Culture Shock: Expectations versus Reality

First I'd like to establish that Istanbul is actually no harder to adjust to than any other city in Europe or the US, and all of the things I'm talking about are minor.

Second, here are the things that you expect to find shocking but really aren't:

1. The food. Actually, most restaurants have at the very least Italian-style pasta dishes and some vegetarian soups. The worst thing I can say about the food is that if you don't eat meat the food tends to be a bit bland, because all the spices go into the meat. Also, Menemen is amazing. It's literally diced tomatoes with eggs, spices, and peppers cooked in. I've been told it's a good hangover cure, though I just eat it because it's delicious. There's also lots of fresh fruit everywhere.

2. Recitations from mosques several times per day. You kind of tune them out after a bit. No one seems to notice them when they happen.

3. Access to various basic goods. Actually, there are lots of corner stores that sell just about anything I want other than first aid stuff, which I can get from an Eczane. I even found the Turkish version of Claritin.

Now for the things that you don't expect to be shocked by, but are actually pretty strange:

1. Smoking. Everyone here smokes, including most of the people in my program. People don't seem to care if you smoke or not but they have no problem smoking near you. I've gotten used to the smell but it throws me off.

2. Water bottles. Your water comes packed in plastic in Istanbul. There are no reusable bottles in sight because no one likes the taste of the water (though it's usually safe in a newer building, and I've been keeping a water bottle). You can't get water at restaurants except in bottles, so everyone does. In general consumer environmentalism is less of a thing here as well; no one uses canvas bags for groceries.

3. Public transportation. Google maps doesn't know. I can't find any place online that lists stops of various bus routes, let alone times. There doesn't seem to be paper copies either. You basically have to find out how to get places by asking people who have been here longer. Luckily cabs are pretty cheap.
EDIT: http://www.iett.gov.tr/

Finally, the one thing that I can confirm is rather hard to deal with: Language barriers. I mean, I'm learning Turkish, but it can be hard to ask questions if I don't know the words in Turkish. I think that'll get better over time, but it'll takes some work.

On a quick positive note, though: Istanbul has the best night time cityscapes I have ever seen. Seeing Anatolia over the water still makes me stop every time I see it. I hope I can come back at some point in my life.