Experience True Immersion With a Village Home-Stay
Travel is about many things, but the true traveller wants to immerse themselves in a country’s traditions and its culture completely. There are many ways to do that, but the most authentic way overall is to actually stay in the place, with a traditional family, in their own home.
Turkey is a very large country, and one which is full of large cities, large towns, medium sized towns, and also villages. Whilst you will see the traditional way of life in many cities and towns, without a doubt the best way to experience it totally is by trying a village home-stay.
You will find these villages everywhere, even just outside of the biggest cities, such as Istanbul, but the central part of the country, and the south-eastern region is where the most authentic of them are situated. There are many companies which will arrange a home stay for you, and they will match you up with a family who have signed up to the programme. This means you are getting a safe experience, because they have been vetted, consented to tourists staying within their home, and they are ready and open to show you the best of their culture and traditions.
So, what can you expect from a village home-stay?
Authenticity!
It is a good idea to have done some research ahead of time, so that you know what to expect, and a few of the customs that you will be expected to take part in. For instance, it is customary for you to take your shoes off before you enter the home, and you will probably be given house slippers to wear instead. You should eat and drink whatever is given to you, within reason, so as to avoid insulting anyone! Of course, your hosts will understand that you are not used to these customs, and will do their best to ease you gently.
Your host may or may not speak English, but even if they don’t, you will be surprised how easy it is to communicate with hand signals! There is the chance that the Internet in your village location may not be fantastic, and it may not be evident at all. It is a good idea to simply go with this, because that is true immersion. There will be an Internet cafe somewhere nearby, where you can check in with loved ones back home. If you are going to do this village home-stay business, you should do it 100% properly!
Food and family values are the biggest things you will learn about, and you should try as much of the food on offer as possible. Of course, if tea is offered to you (and it will be), always drink it. Never ‘turn your nose up’ at anything, and just try it. If you are sick or you feel under the weather at all, you will no doubt be offered some kind of village remedy that they swear works – again, within reason, try it, because it certainly probably does work!
Preparing for your village home-stay is quite important, because it may be somewhat of a culture shock if you simply throw yourself into it without any thought or preparation. Research the area you’re going to, find out what is around that you might like to see – your host will certainly be very happy to help you out. Try and learn a few words of the language if you can, even if it is just ‘thank you’, ‘please’, etc, and try and muster up the confidence to simply try and speak if at all possible; you don’t have to be perfect, but your hosts will simply be very happy that you are trying.
Village home-stays might not be for the regular traveller who simply wants to go on holiday to a touristic resort and enjoy the beach, but for anyone who wants to enjoy the true culture of Turkish life, away from the influence of mass tourism, this is a great way to see it all first-hand. There is no easy way to immerse yourself into anything without shedding a little fear first, and as you enter your host’s home, you may feel a little nervous, but it’s important not to let those nerves define your experience, and to simply throw yourself into it. It will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life – Turkish people are welcoming and they are very hospitable. This will certainly be an experience you remember forever.
