#beyondayasofya
- Sri Munawwarah
- May 10, 2015
- 2 min read
I’ve heard of the beauty of Istanbul before coming as a student, and here is the list of what I’ve learnt myself after 7 months of living here.
1. Residence permit card takes up to 3 months to arrive.
2. But it might take as long 6 months to reach you.
3. Istanbul has a superb transportation system.
4. However it is not recommended to take the T1 tramvay line during the weekend and lunch hour.
5. Girls, be careful when you are riding the bus or tram.
6. The public transport includes bus, tram (tramvay as we call it here), metro, and ferry and underground train called Marmaray that cross the European and the Asian side of Istanbul.
7. You can’t see the underwater life from the Marmaray.
8. The word for bargaining in Turkish is ‘indirim’.
9. You can save A LOT by using the public transport system. Get the Istanbulkart that gives access to ALL abovementioned rides at any small shop that has “AKBIL” sign, and this is the cheapest alternative.
10. When you are sailing through the Marmara Sea with the vapur (ferry) bring along simit, a pretzel-like bread topped with lots of sesame seeds to feed the seagulls, but anything will do.
11. You need to put in your stuff you bought at the supermarket into the plastic bag on your own. They are not Hua Ho.
12. Haliç Metro Station has a great view.
13. You don’t wake up to the view of Blue Mosque and Ayasofya everyday.
14. Women who travel in high heels in Istanbul are impressive.
15. It is not as Istanbul Aku Datang portrayal of Istanbul.
16. Here, you are always either a Malaysian or Indonesian and rarely a Bruneian.
17. And sometimes Syrian.
18. If you heard them saying “Yabancı”, pronounced ya ban je (like the first E in kereta), they are most probably talking about you.
19. Katil (bed) means kill. Be careful when saying this in public.
20.
21.
22. Trust me, you will miss kebab Brunei.
23. Expect your student file to be classified under “Africa”
24. You may learn the art of untangling your earphone or tweeting while standing in a moving bus.
25. Almost all mosques look quite the same.
26. This can be an endless list of how Istanbul is mistreating me.
27. But all in all, Istanbul is a beautiful city. Be prepared to fall in love.
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