1.

Interview

Name: Fauzi

Country: Originally from Syria and Lebanon, living in England

General idea: I love Istanbul. I was just talking to my friend about the Turkish history, and the
current Turkish president, which I personally like very much and support. And I was just telling
my friend that perhaps we should have the Ottoman Empire back because it united many
countries under one leadership. Overall I like Turkey, I do business in Turkey, I like the Turkish
food; and being from Syria and Lebanon, the food is very similar, so I enjoy it. I arrived
Yesterday, and the first thing I did today was go and have a very nice Shawarma, and after the
Shawarma I had a very nice Kataif.

Prejudice before coming: To be honest, no, because I am originally from the Middle East and
we know the history of Turkey and the history of Istanbul. I am university educated and I like
history, so I know a lot about Istanbul, I know a lot about Turkish history, and I have been
coming to Istanbul since 1984, and I do like it, I really enjoy it. Also, Istanbul has become very
Cosmopolitan, you have people from Turkey, Europeans, Syrians, Lebanese, people from the
gulf. Turkish people are nice people, we are very close, very similar.

2. Interview

Name: Ranya

Country: Switzerland

General idea: Istanbul is a very lovely city, I would definitely come again and spend more time
and see more of it. Next time I would want to know where to go shopping and know more about
the nightlife. Overall, I think it is a very nice place to go.

Prejudice before coming: Before I came here, I thought that its more oriental, kind of like a
Middle Eastern flair.

How it changed after experiencing: When I came here I figured that certain parts are very,
very Western. I was very surprised that there are so many cafes, alleys to walk in, and its really
clean; thats also something I didnt really expect. Also, people smoke a lot and I didnt really
expect that, because in Switzerland the community, the young people smoke a lot too compared
to other cities in Europe. But here they smoke even more.
3. Interview

Name: Mardis

Country: Finland

General idea: Actually, it is my very first time here and I had an hour or two at Taksim square.
The history here is truly great, and thats one of the reasons why we chose this place to
celebrate New Year. I believe Istanbul is a multicultural place with cultures from Europe and Asia
and Arabic. This is one of the birthplaces of the modern world.

Prejudice before coming: I did not have any prejudices.

4. Interview

Name: Lee

Country: Korea

General idea: Istanbul is a very diverse and ethnic city.

What did you think before coming here: Ive been here so many times, a hundred times. The
first time I came to Istanbul I was thinking that it is a very cultural and closed city.

Prejudice before coming: I was thinking that Istanbul was part of the Islamic area.

How it changed after experiencing: After coming here I saw that its a very active, modern,
and diverse city.

5. Interview

Name: Cristina

Country: Romania

General idea: I love Istanbul, I already came here several times, and each time I came I fell in
love with the city more and more.
What did you think before coming here: I think I believed the society here to be a bit closer
than I actually found out it to be. Being a different religion from mine, being Muslim, I expected it
to be more traditionalist.

Prejudice before coming: Prejudices I think I believed it to be, as I said, a bit more closed, a
bit more traditional. I think I also expected women not to be as involved in the society.

How it changed after experiencing: I discovered that it was really not like I thought it was. My
thoughts changed a lot, because the more you know, and the more you meet people, you
realize its really a friendly environment and that there are very open minded people, and I love
it. I also discovered that the people are very modern here, and you can also find people wearing
traditional dresses but you can also find a lot of people wearing modern clothes. I discovered
that they are very modern, they work, they have independence, they are very brave and they do
all the things they want to do, just like in my country.

6. Interview

Name: Orlando

Country: Romania

General idea: I love it, its a vivid city, its very dynamic, its with two continents, I think its the
only one in the world, wonderful people, incredible, I love it!

What did you think before coming here: Before coming, I had an opinion of course because I
was reading, I was studying a bit about the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire and I
was looking for something like a mix of two cultures.

Prejudice before coming: I always thought that Turkish men are a bit more mature and
stubborn, but I met people that were so kind and so nice to people around them, and I think the
sweet side; the warm side of Turkey are the people.

