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The Large Family Dilemma

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Blog 0

TOEFL Independent Writing Example 3 – Explain Both Sides Prompt

Some people believe that growing up in a large family, with several sisters and brothers, offers more advantages than disadvantages. Other people think that being the only child is more advantageous.

Write a short essay in which you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each position. Explain which position you support.   

Having children is a blessing and a wonderful experience. The important question is, how many children should we have? I have a big family. I love my family and sisters. However, we did not have an easy life while we were growing up, because there were too many of us. Because of my large family, I’ve always wondered what it would like to have a smaller family. Let’s look at the pros and cons of both.
Growing up in a large family has many benefits if the family is wealthy enough. Children can have a great opportunity to enjoy their childhood with their sisters and brothers without thinking about financial issues. Also, they can have better communication skills and learn to share and respect each other at an early age. The only disadvantage I can think of is having several children adds more financial burdens. If the family isn’t wealthy enough to support several children, this may create unhappiness and jealousy among the children. They could feel that the reason they do not have a comfortable life is their sisters or brothers.
Being an only child is a dream of most children who have sisters or brothers because the only child gets all the family’s attention. An only child will have her own room, can attend more activities and has most of the things she needs and wants. Even though she may feel lonely from time to time, they can have play dates with the other children. Another disadvantage of being the only child is that she may be bombarded with her parents’ expectations.
I have 3 sisters, and I always dreamed of being the only child. When we were young, we had limited resources, and we had to share everything. If I needed new shoes, my sisters needed them at the same time too. I never liked to see the desperate look on my dad’s face each time we needed something new. It was hard on them as much as it was hard on us. For example, we always wanted to join the school trips, but according to my dad, it was a luxury expense. It was not just the school trips that we missed; we missed a beautiful childhood while we were facing the financial issues that our parents had the children around us were from families with only one or two children. So, sometimes I would feel shy to tell that we were four girls. They always dressed better and had fancy birthday parties, but we never did. I always thought if I was the only child, I could have a better life like others. Even though we always had enough and what is necessary, as a child, I wanted to have more than just the basics. We all graduated from good colleges, and we all have decent lives now. However, I still feel sad when I think back and remember our tough times. I would never want my children to worry about what I can afford or what I can’t afford. For these reasons, I believe that being an only child has more advantageous.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that being the only child is the best. I love the quote, “The grass is always greener on the other side.”, and I know I may be biased about my opinion. On the other hand, our childhood and the time we spend with our parents at an early age are very valuable and irreplaceable. So, if having several children means working weekends and worrying about finances, I definitely believe that having one child is the smartest thing to do.

Neighbors are Unavoidable

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Blog 0

TOEFL Independent Writing Example 2 – Stating a Preference

Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what type of neighbor is the best to have?

Use specific details and examples in your answer.

Would you move out just because you are not happy with your neighbors? Personally, I believe that having a good neighbor who is similar to us, with a similar lifestyle and values is very important. I feel this way for two reasons.

First of all, neighbors are the people who we see daily, and with whom we share a common public environment.  So, we must have at least basic communication with them to make our life easier. If we are lucky, we may end up having neighbors similar to us, with whom we may become friends. But if our neighbors have an opposite lifestyle from us, this may create a conflict. My personal experience is a compelling example of this. My husband and I have a simple life. We are quiet, very respectful to our neighbors. We always keep our driveways clean and park our cars in a dedicated area. On the other hand, our next-door neighbors always have company. Their garage door and front door are always open. We always see new people around our home. Not only do they talk loudly, but also, they drink and smoke in front of their home. Sometimes we can smell the smoke from our home which bothers us a lot. So, we wish, we had neighbors who had similar values with us. We are hoping they would move out soon before we do.

Secondly, having neighbors who have similar characteristics with you may change your life in a good way.  For instance, my husband has a grandma whom I adore and visit whenever we go to his hometown. She always sends us cards for our birthdays and anniversaries.  As a matter fact, she was not his real grandma. She used to be their neighbor, who was very honest, friendly and helpful. They used to visit each other very often and spend time as a family. She even used to take care of my husband and his brother when their mother had to run errands. Over the years, their relationship transformed them to a family.  The first year of our marriage I did not know that she was not related to them, because they consider her as their real grandma and did not need to mention to me the details.

In conclusion, I am of the opinion that having neighbors who are similar to us is the best. This is because it is easy to find common ground and build good relationships with people who has similar values with us and also it is easy to tolerate their social activities.  I do not know if I would go to the extreme of moving away from my neighbors, but it is wonderful to have neighbors who are similar to you.

