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How Do You Say Connection In Turkish? - September 2010
Posted by Goreme1990,
23 October 2010
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571 views
Last time I wrote we had just been to the Mediterranean coast and then over to Greece for the day. Almost as soon as we came back, I came down with some horrible lurgy. It seemed to take forever to get over whatever I had and how bad I felt was really compounded by the fact that we almost immediately started looking at apartments again everyday, dragging ourselves from one place to the next, often on foot. After a week we decided we would give ourselves just one more week, and then give up, as looking to buy an apartment in Turkey is the way to madness. You find a place on the internet, your agent rings the owner or another agent, you sit and wait at home for news, or you sit and wait in an office, usually drinking tea, hoping for news. Then nine times out of ten, the apartment isn't as advertised, so it doesn't have a lift, 3 rooms, a balcony etc, as advertised. Worse is when they are described as being near a major road (the major road is Minibus Street - think on/off ramps to the Sydney Harbour Bridge in peak hour, but busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week complete with honking horns, arguing drivers (minibus drivers of course) and minor accidents on an almost hourly basis. 'Near' can be anything to three streets back to ON the bloody road. The minute the real estate agent stops the car and says, 'Here it is', your heart sinks because you know it will be a waste of time, but you still have to go through the motions as it has taken so much effort to get permission to look at the place and the agent has already ducked round to find the kapici (caretaker) to get the key.
So, that week, with me feeling like death with a concerned Kim by my side, we stoically went and looked at anything that seemed remotely suitable, whether in our price range or not. And at long last, we found something. It does not have the Kombi central heating system we ideally wanted, but it is in a good location, a good street, has parquet flooring in the salon, new laminate flooring in all the bedrooms, a new bathroom and kitchen, and two balconies. It is in a small block of 10 apartments in probably the quietest street in the area. It is in Goztepe, a short walk AWAY from minibus street in one direction, and a large park and Bagdat Street in the other direction. The latter is significant because in this part of Istanbul, Bagdat Street is the place to be seen. Unlike our idea of a place to hang, this long, wide one way street boasts overseas outlets such as Lacoste and Marks and Spencers to name a few, a multitude of cafes including the ubiquitous Starbucks, and hundreds of restaurants. The pavements are wide and tree-lined, and on weekends and holidays absolutely anyone who is anybody (and lots of nobodies wanting to see how the other half live) walks up and down swinging impressive carrier bags from the latest and hottest shops.
After the languor and near stupor of our real estate agent most of the time, we were startled with the speed with which he set up a meeting with the owner of the property we wanted to buy. Unluckily for us it turned out to be in the hands of a property developer, so our hopes of forcing down the asking price were short lived. A more unpleasant man I hope not to meet, but then he is in the business of making money. Judging by the CCTV cameras in the reception of his office, the two pretty and vacuous girls floating around doing next to nothing (relatives he must employ), the white leather lounges and all white everything else, he is clearly successful at that. The meeting involved three agents from Century 21 Trio plus their boss, our solicitor (also a very good friend of ours) and the property developer. We sat and argued for about an hour over price, fittings, and waiting time. In Turkey, properties change hands in a maximum of three days from the agreement to buy, to the handing over of the money and issuing of the title deeds. As foreigners we have to undergo a security check, that can take some weeks. After about an hour of wrangling an agreement was struck.
In the last week we have organized for the connection of the gas, electricity, and water, as well as delivery of a new fridge, washing machine and couch. Setting up the utilities is a much more laborious process than in Australia, where you can simply make a few calls. For all of them I had to schlep out to various head offices, and battle with the bureaucracy that is Turkey, and all in Turkish. I am sure I sound abrupt (approved! paid! want!) but at least no one had trouble understanding me. For each one I had to have a copy of the title deed, a copy of my passport, and/or not a copy of the last bill plus sundry other bits of paper. Getting the gas on was even harder as it has just been installed to supply cooking facilities in the kitchen, and hot water to both the kitchen and bathroom. For this we had to get an architect to draw up a plan of the pipes (strangely, this wasn't completed before the work was done), submit the plan to the gas company (government owned), and have a gas meter and new hoses fitted (the ones in the apartment did not comply). Now we are just waiting for a man from the gas company to come on Wednesday and approve and turn on the gas. Given that the holiday to celebrate the end of Ramazan starts the day after, our timeline is tight. That said, the whole process has been pretty fast, mainly because the fee you pay to the engineer for the plan, also includes his keeping an eye on, and using all his contacts, to speed up the process. I don't know if any bribes changed hands but as long as we get the gas on, I will leave my moral indignation outside the door.
Before we have hot water or can cook, however, we have to have the water heater and the stove serviced. To ensure quality control, any new appliance you buy must be installed by authorised professionals, even if that means all they do is open the box and plug the thing in! If we so much as take the washing machine out of its box and then find a scratch on the machine, the warranty would be void. Consequently we have spent hours waiting for service men to turn up with our goods, and then hovered nervously while they installed things hoping they didn't dent the new wood work or drop anything on the tiles. To be fair, we have had a few really good tradesman, including a sparkie who vacuumed as he drilled holes in the ceiling to stop the dust falling on the floor, and then vacuumed the floor after installing our new lights! I am sure this is not usual. Our theory is people are so stunned to be helping foreigners (always said with inverted commas and sotto voce) they take pity on our inadequate Turkish and go that little bit extra.
