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How to get off Dolmuş - Müsait bir yerde -
Dolmuş is a Turkish shared minibus that runs on set routes. Within the route, you can freely get on and off the bus at any point you want. Therefore, there are basically no bus stops except for some well-travelled routes in major cities. This apparently looks convenient, but the thing is, when you want to get off the bus, you have to call out loudly so that the driver can notice you. It is a little troublesome for foreign tourists. As the bus gets closer to the place that I want to get off, I feel somewhat nervous about looking for the right time to shout. It is awkward for me to call out to the driver in Turkish in front of other local passengers. I always wished that there were buzzers to signal the driver so that you don't have to yell each time you use dolmuş. (Actually, you do not have to "yell," but foreign tourists tend to "shout" to make sure your voice is heard...)
When I first started learning Turkish, I used to simply memorize phrases and use them according to the situation. My Turkish phrase book had only one expression for getting off a dolmuş. It was "İnecek var!" - the direct translation will be "There is a passenger who will get off the bus." I just memorized it and got on the dolmuş one day without worrying about anything. However, it didn't take long before I noticed that Turkish passengers around me didn't use the phrase I had learned by heart. No one said "İnecek var." That caused some anxiety - Why didn't they say inecek var? Did I learn wrong?? What are they saying??? To my perplexity, I couldn't catch exactly what they were saying.
I almost got to my destination. Unfortunately, it seemed that there was no one getting off the bus other than me. I needed to say something to have the driver stop the dolmuş. I plucked up my courage and said, "İnecek var!" It sounded like a scream with tension. I felt myself go red as I realized that I shouted in an unusually high-pitched voice. It was really embarrassing. Anyway, the bus stopped... I am still not sure if the driver could understand what I said or if he just sensed that there was something alarming in my voice and stopped the bus.
Later, I learned that many Turkish people say "Müsait bir yerde (inebilir miyim?)" when they get off the dolmuş, although inecek var is also correct.
Many years have passed since then. I spent three months in Ankara this summer, and I took a ride in a dolmuş almost everyday during my stay. I had no difficulty getting off the bus anymore. Yet, whenever I saw a young Turkish woman saying "Müsait bir yerde" very naturally without raising her voice, I recalled the "traumatic" dolmuş incident that day.