This force of nature!

http://todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=180324&bolum=132

Nature is a force to be reckoned with. It can be terribly horrifying and life threatening, but also beautiful and peaceful.

I felt as if I were transported back to my years of growing up on Langkawi Island in Malaysia, full of nature and beauty, of peace and tranquility. Gigantic trees tower over the ground while wilted brown-colored leaves cover mother earth. “Come, step on me,” I could sense them beckoning me. “Come wander to places I roam free,” they invited me. The sound of a gushing waterfall running freely toward the lake and the croaking of frogs accompanied birdsongs as fish swam freely in the lakes. Green all over, with very minimal signs of modernization and almost no noise coming from vehicles to pollute the beauty of the surroundings that mother nature provided us, untouched by human hands: heaven on earth.

I didn't expect to see what I saw that day. There we were, on the way back home to İstanbul after spending five days at the Asya Thermal Hotel in Kızılcahamam. The hotel was surrounded by mountains, producing an indescribable air of freshness. The view of nature during our 16 kilometer drive to the top of Soğuksu Milli Parkı (Soğuksu National Park) left my husband in awe of the view nature provided us, something very rare for İstanbulites.

It was with that wonder in his heart, as we rode to İstanbul, that my beloved suddenly suggested we go to Yedigöller Milli Parkı (Seven Lakes National Park) in northern Bolu. It was an unplanned visit, so we ended up having to stop many times to ask for directions to the park.

I would be lying if I said the 42-kilometer-long road up and down the hills did not scare me. Every time my husband tried to open the car window for some fresh air, our children, born and raised in İstanbul, continuously shrieked: “Baba, please close the window and turn on the A/C! The bees or other insects might come into the car!” Life was totally evident in the surroundings. Anything could have decided to say “hi” to us, be they the bees, the deer, the squirrels, the foxes, the jackals or even the cows! For kids who are not used to insects and life in nature, they felt scared. I, on the other hand, was more afraid of the not-so-smooth road, of the holes on the way, of the at times narrow road, of the possibilities of stones falling down onto the car. I have to agree with my beloved when he said: “I suppose they keep the road this terrible so that many people won't come. Only that way will nature not be destroyed.” What a pity, isn't it? Humans, whether deliberately or otherwise, tend to destroy beautiful things.

It took us one hour and 20 minutes to reach Seven Lakes. But despite my fear of the bumpy road, I could not fail to notice the stunning forest landscapes. Just imagine, the 550-hectare Yedigöller National Park is located on two plateaus. Basking in the beauty of majestic trees such as beech trees, oaks, hornbeams, alders and black pines along the way, I was stunned by how I had wasted almost 10 years without a sight like this. True, I was used to such things as I was growing up, but to find this gorgeous beauty here, not so far away from İstanbul? I was awed! Even my husband kept telling himself, “Maşallah, subhanallah,” when he looked at the landscape, not really believing this gift from God standing in front of his eyes. He encouraged the children and me to take as many deep breaths as possible, saying the air is fresh. This was nature at its best!

The name “Seven Lakes” comes from the seven lakes that form the park; namely, Büyükgöl, Deringöl, Seringöl, Nazlıgöl, Sazlıgöl, İncegöl and Küçükgöl. They are not located very far from one another and can be reached on foot or by car. I do not imagine that this place is accessible in the winter due to the rough road, but I assume the green summer will be followed by a fall providing a landscape of reds, yellows and all those glorious fall colors that come with the season. I simply find this place extremely charming!

We reached the lakes area at around 4:30 p.m. My scared-of-insects kids, upon seeing the place, started to open up to their nature-loving side. My son ran and led the way toward the small streams of waterfalls, soaking his feet in the freezing cold water with a huge grin on his face. He practically ran up along the preset trekking route while my beloved, my daughter and I followed as we kept reminding him to stop when he was out of sight, all fears evidently gone. Nature simply brought out the best in us. It also didn't matter that we only had Pringles, tea and cold water (we came unprepared, remember?) to munch on as we sat on the wooden table by the lake to watch the fish swim. We were far to engulfed by the beauty of this force of nature. We were enthralled by it.

