Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => The Debating Chamber => Topic started by: Harley on October 22, 2013, 07:26:00 AM
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There was been many discussions as to why most of us want to live in Turkey. Many made the leap and it seems a lot have moved back to Britain. I know a few found themselves in financial difficulties, but this can't be the only reason.
We all know the Pro for moving abroad but what are the CONs ? How do you feel now that you've moved back.?
Just curious to hear the other side
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If you read through the forum I think you will find a lot of people return for health reasons.
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For us there was no single reason. Certainly not financial or health reasons. We felt we had done it, we felt there was little to do for the kids apart from swim (so nothing at all in winter), we wanted the girls to be educated in the UK although their early years education was wonderful and character forming, we were weary of the expat rumour and backstabbing machine (not specifically directed at us, although we got more than our fair share - it's never ending and nobody is spared), the tired old faces in the same bars full of jealousy and hate for those who don't spend every day in the bars (still evident even last week, the faces are the same but significantly more tired!), the number of people who you have never met who's opinion of you is what someone told them, the tax on imported goods making a little treat a rather big treat, the number of items you can't get in Turkey (but can in Rhodes so it can be done if Governments don't tax to death), the punishing heat of July and August coupled with the cold and rains of winter, the way you have to keep your wits about you every time you spend money and *still* someone does you, the way justice costs a fortune and if the guy you are fighting knows 'someone' you had no chance in the first place, how people in dire financial straits that you help can change from so grateful they could faint to believing that not paying you back at all is an acceptable option (same goes for business), how many hours you spend in Government offices wasting your life away, how many hours you spend in Government offices wasting your life away and it was because they moved the goalposts AGAIN, how many hours you spend in banks wasting your life away, how many hours you spend in post offices wasting your life away, how you get sent all the way home to get your passport whenever you want to do anything, how being Turkish can trump being right, how being aggressive can trump being right, how nobody can take you to buy something without negotiating a percentage of your money while you stand there listening oblivious, how easily a section of the British expats found that a good way to earn a living, how you can get invited to celebrate someone's special day and at the end get your share of the bill, how things like house electric meters stop working and you have to pay for a new one, how "You can afford it, you are British" is justification for trebling the quote, how you have to stand in the searing heat of the market while the guy selling belts asks you to burn it with a lighter to prove it isn't plastic and try and rip it to prove it is strong when all you want is a realistic price and to go, how when you know a waiter and bring him over because someone in your company wants a drink and you tell said waiter he wants a vodka and coke and because you said it they put it on your bill.
I believe you requested an idea of the negatives of living there :D
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I believe you requested and idea of the negatives of living there :D
Another is lack of need to use paragraphs.
:P
JF
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Have to agree with every word there Scunner
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Another is lack of need to use paragraphs.
:P
JF
That's the punctuation of a "Scunner rant" John :)
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We bought a Villa with the intention of eventually retiring there. That was 8 years ago, however, over the years we have changed our minds and will spend longer periods of time in Turkey, but don't want to live their permanently, it's strange the way we changed our minds, I would say it happened gradually after about the 4th year of ownership.
I think a lot of the reasons Scunner mentions above where the ones that brought us to our final decision. I am glad we had the time to make up our minds, the last eight years have been very useful to us and we look forward to our longer holidays in Calis.
However everyone is different and I know some Brits love their new life in Turkey.
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I still love the place (with a degree of despair for the level of British negativity and a longing for it to go back to 'the way it was' ;), there are also many good reasons for living there but that was not the question asked. I could do a good rant on the positives if asked (please don't!).
It's a place we lived in and as people saw from the "speeches" at the girl's party last week, Turkey gave them the manners and respect that was evident and we thank Turkey for that, and for the hundreds of friends we would never have met at all without discovering Calis and Fethiye. But I could never live there again with all the above. In fact, I couldn't live there without all of the above. It's not entirely a Turkey thing - I doubt I could live in Spain or Australia or anywhere.
