Life in Turkey

If you ever wondered how life is in Turkey, here is a bit from Turkish Daily News:

These are the thoughts of MaryAnne, 33, an assistant director of studies from Canada:
"I have been in Turkey for six years. I started in Kayseri, teaching in a 'kolej,' then moved to Istanbul after two years.
I feel like I have lived in two different Turkeys. For me, living in Kayseri was very different from living in Istanbul, for good and bad reasons.
In Kayseri, I experienced amazing hospitality and generosity from the people I met. I was invited into people's homes and fed wonderful Turkish food and treated kindly.
Unfortunately, because it is very traditional, it wasn't easy to make close friends: women my age (early 30s) were all married and usually at home with their children so I rarely met them.
There were a lot of men, but they couldn't understand that a man and woman could be friends so often when I talked to men; they thought I wanted to be their girlfriend (even the married ones!). Living in Kayseri was fascinating but lonely for me.
My life in Istanbul is very different. It doesn't feel much different from living in London or Cape Town or Vancouver.
I have a lot of foreign friends and colleagues, my flat is modern (no Turkish toilet like in Kayseri, and no bare concrete floors covered in kilims!), and I can easily drink cappuccinos or order pizza or Chinese food.
All of these things were impossible in Kayseri when I was there. These things make life easier here, but I miss living in a place that is very different.