Sokak satıcıları -- Street sellers

Istanbul, 6 May 2012 -- Naylo! Plastic street seller roaming
the streets of Istanbul

İstanbul'da bir çok sokak satıcısı var. Onların turistik merkezlerin caddelerinde dolaşıyor olması şaşırtıcı. İlk başta, plastik satıcıyı görmek beni güldürdü.  Jakarta'da da caddeler üzerinde böyle satıcılar var.

Heryerde ekmek, çay, kahve ve diğer şeyleri satan seyyar satıcılar var.

Corrections: Elif D.

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Istanbul, 4 May 2012 -- Shoe shine man waiting for customers in the
boulevard between the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya. 

There are many street sellers in Istanbul. It is surprising that they roam the streets in tourist centres. The first sight of the plastic seller made me laugh. We have the same seller on the streets of Jakarta. 

There are hawkers everywhere, offering bread, tea, coffee and other things for sale. 

Yiyecek, şanlı yiyecek -- Food, glorious food

Istanbul, 5 May 2012 - Many restaurants offer puffy bread along with
any dish you order. 

Yiyecek Türkiye'deki ana konumlar biridir. Köfte insanların aradığı ana yemektir. Sultanahmet'te tarihi bir köftesi restoran var.

Fakat artık et yemiyorum. Yani köfte bir seçenek değildir. Yemek vejetaryen seçenekleri bol vardır.

Ben farklı yerlerde hergün içinde yemeye çalıştı.

Türkiye'de seyahat zaman, bir lezzet yolculuğuna hazırlanacak olan.


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Rice with a selection of fried vegetables.

Food is one of the main attractions in Turkey. Kofte (a type of meatball) is the main dish that people seek. There is a historic kofte restaurant in Sultanahmet.

However, I don't eat meat anymore. So kofte is not an option. There are plenty of vegetarian options to eat. I tried to eat in different places everyday.

Whenever you travel to Turkey, be prepared for a culinary journey.

İletişim -- Communicating

Üsküdar, Istanbul/May 9, 2012 - Yön için sorma/
Asking for directions (photo: Shea McJagger)

In the first few days in Turkey I tried to open my ears on how Turkish people talk. After training for about seven months will I be able to use what I've learned to communicate? Even though, in Istanbul you can survive with speaking only English.

Knowing a few words has it's advantages though... especially in ordering food, bargaining and up to a point asking for directions.

Although I have mastered quite a bit of vocabulary, building sentences is a different matter all together and understanding native speakers talk is not easy. Turkish people speak very fast and with relatively flat tone.

The people I tried to communicate with was being so kind by tolerating my one-word sentences. I mostly get by using a lot of gestures, basic expressions such as "tuvalet nerede?" when asking for the toilet; "teşekkürler" when saying thanks.

Small talks when meeting people... "Nasılsın?"...How are you? ...and responding "İyiyim, teşekkürler" ...I am well, thank you. "Yardım bana biraz"... Help me a bit... People will also ask where I am from... maybe its something like "Nerelisin?" and I will answer "Endonezya'da"... I am surprised at how many people actually know where Indonesia is!

The guys at the hostel reception was very helpful in teaching me some more expressions... "Her yolunda?" means something like "How's it going?" literally meaning "Everything going on track?" and the answer can be "Yolunda"... or when things are going very well: "Süper gidiyor herşey!"

Being brave in asking questions means you have to get ready to receive an answer! Bargaining is quite straight forward... "Kaç para?" or "Ne kadar?" when asking for price... I can count so usually getting an answer is no problem... but when it comes to asking for directions, ehm.. that's a different story...

In Üsküdar, we got lost and strolled into a residential area... I did bring a map and yes... I did have a GPS with me... but sort of didn't mind getting lost :) ...so we came across a small shop where I stopped to buy a sandwich. Afterwards I asked him the direction to the Çinili Hamam. He hesitated a bit (oh oh not a good sign... it will be very far and complicated... and yes... it was...) ...he started to give directions... go right, then straight ....bla bla bla... I said I don't understand but it seems that he didn't believe me... he said you know the word for 'olive' (...I wanted to say I am asking for directions and my olives can't give me directions!) ... so he went on with his long and complicated explanation, and I just put on a serious face as if I understand and quickly get out of there ...he he...

We never made it to the Çinili Hamam... as soon as we came out to the main street, we took a dolmuş (shared taxi) to Kadıköy and took a ferry back to Eminönü...

Sev, aşk -- Love :)

Ben Türkçe sevgi dolu bazı terimler listelemek çalışıyorum ... Bu yazı için birkaç kez katacak ...

I am trying to list some terms of endearment in Turkish... I will add to this post a few times...

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The following is borrowed from WordReference.com:

tatlım

Translation: sweetheart [Litteral translation: my sweet]

usage: M/F: gender doesn't matter.
--------------------------------------
bir tanem

(Pronunced without the "r" --> bi tanem)

Translation: Sweetheart/darling [Litteral Translation: My only one]

usage: M/F: gender doesn't matter
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kuzum

Translation: sweetheart/darling [Litteral Translation: My lamb]

usage: M/F: gender doesn't matter.
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aşkım

Translation: my love [Litteral Translation: my love]

usage: M/F: gender doesn't matter.
--------------------------------------
sevgilim

Translation: darling [Litteral Translation: my lover]

usage: M/F: gender doesn't matter
--------------------------------------
güzelim
Translation: my love / darling [Litteral translation: my beauty/my beautiful]

usage: Men use it for women.

