I met my boyfriend when he was in the U.S. working for the summer. We spent 3 months together and yes, we fell in love.  I will be visiting Turkey for the first time in a few weeks to see him in Antalya where he attends university. He wants to take one day to drive me all the way to Konya to meet his parents. I know his parents are very traditional so I am very nervous! Please, someone give me advice to ease my fears... What to expect, what to wear, what to do, what to bring? Thank you for any info!!!

I am an American married to a Turk, so I can understand a bit of your anxiety....although, my husbands family is very non-traditional.  If they are as traditional as you say, my advice to you would be to dress somewhat conservatively (might want to wear a long skirt and a shirt that covers your shoulders and arms....not low cut).  Ask your friend if his parents expect to be greeted in the traditional Turkish manner (kiss to the hand, then touch the hand to the forehead, then kiss both cheeks).  I have noticed that some people expect this and others don´t.  Typically if they expect it they will just put their hand out.  I am sure you already know to remove your shoes before entering someone home.  As far as what to bring, ask your boyfriend what would be appropriate. 

Not sure what else to say except that Turkish parents are not that different from anyone elses parents.  They love their children and want them to be happy.....so in reality, if they see that your boyfriend is happy, then they will be happy for him.  One word of caution:  keep in mind that many Turkish parents have already planned their childrens lives out and if they have it in their minds that their son will marry a good Turkish girl and have lots of Turkish babies in a traditional Turkish family, then they may not take you seriously as someone their son is in love with (or wants to be with). 

Feel free to PM me if you need.  Always happy to share my experiences of Turkey, my Turkish family and my culturally blended family!

Please dont listen to Elisabeth - as she said, she is American, and a BED one at that!

OK now to be serious.  If you want to impress them you should not try to be shy or too polite - it is considered rude in Turkey.  When you first meet them, you should call both parents "lan" at every opportunity.  It is traditional to smoke in the home, so I advise you to take a good stock of cigarettes with you and smoke as much as you can in their living room.

Now on to clothes.  Anything short and/or low cut is advisable.  They like western people and love the way we show our bodies off, so show off as much of your body as possible so they can see what a great bride you will make. 

One last word of advice.  Make sure you are as affectionate as possible with your boyfriend when you are in the company of his parents.  A good snog can go a long way and will prove to them how much you love their son. 

Hope I have been of assistance, but feel free to PM me if you have any further questions

One more piece of information to add to the last post: TheAenigma never actually got to marry her Turkish boyfriend, apparently he disappeared without an explanation... We´ve been looking for him, but so far, no luck!

 I was hoping you would not mention it here - the pain is still so severe, the heartache still so raw

Canim, it´s been five years now, I was hoping that the TC dating services that we signed you up for had helped you heal the wounds.. And I´ve been getting darn good reports on your progess, are you saying now that I´m wasting my money on hiring the best spammers?!

I appreciate your humor! While İ was asking for advice I am not so ignorant of the culture as to actually follow through on any of the tips you listed. Or perhaps you missed the part about the traditional family in Konya. İ think İ will stick to Elisabeth´s advice since she actually kept her Turkish man!   But thank you for your input!

 Yes she kept her man - but only because she stole him from me!

PS.  Don´t you think a bit of common sense and a few questions to your boyfriend could have resolved this issue?

MUAHHHH!! somebody finally saw thru your evil schemes Aenigma!  Bed Americans are a bit smarter than you evil Brits!!!  My guess is, you are off the list of contenders for TC person of the year....yilgun told me today that this is the last straw for him!   

 Yeah..so smart that she can´t think WHAT to wear when she meets her bf´s parents!