Like I said on here before, if you want to appreciate your country, go spend a few years in someone else's. I can get everything I need from my Turkish home town in a week, and that's what we do and for a week it is as magical as it once was, but by going home day it's definitely time to go home :)
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For us there was no single reason. Certainly not financial or health reasons. We felt we had done it, we felt there was little to do for the kids apart from swim (so nothing at all in winter), we wanted the girls to be educated in the UK although their early years education was wonderful and character forming, we were weary of the expat rumour and backstabbing machine (not specifically directed at us, although we got more than our fair share - it's never ending and nobody is spared), the tired old faces in the same bars full of jealousy and hate for those who don't spend every day in the bars (still evident even last week, the faces are the same but significantly more tired!), the number of people who you have never met who's opinion of you is what someone told them, the tax on imported goods making a little treat a rather big treat, the number of items you can't get in Turkey (but can in Rhodes so it can be done if Governments don't tax to death), the punishing heat of July and August coupled with the cold and rains of winter, the way you have to keep your wits about you every time you spend money and *still* someone does you, the way justice costs a fortune and if the guy you are fighting knows 'someone' you had no chance in the first place, how people in dire financial straits can change from so grateful they could faint to believing that not paying you at all is an acceptable option (same goes for business), how many hours you spend in Government offices wasting your life away, how many hours you spend in Government offices wasting your life away and it was because they moved the goalposts AGAIN, how many hours you spend in banks wasting your life away, how many hours you spend in post offices wasting your life away, how you get sent all the way home to get your passport whenever you want to do anything, how being Turkish can trump being right, how being aggressive can trump being right, how nobody can take you to buy something without negotiating a percentage of your money while you stand there listening oblivious, how easily a section of the British expats found that a good way to earn a living, how you can get invited to celebrate someone's special day and at the end get your share of the bill, how things like house electric meters stop working and you have to pay for a new one, how "You can afford it, you are British" is justification for trebling the quote, how you have to stand in the searing heat of the market while the guy selling belts asks you to burn it with a lighter to pro ve it isn't plastic and try and rip it to prove it is strong when all you want is a realistic price and to go, how when you know a waiter and bring him over because someone in your company wants a drink and you tell said waiter he wants a vodka and coke and because you said it they put it on your bill.
I believe you requested and idea of the negatives of living there :D
Flipping hell Scunner i was expecting a few negatives not a novel. Lol. I see your point though as I've witness most of what you are talking about.
You are correct in saying it's not a Turkish thing. Moving abroad is hard where ever you go. Lots of people love Italy and having lived there I have to agree it's similar to what you mentioned above. Thankfully with didn't have the Ex pats to worry about cos there wasn't any, but the rest is spot on. My sister states the same about Spain.
As much as I would love to move over to Turkey I don't think we ever will. We'd most probably split our time between Turkey and the UK and enjoy the best of both worlds.
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A lot of detail. but all from a small number of people, be interested to see many more replies! Even so seeing what has come back I will look at my plan of renting my property here and renting in Turkey rather than buy anything. With the huge differences in rent it would give me a very good income overall and I can keep my
equity that should continue to rise, hopefully! :)
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I'm not trying to put anyone off here. You must keep in mind that it was a personal view and in replying to the question asked does not include any positives - my personal view won't be everyone's - some people don't miss silly things from home like Double Deckers and Tizer ;) Who knows, maybe some people enjoy waiting in the PTT for 2 hours and prefer to do that over there than spend 10 minutes in the Post Office over here.
I see many people for whom living in Fethiye appears most agreeable and I still advise people that if they feel the pull to do it then they must. Just don't go expecting Paradise. And for the record, I think renting would have tipped me over the edge :D
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I'm not trying to put anyone off here. You must keep in mind that it was a personal view and in replying to the question asked does not include any positives - my personal view won't be everyone's - some people don't miss silly things from home like Double Deckers and Tizer ;) Who knows, maybe some people enjoy waiting in the PTT for 2 hours and prefer to do that over there than spend 10 minutes in the Post Office over here.
I see many people for whom living in Fethiye appears most agreeable and I still advise people that if they feel the pull to do it then they must. Just don't go expecting Paradise. And for the record, I think renting would have tipped me over the edge :D
OMG you cant get Tizer?????!!!!! Well I do lime it but .... seriously renting such an issue? is it?
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Again John, just not for me.
If you've never rented, I doubt Turkey is the place to start. Just my thoughts...
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And stop quoting whole posts so they reappear 2" later!!!!
