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Irish
Joined: 13 Jan 2003
Posts: 371
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 Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:08 am Post subject: Istanbul, not Saudi Arabia |
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| jezebel wrote: |
| Another fascinating location, but I'm concerned that being a woman, I would have trouble being respected as a teacher or having freedom outside of school. Might be a majorly ignorant idea, but still it's a major concern for me. Also seems like a place that you almost have to earn to see... might be better appreciated after having more travel experience. |
As a woman teaching in Istanbul, I have to take issue with this. I've been here for over 18 months and haven't found that I get significantly less respect than my male co-workers. Other women have said this but -- based on my experience -- age seems like a more important factor than sex. Ultimately, respect is something you earn based on what you do and how you carry yourself. The kind of school you work in and the degree of administrative support also makes a difference...but isn't that true in every country?
As for having freedom outside of school, I'm not sure what you mean. This is not the KSA or Iran. The further east you go, the more conservative Turkey gets...but we're talking about Istanbul here! No one will force you into a burka or give you dirty looks because you're not sporting a headscarf. I'm not going to lie and say there's no sexism here -- of course there is. But I haven't found it significantly worse than what I encountered back in the states. And I take the same sort of precautions I take back home (being aware of my surroundings, avoiding certain areas at night, etc). The major thing limiting my freedom here is my lack of Turkish, which is totally in my control. (My problem is motivation. I didn't come here because I was "yearning" to see it. I came because I was offered a good job. Though I do dream of warmer climes, I've become very comfortable here. If I stay beyond year three, I think I'll be here forever. Scary!)
Don't get me wrong: Istanbul isn't for everybody and I'm not saying you should come here. Only you can make that call. I'm just saying that for myself -- a woman whose previous travels were limited to Mexico and Australia -- this has turned out to be a pretty sweet first overseas gig. I'd just hate to see someone pass over Istanbul based on misconceptions about what it means to live in this particular Muslim city.
Good luck in your search. |
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sallycat
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 303
Location: behind you. BOO!
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| Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject: Re: Thanks! |
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| jezebel wrote: |
Japan - Someone told me once that because space is at a premium in Japan, it's also hard to find cafes or other public places where you can sit for a long time without distracting noise and lights and/or having to pay a lot for the privelege.
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someone lied. |
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Cdaniels
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 663
Location: Dunwich, Massachusetts
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| Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:26 pm Post subject: Re: Space in Tokyo? Maybe? |
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| sallycat wrote: |
| jezebel wrote: |
Japan - Someone told me once that because space is at a premium in Japan, it's also hard to find cafes or other public places where you can sit for a long time without distracting noise and lights and/or having to pay a lot for the privelege. |
someone lied. |
Maybe the original statement applies specifically to Tokyo?  |
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sallycat
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 303
Location: behind you. BOO!
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| Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| ^^^ could be downtown tokyo in the mid eighties? dunno. |
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yaramaz
Joined: 05 Mar 2003
Posts: 2384
Location: Not where I was before
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| Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:56 am Post subject: |
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Like Irish, I am a woman living in Istanbul- and I've een here 4 years now with no real problems to speak of. I currently teach at a private university and have found my students to be fairly evenly divided between respectful and surly/bored/indifferent- but hey, they are often 18 year old rich kids who arent hugely interested in being there. One to one, the respect level is higher than anywhere else I have lived. If you teach adults, Turks are amazingly respectful and sweet and generous (gifts! dinners with family! praising of your intelligence/beauty/skills!).
As for the safety and comfort level, I spent 2 years in one of the most conservative, religious cities in central anatolia and really enjoyed it. I am FAR from being religious or conservative myself but found my views were respected there and their generosity and kindness were at times overwhelming (please stop feeding me!!!!) |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Korea - So far I haven't read anything that turns me off Korea. It's never really my first choice on any area, but it consistently scores favourably on any criterion I judge it by, so it's sort of the underdog leader in my books. Seems like there's a growing scientific community (which is interesting to me for both the culture as well as possible side-employment editing scientific papers or teaching technical english), the pay is good, the culture seems favourable and not too extreme in any way (unless you count their neighbours!) |
jezebel, I don't know how much you owe but a year or two in Korea could leave you debt free. I know people who have payed off $60,000 in student loans while living in Korea. You can send back $1000 a month and still eat out all the time as well as going out on weekends. In Korea 90 percent of jobs offer an apartment as part of the contract. So you have $2000 left. If you like Korean food you can eat most meals in a resturant for $3-$4. You could eat two meals a day in a resturant and only spend $250 a month for food. |
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