Your experience of culture shock in Turkey

The  biggest culture shock in turkey is the Turks telling you what they think you want to hear whether it's true or not doesn't matter to them, all they want is for you to be pleased at that moment in time when they are telling you.

I have been fortunate enough to somehow be shock proof in any culture. I usually feel myself as much at home in a small village in Nederlands, in conglomerated Dubai and in fast paced vast Istanbul as I feel back home in Pakistan. How? Don't ask me, I don't know! : )

So did I feel at home in Istanbul? Yes. Did I find a few things odd? The answer too, is yes.

One thing, barely anyone spoke English. I mean, I come from Pakistan and its not like everyone speaks English there, but still, you can have a bearable broken English conversation with a grocery shop guy. Here, it was a different story!

Second thing, after the honeymoon period of culture shock was over, and I started looking deep, one thing that is visibly noticeable is that somehow Turkey is not really as Europeanized as it appears. I leave the interpretation open to everyone's individual personal experience!

Z