Just Quick reply ;)
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We had never rented, but rent in Fethiye. Our first apartment on the top floor just opposite Marine Homes (Bogazici Restaurant) had views to die for but unfortunately, had damp problems from the roof and the agent didn't want to know, also smaller problems were met with "you live there, you fix it".
We were out for a stroll one day and saw a Kiralik sign outside our present apartment, took the number, viewed the next day, saw the lawyer and signed that afternoon and left his office with the keys.
The apartment was a new build in 2007, double brick, cavity insulated, double glazed and centrally heated. The owner, an engineer, was the architect and has one of the apartments (although he is very rarely there as he works in Russia). The apartment was rented unfurnished which enabled us to furnish from scratch and make it our home.
On the inside of the front door there is a list of names and telephone numbers for the plumber, electrician, solar energy etc. any problems are sorted quickly and the bill picked up by the landlord. Any time he is in Fethiye, he calls to see if we have any problems.
Possibly we are "one of the lucky ones" - he seems to appreciate good tenants who pay on time and look after the property - in fact he got one of the neighbours to text us when an apartment became vacant to see if we had any friends who wanted to rent.
We would never sell our property in the UK and if things go pear shaped, we can just up and leave. Although we had never rented before Fethiye we are very happy in our home there.
I find the political situation in Turkey quite worrying at the moment and even if we were younger, would not be thinking of buying in the current climate.
For anyone who is thinking of making the move that is our experience and our view, for what it is worth. :)
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I've been a home owner since I was 21 and struggle a bit with renting in Calis with the feeling of it not being ours, but can't afford to buy.
It's a lovely house, 3 floors, 4 bedrooms, private garden, for the princely sum of £200 a month.
I worry from time to time that the landlord will decide he wants his house back and there isn't as many nice properties around, and I love the location and everything about it, so keep fingers crossed.
To me it's a no brainer, I rent my UK house for 4 times what I pay out in rent here, I have no council tax, I pay an average of £40 a month electricity, I buy a gas bottle about 3 times a year, I pay a fraction of what I was paying for UK water.
We don't eat a lot of meat, love all the cheap fresh produce, love the weather, apart from August!
I'm no longer working 50 hours a week in a stressful job and spend my life walking, painting, exercise classes, learning the language, socialising, and helping with the 3 c's.
Yesterday we took my mum to Tlos, chatted in Turkish to the ticket man, who retires next week after 22 years. Got an Invite to his retirement party and free tea and coffee at his restaurant after visiting the ruins while chatting to the man nearby who sells the guide books and finding out more about village life around there.
After that we went to find Gizlikent waterfall, just beautiful.
Chatted with the lady in the restaurant afterwards having cay, was asking her about the gourds growing there, she showed me how they dry them and explained how they made bowls from them in the old days.
As we left, after she refused to take the shoe hire money from the canyon walk, she gave me a gourd to take home.
So, yet another fantastic day in paradise, with wonderful friendly Turkish generosity and friendship.
I just love it, almost every day I feel blessed to be here. I can't imagine ever wanting to leave Turkey, but if the political situation worsened I wouldn't have to worry about selling a property and would probably head for Bulgaria.
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You've got it made Kayakebab, life is for living.
Good for you. :)
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Yes Kevin but that wasn't what was being asked ;)
That is exactly the type of life I referred to when I said it does seem to agree with many people. I'm too young to retire (no comments please!!) and while I did enjoy many of the things Linda mentions, it isn't enough for me really. Maybe one day. But I do love to see people I've known for a good number of years heading out to give it a try - whether it works out or not.
The funny thing is, I already have a good idea of which ones are going to settle right into it and which ones aren't.
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Have to agree with Scunner. We could most probably retire in turkey as my hubby would still have his job regardless where we lives. I on the other hand would have to give my job up and I despite loving everything about Turkey, I know I would struggle if I wasn't able to work. Call me sad,
but work gives me a purpose in life. A reason to get out of bed, so to speak.
I'm not a big drinker, so living in the bars doesn't really interest me. I hate shopping, which is most probably the main reason why my husband married me lol. Yes I love DIY, but let's face it, you can only do so much before the work dries up.
Guess for the time being I'm better off staying in the UK, despite the cold / miserable weather and numerous other factors. It's all about timing and my time hasn't quite arrived yet.
