How has your life changed in Turkey

Laughed when I received an email from expat.com about this.

I spent two months in a Turkish prison accused of being a CIA agent. I'm not, I'm a journalist. Doesn't matter to Turkey, though. Americans...keep your heads down. Journalists...REALLY keep your heads down.

I am in a state of depression now. Because I have only a few friends here. I can not integrate with society. I can not do anything. I was thinking that I would have friends and I would have a good social life. But this thing did not happen. I just have friends from my own. After work I have a lot of space and I do not know what to do ... I'm really bored

I moved here 3 month ago to study but it's been so boring as I have no friends even in school , the ones I interact with stays far and nothing to do except we are in school.
I need some new friends to at least spend time with during weekends and explore the city together.. I'm in Istanbul

My experience is probably not representative because my move to Turkey was very well prepared . I first came to Turkey 24 years back and I staye just a year with a rather tough experience at work but an fantastic relation with turkish people in that time.
I had also build over the years a strong relationship with those firends.
in between I learned  the language an build some strong ties over the years.
but when I faced struggle in France 8 years back I decided to move all my life in Turkey which finally I achieved 3 years back by buying my home here.
So for me it has been a positive experience with good improovement of my life but I underline that what is essential to build close relation with good people.as linked people are in Turkey source of opportunities in work life. everything is always related to the friends of the friends. So integration is a must even though it is difficult because in some turkish people are not as open as they were 24 years ago.. so dont give up sometimes there is good comming out from difficulties.

I have been very lonely in the past few months. I came here over a year ago and am finding it hard making friends.  I normally make friends at work, but have been unable to make any friendships in my work here. I'm seriously thinking about moving back to England, but would have to travel here once a month to see my husband. I feel very lonely as I'm normally a good communicator, but here it's hard to make myself understood.

Hello dear i like to be ur friend. my nae is Sarah, from African Ghana. i have been here for 4months.

Hi Trumunro
Of course Adana is a bit lost place where there might not be that many foreigners but if one want to integrate in a society confrontation is a need . this in order to learn the habits the lamguage that is a must use in an alian environment.
Adana is very conservative may be  you could ask your husband to find an other location in Turkey more foreign friendly like Istanbul, Ankara, Bodrum, Antalya or Izmir because I admit sometimes that a bit of foreign contact gives a bit of a breath in a difficult environment at the start. Turks can be very friendly and open sometimesbut one need to fall on the right ones because as every where people especially in smaller places are not used to foreign confrontation.
any how if you want to contact for more Exchange you can write me [email protected]
I liv in Ankara most of the time and have also my home in Antalya region.
All the best for your adaptation

I'm enjoying Istanbul especially at my place Caddebostan. I have lots of lovely Turkish friends  that I found from a local mosque. We have this group that always walks and eat together on Saturday. My colleagues at the office are also nice and connected really well.

I am now enjoying the scene at some regular locations for vacation. I also have some friends from my home country who also reside in Istanbul. So I believe if you socially connected at the right place with the right people, you gonna enjoy Istanbul and Turkey.

Hi Sarah. Whereabouts in Turkey are you living? I had a few friends in England that were from Ghana.  I would like to be friends.   My name is Trudie. 

My life has changed 10.

Back home I worked in the medical field, I lived a modest life with a few good friends.  Here in Turkey I have switched careers entirely, have a large group of friends and my husband works in politics which affects my whole life here.

At first I hated it here, if you feel like you have no Turkish friends you are not alone, I have not met one foreigner who has a Turkish friend including myself; all my friends are foreigners as well.  I hated the culture, the food just about everything I was hostile to, it took awhile to understand this place and I am still working to figure out Turks themselves.

It has been three years and I live a good life (alhamdoulilah), I wanted to live in a Muslim country and I am mostly comfortable being here as a religious woman.  I live in Ankara which is honestly boring but it's stable. 

My standard of living is quite high in Turkey comparing with my old days as a student in America, it's certainly a major upgrade.  I spend nearly everyday networking and I am not the most social person but its a part of my life now. 

It does take a long time to get used to Turkey, and if you are a non-Muslim I am sure everything is a bit harder.  I am happy here now that I speak the language and understand a lot of the "why" of Turkey.

First of all ım ın here you live my country and prejudice is really easıly from yoursıde ı notıce that you underlıne you are muslım and announce to people ın here ıf you non-muslım avoıd yourself from muslıms ısn turkey.In Islam culture fırst respect to other people s lıfe also you dont lıke no need attack to others people lıfe wıth bla bla
My purpose is not defense here gıve a message as a humanly. and please no need to  do seperatıons -muslıms-non muslıms or turkısh not frıendly-foreıgners your frıend group more frıendly.

If a turkısh people damaged you by words or rude attitudes people can ın chına also they can , wherever you go (ı lıved  there before and experıenced )

Events and people's no need to put generalise our heart need to full of people love and peace.

The religious issue is not an issue unless one start to go on this hectical field. Personnally it has never been an issue but I am carefull on the terms and expressions I use to evoid any harm to anybody. I would recommand not to speak about this sensitive subject unless one starts to know the people well in many aspect of their life as even among muslims there are very different approaches to religion which is a very personnal subject.

I would say about an 8.

I have been here for over a year and to be honest I can't wait to leave. Every day people are rude to me. I have 0 Turkish friends. All of my friends are foreigners. Basically, Turkish people are not open to the outside world.

Also I'm a Muslim convert and I had many employers tell me that if I wanted to work there that I would have to remove my hijab. This country is messed up.

I recommend moving to a more multi-cultural place like Qatar.

you know people in Turkey have become radical due to the fanatism of certain people that used the religious issue as a political tool. and if one want to work in certain environment rather modern one deal with non religious people that have become also fanatic the other way round. İt is probably sad for the country but the leaders are responsable of it. I cant believe that you could nt get friend with turkish people because they are rather open if one knows their center of interest. When one goes in an other country one should be open enough to adapt and not to expect the people to go all your way.