Job Discussion Forums

anrkorea13 · Joined: 06 May 2013 Posts: 7

I'd love to hear opinions of those who have actually lived in Ankara. Specifically, if you have any thoughts on music, nightlife, and sporting opportunities for Westerners.

I'm not super into the bar/club scene, but I play guitar and sing and would like to do so in public - are there places that have informal live music, like coffee shops here in the States?

Also, I started taekwondo recently, and a Google search confirms that people do it somewhere in Ankara, so if anyone knows has or knows someone who has taken a martial arts class in Ankara, can you comment on that too?

Thanks so much!

billy orr · Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 229

You don't need to worry on this front. Ankara is not the cultural desert some would claim.

For a start, taekwondo is big in Turkey, they win olympic medals in it and there are clubs in most parts of town.

As for culture, there are tens of thousands of students in the city, so there is plenty of music of all different kinds. Turkey is not very strong in the visual arts, but there is a whole world of music, classical, popular, folk, religious, secular, all worth discovering.

Plus the state opera, ballet, theatre and orchestras, which may not always be very good, but which enable you to appreciate better things you have seen elsewhere.

Much of the population consists of civil servants, though, which means that Ankara is one of the few places in Turkey with proper queues for buses. You can see their talents on display daily at kızılay.

PC Parrot · Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 1:13 pm Post subject:

billy orr · Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 229

The psittaciform constable is absolutely right, look at the carvings from hattusas...

http://twinningroadtransport.ubak.gov.tr/index.php?id=11

PC Parrot · Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 3:51 am Post subject:

Yes the carvings and reliefs. I am particularly fond of the one known to us today as 'The ticket collector falls overboard'.

And as some of the other reliefs show, the Hittite ox-drawn bus-drivers were pretty publicly minded too.

The dolmus drivers of today could learn a thing or two from them.

anrkorea13 · Joined: 06 May 2013 Posts: 7

Thank you both very much for your feedback.

Re: the transportation piece, the university where I would be working is about 4,5 km from the city center. How good is the bus/metro system in Ankara for getting around, including out-of-the-way places like where I would be teaching?

Thanks again!

bilalbill · Joined: 03 Apr 2013 Posts: 8

Well it depends which uni, but my experience was that it ranged from 20 mins to 1 hour depending on traffic. Similar distance to what you are describing btw.

Hope that helps

anrkorea13 · Joined: 06 May 2013 Posts: 7

bilalbill · Joined: 03 Apr 2013 Posts: 8

I've been a cycle commuter for a long time and to be honest I would not try to get to the city by bike. Road rules here are mere suggestions and you have to have a very high level of situational awareness to get by. On campus=probably, off campus=extreme sport with minimal safety.

But you can assess it for yourself.