It was also possible to stay a night or two in the area. There is a place reserved for camping where special stone stoves are provided by the authority for campers to cook. A clean toilet is also provided while there are water pipes taking water from the free-flowing stream feeding the waterfall to accommodate thirsty throats. I later discover that there are also small bungalows belonging to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for those who wish to linger around for a longer period. Even though there is a trout production farm at Deringöl and one can buy and cook the fish in the nearby stoves, one has to come fully prepared as this is a place far away from everything. Civilization is not near, despite the fact that you can find a few village houses along the way. I strongly recommend you go with more than just Pringles and tea.

As we were running out of time, we left Seven Lakes at around 6:20 p.m. without seeing all seven lakes. After being engulfed by such beauty, the journey from the lake area to Bolu no longer seemed scary at all. Deep down, however, I envy those who came with four-wheel drive, but I know one thing for sure: Our hearts remain in Seven Lakes. God-willing, we will be back!



09 July 2009, Thursday
SIMAH ZAİM

Ankara Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü (Ankara Forestry Directorate) Tel.: (312) 213 54 78, (312) 212 63 00

Timeshare vacation, anyone?

http://todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=179060&bolum=132

Oh, yes! Here comes the sun! A very hot one, I might add. The summer school holiday is upon us again, only this year there are 100 days of holiday -- much longer than in previous years, as the summer vacation period coincides with the end-of-Ramadan Eid al-Fitr celebrations (Şeker Bayramı in Turkish). More than three months of holiday? Hmm… That's a long time, I must say.
Until moving to Turkey, I never really bothered with the summer holidays. I actually felt weird with all the fuss that people made on TV about the holiday. I grew up in a place where every day of the year is practically summer. There is only sun and rain. There is no such thing as four seasons of weather conditions, and the longest school holiday is a maximum of one-and-a-half months at the end of the year.

My dad is a retired marine officer. He worked on his ship, away from home, for months at a time. Naturally, whenever he was at home, he preferred to stay home with his family. Going on vacations? I can't really remember going anywhere. Maybe that was because we generally lived on beautiful tourist-destination islands until my father retired. So there was really no need for him to take all six of his children on vacations: We were on vacation every day!

Turks, on the other hand, I find to be holiday-goers. When summer comes, families ask each other about their plans for the summer. It is the time of the year where everyone finds it only natural to get away somewhere. In fact, there is an unwritten need for a getaway, to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

There are a few patterns I have observed over the last 10 years. For vacations, naturally the where, when and how depend on what a person can afford, both in terms of finances and time. In İstanbul for example, those who cannot afford a getaway simply spend their summer holiday visiting places within İstanbul itself. They go to places where they can spend less money while still allowing each member of the family to have an enjoyable time. Some people simply go back to their villages and spend time for a while where the cost of living is much cheaper, for a breath of fresh air. Of course, returning to family villages is an activity not limited to the less fortunate. People living in big cities find summer the best time to visit their respective villages and catch up with relatives, as the long holiday affords maximum time to enjoy the life, food and scenery of their villages. Many holiday-goers travel to places of their choice and stay at hotels for their vacation, flocking to popular tourist destinations like Antalya, Bodrum and many others. The more fortunate, who have their own summer homes, flock to their summer houses during the summer holidays. But there is another concept of vacation, one which has simply fascinated me from the beginning. It is the concept of the “timeshare,” or what the Türks refer to as “devre mülk”.

Understanding ‘devre mülk’

A timeshare is a form of ownership, more specifically the right to use a property for an allotted period of time each a year. In Turkey, it is normally two weeks, with the same timeshare date every year. However, the sharer does not actually own the property. The property developer owns the property. Your right is to stay at your timeshare unit during the specified time. It is basically a temporary ownership.

Timeshare properties, normally in apartment or condominium-style units, are usually designed to accommodate a family. For instance, one of the Zaim family's timeshare units, in Körfez, is designed to accommodate five people. There is a bedroom with a queen bed for two people, while there are enough sofa beds to accommodate three more people. It also has a bathroom (with a large tub) and a kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with enough utensils to accommodate all five people: five glasses, five plates, five forks, five knives, etc. Everything is designed for five people -- even the towels and blankets are sufficient for five people. Naturally there is also a television, air-conditioner and refrigerator. In other, fancier timeshare properties, I assume dishwashers are included as well.

