I am here today to talk about love, what makes us move. Specifically about my love for Turkey and besides, sharing some useful and interesting information about this wonderful country.
Language
Well, I can say Turkish is not an easy language to learn, but for those who are also interested about languages like I am, confidence and some free time plus the right learning strategy can help you to succeed and learn not only turkish but any other language in an autonomous way! It is following a self-study book: (Teach Yourself Turkish) and here it goes some useful expressions.
Hello Merhaba!
Good evening Iyi aksamlar!
Good-bye Hosçakal!
How are you? Nasilsin?
I am fine, and you? Iyiyim, sen nasilsin?
Not very well. Çok iyi degil.
So so Eh iste.
Thank you Tesekkür ederim.
You’re welcome Birsey degil / Rica ederim.
Please Lütfen.
Do you speak English? Ingilizce konusuyor musunuz?
I don’t speak Turkish Türkçe bilmiyorum!
I don’t understand Sizi anlamiyorum.
Could you please repeat Sunu tekrar edebilir misiniz?
Pleased to meet you Memnum oldum
How much does it cost? Ne kadar?
Excuse me Afedersiniz.
Can you help me? Yardim edebilir misiniz?
Yes Evet.
No Hayir.
I don’t know Bilmiyorum.
Okay/Alright Tamam
Welcome Hosgeldiniz
We came well Hosbulduk (response to hos geldiniz)
There are also some sites that provide Free Turkish Course, such as www.livemocha.com and www.busuu.com, where you can also practice what you learned with native speakers.
Literature
On prose, Orhan Pamuk won in 2006 the nobel prize in literature. Some of his main books are "The white castle" and "The black book". In poetry, the main modern icon was Nazim Hikmet (1902-1963), whose poem "Five Lines" figures bellow.
Five Lines
To overcome lies in the heart, in the streets, in the books
from the lullabies of the mothers
to the news report that the speaker reads,
understanding, my love, what a great joy it is,
to understand what is gone and what is on the way.
To overcome lies in the heart, in the streets, in the books
from the lullabies of the mothers
to the news report that the speaker reads,
understanding, my love, what a great joy it is,
to understand what is gone and what is on the way.
(For more information about Turkish literature, see Jornal Pontes para Istambul - Bridges to Istanbul Newspaper)
Culture
I can say that is the main reason why I still search and learn about Turkey. Altough because of (maybe) an opened economy and globalization many ocidental values are spreading over Turkey, People are inconsciously "allowing" that the best part of their culture, such as the respect over family and wedding values, get lost along a wave of popular culture, what makes me particularly sad about it.These values were supposed to be conserved and protected above of any foreign influence.
Turkish Cuisine
Turkey is ranked among the top five countries in the world for cuisine and no holiday is complete without a taste of some of Turkey's famous specialities.
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| Lahmacun |
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| Sutlac |
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| Baklava |
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| Kurufasulye |
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| Cigkofte |
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| Bulgur pilavi |
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| Pirinc pilavi |
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| Muhallebi |
Cities and curiosities.
Antalya, Izmir and Bursa are good options to tourists who are looking for beaches.
Kahramanmaras is famous for its ice-cream.
Kahramanmaras is famous for its ice-cream.
Turkish
cities are such attractions for all the tastes. They have history,
tradition, nature, music and wonders that surely make people proud to be
turkish.
Istanbul is in my opinion, the european capital of tourism and the most beautiful city of the world.  | |
| Blue mosque |
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| Hagia Sophia |
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| Galata kulesi (Galata tower) |
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| Kiz kulesi (Girl tower) |
And here it goes an extra link in portuguese for those who want to know more about music, news, foods, and other stuffs about Turkey.
