Going East

The second semester of school is by far the best in Austria. There are so many holidays and school breaks that it seems we are hardly ever in school. Even as I now write, I am enjoying a very nice 5-day weekend in Graz. (N.b.: Today, May 1, is Tag der Arbeit, or the Austrian Labor Day. No school!)

Since I take every opportunity I can get to travel, I decided to go to Turkey for my Easter break. A friend of mine from New York was coming to visit, and so we decided to meet in Istanbul and then travel on to Cappadocia. We were in Turkey together for a week and a half, but it only took me several days to realize that Istanbul was my new favorite European city and that I loved Turkey.

I shouldn't tell you all about my trip because it would be another novella. So instead I've decided to cover the trip over several posts (like my farm experience last summer), highlighting just certain aspects of our travels and our experiences. I'll treat the trip topically, and if you want to know more, please just email me and I'd be happy to bombard you with all of the minute details you can handle!

Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.

Why Turkey? The reason is quite simple, really: it's cheaper than the rest of Europe and, from what we'd heard, very interesting. One of our main considerations when planning where to travel was the cost. We considered places like Poland and other Eastern Europe destinations, but I'd already heard a bit about Turkey from other friends who had been there and thought it would be great to experience a completely different, non-Western travel destination for once. Until now, I'd only ever traveled in Europe and Australia, and never in a non-Western, non-(traditionally-)Christian culture. Last year I'd even made a list of places I'd like to visit while I'm still in Europe, and Turkey still hadn't been checked off. My travel buddy immediately agreed, and we started researching our trip.

How does a self-professed "anti-planner" plan a trip to a destination you should really know a bit about before you go?

I hate planning. Anything. I hate planning parties, I hate planning events, and I even hate planning trips. My travel M.O. is to arrive on the scene and then check it out from there. I might read up a bit before I go so that I know what I should see when I get there, but I rarely have an itinerary until I'm on the scene. But Turkey, being so culturally different from any place I'd visited before, was worth a little travel prep.

My travel buddy and I decided to research Istanbul and Cappadocia on our own and then come together with our combined knowledge and plan the trip from there. So I spent a couple days on the internet, looking up articles and such, but this wasn't really the part that interested me. The part that interested me was the suggestions, tips, and advice I solicited from several of my friends who had either lived in or traveled to Turkey.

I got in touch with about 5 different friends who had been to Turkey for various lengths of time and collected their advice. I got tips on what to see, what to eat, how to get around, and--most interestingly--how to act while in Turkey. So for today's excerpt of my Turkish experience, I'll start with one of the most interesting bundles of information I got before the trip:



The Do's and Don't's of Traveling in Turkey and How I Followed Them...or Didn't!

1. You shouldn't make eye contact or chat with men as you're walking down the street, on public transportation, etc., as this can be seen as a come on.
Um, as we learned, pretty much *everything* in Turkey can be seen as a come on! But putting that aside, I have to admit that this piece of advice was pretty hard to follow. You don't realize just how much eye contact you make with people as an American until you're deliberately trying not to make eye contact. I have certainly toned down the eye contact since living in Austria, since people don't really do that here either, but in Turkey it was so much more difficult! Especially because people watching in Turkey was so much more interesting, and it's hard to look at someone without really looking at them. I did notice that any accidental eye contact with men was immediately returned with a smile or a wink or a pick-up line, rather than a simple break in eye contact like here. It wasn't until my last day in Istanbul when I was traveling by myself before going back to Austria that I really mastered this. I put on my city face and was finally able to walk the streets undisturbed by looking like I knew exactly where I was going and and mentally blurring out the faces of any men I passed. But getting to this point was hard work.
It should also be noted that we were two obviously non-Turkish girls walking around (one Caucasian and one Asian) and so that's bound to draw attention anyway. But we never felt really uncomfortable, and the attention we got didn't really seem like more than we'd get in other large cities.

2. It's not a good idea to speak English loudly or laugh in public, as this draws a lot of attention.
Me, not laugh in public? Yes, another challenge! There were enough tourists in Istanbul and Cappadocia that we didn't have to draw any extra attention to ourselves. And as an American living in Austria, I've already taught myself how to be quiet in public so as to blend in and not communicate "I am supporting the stereotype that American tourists are loud [and therefore obnoxious]" to those around me. But no matter how loudly or softly we spoke, we also noticed that the Turkish men had the uncanny ability to pick up on any phrase we uttered in passing and turn it into a pick-up line. ("Oh, hold on a sec--I dropped something." "Hello! Hello, lady! You dropped my heart!" Or: "Those British guys in the hostel were sooo loud, all night long!" "[singing] Youuu. Shook me alll night looong!") Finally, we decided it would make a good game to say something outrageous and see how our admirers could work with it. Best comeback gets a prize. ("And then my finger fell off!"...they could totally work with that material!)