Why does this timeshare concept fascinate me? Well, for a start, if one is to go on vacation and stay at a hotel every year, how long can an average middle class working family afford to stay there? The general answer, I assume, is roughly a week. For a larger family, the cost will be even higher. Yes, staying in a hotel is nice, but I personally do not find it very cost effective. Furthermore, when you stay at a hotel, by the end of the day, no matter how many stars the hotel has, it is still a room with a bed and a bathroom. Space is limited. There is simply not enough room to roam around.

In a timeshare, a person pays a certain amount of money depending on their agreement with the developer while the timeshare unit is constructed. However, once the unit is completed, I find the fee very affordable. Take, for example, our timeshare unit in Körfez. I remember that my late father-in-law paid a lot of money while it was under construction. Nonetheless, after that, for every year, we only pay once a year, when we come to stay at the timeshare unit. This year, for example, we paid TL 375, with an additional TL 8 since I “lost” a saucepan and we overused the electricity. Still, for two weeks of vacation, this is very cheap. The maintenance fee is included in the TL 375. Conversely, if one stays at a hotel, it can cost a minimum of TL 150 per room per night. Staying at a hotel for seven nights would cost at minimum TL 1050. I have two kids. Once they're a bit more grown up, we will need two hotel rooms, which will double hotel expenses. That is why a meager TL 375 for two weeks is, to me, basically a free holiday.

Stepping outside the city: summerhouses

What about summerhouses? Indeed, it is wonderful to have one. To spend one's holiday at one's own place, away from the city and free to do as one pleases for as long as one pleases. My sister-in-law's parents, for example, have a summerhouse on the Gulf of Saros. Spring comes, and they start abandoning their home in Istanbul to start planting vegetables and fruits in their summerhome garden. They love it there, as the sea is near and they are surrounded by their produce. Isn't that a great way to spend your holiday? For years our family (and the rest of the Zaim family) never failed to escape the heat of İstanbul at the family's summer home in Mahmudiye, Sapanca, where the house -- with a garden on top of the hill and a private swimming pool for the kids to splash in -- is the perfect summer getaway. Indeed, summer homes are a godsend -- but then, how many of us can afford our own summer home? This is why timeshares are an option holiday-goers should consider. I personally think that in the long run it is a much cheaper option for a vacation.

Each timeshare holder has a specific date in a year. What if you can't come on that date every year? What happens then? Luckily, one can ask the company to rent out your unit to others. Another possibility is to ask whether there is an empty unit, so you can go to at another date. For instance, our timeshare unit in Körfez is in September. This year, for example, due to Ramadan, we decided to not go on vacation then. Therefore, we asked whether there were any units available at another time. The answer was affirmative, and they found us a unit. Consequently, we vacationed there two weeks ago. Yes, we didn't stay at our own unit, but the units are almost identical. It didn't really matter. What matters is the fact that the exchange date option made it possible for us to go there. Another good thing about timeshares is that you pay only once. This time, for example, we could only stay for a week. There was one more week left. Anyone from the family (or even friends) can come and stay at the unit until the allocated period is over without having to pay. The payment is only made once. There is no restriction on who comes to stay there. That is a great advantage, indeed.

Of course, the concept of timeshares is not as widespread in Turkey as in America or in the rest of Europe. In Turkey, timeshare developers are scarce, but the concept is becoming an option for long-term vacation investments. Nonetheless, it all depends on the developers. Our Körfez unit, for example, is excellently maintained by the developer. The unit is in good shape even as it ages. There are other timeshare units in other places owned by the family which are not as well maintained. This is why the credibility of the units' developers and the future maintenance of the units should be taken into consideration. If you choose the right developer and the right location, I truly believe that timeshare-owning is the way to go. If one dislikes the timeshare location or the unit, there is also the option of selling your timeshare, despite not owning the property. One way or another, one does not lose much.

