As part of the #newthings challenge from Boundless Things to do it was great when I saw the topic of experiencing a new culture. We were in Turkey, what better way to experience a new culture. Although we were staying on a resort with First Choice, we walked out of the resort a few times and ventured into the village of Serigerme to experience a little bit of culture.

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It would appear that the culture is very different to ours, but the heat must have a lot to do with the differences – different jobs, different wages, different clothes, different things to do during the day. It was apparent their culture and way of life is very different from ours. There are obvious and very visual differences like cats and dogs roam wild in Turkey and they most definitely do not in the UK, it did break my heart to see all the cats and dogs with no homes. But I had to accept that that is the way they live and I couldn’t take them all home. Everything seemed quite laid back, no one seems to rush around and it was nice to feel calm. Driving is not quite so calm though and the bumpy roads didn’t help at all. We heard the call for prayer a lot whilst we were there, this is something that is very different to our country because the majority of Turkish people are muslim and in the UK it is not.

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We did a couple of trips with the local tour operators too and the one called Basket Travel in Serigerme was excellent as we got to hear all about Turkey and their traditions from the tour guide, Ken.We found out a lot of information and it was really interesting: they do not celebrate Christmas because they are Muslim, but they have a different day where they exchange presents and gifts. The average income for a Turkish person is around £500 a month! WOW can you imagine that kind of salary in the UK. They grow a lot of produce and export it out of the country, lemons, oranges and limes. Did you know that a lemon tree will not produce fruit in its first 6 years? #newthings being learnt all the time! Another really interesting fact: did you know that it is not acceptable to blow your nose loudly in front of another Turkish person. It is deemed as rude and you are brought up to just not do it. I was amazed to learn this. If you have a runny nose you are to just wipe it away with a tissue, no blowing of any kind.

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 This post is inspired by the #newthings challenge with the Boundless Things to do, it made me want to learn more about the Turkish culture and ask more questions. It was a fascinating experience. I have only just started on the fantastic topics and deep history that Turkey has to offer, and we will be going back in the future.  In fact I did find myself grabbing a quick look for property prices on Spotblue, just to be nosey. You never know!

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Travel,

Last Update: Thursday, 20th September 2018