istanbul expat stuff

lovelifeistanbul blog featured a fun list "30 signs youve settled as an expat in istanbul". its mildly amusing, so here are some of the claims with comments;

1. You furnish your house entirely from an Ikea catalogue to avoid the two-tone, hard-wearing wooden Turkish furniture. correct
2. You know not to plan life in advance here – the best experiences are organised last minute. correct
3. Punctuality? What’s that? An hour late is fine. never!
4. You accept phone calls and text messages at all hours – no problem. never!

7. You know it is possible to get motion sickness in a taxi on a straight road. nah
8. You’ve learnt not to say the word, “sick” especially in a taxi. =d**k. correct.

11. 100 pages to sign to open a bank account? Sure, no problem – system inefficiencies are just a part of life here. correct

15. You can’t eat a meal without saying, “Afiyet olsun” at least twice. never!
16. You say things like “Allah, Allah” when things get confusing, surprising or funny. only to entertain turks

22. You’ve learnt that an Internations party is just for Turkish girls to meet Western men, Western men to meet Turkish girls, Turkish men to hit on Western girls and Western girls to drink wine. correct, uffff
23. You’ve paid 30TL for a glass of Angora wine at an Internations party. correct...
24. You know that 30TL can buy you two bottles of Angora and a pirated DVD to watch at home. correct
25. You hold onto your glass of wine in a bar because you know the waiter will take it before you have finished. correct

27. You’ve watched all the seasons of True Blood and Game of Thrones in three months thanks to online streaming and cheap unlimited downloads. umm? my internet situation downgraded upon moving here

30. You could add many more crazy things about Turkey to this list! correct


 my additions:
-you think its totally normal for the waiter/postman/hairdresser to comment on your weightloss/gain (and don't get offended if its about gain)
-you don't worry when making purchases and being short a coin or 2, the seller will probably let it slide
-when you hear about a job, the first thing you do is check the address on google maps - in Istanbul its location, location, location
-waiting for a salary day is like waiting for christmas, except you never know which day its really gonna be...