No matter how and where one chooses to spend one's time in the summer, it is always great to be able to go away somewhere, even for a day. Who wouldn't want to laze around and forget all their worries for a day or two, eh? Check in at a hotel, enjoy your summerhouse or even your timeshare unit; whatever you choose, the aim is always to relax. Still, summer is a long time to fill. Visit places of interest, go to the beach, swim at a swimming pool or simply stay at home and watch DVDs -- the options are countless. If you can't afford the time or the money to go to holiday resorts for a lazy getaway at the beach, there's no reason to fret. For several years now, the local authority in İstanbul has been cleaning the waterfront. There are public points, starting from Fenerbahçe (in Asia) and continuing all the way to Caddebostan and further, where the public can now soak themselves under the sun and swim in the sea. Who says you need to go somewhere far and costly to sunbathe? The answer to your prayers may be just a step away, and you won't even need to spend hundreds of lira. İstanbul has a lot to offer in every sense. In this time of economic crisis, staying put can be enjoyable, too. You just need to be creative and flexible.

Happy Holidays, everyone!


26 June 2009, Friday
SİMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL

Give me a place to have fun

http://todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=168640


The opening ceremony of the Sabahattin Zaim Youth and Culture Center, built in honor of Professor Sabahattin Zaim who was known as the teacher of teachers, took place in Ümraniye, İstanbul on Friday. When you practically live in box houses, where a garden of your own is simply a dream, your life revolves around your work and your studies and then it's back to the box house again.

You don't speak to strangers; you don't allow your kids to play outside your own box, since it is not safe to be out there. This is İstanbul, after all. And do we know our own neighbors? Usually not. So what is there that life in İstanbul can offer you except all work and no play? This society, where social solidarity as a whole was once taken for granted, is now being replaced by a society that is defined by only the surrounding of the immediate family or family friends and people we know at work or at school. I am sure our grandmothers and grandfathers would have gasped in shock over the present condition of our society. But such things are unavoidable. Where there is development, people flock. Overpopulation emerges and, along with it, the unavoidable change in living conditions.

Last Friday, my husband and I attended the Ümraniye Municipality's opening ceremony for the Sabahattin Zaim Youth and Culture Center in honor of my late father-in-law, Professor Sabahattin Zaim, also known as "Hocanın Hocası" (the teacher of teachers).

True, the Zaim family feels honored by such a gesture. However, what interests me most as an expat is the usefulness of such a center. It is not just a building. As you approach the center, you see beautiful stone steps going up toward the building. As you walk, the water feature accompanies your every step, alongside the newly planted baby pine trees. The youth can gather there. They can sit by the water feature and just hang around, chatting with their friends. There is a swing for the younger kids to play on. Your steps toward the white structure of the center itself can be made useful as your eyes feast on the beautiful scene.
The center consists of a library and a few rooms for activities and lessons, to be used by society and to cater to people's needs.

From what I saw of the center, which has been in use since Jan. 1, many people are benefiting from it. One room is equipped with computers and Internet so that the children in the area will have full access to the Internet, whether to surf the net for pleasure (games) or for academic purposes. Classes are conducted for those who don't know how to use a computer with friendly instructors to guide them through. Indirectly, this ensures that the society in the surrounding area is computer literate. But, most importantly, such a class will lead the young to utilize their time in a more beneficial way. Turkey, after all, has one of the youngest populations in the world, with about 20 million people under the age of 30. How do you protect them from experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs and sexual activity? This is where such centers play an important role. These centers can serve as protective factors against the risks of involvement in potentially problematic behaviors.

In another room, women were busy learning the arts of embroidery, cross-stitching and knitting. I think such classes are really vital to preserving the beauty of the Turkish people's embroidery culture. In terms of tourism, I think it is one of the best features of the people of this land. Such intricate handwork, such lively colors, such patience in the making of each embroidered work; this should be taught and promoted in order to ensure that such skills do not die out. It is also the best way of providing the women with skills that can be used for home-based businesses. And of course, such classes also provide a platform for social interaction that will lead to a more close-knit relationship between the people in society. Other types of classes, including English classes, are also on offer. These classes are selected based on the needs of society.

"I wish I could learn embroidery like these women," and, "I wish we had such a center near my home," were exactly my thoughts as I walked around the center. Because, you see, society will not be able to utilize these opportunities unless the path to them is made open for them. I truly think that centers such as this should be built throughout İstanbul. Every area needs a center where people can meet and do something together while getting to know each other. I find Turks a very caring and friendly lot, but what a pity that such caring and friendliness are generally contained within the family and not fostered in a more open way within the society. I truly believe such centers, backed by the local municipalities, can promote a more lively society. In Ümraniye alone, there are a total of 15 youth and culture centers that have been built in the past five years. But is that enough? What about other places? How many such places are there in total in İstanbul?