3. Don't go outside with wet hair.
Some of you may recall my early posts about my arrival in Austria and some of the cultural differences I mentioned...including not to go outside with wet hair! Apparently it's the same thing in Turkey. Unfortunately, I don't have a travel hairdryer, so this meant that I could try my hardest to towel dry my hair but that ultimately I was, indeed, breaking this rule and going out with wet hair. As far as I could tell, there weren't any negative consequences. However, once we were walking down the street when my hair was completely dry, and a man called from a storefront, "How were the Turkish baths?" My travel buddy turned to me and asked, "How did he know we went to the Turkish baths last night?!" And as far as we could figure, it was my hair gel giving me the "wet hair" look. Oops.

4. Don't wear anything tight or low-cut, don't wear shorts or skirts above the knee, and don't wear sleeveless tops. It's also best to wear pants or long shirts that disguise/cover your butt.
One of my biggest questions before packing for Turkey was how I should dress. Although 99.8% of Turkish people are Muslim, it is a secular country (where, incidentally, headscarves are not allowed at universities or some government buildings) and you'll see the Turkish women wearing everything from conservative Islamic dress to far-from-conservative "Western" dress. As a foreigner though, it's best to be sensitive to the culture and dress modestly. The weather was nice and cool the whole time we were there, so we were able to dress in layers. Although none of my pants hid the face that I am a woman and therefore have certain curves, I didn't feel like that was ever a problem where I was. As far as we could tell, we never got oggled, and anything worth staring at was always covered. Fortunately we weren't there in the hot summer months when covering up more may have been somewhat hot.

5. Don't take layers of clothes off in public.
The most I took off in public was a jacket, so this is finally one rule we were able to keep!

6. Don't chew gum in public (especially blowing bubbles).
I forgot to ask why this piece of advice was here, but--like most of the others--we broke this one too. It was only after we were walking down the street chewing gum that I realized we were not supposed to do exactly that. And my friend had a habit of blowing bubbles. Oops.

7. If someone (especially a man) brings up the topic of U.S. foreign policy or politics in general, it's a good idea to avoid an inevitably heated discussion and politely change the topic.
Since our visit coincided with President Obama's visit to Turkey, this piece of advice was impossible to keep. Not only were both of us interviewed by the press (me for the English-language newspaper and my friend for the local news) about his visit to Turkey, but shopkeepers and hostel employees sometimes wanted to discuss Obama and/or U.S. foreign policy. I found that, for the most part, this was absolutely alright. One shopkeeper in Cappadocia even praised Obama and his politics (saying, sensitively, that he wouldn't even bother to address what things were like a mere 100 days ago with Bush), and told me that most Turkish people appreciated his visit. I only had one Turkish man tell me how bad U.S. foreign policy is, but I was just a bystander in the conversation, and he kept apologizing, saying, "I know where you're from. I'm sorry. But...."



8. Don't agree to pay full price for anything in the bazaars.
I'm sure we got ripped off enough as it was, but we were successfully able to negociate prices, usually to about 60% or so of the asking price. Which, for tourists, I've been told is reasonable. When we had the luxury of having Turkish friends with us, they did the haggling for us and we were able to buy our goods with much more confidence that we weren't getting horrendously ripped off!


...So, suffice to say that we broke plenty of rules and, at some point or other, went against pretty much most of the advice that was given to us. Fortunately we didn't have any problems...and now we know better for next time, right?

Home Sweet Socialized Home

I've not had much luck this year when it comes to maintaining my health after a big trip. I got sick after going to Berlin and I got sick after going to Australia...and I hope it stops there! But when I realized that I didn't just have to suffer through my illness--that I could go to the doctor so easily and at no cost to me--I decided that I better take advantage of it while I can. I've already seen several doctors and booked all the preventative appointments I need while I still have my amazing Austrian insurance. And as I was thinking about how wonderful this all is, it occurred to me that I should share with you the wonders of living in a socialized country.

Taxes in Austria are only slightly more than in the U.S., yet their social security provides so much more. Basically, I can feel completely taken care of in Austria.

Since I'm employed by the regional school board, I get all of the same benefits as the Austrian teachers. This means that my health insurance is also provided by the government, through my employer. (In Austria, if you are self-employed or unemployed, you will need to provide your own health insurance; however, the rate is based on your income and there is government assistance for those who couldn't otherwise afford it.) At the beginning of my stay, I was provided with my e-card, which is an amazing handy-dandy credit card-sized proof of insurance and social security. The e-card has all of my insurance information stored on it and serves as an electronic signature, as well as a document of my medical records.

I can choose to see any doctor who accepts this national insurance, which is pretty much most of them. (There are also private doctors you can pay extra to see, but that is unnecessary.) The Austrian doctor's offices are much more relaxed than the American ones, with more (although sometimes unusual) office hours and a generous walk-in policy. The first time I went to the doctor, I simply showed up at the door and requested to see the doctor. There were not dozens of pages of medical history to fill out or a stack of forms to sort through; rather, I simply handed the receptionist my e-card and gave her my contact details, and a half an hour later I was called in to see the doctor. It was remarkably easy and astoundingly accessible.

