With six days until the parliamentary elections in Turkey, Turkish bloggers this week are avidly watching the news outlets; speculating on the political future of the republic. And while the country prepares for a new political move, many seem to be moving themselves as our coverage of the past week of the writings of Turkey illustrate. Let's begin with the physical moving aspect of this week's agenda. Turkey and My Foreign Perspectives tries to voice the desire to move: Every year around this time, I feel like relocating from Istanbul or leaving Turkey. Does the summer weather ever make you feel at a crossroads in life or restless? Bea also gives us a wonderful list for any expat trying to make their way in Turkey, plus….she has some interesting experience in this arena to take to heart if you are hiring movers: Don't trust your household move to just anyone, or you may find disappointments ahead. Your sanity may be tested if your movers have never moved a piece of furniture or act like they haven't. When I made my first move in Istanbul, I lived in an apartment with staircases so wide you could drive an army though them. But, the stairs weren't big enough for a double-size mattress! Go figure. The movers couldn't figure out how to get the bed down the stairs. Well, master mover, with over 120 moves under her belt, showed them how, and then even picked it up and told the head guy ahead to get going. It was like I had turned on a light switch before it was invented. They couldn't believe I could do such a thing. Continuing with our expat bloggers in Turkey and their struggles to assimilate, Carpetblogger has just bought a new home and gives the answers to the pressing questions: Was it hard to buy? Well, technically, it's not ours. Sales to foreigners have not been approved by the local municipality for about a year now. This is not a legal hold up — there's no law preventing foreigners from buying property in Turkey. Indeed, everywhere else in the country (and the city) it's a relatively straightforward process. But lots of foreigners want to buy in Beyoglu, there are lots of cool old houses, lots of nice views, lots of redevelopment projects and thus, lots of political and economic reasons why powerful interests might want to make it harder for people with access to easy credit or a lot of cash to buy. But the fact is, no one knows what the real reason for it is or when it will end. Since plenty of foreigners still want to buy, smart lawyers have figured out ways to set up trusts until sales are moving again. When that happens, we can have the deed in our name. This is not without risks, but we believe the risks are manageable. And with a new house….there are always the worries of new risks, especially when their are problems in the neighborhood: As the owner of an old wood house, I have more than a casual interest in fires. So when my bedroom was filled with red and blue strobe lights from firetrucks at 5am this morning, I got up out of bed almost as fast as I did when the terrorist cat woke up the Carpetdogs. Because Turks cannot resist a spectacle — from a minor car accident to a five alarm five — the whole neighborhood was already standing in the street, commenting, speculating and selling. The television cameras were there, as was the Simitci (guy who sells sesame covered bread-rings called simits, the ubiquitous Turkish street food). Women I had never seen before — or failed to recognize since they were less covered up than usual — held children by the hand and everyone was chatting while three trucks’ worth of fire fighters went to work. Athanasia's Daily has also moved into a room in a women's apartment, she explains: But as you may have noticed I said “room”, not house. Because the place I live is a small room which has its own kitchen and bathroom. The apartment has around 20 rooms and it is open only to girls (or let's say to “kariyerli baaayan” in Turkish). There is security in the building. I pay around 350 euro per month and this price includes all things concerning the room like electricity, water, internet connection etc. The room has a bed, a wardrobe, a table and a refrigerator. You only bring your clothes and your private stuff. In Turkey apartments like this are very rare. There are hostels for students or flats for rent but these kinda places which mix these two are rare and I guess their numbers should increase. So I like my place. But. There is a problem. A big problem. Males are not allowed to visit. Even dads and brothers. Still at least for now I am happy and dont think about this issue. Me and Others details the negotiations with his landlords over an unexpected raise in his rent: i have a mild character. i believe in negotiation.