Anyone who has made the transition from holidaymaker to expat in Turkey will testify how nerve racking those early days can be. The language barrier and immersion into a new culture that is strange at the best of times can be difficult to handle, even more so if you also go down the route of buying property.

One lady who has done it is Australian expat Lisa Morrow and following my review of her first Book, she also asked me to read her second called “Waiting for the Tulips to Bloom: Adrift in Istanbul” which details her story of moving from Australia to become a citizen of Istanbul.

The subtitle of being adrift is rather apt because, in Lisa’s attempt to buy property in Istanbul, she encountered numerous hurdles that extended the process making it an exhausting and turbulent ordeal.

The title about Tulips also refers to Ottoman history of the flower that was transported to Holland reinforcing the unusual fact that Tulips stem from Turkey and not vice versa. This is celebrated every April in Istanbul as the tulip festival.

About Waiting For the Tulips to Bloom

In the book, after a brief introduction about her first visit to Istanbul in 1990, Lisa walks us through the process of moving there permanently. Within the chapters, are sometimes amusing tales of Estate Agents and their absurd working protocol in Turkey.

Also, how the political movement of the country has changed drastically over the last 25 years and the impact that this has had on daily life especially for Turks, in examples such as the headscarf, a prominent feature for Turkish women and often wore in a stylish Islamic chic fashion.

Describing the districts of Istanbul, the reader is also immersed into a subtle introduction of the Turkish language as well as a crash course and heavy focus on the culture, an area that any foreigner would be wise to learn should they want to stay long term in the country.

From navigating the working order of ladies day at a traditional Turkish hammam, where most women strip naked to dealing with sexist Turkish estate agents who obviously firmly believed a woman’s place is in the kitchen, it highlights exactly how drastically your life can change when you come to the country permanently.

“Over the next few days, we visit more agents, but most of the time they speak no English at all, and are very traditional. This means women are frequently ignored, either out of respect for their position as another man’s wife or because they are not considered bright enough or possibly worldly enough to understand what’s going on”

Quote from page 87

Lisa’s book is an interesting cultural and historical story of Istanbul intertwined with her most personal feelings at a brave but testing time of her life.

Who is this Book Suitable For?

Holidaymakers with no knowledge of Turkey will find a heavy introduction regarding cultures and women’s issues such as marriage and appropriate dress.

Newbie expats  will enjoy the nonbiased brief historical stories of government changes, hospital practices and the process of buying property.

Meanwhile, lovers of Istanbul will surely end up following Lisa’s footsteps as she talks about the various neighborhoods, districts, and popular restaurants.

How to Buy the Book

It is available for sale on Amazon in paperback form or you can look at Lisa’s website for more about her life and works.

Read more from the Turkish Travel Blog - My Travels Around Turkey