From the beginning I said that I will write an article as a conclusion to the whole Erasmus experience in Turkey. But everytime I believed that this moment won’t be. Unfortunately, that day is today. I decide to write few lines about everyday things here. Also good aspects, but I won’t miss the bad parts as well.
I can only say that Turkey is a beautiful country with many historical places where people will become friends from the fist moment of discussion; they are friendly and open. But overall Turkey is an expensive country, in special in the biggest cities of Turkey. Tourism plays an important role here. There are so many things to say you; I won’t stop to tell about places here until tomorrow. (when I will came back in Romania I have to prepare myself to become a real storyteller).It’s quite hard for me to explain the things exactly how they were. So I invite all to enjoy this country. You won’t have any regrets. It’s a different place, with different habits, with strange mentalities, all of these create such a beautiful country. Come to visit the history to one of the most powerful empire in the world: Ottoman Empire and also Roman or Christian Empire.
Lets get inside of my story and stop sending you only foggiest ideas about my experience.
Ataturk
I would like to begin with Ataturk character. I said from the first day of my incoming here that Turkey today wasn’t like this without him. He believed so much that Turkey won’t develop anymore if citizens still continue to think and behave in the same stupid way. That’s why he though that Turkey needs a strongly change and a fast reform. But not many people think the necessity of changing and prefer to remain closed. Ataturk understood this. But I have noticed that every time people look back and they are unuseful to lead this country without Ataturk. If “Ataturk said…..”but he died for about one century ago, but he is still alive in the people’s memory. Ataturk is everywhere. In every building, in every school, in every grammar school, on every coin. It’s too much. There is a saying here: when someone says: “Ataturk!”, the others should reply “Ataturk is among us”. That’s why they make me to believe that they don’t want to pass the Ataturk period.
Even that the intention is good to conserve the Ataturk’s reform, they only go in circle and show to the others that they don’t want to change themselves. The things are changing every time. You can live in the past making every time connections with Ataturk.

Democracy
For me Turkey is not a real democratic country. And it won’t be. It’s hard to lead a country as Turkey witch isn’t ready for this. They didn’t have yet a history or a culture of democracy. I think it’s a little bit hard for them to understand this word. Why I said that?
Every time when a thing threatens one of the Ataturk’s principles, they suspend everything. They didn’t ask anyone if they are doing right. Youtube, Wordpress, porn sites, and many sites of music are closed. They are just few of them. Some teenagers realized the big illegally generated by this. But they are just several students who think like me. I count them on one hand. And they can not do something in this aspect.
Where is the freedom of thinking? because every time I heard “you don’t have to do that” “here there are some rules” so every time there are borders. Don’t misunderstand me that here is fundamentalism or terrorism. But is not the democracy witch I am looking for. Not yet. For example if you say something wrong about Ataturk you can enjoy some days in prison. Ataturk is only one and no one can take his role. So, as an advice, don’t joke on the Ataturk’s back.
Democracy means to be intelligent enough to divide what is good and what is bad for yourself, to have the freedom to say, to react when you think that your own interests were affected by someone.
English Language
I should start first with this. English language doesn’t exist just in few universities and that is all. It’s a bless to meet someone who speaks English. And if you met him, it’s obviously that he comes from Istanbul. There you can find many English speakers. During my experience here it was very hard to create the same line communication with someone. They don’t care about English. I had the opportunity to meet some person who don’t know what does it mean “ok’. Seams unbelievable, but it’s real. But I don’t judge them because this problem is everywhere in Turkey. So, they don’t have any idea about what English is.
Funny moment: I was one day to school with some photocopies in English and one of my class-mates came to me and took a look on my sheets of paper and told me: “Romange, zor” (“It’s so hard this Romanian language”). That’s why my English improvement was very slowly here. Some times you have to speak bad and wrong to make yourself clear. For a foreigner, these are the rules here. In my case I get used to, but it’s sad.
To put an end to this matter, Turkey is far away from Europe.
Educational System
I was Erasmus student here. From the first day to this was a holiday. Ok, to be frank, teachers were really nice. They didn’t create me any problems. They were very closed to me, like friends. And I told you everything with this. During my scholarship accommodation I didn’t do anything. They focus only to mechanical engineer department and the other departments they don’t care. They learn only about their history and Ataturk. Every students dream to become architect and engineer. I was in a discussion with someone and he told me that great Ataturk made also many mistakes witch are in the constitution. But he is Ataturk, and it’s impossible to err.
Try Erasmus, but start to learn Turkish first.
Istanbul
Istanbul is the best city in Turkey. Impossible to get bored. There are so many things to see there: Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazar, Spice Bazar, New Mosque, Taksim, Galata Tower, Golden Horn and of course Bosporus. After you visited Istanbul and you get a global view about it you will notice that Istanbul has no connection with the Asian Turkey. If I compare Ankara with Istanbul, Ankara is very poor, only Ataturk Mausoleum and that’s it. Even that Ankara is the capital (only with name), but everybody knows that Istanbul is the real capital. And it deserves to be.
For me Turkey is like a second home land. I have many reasons to come often. But unfortunately, my accommodation here comes to an end. Gule, gule Turkey!!