanbul with tons of bars, small shops, art galleries,and restaurants. 
I live on the Asian side of Istanbul. One way for me to get to the European side of Istanbul is to take a seabus. One of the major seabus terminals on the Asian is located near my house and it’s very convenient for me to just hop on the boat and be on the European side in 25 minutes. I actually really enjoy taking the seabus. Not only I beat the crazy Istanbul traffic, but I also get a chance to catch up on my reading while on the boat. 

Bostanci boat terminal on the Asian side of Istanbul

One of the backstreets of Taksim

My friend and I met at the boat terminal on the European side and walked to the restaurant through Taksim. We took our time walking down the Istiklal street, taking pictures, and checking out small shops. As I was taking a picture of my friend on one of the backstreets off the major Istiklal street, which we turned on to to find the restaurant, a Turkish woman approached us and politely warned us to be careful and watch our bags. Although both of us have been in Taksim many times and my friend knows the area very well, we thought the woman had a point and decided to head straight to the restaurant without looking too much like tourists.

When we found the restaurant, we were a little confused, because its entrance didn’t look anything like a restaurant’s entrance. We opened the door and found ourselves on the first floor of a building with no restaurant in sight. The concierge of the building told us the restaurant is on the second floor. We went up and an Ethiopian woman greeted us at the door. The place was empty. We sat down and ordered two things off of the menu that have been my favorites since I discovered Ethiopian cuisine back in Atlanta. We decided to try the Lamb Tibs and Alisha Wog. Our food came 20 minutes later on a large metal Ethiopian tray. It’s been awhile since I had Ethiopian food and was very excited to try it in Istanbul. Overall, both dishes were pretty decent, but we liked the Lamb Tibs better than the Alisha Wog. We finished our lunch, paid the check, which was only 45TL ($25) and headed back to the Istiklal street. 

                                                                        Entrance to the She-Va restaurant 

Inside the She-Va restaurant 

Our lunch: Lamb Tibs and Alisha Wog 

As we walked down the Istiklal street, we checked out several art galleries and book stores. The art galleries didn’t do much for me. I’ve come to realize that I don’t really  get or like the contemporary art in Turkey, but I am fascinated with the art of the Ottoman era. On the same Istiklal street, we came across two beautiful old Catholic churches. Both of them are fully functioning. 

Istiklal Street in Taksim

An old Catholic church in Taksim

Before we knew it, it was time for me to go the Kabatas boat terminal to catch the boat back home. My friend showed me a shortcut to Kabatas through one of the backstreets. We walked down the tiny street all the way to the sea and to the boat terminal. It was truly a perfect day and I told myself that I need to get out of my area and do stuff with my friends more often. 

One of the old backstreets in Taksim. The shortcut from Taksim to Kabatas.

SeaBus

A doctor's visit

A few weeks ago, we went to a kids’ club for the birthday party of one of Sophie’s friends. As paranoid as it sounds, I am trying to avoid crowded indoors these days, because it seems like everyone around us is sick with something ranging from a simple cold to a flu, or bronchitis. At the party the children were told to take their shoes off, which I thought right away was a bad idea since it was pretty cold inside the venue. Two days later, Sophie became sick with a cold. I was hoping it would go away in a few days, but it had actually got worse, so we had to go to the doctor. 

Sophie hanging out at home while sick last week

Sophie at her 1st doctor's appointment

We have been going to the same doctor since Sophie was one month old. He is the second doctor that we came to. The first doctor we saw wasn’t the right match for us. She promoted solely natural and organic lifestyle and child care. During our appointment, which lasted a good hour and a half, she told us about the risks and danger of vaccinations, baby formula and vitamins/supplements. In her opinion everything we ate and used at home was unhealthy and dangerous. She recommended I cook my own lotions, soaps and shampoos, which I knew right there I won’t be doing. Although we are not a solely organic family, we still try to eat healthy and stay away from household items that could potentially be harmful. I don’t have anything against healthy living as long as it doesn’t turn into an obsession. By the end of the appointment, I knew that we had to find another doctor. I remember walking out of her office feeling very confused and disappointed that none of the questions that I had for her were answered. She knew a lot about natural living and I got some good advice from her, but we never went back to her. 