People need specific places and facilities to socialize as a society. The youth need programs that they consider "fun" to fill their time with. Centers like this may be the answer. But are there enough of them?


05 March 2009, Thursday
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL

JUST BE CAREFUL

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=158642&bolum=132

Individual financial suicide? That is truly an easy thing to do if you are not careful while living in Turkey. There are two dangerous patterns here: credit cards and easy bank loans.

There is no doubt that credit cards are a vital part of living here. It is not very surprising since, for years, Turkey was plagued by very high annual inflation rates. When I arrived in 1999, it was 64.9 percent.

At that time, even though I was happy to be able to hold my first million, it was a scary indication of how terrible the economy was since that million was only enough to buy a few loaves of bread. Carrying a large sum of cash to buy things with was not the smartest thing to do, so people had resorted to using credit cards in place of cash. At that time, the concept of buying your things using what Turks call “taksit” (monthly installments) was a very wise thing to do since prices increased almost every time you entered a store. That was why it was better to buy things before their prices increased and then divide the payments over several months. Türks got used to this concept.

As years went by, the concept of taksit kept on getting better. Originally just three or four monthly payments, business owners have now made deals with banks to allow their customers to extend their monthly payments over 12 months (or even more). It was indeed a good strategy to attract potential customers and encourage people to buy more.

However, the inflation rate has gotten much better, decreasing from 64.9 percent in 1999 to 9.8 percent in 2007, and prices do not increase as often as they used to. Therefore, the reason why installment plans became so popular nine years ago is no longer applicable. But the concept of buying on installments has been in society for so long that people, including myself, simply see it as a part of life. It is a good thing, too. If you need to buy a fridge, for example, but do not have enough cash, what do you do? Paying for the fridge on a monthly basis over 12 months is definitely the best way to go about it. How many people do you know who can afford to pay the lump sum?

Unfortunately, those who are not careful pay for everything -- from their groceries to their clothing to their household expenses -- in installments without budgeting. Buying one thing after another on credit, even though the amounts may be small, some people eventually find themselves in debt with their bank, barely able to make the monthly payments. As a result, some resort to making only the minimum monthly payment on their credit cards to make ends meet, but they continue paying for future purchases in installments and end up stuck in the trap of skyrocketing interest. This is a good thing for the bank, naturally, but it is definitely a bad situation for the credit card user. So how do you get out of this?

Ah, that is easy, people might say, get a bank loan. I just can’t believe how easily loans are given out to people here in Turkey. By just sending a message with Turkish ID numbers, for example, one can get an easy loan. Almost all banks are giving loans very easily to people, at times causing me to wonder, “Don’t Turkish people realize that these loans and these monthly payments are, after all, debt? Why go from one debt to another?”

Many have fallen into this financial trap. Easy monthly payments and easy loans are good only when you know how to budget your expenses. The fact that they are debt does not change, and in this global financial crisis, who can say that we will still be in the same financial situation we were a month ago? Will we be able to make all the payments in the future? We need to be careful. No matter how fascinating it is to make small monthly payments each month on things we buy, we still need to carefully consider what we can and cannot afford. We have to ask ourselves, “Do we really need to buy this?” Just be careful. Plan your needs to avoid ending up in a financial mess. Going bankrupt is not worth it.

14 November 2008, Friday
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL

İskender is the KEBAB I seek

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=153682&bolum=132

Talking about Turkish food, among the first things a visitor to Turkey will ask is

“How’s the kebab?”

Of course, the question of which kebab one will like best is a question of one’s personal taste. There are a lot of varieties to choose from; kebab made from chicken, beef or lamb. And recently even vegetable kebabs specifically designed for vegetarians have been devised. Take your pick. This country can cater to all of your needs through its kebabs.