TOEFL – Independent Writing Samples

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Blog 0

Here are some TOEFL Independent Writing Samples.

Stating a Preference

  1. Some people prefer to eat meals at restaurants, while others prefer to prepare and eat food in their own home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
  2. Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what type of neighbor is the best to have?

    Use specific details and examples in your answer.

  3. Explain Both Sides Prompt 

    3-Some people believe that growing up in a large family, with several sisters and brothers, offers more advantages than disadvantages. Other people think that being the only child is more advantageous. Write a short essay in which you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each position. Explain which position you support.

 

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Blog Hope 0

Another documentary has left us with an uncomfortable feeling. Not only did it make us aware of the negative impact of the livestock production to the environment, but also it made us realize how the environmental organizations tolerate it.

We did not know that the major climate change contributor was the livestock, but none of the nonprofit environment organizations acknowledged it. I am not an expert and I wish we could see these organizations responses to be able see their point of view. Unfortunately, none of them made any comment about it. Kip Andersen, the film maker sent many e-mails and made many phone calls to be able to get an appointment to talk and understand why these organizations did not mentioned the Livestock in their website and in their actions. They did not accept to see him or send proper e-mails on the issue.

It was eye opening and shocking for us. Some organizations accepted to see him.  However, when they were asked for the first reason that needs to be addressed to prevent climate change, it was not the livestock. It was not even in their list. When they were reminded about the United Nation report, they did not want to make any comment and they said it was not their field.

No one wants to talk and admit, but according to the United Nation report “Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars.”

Considering the documentary was released in 2014, I have checked some of the popular environmental organizations websites to see if they have any update on their websites. I checked their 2018 annual report, which does not include livestock.

Most of them present themselves to the world as the world’s leading independent, environmental campaigning organization. They do not take money from governments or corporations, but they ask for donations. However, after watching the documentary I am not sure anymore what are their purpose and who they serve?

I highly recommend everyone to watch it. You do not have to be vegan, but you should be aware of this sad truth.

Notes from the Documentary that I found interesting and UN report;

Kip Andersen: Cows and other farmed animals produce a substantial amount of methane from their digestive processes. Methane gas from livestock is 86 times more destructive than CO2 from vehicles.

Kip Andersen: So much attention is given to lowering our home water-use, yet domestic use is only 5% of what is consumed in the U.S. vs. 55% for animal agriculture. That’s because it takes upwards of 2500 gallons water to produce one pound of beef.

Kip Andersen: Raising animals for food is responsible for 30% of the world’s water consumption, occupies about 45% of the Earth’s land, is responsible for up to 91% of Brazilian Amazon destruction, is the leading cause of ocean “dead zones,” habitat destruction, and species extinction

https://news.un.org/en/story/2006/11/201222-rearing-cattle-produces-more-greenhouse-gases-driving-cars-un-report-warns

It Is too Soon to Say Goodbye…

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Blog Hope 0

I am sure most of you heard the quote, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” To be honest, I found this quote a little bit cliché until last week. On Sunday, October 29th, we lost my aunt. She had cancer and she had survived 5 years. She was the only relative I cared about other than my parents and sisters. However, over the years we lost contact. It is so sad and hard to accept, but I missed my chance to reconnect with her. She is gone.

I was living in China when I learned that she had cancer. I was very busy with my job; I was trying to learn a new language and adjust to my new life style. I can’t even remember now if I called her not when I learned that she had cancer. Later on, I moved to the USA, again I was busy with my new job and with my own problems. Also, living abroad made me more estranged from my sisters, my parents and my aunt. I was on my own and working so hard to deal with everything. I was somehow upset with everyone deep inside. I was thinking that no one helped me, supported me.   They did not even ask me how I was managing my life in a foreign country by myself.  When my mom would remind me to call my sisters or my aunt, and I would get more annoyed and would not understand how they would expect me to call them or to communicate with them. They were the ones who should have called me. So, I was focused on my life and I was not in touch with anyone.

For the first time in a long time, I saw her in July 2017 when I went to Turkey to introduce my husband, then my boyfriend, to my parents. We stopped by to see my aunt, she looked fine and I guess I assumed she recovered from her cancer. The second time I saw her was last year in September.  We were in Turkey again for our wedding. She joined our wedding dinner. When I thanked her for joining our wedding, she mentioned that she had had chemotherapy the same day and she was not feeling well, but she did not want to miss our special day. When I think back, I feel like I was so mindless because I did not spend time with her. I missed another chance.

