The Turkish Way

Oh America, how I miss you. The past few weeks have really made  me appreciate the great US of A. I have been working for almost two weeks now on getting a residency permit so that I can stay in Turkey until May. This has been, hands down, the most frustrating and difficult process I have ever had to deal with in my life. Part of the problem is that I have waited so late to get my residency permit. I need it before December 7th because that is when I have planned to go home for Christmas. I didn't think this permit was necessary in October, so I didn't worry about it. Apparently, it is very necessary, and it is not easy to obtain.

I have done a lot of research about getting this permit through the internet, but each website says something different. One of my coworkers tried to call the police station to figure out what I needed, but they couldn't give her any information over the phone. So I went to the Istanbul police station to inquire about it. My wonderful roommate, Ceren, accompanied me to help translate and we spent a total of 7 freaking hours at that damn station. While the time did pass fairly quickly, and I got to meet a very interesting Syrian man, I was not happy about the situation. We arrived at the station around 10 and asked a kind police man where we needed to go to get information about the permit. He told us to go upstairs. We went upstairs and asked an equally kind police woman where we needed to go. She told us back downstairs. We asked a one more police man, who was not as kind this time, where we needed to go, and he told us we had to take a number and wait downstairs. So we took and number and waited. Then we waited, and waited, and then waited some more. Apparently at 11:45 the workers in the station take a break and everything pretty much stops. At 11:45 they were only on number 73... Finally, at 5:30 our number appeared on the screen. Oh what a glorious moment it was when I saw the number 220 appear. After waiting for so long it was finally our turn. We got up to the window and Ceren talked with the police man for about five minutes, only to find out that we had to make an appointment to come back. The earliest appointment we could make was for December 31st. This meant that I would not be able to leave the country until I had this appointment. I was devastated. Ceren told me not to worry though and we would try to figure something out.

Three days later Ceren called me and told me to pack my bags. I was going to the Izmir office, which is 8 hours away, to try and get my residency permit there. Apparently it is a lot easier there, because Izmir is a smaller city. She told me I would be leaving at 7:45 the next morning. When I asked her how long I would be staying she said she had no idea. Maybe one week, maybe two. Normally this uncertainty would bother me, but I didn't care. I had hope that I actually might get my permit and be able to go home for Christmas. Plus, I really wanted to see Izmir and now I had a chance!

Yesterday I arrived in Izmir, which is a beautiful city. It is on the coast and is much smaller than Istanbul. While this city shares similarities to Istanbul, it has a completely different vibe. It is less crowded and just seems more laid back in general. I spent almost all day yesterday trying to figure out my permit situation. I went to the police station with a woman from the office, Irem. Going to the police station in Izmir was a much quicker process, but it was still complicated. We went and got my application, but we found out I needed a tax number to open up a bank account. Then we went to try and figure out the tax number. After leaving the police station we realized we needed some more information so we went back. We took a break and had some cay (tea). Irem had to leave because she had to go to court, so another woman from the office Hale joined me. We went to a government building to get a tax number. This building was quite depressing on the inside. All the walls were a stingy off white color, and the lights were dim. A very unkind woman "helped" us and within 10 minutes we had a tax number. After leaving the building we realized we needed to find out how much money I needed in my bank account, so back to the police station we went. Apparently in order to get a residency permit I need to open up a bank account and deposit 1000 EUROS. Why EUROS, you ask? Well I could not tell you. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. After getting this information, we went to the bank and I tried to open up a bank account. Unfortunately this was not possible because my tax number was not active. We asked when would it be active but they could not give us a definitive answer. This morning we went back to the bank to try again, but the number is still inactive and they can't tell us anything else.

So now I am stuck in Izmir (which is not a bad thing) until I can get my tax number activated, so I can open up my bank account, so I can deposit my money, so I can turn in my application for a residency permit. After I turn in my application they will take my passport and I can't get it back until my application is processed. When will it be processed? Well, as you might have guessed, no one could tell us. Maybe three weeks, maybe two, maybe a month....

This process has been very frustrating and I have to keep reminding myself to breathe because there is nothing I can do about this situation. I am not good with dealing with all of this uncertainty and not being in control. I am American and I like things planned and organized, and most importantly I want things done quickly. I don't know if this process would have taken as long in America because I have no need for  residency permit there. If it does, wow I feel sorry for anyone having to go through this process. I do know one thing though, in America I would have been able to go to a website and get all of the information I needed. Or I would have been able to call someone and get all the information I needed. Also there would have been definitive answers! Now, I really do love Turkey and the way of life here. That is why I am trying to stay! I appreciate that everyone is laid back and easy going; however, when it comes to getting my residency permit the "Turkish way" makes me want to pull my hair out!

On the bright side though this process has allowed me to come to Izmir.  I feel very fortunate about that. This city is really wonderful, and I really like the Izmir office. There are three women who work here and they are all so nice. They also all speak English well which is a major plus! I am staying with one of the women and her husband. There apartment is huge and so well decorated. Last night they prepared a delicious meal for me and we talked about the differences between America and Turkey. Both of them have spent significant time in the US so it was a very interesting conversation. I don't know how long I will be staying here, but I am going to try and enjoy my time while I'm here.