For my family at least, it has and always will be İskender kebab. My daughter especially is a great fan. It is basically pide bread cut into small pieces, topped with thin slices of döner meat, tomato sauce garnished with yogurt and pickled or grilled green pepper -- and the taste enhancer of all, hot melted butter poured on top of everything before eating. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

What is so special about it? Is it the way the pide bread is made? Or is it the way the döner meat is prepared and sliced? Everything should be cut not too thin and not too thick; it has to be perfect in every sense. Naturally, bad tomato sauce will affect the taste. I guess it is the combination of everything that makes it so good to eat. Only an usta (expert) knows the secret recipe to the wonderful taste of an İskender kebab. Of course, where you eat your İskender kebab is also important. Some restaurants prepare the kebab deliciously, while others do not.

Most Turks associate this kebab with İskender Bey, the kebab’s inventor and a Bursa resident. You can’t go to Bursa without having a bite of the original İskender kebab. This is a city where İskender kebab restaurants are managed by the descendents of İskender Bey himself.

Lucky for us İstanbulites, we have a lot of options for good İskender kebabs. Although slowly, the original İskender kebab restaurants are expanding their businesses all over İstanbul, so the question of trying to eat the original kebab is no longer a problem. We no longer need to go to Bursa as the kebab has come to us.
But quite recently I discovered something disturbing. Our family had the chance to go to Bursa. Naturally, the İskender Kebab restaurant was one of the many eating places we visited, and it served the best-tasting İskender kebab I have ever had in my eight-and-a-half years of living here. Everyone in the family who ate there agreed. Scanning through the brochures, I noticed that this particular İskender kebab restaurant has only a few branches both in Bursa and in İstanbul. What made me wonder was that in İstanbul alone, I had gone to a number of İskender kebab restaurants all belonging to the descendents of İskender Bey. It turns out that because İskender kebab is already three generations old, one İskender kebab restaurant belonging to one name (under the same founder) is not part of the same company. The descendents have become divided. However, one thing does not change among the descendents (in general): Each sells İskender kebab as the only dish in the restaurant. All prepare delicious İskender kebabs. After all, they all basically learned the tricks of the trade from the same founder. Nonetheless, this one İskender kebab restaurant that belongs to Yavuz so far has the most delicious kebabs I have tasted since coming here.

Personally speaking, I feel really sad over the division. This is a family business. If all the family members stick together as a company and expand their business to all parts of Turkey, maintaining the same high quality standards of the original İskender kebab, then this family with its İskender kebab business will be powerful and a force to be reckoned with in the kebab field. Instead, the family members are divided. As a result, we all find İskender kebabs under the same founder but maintained and managed by different names of the founder’s descendents. But then, to be fair, for three generations to be together under the same roof may be difficult business wise as each person has his or her own personal views as how to run the business. One example of this is that one restaurant serves İskender fast food next to the İskender kebab restaurant in the Ulusoy outlet of Susurluk. It is a new idea no doubt produced by one of İskender bey descendents.

A visitor to Turkey who wants to eat İskender kebab needs to be selective about where to eat because the choice will determine whether they will request an İskender kebab the next time they enter a kebab restaurant or not. But one thing to bear in mind for those who are not used to Turkey: If you enter a restaurant which basically sells İskender kebab and nothing else, that is a clear indication that the restaurant is worth entering. And if you are in Bursa, the original place of this kebab, the original İskender Kebab restaurant, is a place you must visit. Otherwise, you may miss out on eating one of the most delicious kebabs out there.


20 September 2008, Saturday
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL

Ramadan in İstanbul

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=153440&bolum=132

People back home in Malaysia often ask me, “How is it fasting during Ramadan in İstanbul?” My answer is always,

“It depends on who you are with and where you go to.”

Observant Muslims -- be it in Malaysia, İstanbul or anywhere else in the world -- fast from dawn to sunset. However, I was not prepared for what I saw in my first Ramadan in İstanbul. Being used to the environment in Malaysia, where Muslims in general fast and those who don’t never eat openly in public, I found it shocking to see a large number of Muslims openly eat and drink without reservation -- as if the holy month means nothing to them. They go on with their lives, eating and drinking in public without respect for those who fast, believing that they have the freedom to do as they please and that no one can say anything about it. Such things used to make me shudder with sadness and, though I am now used to the environment, I still feel extremely uncomfortable and sad inside.

It displays the cold fact of how a certain group of people perceive Ramadan negatively, which is sad since I remember clearly how my non-Muslim friends back home always tried their best not to eat or drink in front of their fasting Muslim friends as a sign of respect. Nonetheless, this does not represent the whole society, as there are also many Muslims in İstanbul and Turkey in general who fast during the month.

