Most people here think I’m Turkish. I don’t correct them if I can sorta understand what they say and nod and reply with a few Turkish words. Or, if bartering I just reply just with numbers and a “yok!” (no) if I dislike his number. When it becomes obvious that I’m a foreigner, the majority of times they switch from Turkish to Spanish. I must look like a combo of Turkish/Spanish…funny, I don’t think I have either of those in my blood. Lol I was shopping in a store the other day and the lady who was working came up to me and said something I didn’t understand and handed me a basket. (In nicer stores here you get a basket to put things in while you’re shopping. Not like the American basket-where it’s plastic-these are actually woven baskets) I nodded with a “tesekkurler” (thanks) and she left. So far so good. Then a couple minutes later she comes back followed by a guy who’s obviously not Turkish and shows me two expensive necklaces and launches into this long explanation. I kept trying to interrupt her so I could explain “lady, I have no clue what you’re saying.” But she kept on going. Finally, she took a breath so I asked with a confused face, “English?” She exclaimed “Oooooooh!” as she realized all along I hadn’t understood her and she started to laugh. She didn’t know English but the guy with her did and he just wanted help picking out a necklace for his girlfriend.
American date system (month, day, year) sure confuses people over here. Now I’ve gotten so I automatically write day, month, year, and it gets me very confused to see it any other way. But all the papers I get from America have it the other way, obviously, and I was showing my flight ticket to Paris to the lady at the French Embassy. She kept asking me when I planned to go to France so I pointed to the ticket, even at one point circled the date (01/06/11) and said “January 6th.” “There’s no date.” “I circled it.” “No date.” “See? *points* 01/06/11 – That’s American for Jan. 6th.” “Oooh.”
Same lady at the French embassy (please keep in mind during this whole time she’s holding my passport and looking at it) I was explaining that I came from America to Turkey to study, now I want to go to France. “France.” I said. “Then Turkey?” “huh?” “America. Turkey. France. Then Turkey?” “oh! No, then America.” “no come back to Turkey?” “no.” “why??” lol I pointed to myself, “American citizen.” “Ooooh.” (man I’ve been getting that reaction a lot! Lol)
Now staring in Turkey is not considered rude, but old men do it so often here! Lol or whenever I go somewhere to get, like, for example, the nearest canteen, when I sit down to eat the guys who work there just stare at me as I eat. I’m pretty sure I eat just like everybody else guys! Go stare at someone else please. Lol
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