Also I want to know what would/did you buy as a souvenir from Turkey?

belly-dance

Nazars - Ilove them.

I have a silver one on a chain for my neck. Someone gave me a gold one which I wear on a chain on my wrist. I bought some bigger ones to hang around the house and in my car and lots of bracelets and keyrings for gifts

I also bought a pot to make turkish coffee (and coffee) and honey with nuts in.

A red house Turk/English dictionary.

A cusion cover

Elma chay

I always buy at least one nazar boncugu, turkish black and apple tea, aricots, and lots of postcards, newspapers, books and other things written in Turkish. Once I bought a bag made of wool, and one T-shirt. I've noticed that I also buy something with turkish flag
I take a lot of photos so I don't need guides etc.

Cigarette lighters with pictures of the turkish flag, nazar and Attaturk and also this year 2 silk and cashmere pashminas in cream and mint green. In the summer I bought an apricot coloured one. they are totally beautiful and so cheap compared to England.

Books, CDs, silver ring and alot of HELVA, especially "fıstıklı"!
But I prefer souvenirs which you couldn't buy with money...

can you give an example it?money buys everything in the world,it is my idea..

I can add this; except health and dies..

I bought books, magazines, an ashtray from Cappadocia, a DVD with Constantine, fishing hooks for my dad (it was fun to buy them on Galata bridge ) and some sweets. I also have a nazar but I din't buy it. It was given to me by a very nice merchant somewhere in Bergana.

I was grown up Galata Brigge area..if you see there I am sure that you loved there!

Loved? Freshmancim - loved is not enough to express what I felt there. i could spend my whole life sitting in the cafes under the bridge and watching the boats

I mean as for example
- pebble found under bright turquoise water of Southern sea
- sea shell taken from the deep and given as a present
- smile of litle boy, selling "simits" all day at the hot bach, when you give him a coin...

No, freshman, money can't buy everything.
Try to buy hapiness with money.

I can't leave this question without answer.
Do others agree with freshman that money can buy everything?
C'mon, dissapoint me definitely!

Freshman said that money can buy you everything, except health and preventing you from death..
I would add happiness and friendship too. You may have all the money in the world, be able to buy any clothes and cars and houses and any material stuff you'd like to possess, but if you're not happy and you have no one who cares about you, what does that material richness mean to you? It would mean nothing at all to me. I rather live in a modest way and be happy, surrounded by people I like, than rich but unhappy and sad and alone..

Elisa

Well my thoughts are as follows:

someone put a post in a forum. A turkish idiom which said

'when hunger comes through the door - love goes out the window' - so true!

I have never once met an unhappy rich person.

Money can't buy happiness and friendship and love, but it can buy the things that attract happiness, friendship and love and it enables you to find these things also.

So I'm (kind of) with Freshman on this.

I don't agree that money can't buy you good health. Why is it that the poorest people in the world are the ones that die young, have the highest infant mortality (baby death rate) and i have met lots of people in Turkey who have poor health because they can't afford doctors.

So money can't buy good health, but it can certainly pay for private hospitals and the best care if you are ill, even in england!

Nothing is absolutely black or absolutely white.
There is no absolutely "YES" and absolutely "NO".
So, we all agree that money can't buy EVERYTHING.
Let's see what money can, and what can't buy.
Although my opinion is closer to Elisa's, I could partially agree with Lyndie: money can provide some conditions for better health, better protection from death, more comfortable life and, possibly, " things that attract happiness, friendship and love", which depends of your idea of happines, friendship and love.
I would never wish for myself happines, or friendship, or love attracted by money, or things bought by money, but I don't mind if someone does.
But I absolutely can't agree that reach people can't be unhappy. On the contary, I think that more unhappy people you can find among rich, than among normal, even poor people. Can you imagine, as for example, feeling when you don't know does people like you because of you or because of youre money?
I also couldn't swear to turkish idiom you mentioned: many people would rather be hangry with people who love and respect, than satiated and alone. Even in England, I think

Nothing is absolutely black or absolutely white.
There is no absolutely "YES" and absolutely "NO".
So, we all agree that money can't buy EVERYTHING.
Let's see what money can, and what can't buy.
Although my opinion is closer to Elisa's, I could partially agree with Lyndie: money can provide some conditions for better health, better protection from death, more comfortable life and, possibly, " things that attract happiness, friendship and love", which depends of your idea of happines, friendship and love.
I would never wish for myself happines, or friendship, or love attracted by money, or things bought by money, but I don't mind if someone does.
But I absolutely can't agree that reach people can't be unhappy. On the contary, I think that more unhappy people you can find among rich, than among normal, even poor people. Can you imagine, as for example, feeling when you don't know does people like you because of you or because of youre money?
I also couldn't swear to turkish idiom you mentioned: many people would rather be hangry with people who love and respect, than satiated and alone. Even in England, I think

Lyndie, I understand what you mean. Your post is more balanced. It's true that people with money have easier access to good health care. But then again, 2 colleagues of mine have cancer. They both earn a good living, and they can afford good doctors. But with this disease, even if you can pay for the best doctors in the world, you will never be 100% sure that they will guarantee recovery.
It's also true that money can buy you things you enjoy and consequently make you happy. If travelling, reading, listening to music for example are things that make you happy, then you need money for plane tickets and books and cd's.
Something that Slavica says also crossed my mind: when you're a rich person (and then I mean really rich), how do you know in the end which people are really your friends, and which ones only want to know you because they think/hope they'll get something out of that "friendship"? It must feel terrible having to ask yourself that.
I know that my friends are really my friends because of me as a person, because if they wanted money, they'd have to go elsewhere

Elisa

Of course I also agree with everything you have said Slavica.

I think the point of the Turkish idiom:

'When hunger comes through the door, Love goes out of the window'

is that it doesn't matter how much in love 2 people are, when money becomes very short,and life becomes a terrible burden with the stress and strain of trying to pay the bills and feed the family, tempers become short and worries become the biggest thing on the mind.

Money problems often turn men to drink and women into 'complainers' and this is all a great strain on the relationship. Broadly speaking, I think this is what the idiom means. But of course this is only my own interpretation. Are there other views out there in the class?

On the point about having money might not attract 'true' friends or love, but people who are wanting you for your money - this of course is can also be very true, but I think that generally people move in social circles where people have the same kind of money, maybe I mean a certain 'class' - this is how it would be in England and probably also in America and I think also in Turkey and many other places, so the problems of thinking people want you for your money are less.

I suppose if you won the lottery or something this would be a big problem until you found yourself joining a different class of people with the same money as you. I must admit that this would be a big problem for me, to have to choose the people you socialised with on the basis of how much money you had and it would also cause terrible dilemmas for you with all the friends and loved ones you had before you got all the money. I can't explain how, but I think you can guess.

It also depends on where you live and what the general expectations of life are I suppose. For example, I have met lots of turkish people in Turkey who imagine that I am very rich (because I have lots of material things that to the people I have met make them imagine I am very rich) - In England i am not rich at all. I am not poor, but not rich either, just keeping going that's all. But I suppose it depends on your definition of 'rich' - if you have lots of material things, then to people who don't have, then you are rich. Its all relative.

The first time I went to Turkey, i bought 3 or 4 expensive leather handbags. These were cheap compared to England, but I discovered I had spent the same money on the handbags as the boys (including my beloved Yakup) would earn in one month of working 16/18 hours per day 7 days per week. I was very ashamed of this. When I went to my friends house and compared my life style to theirs i was also very ashamed of the 'stuff' I owned, the frivolous nonsense i spent my money on. Make up and cosmetics and perfume and jewellery. I was very ashamed of this. The money and food we wasted. I decided to stop this and the money I saved from this paid for all the things I needed to sponsor my friend to come to england to college. This is what I mean about things being relative. Not such a huge sacrifice to me, but a life changing thing for him.

So there's no easy answer to this, but on the whole, I would rather have lots of money and security for the future. Because for me the problems that came with money wouldn't be so hard as having no money and security.

Oooh my posts are so long - you can tell I talk too much sorry! :-S

Come on, Lyndie, we speak about the same things by different words.
I didn't say that it's better if you don't have money than if you have it, I said that having money is not guarantee for happines.
You've just said that you find plaesure in helping other people instead of spending money to unnecessary things – this is just what I'm talking about.
Speaking of souvenirs, I said that I wouldn't change dry rosebud, received as sign of gratitude, for, as for exemplae, possibility to buy a golden ring or leather jacket. You can call me sentimental fool, but this is my valuable sistem.

Yes - I have something like this also. I know exactly what you mean - and yes we are saying the same things.

Elisa, I understand what you are saying - however, I will also say this.

If you have cancer, then money can't change this. BUT, if you have cancer and have money, you can be sure in your mind that you have the best doctors and the time you spend in hospital can be more pleasant, than if you have no money and are in some horrible overcrowded dirty 'state' hospital where you can have cancer AND be more miserable because of your surroundings

OHHH!!! It is true, Lyndie but believe me it doesn't help either...
Maybe later I will be able to tell more.

but*, sorry

a dudu ? 

 a turkish one???native speaker

The first years I brought almost everything with blue eyes on it, some Turkish tea glasses, apple tea, the typical stuff. But my family and friends´ houses started to look like turkish souvenir shops after a few years.

Lately I started to bring stuff that I know people want or like. I usually bring food for my mom (olives, cheeses, dried herbs from the market) since she loves to cook. I also brought some beautiful handmade glass-work for some people. They had tulips on them so at least it was a bit Turkish For a group of girls from work I brought fresh baklava (only possible since I bought it on my way to the airport, and went straight to work after the airport ) because the girls loveeee sweets.

I guess it´s always nice to buy a souvenir that´s specific picked for the person you´re giving it to. My grandparents still use their "Western sized" teaglasses (with blue eyes on them) every day!

Oh, and souvenir for myself, snowglobes! I collect them, so if I see a nice one I´ll treat myself