By next week our furniture will be on a boat coming from Australia. Until it arrives we will make do with the aforementioned appliances, a coffee table (IKEA), a couch (ditto), a bed (ditto), and four little traditional Turkish stools. For the first time in our lives we have spent an inordinate amount of time at IKEA, picking the eyes out of their range to fill some gaps in our lives, and make camping out while we wait for the rest of our stuff to come more enjoyable. The one thing that makes these visits really worthwhile is the restaurant. You can have a Turkish breakfast (cheese, egg, olives, bread, cucumber and unlimited tea or coffee) for around AUD$3.50, so we partake of that, unless we go in the evening, when we eat salmon with potatoes and broccoli for around AUD$5.50. Everything from IKEA but the bed came home in our friend Alper's car, with us on the bus or by their delivery service.
Getting the bed to our place was an example of why we like living in Turkey so much. We bought it cheaply from the women whose apartment we are renting at the moment. Therefore we had to arrange to move it to our new apartment, about 2 kms away. When we inquired about removalists we found they charged a minimum of about AUD $100 regardless of how much there was to move, which seemed a lot for a mattress and demountable base (oh how I love IKEA). Unsure of what to do, we canvassed various ideas, and finally decided to approach anyone with a suitable van and offer them something for their time. Yesterday, on our way back from delivering more items to the new apartment, we saw such a van. After a few minutes a group of men came out of a nearby apartment block, carrying furniture. As we started to make our request in hesitant Turkish, one of them asked, in good English, how he could help. His name was Furkhan and he was helping his friends to move. When we explained what we wanted, he refused our offer of payment, and called to one of the van drivers. When we repeated the offer of payment he said, "But this is Turkey, here we help our friends, we will not take your money". Within minutes we were on our way to collect the mattress. Sadly, by the time we returned from wrestling the mattress up the stairs (with the help of a neighbour called Recep who we met on the way in), Furkhan and his friends had gone, so we couldn't thank them properly.
Even though Istanbul is a very big city, and people do become alienated, we are always lucky enough to meet people like Furkhan, who restore your faith in humanity, and make life good to live. Istanbul really is a city of villages, and we are happy to living in the part we chose. Life is still slower here, despite the population and traffic, and people still have time to chat and have a cup of tea. Nonetheless, modernity has its impact and I am happy to say that now, at our local weekly street market (think Paddy's market only better and closer to your home) we can buy, for the first time since we started coming to Turkey regularly in 1996, FRESH CORIANDER!!!!! Much as we love Turkish food there are some things we miss so stir frys will be high on our list for a while.
That's all the news for now.
The ups and downs of my experiences of life in Istanbul are now available in book form. Order your copy today by clicking on one of the links below.
http://www.bookshop....S.9781921775604 for a paperback copy and
http://www.amazon.co...tanbul&x=6&y=10 for an ebook version
So, that week, with me feeling like death with a concerned Kim by my side, we stoically went and looked at anything that seemed remotely suitable, whether in our price range or not. And at long last, we found something. It does not have the Kombi central heating system we ideally wanted, but it is in a good location, a good street, has parquet flooring in the salon, new laminate flooring in all the bedrooms, a new bathroom and kitchen, and two balconies. It is in a small block of 10 apartments in probably the quietest street in the area. It is in Goztepe, a short walk AWAY from minibus street in one direction, and a large park and Bagdat Street in the other direction. The latter is significant because in this part of Istanbul, Bagdat Street is the place to be seen. Unlike our idea of a place to hang, this long, wide one way street boasts overseas outlets such as Lacoste and Marks and Spencers to name a few, a multitude of cafes including the ubiquitous Starbucks, and hundreds of restaurants. The pavements are wide and tree-lined, and on weekends and holidays absolutely anyone who is anybody (and lots of nobodies wanting to see how the other half live) walks up and down swinging impressive carrier bags from the latest and hottest shops.
After the languor and near stupor of our real estate agent most of the time, we were startled with the speed with which he set up a meeting with the owner of the property we wanted to buy. Unluckily for us it turned out to be in the hands of a property developer, so our hopes of forcing down the asking price were short lived. A more unpleasant man I hope not to meet, but then he is in the business of making money. Judging by the CCTV cameras in the reception of his office, the two pretty and vacuous girls floating around doing next to nothing (relatives he must employ), the white leather lounges and all white everything else, he is clearly successful at that. The meeting involved three agents from Century 21 Trio plus their boss, our solicitor (also a very good friend of ours) and the property developer. We sat and argued for about an hour over price, fittings, and waiting time. In Turkey, properties change hands in a maximum of three days from the agreement to buy, to the handing over of the money and issuing of the title deeds. As foreigners we have to undergo a security check, that can take some weeks. After about an hour of wrangling an agreement was struck.
