Misconceptions

[badger]

A workmate mentioned that he was off to Olu Deniz for a wedding in July, and said he was a bit worried about the problems on the Syrian border, and was he going to a war zone.I pointed out you are about 450 miles from the Syrian border, the distance from London to Perth (where Scunners castle is)   

[WordBird]

We've had the same thing from people coming out for holidays.
As one family used to live in Belfast - before the IRA ceasefire - I found their concern particularly mystifying.

[Kevin Sowten]

I hope to goodness that he hasn't seen Midnight Express !!!! (Frightening !)   

[Jacqui Harvey]

I met a lady who I knew years ago as our kids went to school together.  She always goes to Jersey for her holidays.  I told her we had a place in Turkey.  She looked horrified.   i said to her that she should try it.  She told me she would never go to Turkey as it is a dirty place.  Strange how people who know nothing judge.

[Kevin Sowten]

It is a bit dirty in places though (litter, fly tipping, inveterate smoking ....)
But the plusses far outweigh the minuses and we adore it here !!!!!
Could be worse - could be living in Scotland   

[kawasakikid]

As regards Midnight Express, which a lot of people have watched and made an immediate snap judgment on Turkey, the following quote is from the Wikipedia entry on this film:

"When he visited Turkey in 2004, screenwriter Oliver Stone, who won an Academy Award for the film, made an apology for the portrayal of the Turkish people in the film. He "eventually apologised for tampering with the truth.""

Some people can be so gullible- but it is their loss for not researching and trying to get near the reality or the truth.

Other people (and I know a few) believe Turkey to be either like Saudi Arabia complete with rolling desserts or like the Gaza Strip complete with bombed out houses and militia strutting AK47's!

All our visitors have departed this country with a completely different view from their initial one.  They all long to return.

[Kevin Sowten]

It's amazing how long misconceptions (even based on fiction) can last !!!!

[KKOB]

There are only a relatively small number of people who could actually point to Turkey on a map. In fact we also found a large number of teenaged Turkish schoolchildren who couldn't.

[Colwyn]

Other people (and I know a few) believe Turkey to be ... militia strutting AK47's!

Probably misheard from "AKPs".

[Hamlet]

After telling our neighbours of our intention to sell up & move to Turkey, the conversation got around to the differences between Turkey & the UK.

Aat one point I mentioned the low crime rate & the fact that stores would leave a lot of their stock outside overnight & I couldn't see that happening in the UK nowadays as it would disappear.

The neighbour replied with all seriousness - "well they dare not because they chop their hands off out there for stealing don't they!"