I will be going to Turkey in 10 days, and would like to bring simple gifts (from my country, the United States) for the people I meet.

When I was in Turkey about a year ago, I was shown such kindness and generosity by strangers.  A few time some Turkish people we didn´t know at all even gave part of their lunch to us!  (Which tasted fabulous, I might add.)  I wished I had something I could have given them from the United States.

Here is a list of ideas I have come up with, but I would like more suggestions:

·     Postcards from the US

·     Coins from the US

·     Tea from the US

 Thanks!

 BTW don´t forget to bring some American democracy...

causticity ...

 ???????????kim?????????Ben??????????Allah korusun)))

Did anyone have any helpful suggestions of things I could give?

in the countries that i visited, i buy playing cards which have sightseeing photos on the cards.. u can bring something like that.

For friendly strangers, especially children, I give packs of gum or containers of mints (tic tacs, etc).  Ladies like American brands of handcream.  Also, cigarettes are appreciated.

If you are visiting friends, you should get more thoughtful gifts.  Many teenagers like t-shirts from America.  Sports teams or from where you live (such as Florida, Disney), etc.

I hope this helps.  Have fun!

So would Turkish people like postcards, coins, and tea from the US?

 would you like coins,pebbles,seashells,postcards...etc given to you by a stranger???

Joelle,Turkish ppl r simply wonderful at helping foreigners.Do you really think they need to be paternized with a gift,don´t you think a smile,genuine acknowledgments ,and true hand shake would be enough?And if you want to show your appreciation with a modest gift sweets will do,calendars,small stationary ....but Turks help without waiting for a gift)in return)

Yes.  I hadn´t thought of pebbles and seashells.  I guess I didn´t pay much attention, are pebbles and seashells different there?

I ask because every culture is different.  For example, I wouldn´t go up to a foreigner in the US and share my lunch with them.  We are taught in the US not to take food from strangers.

 Pavlov´s dogs????

No, I wouldn´t be too keen to give coins or postcards..  Firstly the coins, would be like tipping except that the receiver would not be able to spend it.  Unless the person you are giving to collects foreign coins.  Postcards are best received in the post.  Tea, well, Turkish people drink lots of cay.  Yes, they might like to try foreign tea.

When visiting friends, I like taking chocolates (mind, during the hot summer, the chocolate will melt) packets of biscuits, bags of sweets and mints, are often much appreciated.  The suggestion of picture playing cards is also very good.

People.why all this fuss about ???In my case..thanking for foreigners help is a decent hug,attention given,small talk ,etc...things go totally different with old friends and gifts are different..

of course most of ppl are helpful,handy,etc but does that mean they expect sth in return???sth material???sth they can show to others?...doubt..doubt...world is not such americanized.. can live without generous American gifts.....Turkish world,I mean

Hi Joelle,

I agree with Adana. Turkish people do not expect gifts in return for their hospitality or friendly offers. If you know someone really well, then certainly bring a small gift when visiting them.

Sweets of any sort always seem to be appreciated. Learning to say thank you in Turkish is a good start to show your appreciation. Learn more Turkish to engage in simple conversations and they will appreciate that you have made an effort to communicate with them. Mostly a smile and a sincere thank you will be enough.

It is really a sweet idea Joelle, but as the others have said, a smile and thank you would be enough.  Also, if you learn some Turkish, it would be greatly appreciated. 

If you really feel like giving small tokens, your idea of post cards would probably fine, but no coins.  I don´t like giving sweets as I don´t think they are very healthy....you know tooth decay and blood sugar problems.

Thank you so much for giving your perspective!  This is exactly the reason I ask... because I would not want to be offensive in a gift, I would just want to show my gratitude.

Also, I know I gift would not be expected from a stranger, but that goes both ways!  If someone shares with me a bit of their culture, I want to do the same for them... not because I have to but because I want to. 

First of all, I think it´s a GOOD IDEA to bring small gifts with you. I did so for many years and everybody in Turkey who I gave a small gift liked it very much. A lot of Turkish people help others all day long and never get anything back for it. This way you can show your appreciation.

What I always bring are a bunch of small, porcelein "wooden shoes". They are typical Dutch, I know a store where I can get a good deal on them, and they fit easily in my bag. They are about the size of a 4 dices.

