Hiya peeps

I am going to visit my boyf at his home in iskendurun (so will be meeting his folks)

i am soooo very nervous about this. I am worried about the cultural differences and if they will accept me.

He keeps telling me that his parents and city are very 'cosmopolitan' and not to worry...

can anyone tell me anything about life/culture in iskendurun??

any info would be much appreciated!!

Thanking you

Well we have had many similar threads and the general advice from Turks is

(1) Don't be YOURSELF.
(2) Wear very loose clothes which cover everything otherwise you will be judged as "cheap white western trash"

-Try to be polite especially with Elders.
-Do not reject the food they offer you, no matter how much it is !
-Do not wear too revealing clothes.
-Bring some presents if possible.
I think you could be "yourself" somehow...
I am sure some turkish friends will give you more "tips"
Dilara.

AEnigma III thanks you really put my mind at ease!!haha

Well on the bright side..i suppose its a good reason to shop (not that we women need one!!!)


Thanks Dilara X

Thanks for the tips peeps!

Okay i think ive got it now..im polite by nature anyway..and i will definitely be myself because

a.) I dont know how to pretend to be a good turkish virgin!
b.) why be a different person? i mean he obviously likes me as i am, and i would be acting 'false'otherwise and i hate false ppl!

...but i must admit i will be having a chat with him...about the points raised...he has said nothing to me about how im supposed to act! Men! Tut tut!

x

I think you're very luck about your visiting place because Iskenderun is the one of the special cities which have sinagogs,churches and mosques at the same time in an peaceful atmosphere.
My all friends from Iskenderun are very understanding about cultural differences.
Briefly,go and taste

keep hoping)))))the good days are yet to come))))who knows what is in store for us?anyway,good guess ,perhaps it is revange for "empire"glory

That eating thing I can do without. Last time I ate so much food with eggplant in it that it took two months home and medical treatment to recover. I lost 10 kilos and got very ill. No more....I'm allergic to eggplant. In particular the combination of eggplants, onions, tomatoes and peppers....too much nightshade. I can eat some of them sometimes, but everyday eggplant was almost the death of me.

I notice rheumatism and arthritis are problems in Turkey and they are aggravated by those foods.

A trip to Morocco took 15 kilos in a week. Almost died from that one. Now I'm careful......although it is difficult. Although a night of graphic gastronomical distress usually causes people to let me eat what I want and not try to force anything on me.

I remember meeting my husband's family the first time. We were both nervous as I am very outspoken and am prone to laughing hysterically when I am uncomfortable. Thank god my husbands family is very down to earth because I was a disaster as far as Turkish etiquette is concerned! My mother is Italian and we have a HUGE Italian family. I am used to just grabbing people and hugging them and kissing them on both cheeks (of course with a big MUAHHHHH sound too). Of course, when I arrived, my husband introduced me to his parents first. I was so nervous I forgot my Turkish manners of kissing the hands, touching the hand to my forehead....I greeted them both with a HUGE hug, kisses to both cheeks and a BIG MUAHHHH!! It was very quiet for a moment, my future husband looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock. Then all of a sudden, to my utter SHOCK, his mother grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into the house. She took me to her kitchen and put me to work...which I later found out was a show of confidence in my ability to cook...a compliment. She later told my husband that she loved me because I was not so formal and she loved that I knew how to prepare some of the classic mediteranean dishes.

Turkish families are as different as any other culture. There is no way to guess whether they will like you or not. I just think it is better to be yourself. Most people can see when you are pretending to be something you are not. BUT DO DRESS CONSERVATIVELY. That is just respectful and should be done in any culture.