What was I thinking? Why did not I spend a day with her and try to guide her, explain to her the importance of nutrition and healthy diet? Or why didn’t I invite her to have a dinner or a SPA day with us?  The only reason that came to my mind is, I guess I thought she did not need me, and we were not close anymore. I was thinking that my both cousins were graduated and working, and they were giving her financial and moral support. Also, besides her, I was not talking to my cousins anymore, so that was another reason why it was not easy for me to reconnect. I did not have anything against my cousins. I felt like I was the one who always gives more, and I decided to cut it off when I was in China.

A few months ago, her cancer reoccurred, and she had another surgery. After that everything got worse. She was in a lot of pain. Over the time the chemotherapy did not kill the cancer cells, but it ruined her organs. My mom was with her most of her time at the hospital and at home. I am so thankful to her, because she gave me an opportunity to talk to my aunt one more time. I sent her a small gift; I want to believe that it made her happy. She wanted to talk to me on the phone even though she was having a hard time talking. I tried to teach her positive affirmations. We said together ’my cells are renewing; I am getting better’. It was our last communication.

I woke up on Sunday with my sister’s text message, which informed me and Yeliz about her death. I felt miserable. I felt the urge to see her face, and I found my cousin’s graduation pictures. She looked happy in those pictures. I also have our face time picture from our last conversation while she was sending me kisses. It is the only relief I have.

She is gone, and I can’t change anything. I will make a list of the people for whom I care the most and reconnect with them before it is too late.  Maybe next time I will not have to realize the value of the people only when I lose them…

Who needs Restaurant

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Blog 0

TOEFL Independent Writing Example 1 – Stating a Preference

Some people prefer to eat meals at restaurants, while others prefer to prepare and eat food in their own home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

How many times a week can you eat your meal at restaurants? Eating out continuously may be possible. However, it does not contribute to a sustainable family life.

Personally, I believe that what we eat shows the quality of our life style.  Especially, people who care about their health are very careful about their food selection. Some of them don’t just cook their own food and eat at home, they even grow their own vegetables and fruit.  I feel very lucky because at an early age my parents taught me the importance of nutrition and healthy food choice. So, if I am not traveling, I prefer to eat at home. I love cooking, and when I go grocery shopping, I enjoy selecting fresh vegetables, fruits and healthy food options. If I need to buy packed or ready to eat products, I always read the ingredients to make sure they do not contain preservatives and chemicals. So many times, I put the products back after I read the ingredients because sometimes, I do not even understand them. I do not think restaurants are as selective as I am when they select the items they serve; it is a business for them, so their profit will be their first consideration. For this reason, I eat at home because my first consideration is my health.

Eating at home has other benefits, such as saving money, because eating at restaurants can be very expensive. Especially in America, besides food cost when we eat out, we need to pay at least fifteen percent tip. Also, the same amount of money we spend for a meal at the restaurant can be equal to our several days grocery shopping expense.  It is indisputably one of the best ways to save money. Therefore, whenever we want to save extra money, the first thing we do is to cut down on the amount of eating out.  

Even though preparing and eating our food can be very time consuming, it is still a great way to spend time as a family. My husband and I enjoy our grocery shopping and also, we cook after work while we are talking about our days. It helps us to reconnect after a busy work day. On the other hand, cooking together helps us to discover each other and ourselves, while trying new recipes from different cultures. I must admit it is not easy to clean up, after cooking and eating.  Sometimes it takes all our evening, but we are getting better each day, and learning to manage our time more efficiently.

In conclusion, I am of the opinion that preparing my own food and eating at home where I know where my food is coming from is the best option.  This is because not only does it help me maintain a healthy life style and stay fit, but it also helps me to spend quality time with my husband.

 

Singapore, Bali and Thailand

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Blog 0

Have you ever been on a vacation, which made you miss your home and daily life more than it is supposed to? We had just one, and we had so many reasons that made us feel lucky and happy. It was not just because the vacation was so good.  The real reason was the vacation created awareness that our simple life in Michigan is very beautiful. We felt fortunate and looked forward to coming back to our home.

It was our late honeymoon, which I planned and dreamed of since last year. The idea for our trip was going to Bali, and Thailand through any country, where we could get a connection flight easily. So, the best option we found was going through Singapore. Later on, it turned out that Singapore became the best part of the vacation.