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I see you hate shopping, I would say Calis/Fethiye would be a perfect place to live for someone who does not like to shop... One reason I like living in the U.K. because IMO there is very little for me in the shops in the Fethiye area. :(
I would really miss the shops if I moved to Calis.
However, if i was over in Calis permanently I would join one of the Charity organisations and help out with them. I have spoken to the Expat Pats who do this good work and it seems to keep them occupied. So, not working does not seem to be a problem for them.
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Definitely Fethiye is a place to live if shopping isn't your thing!
I also agree with Jacqui about the charities - you MUST have something to do. Charities is one great and rewarding way, or a hobby etc but slipping into the daily routine of Efes in hand is just way to easy, and I think difficult to get out of. We said last week, with the 10 years of CBF being around to help people and make them feel a little less worried, and making them smile or even laugh - it is also the 10th anniversary of some people out there with no purpose in life at all. Not people in their what do they say...Golden Years(?) enjoying the fruits of a good life's work - people out there aimlessly.
Ten years of doing nothing, contributing nothing, achieving nothing. What a waste of a decade :(
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I entirely agree with what Scunner's said. We avoided the "Efes For Breakfast Brigade" like the plague. They had nothing better to do than run down the Turks, the Turkish government, Brits, the British government, or each other whilst getting slowly pi55ed everyday.
It was one of the main reasons that we chose to live in Kaya.
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Sad if you think about it. English slagging of the Turkish.... Begs the question WHY move to Turkey in the first place. Brits slagging off the Brits.... Pretty sad when you think of every other foreign communities who pride themselves to help each other through tough times.
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A lot of detail. but all from a small number of people, be interested to see many more replies! Even so seeing what has come back I will look at my plan of renting my property here and renting in Turkey rather than buy anything. With the huge differences in rent it would give me a very good income overall and I can keep my
equity that should continue to rise, hopefully! :)
This is exactly what we have done, and no doubt when we have been ground down to a point of losing the will to live, we can go back our UK home, without having the problem of trying to sell here in Turkey. xx
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That's ideal for some, but like the ideal of living in my own villa. I didn't buy to live there I purchase to relax in my our surrounding when we come on holiday. Have no reasons to sell. However if you aren't quite sure what your future holds then renting is a brilliant idea
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Guess I should proof read before I post. Bloody ipad lol
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Spot on Jacqui. :)
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Renting is fine for us as we are a bit gypsy like, we love exploring, not only Turkey, but other countries. I did find when I was working, my job interfered with my travelling lol. Sue xx
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I entirely agree with what Scunner's said. We avoided the "Efes For Breakfast Brigade" like the plague. They had nothing better to do than run down the Turks, the Turkish government, Brits, the British government, or each other whilst getting slowly pi55ed everyday.
It was one of the main reasons that we chose to live in Kaya.
Spot on KKOB I have actually seen ex pats sitting in a bar moaning because they could,nt get the the sun newspaper that morning, I quess they miss page 3 for a pair of t!!s or the back page for English football. :( :(
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Oh there are plenty of tits in the bars in the area.
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Brits slagging off the Brits.... Pretty sad when you think of every other foreign communities who pride themselves to help each other through tough times.
Not the case actually. Russians are just the same with Russians in Turkey, and if you ask a Turk who has lived and worked in Germany or Holland, they will tell you it is exactly the same amongst them. It is not a British thing it appears, it is an expat thing.
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Yep, worked all over the place, and, its an Expat thing :)
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Well ask me this time next year. We are taking the leap to a permanent home in Ovacik in January. Well, should Britannia find my house deposit that seems to have disappeared in the ether between there and Fethiye.
After 37 years of working non stop, Slik insists he will be doing nowt, and lots of it. I reckon he,ll last about 6 weeks before he is doing summat. It has always been my intention to get involved with something charity wise. I have found a nice shiney new person who grows lots of stuff and rescues donkeys,so i,ll be getting aquainted with her. I have always worked, and can,t imagine never doing so again in some form.
I was looking at my first ever post on here from a few years back, made me smile. So Scunner out of interest, which category do I fall into??
I wish anyone/everyone all the best in making a permanent move, it,s not for the faint hearted thats for sure.