Indonesian Expat Living In Turkey – Interview with Lina from Istanbul
Lina is an Indonesian expat in Turkey who’s lived in Istanbul for over 15 years. She came to Turkey to work and planned to go back to Indonesia, but in her own words “faith spoke something else” and she stayed in Turkey. Read some amazing insights about Turkish culture from the experienced expat woman in Turkey.
Here is what she says about herself:
I’m from Indonesia. My husband is Turkish. We have one son. I’ve been working in foreign trade business since 2000. Besides the full-time work, I was teaching yoga until I had a baby. Then I stopped teaching yoga, continue my own practice and working full time in the foreign trade business job.
When did you move to Turkey and where in Turkey you live?
I came to Turkey in February 2001 and since then I live in Istanbul
How did you discover Turkey? What made you decide to come and live here?
I left Indonesia after finished high school and went to Taiwan for studying university. After graduating, I didn’t go back to Indonesia but instead, I worked in a company in Taiwan which has a branch office in Istanbul. One day my boss offered to transfer me to Istanbul office. So my plan was I’d return to Indonesia after working in Istanbul for 2years, but faith spoke something else, instead, I got married and set my root in Turkey.
Was it had to get the resident permit in Turkey?
The paperwork was terrible and so hard back in 2001. But now I heard it got easier and much organized. I won’t be able to give good advice since I didn’t deal with residence permit anymore after 2008.
What are your tips for someone who will relocate to Turkey?
Istanbul is no the one of world’s know city, is a modern yet still conservative place. You can google anything you want to know before you come. But Anatolian culture and traditions are very special and some of them hard to explain. It’s a treasure in this modern world. You have to live it by yourself to understand, for that you need to know and speak the language. Turks welcome and behave very well to foreigners. It’s not a scary muslim country at all.
What are the biggest adjustments you had to make when settling in Turkey? Did you have some kind of culture shock experiences and what kind?
One was about the hospitality. Since I was married to a Turkish man, I had to learn about the hospitality culture, how to treat guests who come to your house, how to behave and talk. I was very surprised that my husband told me I must never look at the watch when we have a guest in our house and when the guests finally want to leave, we must tell them to stay longer even though it’s already midnight or even later. In Indonesia, no guests would dare to sit in your house after 9 pm.
What do you enjoy most about Turkey?
The hospitality. Yes, it’s very tough for me to learn but it’s the culture I love most. The beautiful Mediterranean sea, climate, and food.
What you enjoy least about Turkey?
1.Driving in Istanbul.
2. people don’t want to get in the queue.
3.people often break basic rules (like throwing rubbish to the streets, skip the queue)
Was it easy to make friends? How did you make friends?
Because of their hospitality culture, it’s easy to make friends with Turkish people. They really welcome foreigners. Turkish people are very curious and easy talking too when you can speak Turkish. Also, there’re expat communities you can join where you can find expat friends.
Turkish language – how did you learn it, was it easy/hard and what is your advice for the future Turkish language learners?
For me, it wasn’t hard and I learned it very fast because I was pushed by the environment where I didn’t have anyone who could speak English at that time. As long as you really want and love to learn, it’s not hard.
Do you feel safe in Turkey?
I feel safe and happy because I never faced any racism or religion pressure even though I’m not a Muslim who married to a Muslim family.
Do you feel accepted by Turkish people? Do you have a good relationship with your neighbors? Tell us more about it.
Yes. All because of their hospitality that comes from Anatolian culture. In big cities like Istanbul, neighbourships are not easy to build unless you’ve lived in the same neighborhood since your childhood. It’s not related with foreigners, it’s just because the lifestyle in a big city has changed.
Were you accepted as a foreign woman in your husband’s family? Do you have some advice for the ones who are yet to walk the same path you did?
I’m very grateful that I was accepted easily in my husband’s family as who I was. I didn’t have to change my religion though I’m not a religious person at all. If you plan to marry, it’ll make a very big difference if you can master the Turkish language. By speaking the language, you can understand the culture and traditions better, this is very helpful for a blending marriage. On the other hand, religion is just one of your identity, yet it can be very sensitive in some cases. Some families require the bride must become a Muslim to have the marriage. So if you don’t want to change your religion, make sure with your partner about this subject before you get married.
What is your take on the healthcare system in Turkey?
I gave birth and happy with the service. There’re a lot of modern hospitals here. As long as your husband has social security, you can get free medical service in any public hospitals in anywhere. And by paying discounted fee, you can get medical service from many private hospitals too.
What about the schooling system in Turkey? Do you prefer sending your kids to the government, private, Turkish or international school?
It depends on your economic situation. Private schools are expensive if you’re earning local people’s salary. If you can afford, I think it’s best to send to private schools. But my son is going to public primary school right now and so far we are happy with the school. The only difference is the kids don’t have enough English course in public schools.
Do you have some tips on how and where other expats can look for a job in Turkey?
Expats need to find a job before coming to Turkey because foreigners are not allowed to work without working permit. It’s hard and expensive for a company to apply. So most companies don’t hire a foreign worker unless the worker is very qualified.
What do you miss most about your home country?
Really can’t think of any. Turkey has become my home country instead of Indonesia.
If you had to choose again, would you come to Turkey? Do you see yourself living in Turkey for a long period of time?
Yes, definitely.
When you compare the cost of living in Turkey with your homeland, are the prices higher or not?
Turkey is more expensive compared to Indonesia, but maybe cheaper from some European countries.
What is your advice for future expats in Turkey?
Turkey is a friendly country, not a scary place. Spend your energy on how to enjoy the most of your life in Turkey.
What do you find interesting about Turkish culture, what gave you biggest surprises, what kind of things Turkish people do that you find strange or funny or just great?
I think Turkish people’s emotion can be very extreme. One day people can curse each other that you would think they won’t ever speak to each other anymore, then the next day they can behave as if they didn’t have the fight yesterday or even laugh together. I found this very strange, because in my country, when people cursing each other, then they would never see each other again.