Fasting or not, I find the Turks are rich in their social interactions. If you look at the iftars (fast-breaking dinners), people race to invite their friends and families to their homes. It is the time when everyone gets together to enjoy each other’s company while lavishing guests with food. I remember clearly my first iftar here at my late mother-in-law’s home. The long table was full with rich breakfast foods -- pide (flat bread), jams, sucuk, börek, olives, eggs and more. Just name it, it was there. I ate the breakfast with relish until I was full and then my mother-in-law asked me if I wanted soup. It turned out that was only the beginning of dinner, not to mention dessert. No one in their right mind living here can lose weight during iftar and I think any Turk can vouch for that. The fantastic, mouthwatering and delicious food is wonderfully evil for the waistline.

What I also love about this place is the fact that almost everywhere you can find big tents, called “iftar çadırı,” where the less well-off come and eat free cooked meals for their iftar. It is normally provided by many organizations, backed by the people, to provide food for the poor since Ramadan, after all, is about giving and sharing. And, yes, Turks are givers and sharers. There is no doubt about it.

And after all these years, I find that the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) and Eyüp Sultan areas are the two places to go to get a feel for how festive this month is. In both places people basically flock by thousands for iftar. Seen from the air, they are like small ants in many colors, all waiting to have iftar in the area surrounding both mosques, as well as praying and enjoying the fun, the glitter, the crowd and the food sold at different food stalls there. In the Sultanahmet area, for example, a book fair is organized each year and books by different publishers can be found and purchased at discounted prices.

My family and I for example, have made it a tradition to go to visit Eyüp Sultan at least once a year in Ramadan. I find it to be the best place for us to expose the kids to what Ramadan is all about. The moment you enter the area, you feel soothed by the fact that unless they are small children, you don’t see people openly eating and drinking. These people observe their fasting and those who don’t (or can’t) fast, respect those who do. Hundreds of people bring their own mats or newspapers and their own food from home and sit outside the mosque to break their fasts together with their loved ones. And for those who don’t have their own food, there are always restaurants eager to please their customers. You can also see people lining up at the iftar tents to get their food for free. It is truly soothing to see the faces of fasting people, though exhausted, eagerly waiting to break their fast at a holy mosque, especially in the midst of the Quran recitation read by the imam. This is what Ramadan is. This is what you want your family members to experience, because Ramadan is not just about going hungry and thirsty. It is a festival in its own right.

Not far from Eyüp Sultan mosque, there is also a feshane, a factory established to produce clothing and fez for the Ottoman army by the impe­rial decree of Sultan Abdülmecid in the year 1839. Now the building is abandoned and hosts fairs, conferences and exhibitions. When we went there after iftar a few days ago, it was quite a happening place. Inside there are fairs and religious music concerts to celebrate the holy month. There is also a fancy restaurant there. Outside, the luna park awaits the kids to provide entertainment. There are also food stalls waiting for customers who want to eat while watching the lively happenings around them as they sip their Turkish tea under the lovely moon, with a view of the Golden Horn adding the perfect romantic touch amidst the crowd. And to add to the romance (even when you are with your children) a 20-minute tour along the Golden Horn in a Sultan Kayık (a long boat similar to the ones used by the sultans) for YTL 5 is the ultimate conclusion to a wonderful festival for us parents to offer the kids. And the fact that the Eyüp Municipality has provided the Mehtar band performances adds a special feeling so that, by the end of the night, when it was time to go home, I said to myself,

“Yes, Ramadan in İstanbul is wonderful indeed.”


18 September 2008, Thursday
SİMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL

So I Can Stay...

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=138353


Being married to a Turkish citizen is one thing, but getting a residence permit is another. In fact, that has been something of a nightmare for me for the last eight and a half years.

Even though Turkey recognizes dual citizenship, my own country does not. Therefore, it is impossible for me to apply for Turkish citizenship without losing my current citizenship. So, I have had no choice but to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü Office a number of times after all these years to renew my residence permit.

