Job Discussion Forums

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

What is it?

tararu · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 494

moustaches

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/09/21/turkey.novelists.trial.ap/index.html

The Tekirdag declines to write more for fear of incriminating herself...

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

- Bumping into people and/or walking in your way. The other day I was leaning against the wall (on Istiklal) and people where still running into me....
- Men rearranging their crown jewels in public.
But what do I know, I am just a newbie.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

Yesterday I saw a guy at Migros finally get fed up with the slow moving, looking-up-at-the-ceiling people in front of him in the produce aisle. He started shouting, 'C'mon, you people, we're not on holiday here, this is a market!' The he stopped at the bananas to take a deep breath. My husband went to comfort him, saying something to the effect that these yamyam just don't know any better.

And I couldn't help but think how lucky that guy is he never has to wait in line for the women's toilet here...

As far as I can see, Turkishness is something only Turkish people are allowed to talk about or say what it is, and sometimes even Turks do it wrong, especially if they are guilty of living abroad for most of the year, in which case they are probably also spies.

thrifty · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 1665 Location: chip van

This is my kind of topic. The ability to:

stop a class dead by discussing how the late teen early twenties boys can reduce or get out of their military service but then taunt a foreigner by shouting slogans like "en buyuk bizim asker."

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

Ability to believe that a baby in utero will get cold if the mother isn't wearing socks.

Getting into a nationalistic huff that the religious people are taking over the country, yet in the next breath express rage at the Danes/Pope/anyone else for saying something about Muslims.

yaramaz · Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject:

Gosh, justme, my ovaries felt a chill pass over them just readingyour post- and I have socks on! I think I shall never be able to bear children now, and if I do, they are bound to be pre-frozen.

thrifty · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 1665 Location: chip van

Why are they so apalling with money and why do Turks feel sorry for each other when they are so stupid with money?

My father in law (trying to avoid the wife reading this) who gets a small pension and works full time and owns his own flat rings up to say can he borrow 2000 dollars because he has maxed his credit cards. Also he can only pay back 200 dollars a month. Wife says yes. Furious arguement breaks out as I say why can't he borrow it from a bank using his flat as security. Why did he spend all that money knowing his small salary and small pension cannot cover the monthly payments. Wife says it is stupid to go to a bank when you can borrow it from someone and stupid to sell your flat and get a cheaper one to get yourself straight. Also apparently there is some Turkish rule that you should not upset someone in Ramadan and I am cruel and our baby has been cautioned not to grow up like me.

He is innocent and I am guilty. Why?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I thought you knew that all EFL teachers are guilty.......... and poor.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

Never never never used a credit card issued from within Turkey. They are given by the devil. EVIL. The interest on those things in amazing! Twisted Evil

Golightly · Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:46 pm Post subject:

I think how Turkishness is defined depends on which bit of Turkey you're from.
A true Istanbullu, not one of these parvenus who've arrived in only the last century or two, woould sum themselves up as melancholy and proud, with the hint of withered past glory.
An arriviste Istanbullu might see Turkishness as an insanely optimistic ability to see the sunny side, if only because the shadows hide so many dark, dark things, like The Thing That Happened At The End of That Big War We don't Talk About Because It Makes Us Upset.
An Izmirli? Turkishness is just Manana - now let's sit here on the Kordon, and drink more raki...

For the Ankarali, it can be best summed up as 'OK, so you're in the west of the country, you've got a better climate, food, drink and chicks - but we're the capital. So there.'

Kayserili? 'Where's the dosh?'

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Somewhere in there is an inability to admit that the region that used to be Ottoman is where most of the flak is these days.

And now we have this weird nostalgia for things Ottoman !

And at the same time a complex about nort being accepted into Europe !

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul