When folks back home think of me living in İstanbul, many think I am living in an exotic paradise where camels walk the streets, harems abound and livestock walks about the city streets — really. When I tell them that I live in a modern city where folks get up in the morning to go to work and come home after work to have dinner with their friends or families — really not much different than a city like New York — they find it hard to shake that image.
They are not completely wrong, though. Living as an expat in İstanbul can be exciting, as you learn the language, tour the many beautiful historical sites and discover your community. However, many challenges exist, like learning how to speak fluently enough to express your wants and needs, fighting traffic and navigating in a new culture. Perhaps the most challenging obstacle for many people is finding ways to socialize outside of their collective circles.
What often happens is that many of us get caught up in our routines and miss a lot of what’s happening around us. I know that when I first got here I was quickly absorbed into two worlds — the university community and the (to me when I first came) exotic Eastern Turkey world provided by my first friend in İstanbul. I stayed in those worlds for almost four years and then I started Democrats Abroad Turkey, which forced me to venture out into other communities here. I learned that there was much going on. There was dance and art and theater and yoga and classes and out-of-the-way museums and there were interesting people of all walks of life waiting for me to appear outside the fringes of my life.
If you are looking to expand your social circles, you might want to start small by venturing out into your neighborhood. Meet the local restaurant owners, simit cart attendants and local market owners. As you go out to get the essentials, jot down some other businesses that appeal to you, like gyms, cafes and spas. You can research them more thoroughly later on to see if they might be fun places to go.
Once you have researched the area businesses, consider visiting them as an outing. If you join the local gym, you could make lots of new friends and feel more comfortable while building your health. Because you already know what to do with the equipment, you can focus on brushing up on your Turkish with native speakers — and you will probably meet lots of expats from all over the world who may feel just like you do.
If you are retired or have free time on your hands, consider volunteering. When you volunteer to help a charity of your choice, you learn vocabulary which you might not normally be exposed to in day-to-day business or school transactions. This vocabulary of compassion and love would allow you to practice a deeper expression of your feelings toward your new friends. One international organization that has clubs all over Turkey is Lions Club International. It is a membership-based club (membership dues may apply) that promotes community volunteer work all over the world — www.lionsclubs.org.
Joining groups
Join local expat groups like the Sublime Portal — www.sublimeportal.com. By exploring the many useful threads in this forum, you will have the opportunity to learn how to navigate issues that come up without having to re-invent the wheel. You also will meet a lot of folks at weekly and seasonal gatherings hosted by the portal. Additionally, the International Women of İstanbul have many groups and associations listed on their website at www.iwi-tr.org/ig_gna.aspx (Note: this organization is for women holding foreign passports or the wives of men who hold foreign passports; membership dues apply.)
In addition to free groups like the Sublime Portal or many of the organizations listed by the International Women of İstanbul, there are other social groups such as Internations — www.internations.org/turkey-expats. I’ve only gone to a couple of their monthly get-togethers so I can’t say too much about them other than they are here and seem to be geared toward networking opportunities. Another group is İstanbul Toastmasters — www.istanbultoastmasters.org. Both Internations and Toastmasters are membership-based and Toastmasters requires dues.
Consider taking a class. Taking Turkish language classes could help you to meet new people who you could practice with. Increasing your Turkish skills opens you up to a whole new world of experiences as you practice with native speakers. Many times, language classes include information about the culture that will help you to avoid cultural faux pas that are common when living in a foreign country.
If Turkish is not an area of interest or need, consider taking a cooking class to learn how to make the local cuisine. Alternatively, you can take a salsa class or a drawing class. A college course in Turkish history or a more comprehensive tour of sites around Turkey could also help you to meet new people with similar interests. If you take such a course, you could be a valuable asset to your visiting friends and relatives as you take them around to the sites and avoid the often overly eager tour guides.
In addition to good old web searches, one resource that provides comprehensive information about the happenings in İstanbul is Time Out magazine. They can be found in print or online at www.timeout.com/istanbul/.
The main idea is to immerse yourself in your new life in İstanbul or, if you have been here for a while, to develop new social circles that can enhance your life. The more contacts and friendships you share, the deeper your connection to Turkey will be. As your venture outside of your social comfort zone, you will discover that the social opportunities in İstanbul are limitless.
via zaman