A visit to the doctor, however, is not without it's fair share of Austrian formality. When entering the doctor's office you first must go through the waiting room, where it is customary to greet everyone as you enter. The receptionist is in another room behind a closed door, so then you must ask if anyone is already in there. If so, you wait there (not knowing in which order you are being seen) until it somehow becomes clear that it's your turn to enter. After giving the receptionist your e-card and telling her the reason for your visit, you go back into the waiting room and wait for your name to be called. Upon leaving, you once again wish everyone in the waiting room farewell.

The doctor's offices that I've been to are entirely unassuming, and they are often two or three rooms in an apartment building where only the one doctor has set up an office; the doctors I've seen are congenial and casual, often wearing jeans under their white coats. There's no changing into hospital gowns, and there's very little of an examination for any non-pertinent things. In my experience, the doctors are quick to give you a prescription and will simply give you a referral upon request...even the receptionist is authorized to give you a referral--so you can see basically whatever kind of doctor you want, whenever you want. The visit is free, with no co-pay required. The prescriptions can be filled at the pharmacy (where you have to get anything from ibuprofen to cough syrup to actual prescription-strength drugs), and the medicines are often quite cheap. As for more serious issues, hospital stays and treatments as well as ambulance rides are completely covered. ...So basically, if I were to get run over by a bus or get some terrible illness, I'd want it to happen here.

And it's not just the convenience of the health system (i.e., free doctor's visits, easy referrals, no forms to fill out) that's so great--it's also the attitude that Austrians take towards health in general. Whereas the American mentality is to work unless you're seriously ill, the Austrians have a much more generous definition of what constitutes a sickday. Likewise, the Austrians will encourage you to stay home until you're absolutely 100% better, acknowledging that being healthy is actually better for productivity than going back to work as soon as you're not deathly ill anymore. I was quite shocked when I went in with a virus that my doctor told me--before she even examined me--to stay home at least from Monday to Thursday and immediately wrote me a doctor's note; she made me come back on Thursday for a follow-up appointment and extended her doctor's note until Monday before even asking how I felt. My suspicion is that the Austrians are all slightly hypochondriatic at heart (taking into account their superstitions and their propensity to complain about their health), but it really does work to the sick person's advantage.

...Oh, and did I mention that the doctor can prescribe a week at the spa for your overall well-being?? Pretty much all you have to do is ask--and you better believe that the Austrians love that state-approved sick leave every year!!

It's not just the healthcare system that takes care of the citizens--they're also protected by certain laws ensuring optimal provision and care.

Let's take maternity leave, for example. Just as I'd want to be in Austria if I got run over by a bus, I'd want to be here if I had a baby. Mothers are required by law to stop working 8 weeks before their due date--no exceptions. This is called Mutterschutz, which literally means protection of the mother. After the baby is born, the mother is allowed to take up to 2 years of paid maternity leave! Even more impressive, there is even the option of up to a year of paternity leave for fathers--although this year counts as one of the 2 years allowed. It's a popular trend for mothers to time their pregnancies every two years apart, thus ensuring an indefinite amount of maternity leave. And let's also not forget the concept of Kindergeld, or the monthly payment of government money to support families with children. In Austria, parents receive the Kindergeld until the age of 26 for girls or 27 for boys (because they have one year of mandatory military or civil service and are often at university until that age), amounting to €105 - €150 per month (depending on the age of the child) for the first child, and more for any successive children. Some parents simply give this money to their children as allowance.

Austrian unemployment is also amazingly lax and generous in comparison with the American system. Not just those who have been laid off are eligible to collect--even if you quit your job, if for not other reason than you didn't like it, you are eligible for unemployment. The benefits kick in immediately and are about 80% of your former salary--which is almost certainly enough to live on. There is no going down to the unemployment office, and you do not have to prove that you are applying or even looking for other jobs; you can simply keep receiving unemployment benefits for up to a year until you find the right job; otherwise another social welfare program takes over after a year, offering about 60% of your former salary to keep you afloat until you get a job. During the time that you are collecting unemployment you may also choose to turn down jobs offered to you if you deem them not the perfect fit. While this is a wonderful safety net for those who have lost their jobs and have difficulty finding new ones, I personally find it a bit too lenient and terribly enabling for people to take advantage of the system. I've known several people to live off of unemployment money and not even bother to look for a job--including one woman who remained unemployed for three years, because she couldn't find a job that was "right" for her!

And as if that wasn't enough, as of this year Austria is back to free university education. In 2000, Austria decided to institute a tuition of about €360 a semster--roughly the cost of books in the U.S.! There was a terribly uproar and this decision remained controversial for the next 8 years. (Particularly laughable to me was the financial aid offered to cover this tuition to "needy" students! Although the cost of a college education in America is ridiculous, there are a lot of good arguments for charging a tuition.) But last year they voted to remove tuitions and restore university education to they way it had always been. This semester, the lack of tuition takes effect and students may once more enjoy the benefits of a free education.

America is a good country. There are advantages in America that Austria doesn't have. But I find that the social security here (in the broadest sense of the word) is something the U.S. could learn from. Through the healthcare, etc., in Austria, I get the sense that I am taken care of and valued as a member of society. It's no wonder I want to stay.