[İSTANBUL: THE NEW TRENDY CITY FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS-3]
On the edge of Europe: An Erasmus-exchange in İstanbul

As my plane touched down at Atatürk Airport I felt a sense of fear spreading in my stomach. Suddenly all the things that could go wrong came to my mind. This was my first visit in Turkey. I didn’t speak Turkish, not even a word. But I didn’t need to know the language, everybody speaks English or German -- at least that what my Erasmus coordinator at my home university in Germany had told me, but it turned out he had no idea.

I arrived at the girl’s dormitory in an outer district of İstanbul where the ladies of the housing administration welcomed me with a warm smile and a strong, sweet Turkish coffee. My preconceived notion of Turks proves true: They are incredibly hospitable and friendly. The only problem: No one speaks English.

Here I am going even further, soon to live with five girls in one room, none of them capable of communicating in English. Meanwhile the possession of cigarettes or alcohol is absolutely prohibited -- violators to be severely punished. This is not exactly what most young European students expect from their Erasmus semester. Let’s be honest: In Europe Erasmus is a synonym for party, party and -- yet again -- party.

This assumption comes true in Paris, London and Berlin. But parties are basically the same everywhere and this is not what I came to İstanbul for. I came to experience a different people, different culture -- a different life. And that’s, at least to a certain extent, what I did.

I find it especially remarkable that young people here -- very different than in Germany -- are more or less looked after until they are married. The influence of the parents can be felt even in the dormitories. If a girl wants to stay away for a night her parents must be informed of this intention. I was also extremely impressed by the so-called Ablas (sisters) and Abis (brothers), a unique feature of the dormitory where I live. These are older girls or boys that take responsibility for other students, offer help when needed and look after them at all times. This system in German dormitories? Absolutely unthinkable. In trying to evaluate this difference it seems difficult to form a clear opinion. To what extent do young people need the protection of their elders, as in Turkey? And at what point should they be sent out into the world on their own, like in Germany?

Personally I believe that young men and women need to make their own way and even have bad experiences in order to learn to get along by themselves. On the other hand, it is a fact that in Germany many young people leave an accustomed environment, their family and friends, to study alone in big cities. Without any support many become lonely, insecure and over stressed, all which have negative effects on their future social and professional life. The fact is I didn’t see students like this in Turkey.

The university: lessons learned beyond the curriculum

Throughout my stay in İstanbul I studied at Fatih University, a small private institution located in the outskirts of the city.  One huge advantage in comparison to my university in Germany: The lecturers take time for every single student and are always available for one-on-one interviews. What I could never expect in Germany: the friendships that develop between the teachers and their students, they meet for coffee and call each other by their first name. This gives the opportunity and time for discussions, often a lot more controversial than I ever experienced in Germany. And sometimes worldviews crash: “Why democracy? A military regime is far better capable of ruling this country,” a professor from İstanbul University declared during a discussion with academicians and students at Fatih University. My first reaction to this statement was speechlessness then anger. But finally I really see the benefit of such discussions. It helps to not simply recite the answers I learned at politics class in school, but to explain one’s opinions from their very roots. Why is people’s sovereignty a good thing? Here I learn to accept that terms like “democracy” and “human rights” are not based on universal consent and to question my own worldview. Furthermore I had another precious experience: I learnt to -- at least a little -- understand the other side. The argument for the professor’s opinion was that “the military has always brought stability and peace to Turkey and when a country stands at the edge of a civil war, stability has highest priority.”

Suddenly it strikes me that my ideas about what is right or wrong are to a frightening extent adapted to my “small world at home.” I realize that there is always more than one solution, and truth is just the sum of initial situations. Therefore it cannot be absolute or universally applied -- what a pity, actually.

Up to 12 million people are said to live in and around İstanbul. This mass of people seems to reflect the social heterogeneity of the whole of Turkey. Here one can find everything: In the city’s center, life is a party. Alcohol in the streets is permitted, transvestites chat over coffee at Starbucks, and Turkish girls wear miniskirts. “İstanbul is more European than Europe” is a common joke amongst the people on the street.

I take the bus and travel one hour east. Here a completely different İstanbul emerges. Rows of high-rise buildings stretching until the edge of the horizon are home to the middle class of Istanbul. Here a Turk explains me that arranged marriages are best and that women are too sensitive for the world outside of their home. Women in these districts mainly wear headscarves. Although they are forbidden in public offices Turkish women found a solution to covering their hair despite this restriction: They wear wigs over their veils. When I see this for the first time it seems strange to me, but this habit seems a widely accepted procedure.

In other aspects of daily life I find women to be treated with the highest respect: In my country free seats on the bus go to the handicapped and old, in İstanbul, free seats go the girls and women. Further, I realize that no man will approach me or even look into my eyes. The waiter that serves me an ice-cream I try to look at with a thankful smile, but I’m being ignored. At first this feels very strange and I am a little hurt. But as I understand that this behavior toward women is a sign of respect, it actually feels good.