When we arrived in Singapore, the hot and humid weather was waiting for us. We spent three nights and four days there. The beautiful metro system and our hotel were better than we expected. Mostly, we walked around the city, even though it was really hot. We went to the Gardens by the Bay and visited most of the street food markets. We enjoyed the local food and lifestyle. Our favorite foods were the laksa, kaya toast, and Singapore tea. We also found a small local coffee shop where we could get all 3 of them at the same place called ‘The Toast Box’. The only shortfall was the weather because it was extremely hot and humid. But the people were very friendly, the city was safe, and the country was well-organized. We will go back. We wish that we had a direct flight from Detroit.

Our next stop was Bali, Sanur, which turned out to be not a good idea. The beach was dirty.  There were so many flies and mosquitoes everywhere. Also, we did not feel that the local food was clean enough to eat. Luckily, we did not get sick. The shocking part is that even though it was not a pleasant place to visit, it was extremely crowded. The traffic was scary, everyone was beeping their horn and there were so many scooters. There were no traffic rules that we saw that anyone was following. We saw more foreigner backpackers with scooters, who rode worse than the locals. The smell of petrol was toxic, and the sound of the scooters and cars was very disappointing. The hotel was not good either. I regretted that I didn’t book a homestay. To make our Sanur stop more bearable, on our second day we took a day trip around Bali, which was a great idea, because Bali has very beautiful nature. We agreed with one of the local drivers to take a day trip for 600IDR. We started our journey at 6am in order to not get caught in a traffic jam. The driver was very nice, he took our pictures, and also took us additional places that were not initially in the plan. I highly recommend everyone to take a day tour.  However, we weren’t aware that some locations require a long drive. We were lucky because we left the hotel very early. For example, when we arrived at the Besakih temple, it was not even open yet.

The sad part of our day was when we asked the same driver to drop us from Sanur to Ubud the next day, we were asked to pay 250 IDR. It was only a 37-minute drive. I would be fine if we did not take a 9-10-hour day trip for 600IDR. My husband had a local share drive app.  It was cheaper through the app, so we requested a car from the Grab app. Until that time, we were not aware of the taxi mafia issue. Once we arrived in Ubud, each corner had taxi drivers who were trying to sell tours and asking if we needed a taxi. After a certain period of time, it made us very annoyed, and also, we realized that there were so many signs which say no one could use Grab, bluebird, or uber in Ubud. According to the local taxi drivers, these people, who work with the share drive apps, were not from Bali, and they did not support Bali’s economy, which was insane.

Even though we started our journey to Ubud with annoyance, we loved the hotel we booked. The Bali plan was all about this hotel, which was in my vision board since 2017. I was dreaming of staying at that hotel, though we did not stay in the hotel room which was in my vision board, but we still loved it. It was called ‘Kupu Kupu Barong ‘ which had a beautiful view and a great breakfast. If we had stayed only at the hotel, we would have been happy and peaceful. We assumed going to the city center and seeing local things would have been a good idea, but it was not. Ubud had a similar traffic jam, scooters, and annoying taxi drivers who did not make us relaxed.  Bali was beautiful, but the only income was tourists and the locals were trying to take advantage of it.

Our final destination was Phi Phi Island, Thailand.  We took a 90-minute ferry from Krabi to the Phi Phi Island, and we were planning to walk to our hotel from there. Unfortunately, to be able to reach the hotel, we had to take a long tail boat at our own expense. When I booked the hotel, I was not aware of this. I was thinking we could take a tuk-tuk or walk. The most disappointing part was that when we arrived at the hotel, we saw a sign which says, “The long tail boat is managed by the third party. If something happens to you while riding it, the hotel is not responsible.” According to us it was not acceptable because all the long tail boats had the hotel’s name on them, and it was the only way to get to the hotel. Also, none of our meals were included with the room price, and we found out hotel restaurants were very expensive.  We felt trapped since we were stuck in an expensive hotel. Even though we went to the nearby village to eat more affordable meals, it was not convenient.

I must admit the hotel had very nice pools and its own beautiful beach, and also, they offered yoga classes two times a day. So, we did yoga early mornings and afternoons. It was the best part of the vacation at Phi Phi island.  When it was time to say good bye to Phi Phi, we were happy to leave the island.

On our way back to the airport, we stayed in Krabi, a small city in Thailand. We loved the hotel we stayed in, and we liked the night market at Krabi. We also had a chance for getting a foot massage. To be honest I could stay one more day there, but my husband was already ready to come back home.

Overall, I loved our vacation, and my husband liked it too, but he said several times that he would not visit Bali and Thailand again. It was his first time in Asia, so he was surprised with the cultural and life style differences between Europe and Asia.

