How long have you been living in Turkey?

9 years

What area of Turkey do you live?

Konya

Why did you decide to live in Turkey?

I first moved here for a summer job in Marmaris

 What did your family and friends think about you moving to Turkey?

Some thought good on me, others thought I was mad, especially when I moved here full time

What were the biggest obstacles you had to overcome living in here in Turkey?

In Konya it’s been getting to grips with the language because no one here speaks English, also the lack of friends around me

 What are the good things about living in Turkey?

Sunshine in the summer, having a good family support network around me, relaxed attitude of the people

What do you miss the most from home?

Family and friends, some foods, shopping

If you have kids, what is it like being a parent in Turkey?

Great, everyone here loves children but sometimes the way they do things is very different to the ‘English way’ and I get criticised about things such as clothing layers, bathing etc…

Have you found it easy to integrate into the community?

yes

In your opinion is Turkey a cheap or expensive place to live?

For us its expensive as we live off 1 wage which is small, compared to if u were living off a UK wage, then here would be cheap.

 How do you find living with the difference in culture?

We are used to it after so many years overseas. There are times when it is difficult, and we wish for a familiar culture, but, in general, it is not a problem.

Have you managed to learn Turkish, do you find Turkish easy or hard to learn?

I enjoy it, it can be hard sometimes as they do things differently, but generally I go with the flow

 Would you recommend others to come live here in Turkey?

yea I would, but I would say make sure you have enough money to live well or have some form of work or income, it is a hard place to live if you have no money

If you had to do it all over again would you do it all again, and what would you change if you would?

I would do it all again, and wouldn’t change a thing

For anyone who is planning to make the move to live in Turkey, what would your top 3 pieces of advice be for them?

1. have a good grip on the language.
2. Make sure you have an income or enough money to live on.
3. Don’t listen to negativity

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