How it changed after experiencing: Once I arrived at Istanbul, I was impressed. Ive been
impressed with the historical side and the people. They are so friendly, so warm, and they value
their family so much, so Ive been impressed. It impressed me how much they appreciate the
bonding of their family, its incredible.
7. Interview

Name: Dina

Country: Kazakhstan

General idea: I think that Istanbul is a very cosmopolitan and modern city.

What did you think before coming here: Before I came, I thought that Istanbul was very
historical and a very conservative place because its in Turkey. I thought that all women were
covered and that the city was full of open markets

Prejudice before coming: Yes I did have prejudices, I thought that Istanbul was very
conservative, and that women are not allowed to work and that they are all covered, and that it
is a very strict Muslim country.

How it changed after experiencing: When I came to Istanbul, it shocked me because it was
very cosmopolitan, and it was both modern and historical, and beautiful, and people are just
very different, very unique, very mixed.

8. Interview

Name: Tsvetelina

Country: Bulgaria

General idea: Istanbul is a lovely city, I would say that it is very colorful with different kinds of
people and it has very beautiful nature, and there are lots of beautiful places to walk around.

What did you think before coming here: I was thinking that Istanbul is a cosmopolitan, very
big city, and it would be very difficult to navigate in this city because I am a very active driver. 14
years ago there was no navigation at the time, and I was thinking that it would be very difficult to
get used to the traffic and commuting here. Also I thought it would be very difficult to get used to
the absolutely different kind of cuisine, and of course the language; which is not easy.

Prejudice before coming: I had prejudices about the language, and that it would be very
difficult to learn it, and I also knew that I would have children and that they would study here. I
am a type of person that wants to be involved in the school of my child. However, after my son
started school, I also started improving my Turkish together with him and at the end I was able
to help him. I was also thinking that the only food that Turkey had was baklava and kebab, and I
am not a person who only likes meat, but when I came here I found that they have very healthy
meals that are called, Zeytinyal. It has olive oil and vegetables, which I absolutely love. So, it
happened that they have very different cuisine, like Asian cuisine and fish.

How it changed after experiencing: After coming to Istanbul, I found out that there are traffic
signs everywhere, and if you follow the signs you dont even need navigation. Of course we
have navigation now. Also the commuting and the traffic, there are some tips which only the
locals know, so if you avoid the rush hours, there are ways to survive the traffic, and we are
used to this.

9. Interview

Name: Karen

Country: United States

General idea: Istanbul is very cultural, very spiritual. I find the people very friendly. The food is
awesome. I guess the problem I have with some of the people, especially taxi drivers is that if
they do know that you are a foreigner, they tend to take a little more advantage of us monetary
wise. Other than that, I love Istanbul.

What did you think before coming here: I really thought that Istanbul was not going to be as
built

Prejudice before coming: No, I did not have any.

10. Interview

Name: Maia

Country: Moldova

General idea: I was hearing a lot about Istanbul but all I knew was that its a was a very big city
and that its too crowded, and that it has plenty of history, and that it had two bridges at that time
and because Istanbul was very crowded, I didnt really want to live here.

What did you think before coming here: I knew it was a crowded place but I didnt know that
it would be that beautiful, I didnt know the places, but now I have been here for 10 years and I
visited all the places.

Prejudice before coming: I had a lot of prejudices. As its another culture and another religion,
I was thinking if I would be able to get along with new religions that I had to live with and with
the people. I was hearing that Turkish men have 4 wives and I was scared of being a mans
fourth wife.

How it changed after experiencing: After coming, I understood that it was in the past and that
its not that scary, therefore, plenty of my prejudices changed.

11. Interview

Name: Ganesh

Country: India

General idea: Its a beautiful city.

Prejudice before coming: Not really, because I had friends here who told me about Istanbul.

12. Interview

Name: Mike

Country: Canada

General idea: I moved here and I live and work here now. Im enjoying the city, the people, and
the culture. Im concerned for the people of Turkey and its future, as if I was one of your own, so
Im looking forward to see things turn and hoping for the better.

What did you think before coming here: I didnt know much about Istanbul, I read about it, I
enjoyed the mystique of what the city is and was in its past, so I was looking forward to
discovering it.

Prejudice before coming: I did not have any prejudices. I had some perceptions. Some of my
perceptions were that Istanbul is a large city rich in culture, and many other things but there
were only positives, no negatives.