In the last week we have organized for the connection of the gas, electricity, and water, as well as delivery of a new fridge, washing machine and couch. Setting up the utilities is a much more laborious process than in Australia, where you can simply make a few calls. For all of them I had to schlep out to various head offices, and battle with the bureaucracy that is Turkey, and all in Turkish. I am sure I sound abrupt (approved! paid! want!) but at least no one had trouble understanding me. For each one I had to have a copy of the title deed, a copy of my passport, and/or not a copy of the last bill plus sundry other bits of paper. Getting the gas on was even harder as it has just been installed to supply cooking facilities in the kitchen, and hot water to both the kitchen and bathroom. For this we had to get an architect to draw up a plan of the pipes (strangely, this wasn't completed before the work was done), submit the plan to the gas company (government owned), and have a gas meter and new hoses fitted (the ones in the apartment did not comply). Now we are just waiting for a man from the gas company to come on Wednesday and approve and turn on the gas. Given that the holiday to celebrate the end of Ramazan starts the day after, our timeline is tight. That said, the whole process has been pretty fast, mainly because the fee you pay to the engineer for the plan, also includes his keeping an eye on, and using all his contacts, to speed up the process. I don't know if any bribes changed hands but as long as we get the gas on, I will leave my moral indignation outside the door.
Before we have hot water or can cook, however, we have to have the water heater and the stove serviced. To ensure quality control, any new appliance you buy must be installed by authorised professionals, even if that means all they do is open the box and plug the thing in! If we so much as take the washing machine out of its box and then find a scratch on the machine, the warranty would be void. Consequently we have spent hours waiting for service men to turn up with our goods, and then hovered nervously while they installed things hoping they didn't dent the new wood work or drop anything on the tiles. To be fair, we have had a few really good tradesman, including a sparkie who vacuumed as he drilled holes in the ceiling to stop the dust falling on the floor, and then vacuumed the floor after installing our new lights! I am sure this is not usual. Our theory is people are so stunned to be helping foreigners (always said with inverted commas and sotto voce) they take pity on our inadequate Turkish and go that little bit extra.
By next week our furniture will be on a boat coming from Australia. Until it arrives we will make do with the aforementioned appliances, a coffee table (IKEA), a couch (ditto), a bed (ditto), and four little traditional Turkish stools. For the first time in our lives we have spent an inordinate amount of time at IKEA, picking the eyes out of their range to fill some gaps in our lives, and make camping out while we wait for the rest of our stuff to come more enjoyable. The one thing that makes these visits really worthwhile is the restaurant. You can have a Turkish breakfast (cheese, egg, olives, bread, cucumber and unlimited tea or coffee) for around AUD$3.50, so we partake of that, unless we go in the evening, when we eat salmon with potatoes and broccoli for around AUD$5.50. Everything from IKEA but the bed came home in our friend Alper's car, with us on the bus or by their delivery service.
Getting the bed to our place was an example of why we like living in Turkey so much. We bought it cheaply from the women whose apartment we are renting at the moment. Therefore we had to arrange to move it to our new apartment, about 2 kms away. When we inquired about removalists we found they charged a minimum of about AUD $100 regardless of how much there was to move, which seemed a lot for a mattress and demountable base (oh how I love IKEA). Unsure of what to do, we canvassed various ideas, and finally decided to approach anyone with a suitable van and offer them something for their time. Yesterday, on our way back from delivering more items to the new apartment, we saw such a van. After a few minutes a group of men came out of a nearby apartment block, carrying furniture. As we started to make our request in hesitant Turkish, one of them asked, in good English, how he could help. His name was Furkhan and he was helping his friends to move. When we explained what we wanted, he refused our offer of payment, and called to one of the van drivers. When we repeated the offer of payment he said, "But this is Turkey, here we help our friends, we will not take your money". Within minutes we were on our way to collect the mattress. Sadly, by the time we returned from wrestling the mattress up the stairs (with the help of a neighbour called Recep who we met on the way in), Furkhan and his friends had gone, so we couldn't thank them properly.
Even though Istanbul is a very big city, and people do become alienated, we are always lucky enough to meet people like Furkhan, who restore your faith in humanity, and make life good to live. Istanbul really is a city of villages, and we are happy to living in the part we chose. Life is still slower here, despite the population and traffic, and people still have time to chat and have a cup of tea. Nonetheless, modernity has its impact and I am happy to say that now, at our local weekly street market (think Paddy's market only better and closer to your home) we can buy, for the first time since we started coming to Turkey regularly in 1996, FRESH CORIANDER!!!!! Much as we love Turkish food there are some things we miss so stir frys will be high on our list for a while.
That's all the news for now.
The ups and downs of my experiences of life in Istanbul are now available in book form. Order your copy today by clicking on one of the links below.
http://www.bookshop....S.9781921775604 for a paperback copy and
http://www.amazon.co...tanbul&x=6&y=10 for an ebook version