To be honest, visiting countries whose economy relies on the tourist is sad and annoying. We felt lucky that we were not living there or born there. And also, we felt sorry for the way people lived their life. Everyone was staring at their phone or chasing tourists to rip off for expensive rides. At least that’s we experienced. It was a great feeling coming back home to our private life. We felt blessed.

Lesson Learned for our next trips:

  • Visit less touristic places
  • Exchange money through the bank before travel
  • Book hotels where we can walk to the main attractions
  • If possible, travel during off-peak season
  • Travel with mosquito spray and mosquito bite cream
  • When things go wrong, try to fix them, if not change the plan
  • Enjoy every moment, tomorrow is not promised.

The Game Changers (2018)

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Blog I believe in Magic 0

The Game Changers (2018)

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book which motivated you and changed the way you live your life? If not, The Game Changer could be the one. It is a documentary about the successful athletes whose health and recovery processes were improved when they became vegan.

The film includes many positive doctor reviews from reputable universities such as Harvard and Yale. It also presents experimental studies conducted on some of the athletes. Some of these studies show drastic changes in athletes’ blood tests shortly after becoming vegan. One athlete, Derek Morgan, was a footballer for the Titans. When he became vegan, his job performance improved, and he recovered faster from pain after the games. 

I would never have known about the movie if one of my friends had not mentioned it. Unfortunately, the movie was only showing for a day. Surprisingly, the movie theater was almost full. It pleased me to know that there are many people out there who are aware of the importance of being vegan.

My take-aways from the movie are the following:

  • Our friends shape our lifestyle. My friend Margaret enlightened me about the importance of a vegan lifestyle. She brought me a book on the subject and recommended other eye-opening movies, such as a The Magic Pill and The Devil We Know.
  • The film also reinforced for me how little we know about nutrition. Also, if we do not do our research, we will never gain a different perspective. 
  • It also reminded me of the extent to which marketing, commercials, and fake news can impact our lives in a negative way. When you watch the movie, you will see how many doctors and nutrition experts still advise that we eat meat and milk products every day. 
  • The best part of the documentary was that it made me believe that we have the ability to control our life and health. We can heal ourselves from within by beginning to eat right

It is worth the watch. The film is only 1 hour and 30 minutes, and to be honest I could watch more. I believe that it will give you the chance to review your own eating habits. It may even guide you to become vegan.

 

Consistency Wins – Get help and stay focused

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Blog Life Coaching 1

Can you be at the top of the mountain with one big step? It is not possible, right? But with the small steps, you can reach to the peak point of the mountain. It may take time to get there, we may feel tired, but with each step, we will be closer to the summit of the mountain. This is another reminder that we cannot do everything at once.   We need to take consistent small actions to achieve our big goals. Otherwise, we may feel overwhelmed and frustrated. So, being consistent is one of the key skills that we all need to learn and do well.

Another key action is training and improving ourselves in the areas that contribute to reaching our goals. For example, I always wanted to run with my husband on the weekends, but I never ran in my life more than 1km, and I was not confident enough. Back in May, we decided to try, and early Saturday mornings we went to the park. At first, I ran and walked, but still completed the 3km in the end. Each weekend I got better, and over the past 4 weeks I was able to run 3 km without walking and stopping. This was one of my new year resolutions, and I’m very happy that I have already accomplished it.

 

Also, learning new skills can contribute to our success as well. It may seem pricy, but I developed a different mindset about the money I spend on my training.  One of my good friends taught me that each penny I spend for my personal and professional development is not a cost.  It is an investment because it will pay back more than its cost. So, we should not hesitate to spend money to learn new skills, purchase books, join workshops, join a gym or eat organic. Whatever we want to accomplish, we can by working hard, getting help and being consistent.

Also, another great way to see how far we come is to track our progress. In this way, we will have a reminder to show us our hard work.  Having this visual reminder can give us strength when we are feeling discouraged.

We can also write a journal; it is a great way to empty our mind, and see the progress we have made. It is one of the best therapies according to University of Wisconsin–Madison.  Writing a journal has many other benefits. It helped me a lot. Especially when I read it again, it makes me feel stronger and happier.

I hope you can try and see how much these steps help you to stick to your goals and to achieve them.

 

 

I won’t be sitting anywhere near Morgan Freeman! No More THY…

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Blog 0

 

Sometimes, we do not get what we pay for. It feels bad when this happens.

