When I was living in Turkey, from 2019 to 2020, I experienced some random acts of generosity. Turks showed me their kindness with foreigners. Keep reading to find out the stories.
Table of Contents
Turk men with Foreign Women
A few years ago, my girlfriend Saeli earned a scholarship to study a master in Turkey. She went to the turkish embassy in 2018 to ask the residence permission.
She asked there about tips and some recommendations for living there and how to get along with the natives. One of the people that worked in the embassy, told her that:
Turks like foreigner girls
She smiled, but she was sure how to answer that.
Kindness Act from random Turks: a Mobile Salesman
On 15 October 2019, I went with Saeli to Turk Telekom to buy a mobile chip for my cellphone.
Saeli was my translator. She explained what I was looking for, I listened that she started to say politely Hayır, teşekkür ederiz (No thanks). Normally you would expect a decline from a offer coming from a mobile carrier salesman. So, what was going on?
A New Deal
I asked her later if this mobile salesman was offering a better deal but she told me that the salesman was actually inviting me to spend a weekend on Konya, a city south of Ankara, with him and his family. “Really? To someone who is a totally stranger??” I thought.
Was he planning to kidnap me? I doubt it. In Turkey, there is plenty of safety in the streets. I talk about this topic in this blog post, that you can read by clicking in the link below.
Turkish Woman in Germany
Just before I arrived to Turkey, I was in Germany spending some nostalgic time in the mighty city of Cologne, Germany because I lived here during my Exchange Year in Germany 2008-2009.
On October 4 of 2019 in the evening, I was walking with my german host sister Raquelina around Nippes, a neighborhood in Cologne. We had the plan to walk around in a bar street and perhaps sit in a bar together. Well, only I wanted the beer :).
Helping a Stranger
On the way, we passed by a Turkish restaurant where we ate breakfast earlier. They were closing and there was a woman carrying some food from the restaurant. The woman asked us (strangers to her) if we could help her to carry the load into the metro station. We agreed but I doubted a little.
- [Juditova] Do you believe there is some danger? (I asked in Spanish).
- [Raquelina] No worries.
A Piece of Kindness from Turks
As we carried her stuff to the metro, she asked many things about us, like if we were married. I said yes just to see the reaction and she then affirmed that we were a cute couple. How funny.
She realized that for our help, she wasn't going to take everything with her so we gave us as gift some soup and bread. She entered to a Döner Kebap Restaurant nearby (where I ate yesterday) and she asked in Turkish to the guys that were attending if they could warm up the soup and bread for us both. She insisted because we were helping here with this load. And yes, there was a lot of food.
Discussing the Creator
Afterwards, while the soup was warmed up in the restaurant, we escorted her to the nearest metro station with the rest of the food. On the way, the woman was telling us about her religious beliefs, especially about the Creator. I didn't engage in the discussion but Raquelina was advocating for a “Universal Creator”, indepently from the religion.
After the metro arrived, she blessed with a lot of luck and she appreciated so much that we have helped her. She even wished that Raquelina and I live happy ever after. Such a kind hearted woman.
Return to the Restaurant
When we got back to the restaurant, one of the attendees asked us if we knew this woman. We replied no but he was still amazed of the circumstance.
Raquelina ate some of the soup while I ordered a Döner Kebap (the third in 3 days). She gave the rest of the soup to a group of homeless people that were sleeping in the sidewalk a few blocks away.
Turk Business Owner invites us to Dinner
After the parade of the Turkish Republic, students from the YTB scholarships and I went to a restaurant. A man invited all of us (and we were a numerous group) to enjoy a authentic Turkish food in a fancy restaurant. Why? I believe because we were foreigners and he wanted to give us a welcome experience in Turkey. He didn't ask anything in return.
Click the link below to read the whole story of kindness from this turk.
Classes of Turkish Coffee? Yes, please!!
When Saeli and I went to Eskişehir, we took a big breakfast in a restaurant near the river. After the finishing it, we were talking with the waitress about the food, especially about the Turkish Coffee. She offered to show us how to prepared coffee using the traditional method of heating sand up.
You can read the whole story by clicking in the link below.
Kindness of Turks expressed with tea
One day in Ankara, I went to lunch in a fast food restaurant and I ordered a dürüm and ayran. This wasn’t the first time that I did it and my Turkish was getting better (at least for ordering food).
This time, the cashier asked me Nerelisin? (Where are you from?). I answered that I was from Ecuador ??, South America (Because I’m not sure if they can spot my country in a map). This man smiled and they he continue to process the order.
When I was eating, the cashier brought me a tea. A tea? But that wasn’t in my order, so why did bring it to me? Of course that I refused it politely, but he said İkram (lncluded). Was he offering me tea at no cost? Really?
Such act of kindness from the Turks was a novelty to me and I really appreciated it. I thanked to this man a lot. Before I went out of the restaurant, I said to the man Allah razı olsun (Allah blesses you).
Final Toughts about the Kindness of Turks
I was thrilled about this act and I’m sure that this didn’t happened only because I’m handsome. Not every time I accepted the offers but I perceived it as a genuine act of kindness from Turks since they weren’t expecting anything back. It could be translated as “Welcome to Turkey!! I really appreciate that you appreciate us”.
Nevertheless, I’m not sure how other foreigners are treated. Do Greeks, Armenians, Jordanians or Bulgarians (neighbors) receive this random acts of kindness? What about Somalians or Sudanians refugees? I heard that life wasn’t easy for some of my classmates from Somalia in Turkey.
What do you think about life in Turkey for foreigners?
Let me know by writing a comment below and sharing this post with your friends and relatives.
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