Grant (my flatmate, also from Coe) and I have a running verbal list of things we wish we'd known before coming to Turkey, and since I, at least, am beginning to forget most of them, I thought it would be a good idea to store them somewhere, preferably where other people can get to them. I wouldn't wish this particular brand of hell on anyone.
[The Turkish university we attended was Istanbul Kültür, or IKU. I mention it more than once.]
In General
-Learn some Turkish before you go. Obvious good words to know are yes, no, please, thank you, and hello, but there are some others that are good: pardon (said just as in English) for apologies and passing someone; çekil means "go away" (you may need it some places, as you'll discover if you keep reading); çok güzel is probably one of the most common terms--literally, it means "very good," but you can use it if you want to complement someone on their bag, or if someone asks how your food is, or really anytime you could possibly use "very good" or any kind of loose translation (very nice, very pretty...you get the picture).
[Find more useful words and terms here.]
-Lots of people smoke. Just...get used to it, or ignore it. Also: there isn't anything you can do about the BO. Sorry.
-Turks run on a different time schedule than Americans. If you're just here for a week or so and plan on doing most of your sightseeing on your own, it's not a huge issue, but it's still something you need to know. If something is supposed to start at 8, don't count on everyone being there until 8:30.
-Don't be afraid to ignore people. There will always be someone trying to get you to buy something, or trying to hand you a flyer. For the most part, they won't be offended if you ignore them. And if you say something like "I don't want it," or "go away" in (correct) Turkish, they leave you alone almost instantly.
There may be some people in the Grand Bazaar who grumble, but they're just spoilsports and not the rule.
-Ladies, bring a scarf. Some of the larger mosques have loaners, but just think about that for a minute. Wouldn't you rather wear your own?
You may see some women not wearing headscarves, but that's just rude. Remember, this is their place of worship [as someone who's living here, that is the single most offensive thing a tourist can do, and I'm not even Turkish or Muslim].
You've probably also heard some things about Turkish guys. My rendition is here.
-Want to sound less like a tourist? Here's what to do. Say "Istanbul" (no, I mean really say it out loud). Hear how the emphasis is "Istanbul?" Locals say "Istonbul."
While everyone knows what/where is Blue Mosque is, locals call it Sultanhamet Camii. Which brings me to the last thing: weird letters. Ç sounds similar to the English c, and the Turkish c is pronounced like a j, so "cami" becomes "jahmee." The other thing is ğ. It's silent, and I don't mean like the silent e that isn't really silent. I mean there isn't any hint of it in the word. Example: "ağaç" ("tree") spoken is "aach." See? No g sound.
-People arbitrarily stop. Often in the most inconvenient places (you know, the middle of the road, in front of the escalator...). Sorry, but it's pretty much the same as the smell...there isn't anything you can do about it. For traffic dashing, here's my story.
Specifically For Long-Term Travelers
-More than anything else, I wish I (and Coe) had known this before I left.
-Bring about 10 passport-sized photos of yourself. You're going to need them for, at the very least, your transportation card and permanent residence visa.
-Get a transportation card. It will save you lots of money, time, and headaches. Trust me.
Details: You'll need a copy of your passport, 70TL, and a red form that you can either get from the office or your university.
The IETT office can be hard to find. At the bottom of the Istiklal-Kadıköy Tunel (Kadıköy end, by the water and Tramway), there's a large building. When you're looking at it, there's an IETT sign on the right. This is not the side you want. On the left side, there's a door that will probably have lots of people coming and going. This is the door you want.
Take a number from the white machine (hit the top button), and then wait, probably for several hours. If you're planning on staying, (1) wear good shoes and (2) bring a book.
You'll then have to go to the other side of the Tunel and have it loaded. You need to pay 10TL for the card, and the other 60TL gets you 200 trips for the month. You can always load more money on if you exceed the 200, but it won't be at the reduced rate.
-Your classes will not start on time. As mentioned before, Turkey doesn't run by the second hand of the clock. [Okay, so this my just be IKU, but I still wish I'd known about it.]
-If there's a language course, find out what you're getting yourself into. Again, this may have just been IKU, but we had a Turkish course that started 3 weeks before classes. The course was only 2 weeks, though, and Grant and I have decided that the terms we learned and still use consist of: {ø}. (That's the null set, in case you were wondering, meaning absolutely nothing.)
-Do not trust the mail system like you do at home. And nothing is worth more than 150€. It took three weeks for a package to get to my doorstep (and that's normal). To avoid this, the next package was sent to my landlord (he was kind enough to let us do that), and we had to go to the post office to pick it up. Sadly, my mom and I didn't know the 150€ rule. Any package valued (by the sender) over 150€ (or the equivalent) is taxed. Steeply. Like 75TL steeply.
-Know that the holidays will be...flexible. There are varying accounts of this. At IKU, classes officially started the last week of September, but the students consider September part of the holiday, so they don't show up for classes. It's also the scheduling week, so not everyone knows what they'll be taking.
I've heard tell that at other universities, Bayram (a week-long religious holiday similar to Thanksgiving) is very loose. Everyone in the country gets the week of Bayram off, but there are some schools where the students don't show up the week before, and the professors don't show up the week after, so a one week break becomes three.
-Get a museum pass. It takes about 10 minutes.
Details: Everywhere you go will probably ask for something a little different. The Ayasofya staff is extremely nice, and they didn't give me a hard time (unlike the man at the Kayiye Müzesi). It's 10TL, and you need your university ID card and, if it doesn't have a photo on it, another form of ID that does (I just used my driver's license).
If you need any convincing, you can either pay 20TL for admission to the Ayasofya once, or pay 10TL for admission to all museums in the city as many times as you want.
-During the winter, it's like western Washington in terms of weather. You'll want an umbrella, a waterproof coat, and at least semi-waterproof shoes.
-The red tape here is like steel-enforced duct tape. It causes lots of headaches, and sometimes, there isn't a thing you can do about it.
-Communication isn't what you're used to. People (professors, even) won't respond to your emails half the time, and if they do, there's a good chance it won't be for several days. Use a phone, or get used to tracking down people in person.
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