My family would like to try to accompany my husband on his tour to Turkey. What schools would my 6 year old attend? Would it be safe for my kids and I to be in public without my husband? I don't want to sound ignorant, just searching for the facts. Are American military members frowned upon in this part of Turkey?
2006-08-29 09:22:14 · 7 answers · asked by YellowLemon 2 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Turkey
Sounds like you have more than one question :) Let me get right down to them.
First of all, I'd like to state that Ankara is the capital of Turkey. Therefore It is a big city (Second biggest after Istanbul). In a nutshell, Ankara is a very orderly city. The city itself (without the suburbs) has a population of more than three million people.
When the crime rates of Ankara and NY City is compared, Ankara had 377 violent crimes per 100.000 people where NY City had 687 in the previous year. As I mentioned earlier, you should have no problem going out and enjoying the beautiful city. You should be familiar with your surroundings though, there are neighborhoods that even a native Turk wouldn't want to be in after certain hours. This should be no problem either, as I suppose you would be living in a quite and nice neighborhood.
Every now and then, you may see protesters or strikers in the Kizilay Square. There is nothing to be scared of, since they're non-violent, and just want a raise in their salaries or they are frustrated with the administration.
As for being American in Turkey and a wife of a seviceman, every foreigner is welcomed in Turkey. People hold nothing against individuals but you may hear from everday people a mouthful about the current administration.
Contrary to what you think, people and your neighbors would like to know more than what you would like to share about you and where you come from. This can get quite overwhelming at times. However, they are just curious and It's not everyday they get to see someone ordinary from the States. (They are quite used to the President and all of those goverment guys.) Especially housewives are interested in different recipes and different ways of doing things.
On schools... If your husband is stationed in Ankara, you should have no problem finding a private grammar school where you live. They would have teachers and staff with a good command of English. State schools are mostly crowded and your children may face adaptation difficulties.
For all questions you have, you can talk to the American Embassy and they would kindly assist you in every manner.
Hope, you have found what you were looking for. If you have more questions, please let me know.
2006-08-29 11:01:45 · answer #1 · answered by whitesox 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
let me tell u one thing, i used to be an officer at a NATO Corps HQ in Istanbul and I am a turk btw, and my ex was American and she was Staff Sergeant in the US Army, and was assigned to work in the 5. U.S Army HQs in Ankara and i was going to Ankara and she was coming to Istanbul back and forth and it continued about 4 yrs. And most of the time our child was with her mom in Ankara so, do the math.And I believe that there is one dodea school in Ankara as well: Plus there is Turkish American Association centered in Ankara, which gives you a chance to have some social activities with them. I dont even mention your and ur children's potential American and Turkish friends and environment. U know what, u will learn lots of recipes of Turkish Cuisine and when u come back home to the US, all your friends will envy you thats bcoz of the food you cook for them. I think u guys all will be good there. Will u pretty please give my best regards to Ataturk,the founder and the eternal leader of Turkish Republic, when you visit Anitbakir, his moseloum...Regards Ma'am...
2006-08-29 10:17:51 · answer #2 · answered by AllsTar 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely. Turkey and Ankara ar very modern. You will have no problems.
2006-08-29 18:03:19 · answer #3 · answered by PANCHO 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Believe me Turkey is safer than USA.
2006-08-30 06:53:07 · answer #4 · answered by nihil 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Turkey is a US ally and there are US bases on Turkish soil, so your family will be OK.
2006-08-29 09:26:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You may be able to find your answer at this website.
https://www.cia.gov/redirects/factbookredirect.html
2006-08-29 09:32:23 · answer #6 · answered by soar 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-08-29 09:26:22 · answer #7 · answered by dmonique86 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