Another product I would have missed …

One of my all-time favourite snacks is Milchschnitte. My mom and my sister also like it a lot. So, it was the only thing that they asked me to bring when I visited them in Turkey. A few weeks ago, my sister came to visit us and she had a surprise for me - "süt dilimi" - which is the tranlated name of Milchschnitte. It is now available at the supermarkets in Bursa! Regarding food, there is not much else left that I miss from Germany.

Things I would have missed...

I don't really watch TV anymore. But today it was turned on (I need to improve my Turkish). Suddenly, I saw a product that was familiar to me - Frosch washing liquid (German readers will know it). Now, this is the brand that I used in Germany. It's supposed to be environmentally friendly. I'm not the nostalgic type really but it's strange how one can feel attached to such things in a new environment. I think I'm going to buy it.

Fairs and exhibitions

This weekend, I am planning to visit a fair in Bursa, actually three fairs in one place:

• Bilişim fuarı - an IT and electronics fair
  
• Kitap fuarı - a book fair
  
• Eğitim fuarı - an education fair.
  

Here is a link to all three: http://tinyurl.com/374l6u

I've never been to the new exhibition centre, which is not that far from my home.

I even managed to get an invitation for the opening on Saturday. But it's going to be crowded, that's for sure. I'm a book addict, I'm  a teacher and I am interested in IT. Therefore, I want to visit all three fairs. So, I might go there on three different days.

Bread - my favourite staple food

One of my "biggest" concerns when I decided to move to Turkey was how to live without the famous German bread varieties, especially the wholemeal bread. In Germany, I almost never ate white bread, except the occasional French baguette. In Turkey, like in most countries, people usually consume white bread and it was difficult to find something else. A close friend of mine who moved to Sweden some years ago actually bought a small mill for at home and took whole wheat with her so that she could make her own bread. I was thinking of doing the same but I am happy to see, that now, different kinds of bread are available in the bakeries and supermarkets. Besides that, my mom is often baking her own bread, which is really the best. Thank you mom!

Home - What's that?

What is home? Am I at home now? How does being at home feel?

My mom, relatives and neighbours tell me that I am at home now.

I don't know. Is home where your family is or where you were born?

Did I consider Germany as home? After all, I lived there most of my life. I can't say that, really. I certainly didn't feel German, but I also don't feel very Turkish.

Do we have to feel like a "nationality"?

I have to admit that I don't understand this concept of nationality. It seems artificial to me.

Is that because I grew up and lived in different countries? But, then, I know people who have lived abroad for 30 years and still think home is where they came from and are still proud of their home country and their national football team.

Turkish food

If there is something that I cannot complain about in Turkey, that's food. Fresh tasty fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices at affordable prices. The Turkish cuisine is excellent and there is such a variety. I heard that there are at least 40 recipes for aubergine. I also heard, that at the Black Sea, which is famous for its anchovy, they even have a recipe for a dessert made of anchovy! It's a shame that many people think the main Turkish food is kebab.

Unfortunately, they've discovered artificial fertilisers! But still, compared to Germany, for example, food is still very inexpensive and tasty.

Why not try out some recipes? 

Adhan - Call to prayer

As a Muslim, I pray my five daily prayers (sala'at or namaz). Before, I had to print out the times and had to look them up every day as there was obviously no call to prayer. Some people I know have one of those popular adhan clocks (click here o see some examples).

But now, in Turkey, I live right next to the mosque and I can hear the adhan (Turkish: ezan) clearly. I love it!

Listen to this one from Makkah (Sorry for the bad quality of the video)

Customer care and consumer rights "Turkish style"

One of my negative experiences in Turkey has been with customer service. I am used to the generous customer rights in Germany, where it is absolutely no problem to bring a product that you've purchased back to the shop within two to four weeks and get your money refunded. Not so in Turkey!

One example: I needed a headset with mic for my Mac. I went to a well-known electronics shop. I found a headset, asked if it would work with my Mac and they said "yes". As I had already become cautious, I asked whether I could bring it back if it didn't work. And the answer was in the affirmative - as long as I brought it back in the original package. Sure enough, it did not work with my Mac. So, I brought it back to the shop, carefully packed. Well, guess what! They agreed to take it back but not to give me the money back. They wanted to give me a voucher. I told them that there was nothing else I needed and wanted my money to buy a headset that worked. After insisting on talking to the boss, I was handed a telephone. The person on the other end asked me if I had opened the package. I said: "Of course." How else was I supposed to find out whether it worked?! "Well," she said. "In that case, we can refund you but have to deduct 15 % of the purchase price as you have used the product."

So, think very carefully when you want to buy something in Turkey.

Hello - Selam - Merhaba from Bursa

Hi everybody

I'm an English teacher. I was born in Turkey and spent my first five years in Bursa. Then I moved abroad and only visited during holidays. Now, I moved back. Bursa has changed a lot since.

At the moment, I am exploring how to use blogs and other Web 2.0 tools in my classroom. This is one reason why I have started this blog. The other is, that I want to write about my experience as a "native expat" - I don't know how else to describe what I am and how I am feeling. It is a strange combination of feelings like being at home and being a foreigner at the same time.

Before moving "back" to Bursa, I actually searched for expat meetings in Bursa. Then, I thought: "Wait a minute, you are not an expat!" 

Some time ago, I was searching for lesson material - an interesting topic. I found something about "culture shock". The article said that there were five stages:

1. The honemoon (tourist) stage
   
2. Shock
   
3. The adjustment stage
   
4. Acceptance or acculturation
   
5. Re-entry shock (when you go back home)
   

I think I'm between stages 2 and 4. I realise how critical I am about Turkey and compare things with Germany, where I lived before, and other countries. I seem to see the negative sides most of the time. Although, regarding Bursa, I actually see it in a more favourable light. But more about this in my following posts.

Cheers