Siftah - First Sale

Istanbul, 4 May 2012 -- a souvenir seller at Yerebatan Caddesi with his
cat, Fıstık (literally meaning 'pistachio' but used as a name for pets,
cute things or dear ones . 

Bir sabah çevresinde gitti ve ben hediye hatıra gördüm. Ben bunun için ödenen zaman, satıcı para aldı ve çenesine salladı ve "siftah" dedi.

Ne demek istediğini sordum. Batılılar için yabancı bir kavram olabilir, ama için biz Endonezya aynı kavram var. Biz bunu 'panglaris' diyoruz.

İlk satış veya ilk müşterisi genellikle iyi şans getirecek kabul edilir. Yani satıcı bir satış kilitlemek için ellerinden geleni yapardı. Bazen şansınız yaver olmak ve indirimli şeyler alabilirsiniz.

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One morning I went around and saw some souvenir that I love. When I paid for it, the seller took the money and waved it to his chin and said "siftah".

I asked him what it means. For westerners it may be a foreign concept, but we have the same concept in Indonesia. We call it 'panglaris'.

First sale or first customer is usually considered to bring good luck. So the seller would do their best to lock in a sale. Sometimes you can be lucky and get things at a discount.

Mavi boncuk dağıtmak -- To disperse blue beads

İşte ünlü Molla Nasreddin Hoca'nın bilinen bir anekdot çekilmiyor bir ifadesidir. Hoca, eşlerinden her aslında onlara gizlice boncuk verme ve herhangi bir şüphe yükseltmeden sonra bu ifadeyi kullanarak bunları iyi seviyor inanmak için kullandılar. :) 


Mavi Boncuk

Nasreddin Hoca'nin iki karısı varmış. Aralarında kıskançlık, geçimsizlik baş gösterince, her ikisine de birbirinden gizli birer mavi boncuk vermiş. Verirken de "Sakın bu boncuğu kimseye gösterme demiş."

Bir gün Hoca'nin eşleri yine tartışmışlar. Sonra da Hoca'yı sıkıştırmışlar,
- Söyle bakalım, hangimizi çok seviyorsun?
- Mavi boncuklu gönlümün sultandır, demiş Hoca. İkinizi de çok seviyorum.

Hanımları içlerinden "Hoca beni daha çok seviyor" diyerekten gülümseyerek işlerine dönmüşler.


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Here is an expression I picked up from a known anecdote from the famous Mullah Nasreddin Hodja. "mavi boncuk dağıtmak" literally means to "disperse blue beads". The Hodja used it to make each of his wives believe that he loves them best by actually giving the beads secretly to them and using this expression later without raising any suspicion. :)  
The literal translation 'dispersing blue beads' does not translate well into other languages... 


This expression is still used now but it has more of a negative connotation; for example treating every individual as if we they are the only special person.  


[translation below is borrowed from the WordReference.com forum:]


The one who has the blue bead

Nasreddin Hodja has two wives. They don’t get on well together and they are jealous of each other. Hodja secretly gives both of them a blue bead and speaks to each one in private:
- “Don’t show this bead to your fellow-wife!”
One day his wives argue with each other again and force Hodja to tell the truth:
- “Tell us quickly! Which of us do you love more?”
- “The one who has the blue bead is the queen of my heart. I love both of you very much,” says Hodja.
- “Hodja loves me more,” they say innerly and go back to their work smiling.

İstanbul'da kalbimi bıraktım -- I left my heart in Istanbul

Ben İstanbul'da çok güzel vakit geçirdi.
Olsa da turizm sezonu en üstüne. Orada hoş vakit başardı.

Ben birkaç kitap aldım, Tenten dört başlık dahil.

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I had a great time in Istanbul.
Although it was peak of the tourist season I managed to have a nice time there.

I bought a few books, including four titles of Tintin.

Nihayet İstanbul'da -- Istanbul at last

Ben iki gün önce buraya geldi. Ben Sultanahmet'teki alanında bir hostel kalmak.Yeri temiz, güzel çevre ve personel süper cana yakın ve yardımsever olduğunu :)

Perşembe günü geldiğimde, biraz jet-gecikmeli de oldu. Bu yüzden çok göze vermedi.Hosteli yanında küçük bir çarşı vardır. Orada yemeğim yedik. Ben kamera için kablo bağlamadan getirmeyi unuttum, bu yüzden daha sonra benim fotoğraf yayınlayacağız.

Cuma günü, ben Aya Sofya günün ilk yarısında geçirdiği ve günün geri kalanında çarşıları keşfetmek.Ertesi gün hosteli aynı odayı paylaştığı diğer iki arkadaş bir araya geldi ve biz Boğaz'da bir vapur turu aldı.

Bugün Ortaköy'de bir pazar günü pazara gitmek ve belki daha sonra bir Türk hamamı deneyin planlıyoruz.

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I arrived here two days ago. I stay in a hostel at the Sultanahmed area. The place is clean, nice environment and the staff is super friendly and helpful :)

On the Thursday when I arrived, I was still a bit jet-lagged. So I didn't venture far. There is a small bazaar near the hostel. I had dinner there. I forgot to bring connecting cables for my camera, so I will post my pictures later.

On Friday, I spent the first half of the day in Aya Sofia and the rest of the day exploring the bazaars. The next day I met two other friends who shared the same room at the hostel, and we took a ferry tour along the Bosphorus.

Today we plan to go to a Sunday market at Örtaköy and maybe later try a Turkish bath.