It does not mean we have to accept these situations. When we receive an unacceptable service or product, we have several options. We can return it, ask for a refund or communicate with the customer service of the company to be able to receive what was promised. If the company is an unprofessional company, we may not receive qualified and logical responses. But, it is the worst when a company is a big cooperation and has big promises, but does not respect their customer’s time, money and e-mails.

I have a good example to share. To be honest, I was not planning to write about how disappointing flying with the Turkish airlines is until I kept seeing their commercials in The Economist. I love reading The Economist, and I understand they need to add commercials to keep their business going.  But THY commercials and the promises they made do not reflect the truth at all. So, I decided to share my unpleasant experiences to warn others about why they may want to rethink purchasing their tickets.

According to our experiences, THY is an airline that spends thousands of dollars for their commercials, but obviously spends none to train their customer services people or to fray the costs caused by their delays.

If you have complaints, the only response you will receive is an automatic e-mail. As an example, I added 3 e-mails below, which were sent to me. I do not believe these people have any qualifications or training to respond to any e-mail with their own words. So, please do not waste your time like I did:  going to their website, providing the pictures, providing the flight details, or explaining in detail what the problem was, thinking that I would be receiving a proper response. Because they do not even read the claims. As I share below, they just send auto e-mails. So, we made a decision not to fly with this airline anymore.

This year, we are flying to Turkey through Europe and here are my reasons:

1-    THY is overpriced. It is not worth it to pay for the service they provided – you will not get what you pay for.

2-    4 Hours delays are normal for them.  They do not need to inform you or give any explanation of why the flight is delayed and how long it would be delayed. Also, you are on your own to pay the connection flights you missed or the extra meals you had. Customer services at the airport have no clue. Do not even bother to wait in the queue to ask a question. I am also adding the picture of the waiting line. And an e-mail was sent when we expect to board saying that the flight is delayed with no explanation.

3-    They may damage your suitcases, even if you labeled it as ‘FRAGILE’. So, if you fly with them, you will be taking the risk to receive back your suitcase damaged.

In September, we flew for our wedding ceremony to Turkey. I must admit on our way to Turkey we had a pleasant trip. We were very happy, until we found out that one of my new suitcases was dragged. The sections where it was dragged were ripped. We had to catch the ferry to Bursa. I assumed that if I clearly took the pictures of my suitcase at the baggage claim, with the ticket numbers, they would respond my e-mail with respect and sense.  I sent so many e-mails all of which received with the automatic response without any logical explanation.

On the way back, things did not work the way we expected as well. We were at the airport 2 hours before our boarding time and went to the gate. They were boarding, but there were no signs of our flight. Last minute, we received a simple e-mail, but it did not contain any details; it was informing us that our flight was delayed.  We had no idea how long we had to wait, what the reason was for the delay.

We queued 3 different lines, to find a responsible person who could tell us what was going on.

Even though I can speak proper Turkish, I could not find anyone who knew what was happening and there were no signs that showed any clear directions about the delay or any service that was provided due to the delay.

We were on our own to find out what was going on because no one knew anything. I felt like a stranger and lost in my own country. Even a simple explanation was NOT provided.

I was shocked to see how this company could consider itself as a world-class airline.

Finally, after a 4-hour delay, we had one of the most uncomfortable flights which made things worse.

When we complained, their e-mail was far from the truth. We were paying thousands of dollars to be on time and not to waste time at the airports all day. The e-mails we received were dishonest and did not reflect any truth. And in addition to that, I will let the pictures talk.

We had our meals at our own expense and arrived at our destination at midnight, instead of 5 PM. We were so tired, so we ended up staying in Chicago that night. Turkish Airlines did not respond and did not take any responsibility for the 4-hour delay.

I do not know how they could respond to e-mails the way they do because the e-mails that we received were far from the truth. If you read their e-mails, you will see that they are shameless. It seems like they are just responding to the e-mails with automatic responses based on the subject without any consideration for the content.

If they keep making the same mistakes, I am sure other people will make the same decision that we did. All I can do is stop flying with the Turkish airlines and tell everyone not to waste their money and time with them.

Please look for other options. we used Hotwire and Skyscanner and found better options. And I am sure you will too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Me

Namaste and Laugh: There’s No Shame in the Fall

I’m a Project Manager with a deep passion for both professional and personal growth. Designing and building the next generation of vehicles is incredibly rewarding, but it comes with its challenges—especially for someone as emotionally invested as I am!

Professional

Huri Bagdat Larner, PMP, CQE