Isn´t there something small that is typical for the area you live in? Believe me, people will like it. The coins might seem too much like money, so that can get a negative reaction (like you are trying to pay them).

By the way, I´m not talking about giving gifts to everybody you meet. I think some of your reactions to his idea are a bit overdrawn. For example, if you go to the same restaurant for a week, and these people give you free tea every time, help you figure out your way around town...things like that, they have really helped you! And you want to show that you appreciate that with a little something extra. What´s wrong with that?

My first time in Turkey I had some people who helped me so much, but I didn´t see them the year after that, so I was never able to really thank them extra much. That´s why I´m prepared since then

How about a cell phone?

everybody in Turkey already has a cellphone  What people in Turkey need is porcelein "wooden shoes" ....there´s a shortage of those in Turkey!

I´ll take two please-do I just have to be nice and share my lunch?  (but I don´t want wooden shoes thanks)

pfff, so demanding  I will also bring a bunch of Dutch cookies, called stroopwafels...you want that instead of the porcelein shoes?

Those´ll do nicely thanks!  (I´m glad you ´get´ our sense of humour!)

 Stroopwafels? Yummie (though they get sticky when it´s hot.) What about ´drop´?

 so now I have to make a list stroopwafels, drop, anybody else?

 Forget the drop (liquorice), many people from other countries dislike them. I was joking.

I know my boyfriend was disguisted when he first tried it, lol. But can we all agree that bringing some small gifts in case you meet people you want to thank in a special way, is a good idea (bringing it back to the topic )

If you have ever had a fifth of Yagermeister, you will never be able to withstand liquorice or the drop as you call it ever again...  I can´t even stomach the smell now.  Although those dutch cookies sound good...

Come stay with me, Teas and I´ll serve you these delicious wafers any time you want. (And drop for breakfast....   )

 I have been to Curacao and the people were wonderful, went to Aruba and they were not friendly..So are you Dutch hospitable?  Interesting, I learned my ancestors were part Dutch living in Northern Germany...

People from the Dutch Antilles are on paper Dutch but in culture as related as Thai. And of course are we hospitable, it´s only to whom!

I agree with the difference in culture between the Dutch islands and The Netherlands itself.

As for the mainland... Some of our Dutch customs are seen as inhospitable. For example, we like it when people make a call before they come (in general!) and not stand in front of your door without notice. In Turkey tend to pop up all the time, without calling first. So, my boyfriend was wondering why Dutch people like a call first, whether we don´t like guests or something. I explained that actually, when people call that they will be over in a few hours, we start cleaning the house like crazy, go to the store to buy a cake or something else nice to snack on, and also put some better clothes on than the crap we are normally wearing at home

A simpler alternative approach to the same social dilemna, involves,

1. keeping the house clean and tidy at all times,

2. keeping a small emergency cake in the fridge, for unexpected guests,

3. keeping company with people who care less for your clothing, but more with what you carry in them.

Unless it is a formal occassion, I would not bother announcing my visits to friends. Unless it is for a formal occassion again. I would not bother visiting others than my friends, anyway.

It´s just normal in Holland if you call first. Like "Hey, I´m in town, is it okay if I come by in 10 minutes?" I do keep a clean house but sometimes it can be a bit messy with clutter. I don´t mind my books laying all over the place, my opened post on the diner table, and my shoes in the living room. But when somebody comes by, all of that gets chucked in the closet

There are many people in the U.S. that are the same way.  It´s only respectable that you phone and let your friends even your family know your going to stop by.  What if their busy or not at home..a wasted trip can be avoided by just being courtious and phoning.  I understand the clean thing as well.  Although I do keep my house clean, I still like to do that last minute sweep.. As for cake, I have only made a cake one time in my life.  I don´t bake...so as long as I have pop (soda) even though I don´t drink it, in my frig and chips I´m doing ok..

 Well that´s good to know...I don´t think I would ever go back to Aruba.  You would walk into a shop and not even "hello, let me know if I can help you".  The people there were so put off...so I didn´t even drop a dime on that island.

Glad to the Netherlands is more friendly, even if your semi selected to whom your friendly too.

I already notice the difference when I go to Belgium. The shop employees in Holland tend to be friendlier than those in Belgium. Or maybe I just had the "luck" to run into the 20 employees in Belgium that are not nice The only nice ones I met where the Turkish owner of a clothing store and the owner of the hippy-style tea-bar