Our current doctor has been recommended to us by several families whose opinion we trust. He is a very knowledgable older doctor, who addresses all my concerns before I even ask him questions, speaks fluent English, supports natural life style and treatment whenever possible, but trusts conventional medicine at the same time. I always walk out of his office feeling comfortable and knowing that my child is in good hands. 
We had our appointment with him last Tuesday and were told that Sophie has an ear infection. It’s her first. He sent us home recommending to use sea water nose spray and watch her fever. If the fever gets worse, we are to come back and get Sophie on antibiotics. Luckily it wasn’t necessary. Sophie is doing a lot better. 

Waiting room at the pediatrician's office 

Most private medical practices in Turkey are located in residential buildings. The doctors rent or buy large apartments, which they convert into a practice. It feels a little strange at first, but then you get used to it. A doctor’s visit at a private practice or at a private hospital costs between 200-300TL/Turkish Lira (approx. $115-$170). Most doctors accept private insurance. Overall I have been very happy with medical care in Istanbul. Almost all doctors that I’ve dealt with have been very knowledgable. Private hospitals are very well equipped. All my doctors here did their  residencies or PhDs at top medical schools and clinics in the US. The most common complaint about Turkish doctors that I keep hearing from expat community here is that Turkish doctors tend to overmedicate their patients and are quick to prescribe very serious medications. That’s not the experience I’ve had. In my case, the diagnoses have been accurate and prescribed treatments very effective. As I said before, we are very satisfied with medical care we have received here. 

A private hospital in Istanbul 

A doctor's office at a private hospital 

Waiting area at a private hospital

Cultural Adjustment Curve: Where am I?

It’s been four years since I’ve started visiting Turkey regularly and a little over two years since I’ve moved here. I’ve relocated in my life quite a bit and thought that the level of my intercultural competence is pretty high. By moving to Turkey, however, I’ve found out the hard way that it was a lot more difficult for me this time around to embrace yet another new culture and country. 

Back in graduate school I took a class on Intercultural Communication, where I first learnt about the Cultural Adjustment Curve. All of us who move to another country go through same cultural adjustment stages. 

I am definitely staying true to the curve. I had my honeymoon stage when I couldn’t get enough of Turkey. I was fascinated with Istanbul and everything the city and the country have to offer. Then I hit the bottom of the curve - denial and rejection. I had a complete turnaround in my feelings about Turkey. I saw Istanbul as an ugly dirty city, life here exhausting, and food uneatable. I rejected everything Turkish and only felt comfortable in the company of our foreign friends. This stage lasted for the long two years. Every time I went home for a visit, it was very difficult to return back to Turkey. Fortunately, I feel like I am finally getting out of that stage and moving up to the next one while learning to accept the reality and find comfort in it. 

We still don’t know how much longer we will stay in Turkey, but I hope that one day I will fall in love if not with the whole country but Istanbul all over again. Will keep you posted! 

Stage 1: Honeymoon. This is how I saw Istanbul on a daily basis.

Stages 2-3: Rejection. Three months before Sophie was born we purchased 

an old apartment in 'Istanbul that had to be completely renovated. This is 

how the apartment' looked on the 1st day of renovations. During my stages 

2 -3 this is how I saw Istanbul in general. 

  This is how the apartment looked 3 months later on the day Sophie was born. 

  I, however, was still in stage 3. 

    Stage 4: this is how I am starting to see Istanbul again. 

Welcome!

I've finally decided to start blogging about our life in Istanbul. There are times it's fun and fabulous and other times it's exhausting, but never a dull day here. The time difference makes it really difficult to stay in touch with our friends and family in the US and other countries. Hopefully with the help of this blog I can keep everybody up to date about our life in Turkey and maybe even get some folks interested in coming to visit us one day. Ive also been very fortunate to make new friends here in Istanbul and I hope they will enjoy reading the blog as well.

Enjoy!