Every time we needed to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü we had to get out of the apartment by 6:30 a.m. in order to be among the first in line. Leaving the apartment even five minutes later would have made a large difference in what part of the line we were in. We had to wait in line at many counters; I was told that one counter was supposed to be for this while the other counter was supposed to be for that. And after waiting for hours, I would come up to a counter, only to be told that my documents were incomplete, necessitating another visit to the office. The next time I would go there, I would again be told that further documents were required. It seemed that the required documents changed as often as one changes clothes. Most of the time, my husband and I were left in frustration.

I was also lucky in that I could leave my children with relatives. Some had to bring their children along and, at times, their newly born babies! It was a nightmare; however, as a foreigner I had no choice but to be among those in line in order to be able to stay with my husband and children, all of whom are Turkish citizens.
My residence permit was set to expire a few days ago and I needed to go renew it yet again. Following years of experience, I wizened up and went with my husband to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü two weeks in advance to ask what documents would be needed for renewal. I was pleasantly surprised that the man at the information counter gave us a small piece of paper that listed all the necessary documents. He also gave us a copy of the residence permit declaration form.

In addition to all of this, a Web site has been set up at http://yabancilar. iem.gov.tr/ikametingilizce.html that provides this form for download and an updated list of necessary documents for renewal in Turkish, English and German. This must be something new as last year they did not have it -- or at least I was not aware of it. All of this has made the renewal process much easier. Being able to download the form, fill it out and print it at home is very convenient. Last year the process included getting the form and having your information typed on it, all for a YTL 9 fee. That was really outrageous. This year, thank God, the process has been made so much easier.

Time came to renew the permit and, with all the documents in hand, I went to the office. This time, I was confident that I had the right documents. We got to the office at around 7:15 a.m. and, unsurprisingly, many people were already there, waiting to be let into the Emniyet Müdürlüğü building compound. What I loved about the whole experience this time around was that those who came would leave their ID card or passport at the entrance counter so that when the gates were opened, those who came first would enter first and would then be the first in line to get numbers before going up to the counters. This removed the possibility of people cutting in line -- which could create great tension in an already tense atmosphere.

As expected, while waiting to pick up a number in the corridor, we froze. Years of experience have taught me that in seasons like this one, going to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü with a winter jacket on is the best way to go. This became clearer as, unlike in previous years, we had to wait longer. The numbers were only given out shortly after 9 a.m., though this might have been because the numbering machine was broken.
The whole situation with the counters has changed. Instead of having to go to many counters to complete the renewal process, we only needed to go to one, where the attendant checked all of our documents and stamped them. Previously, we had to go to two counters, both of which had very long lines; at one counter we were required to pay the fee for the permit while at the second one we needed to submit the payment receipt. This time around, my husband and I were already on our way to breakfast by 10 a.m.

The most important change I noticed was that only a certain number of people were given numbers for the morning session. Those who did not get a number would have to be in line after the lunch break to get numbers. This has greatly reduced the crowd of people waiting for their turn. In previous years, numbers for the whole day were given in the morning. This led to many people having to wait the entire day only to leave because the lines were painfully slow and the crowd suffocating. I commend the Emniyet Müdürlüğü for fixing this situation. The new system really makes a difference. For once in my life I walked away with a smile after renewing my permit.

What concerns me most, however, is a foreigner like myself who is married to a Turkish citizen is required to renew the residence permit in order to stay in Turkey. One of the requirements is that the couple must be present together at the Emniyet Müdürlüğü before the permit can be renewed. What happens after (God forbid!) my husband dies? I would not be able to renew my permit. Does this mean that would have to return to my country, Malaysia? What if I want to stay here? It would not be wise for me to move to Malaysia as my life, and more importantly, that of my children, who are Turkish citizens, is already firmly planted here. It would not be fair to my children to have to start from ground zero in another land. Wouldn't it be easier if foreigners married to a Turkish citizen are allowed to have a permanent residence permit?

It is true that a residence permit valid for several years is available, but the costs are forbidding. The fee for a one-year residence permit is approximately YTL 500 as of this writing. If I wanted to request a 10-year residence permit, the fee would climb to YTL 5,000. Renewing the permit is not cheap and I for one cannot afford that much money. But renewing the permit is still not an answer. Were my husband to die before I needed to renew my permit, what then? I personally feel that a law should be introduced that allows spouses of Turkish citizens to be granted permanent residence permits.


08.04.2008
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL