Your experience of culture shock in Turkey

I have been fortunate enough to somehow be shock proof in any culture. I usually feel myself as much at home in a small village in Nederlands, in conglomerated Dubai and in fast paced vast Istanbul as I feel back home in Pakistan. How? Don't ask me, I don't know! : )

So did I feel at home in Istanbul? Yes. Did I find a few things odd? The answer too, is yes.

One thing, barely anyone spoke English. I mean, I come from Pakistan and its not like everyone speaks English there, but still, you can have a bearable broken English conversation with a grocery shop guy. Here, it was a different story!

Second thing, after the honeymoon period of culture shock was over, and I started looking deep, one thing that is visibly noticeable is that somehow Turkey is not really as Europeanized as it appears. I leave the interpretation open to everyone's individual personal experience!

Z