So This Is Turkey - Episode 1

How do you say, “Holy moly?" in Turkish?

It’s been two weeks, and I’ve already done so much here in İstanbul.

If I hadn’t said it before, the last time I was here was in 2015, and it was only for a night. My first time, and a proper visit, was in 2011. While the city has changed in some ways and moved with the rest of the world, so observations still feel familiar. Taksim Square is still the primary gathering area for tourists dotted with the döner shops and roasted nut stands. Some men still wear their clothes as tightly as they did a decade ago,

But some things are definitely different. Apart from everyone wearing masks (at varying degrees), I’ve noticed a lot more women in hijabs and conservative Muslim dress. Hagia Sophia is now a mosque, and the news here has been centered around Turkey’s ruling party leaving the Council of Europe Convention on combating and preventing violence against women — ironically named the Istanbul Convention based on where it was signed — and protests in reaction to this and recent femicides in the country.

I bought a sim card for the first time in my life while abroad, learned how to laundry the right way (you really have to separate colors and use fabric softener!) and discovered Turkey’s Seamless or Yemeksepeti, a real late night blessing. I’ve already identified favorite neighborhoods, a couple of go-to bars and am able to mutter survival Turkish at groceries, restaurants and taxis. For the first time in my life, I’m actually “living” somewhere, and acknowledging what it means to have space, instead of seeing every landmark and snapping photos every other moment (just half of the time now).

There’s so much more to come. Watch the first video from the “So This Is Turkey” series, where I recount my arrival, and impressions from the first week.