Ex pats leaving

[Scunner]

I haven't reformed any of the agencies in Turkey

Jealousy maybe, maybe they thought because of CBF that I was fair game. One thing I do know for certain, because of CBF everyone knew me. The trouble was, I didn't know everyone. People don't have to have any first hand experience of you to start stories about you over there, they just get on with it.

I understand they still do it, just target new victims now. It's a hobby I guess for the people who's life is the same chair at the same table in the same bar at the same time talking to the same people about the same things EVERY day

To tie it all into topic, it's a better place to holiday than to live (which is the point laffa was making) unless you are retired and keep yourselves to yourselves, or are happy to become part of the Groundhog Gang and waste a decade or two away.

[cheers]

So I presume you are back in the UK now Loz?  
Tell me people if I'm wrong but it seems to me, people buy anywhere overseas to have a different life than what they have in the UK.
I was going to buy in Calis last year but talking to people (Not about the gossip, about reality living in Turkey) I sat down and thought could I spend the year here relying on friendship from people I didn't know and maybe didn't like, be so far from kids, family and friends!  For me the ideal would be 3 months here and 3 months there but knowing myself the pull would be so strong that it would end up holidays only.
Hope yours and Gerry's treatment goes well and that you both keep coming back to Turkey!!

[Robw]

Very sad story Keith

I took a bar in Mallorca for a year, didnt make enough money to stay
(or spent to much!) had to come home and lost quite a bit of money in the end but given the chance again id be off like a shot.  

[Scunner]

Maybe a bit sad in places Rob as CBF posts go, but not a very sad story as life goes. We had an amazing 5 year experience which far outweighed the small irritants along the way. People who say they wouldn't change a thing are generally idiots, I'd change quite a few things given a second go but never do I regret spending 5 years in Turkey  

[cheers]

Sorry I got the 'Reform' bit wrong Keith - Should I have said your Agency changed the way Estate Agents worked in Calis?  You provided a no nonsense, no lies service, that people were more than happy to use!! Even though some stabbed you in the back later
You had good years out their Keith and DON'T look back, even for a second.  You have posted LIFE goes on!
For me and Laffa the 'Pool' always pulled us back!!
Saw the idiots who were P**s*d every day because they had nothing else to do, had no family there, had no friends and just having made the decision to relocate could not back down on their decision even though they were so unhappy!!  that was the main reason to stop me re-locating!!
:D

[janmack]

We came to Turkey mainly so we could spend time together as in the UK we often didn't see eachother from Sunday night until Friday due to work.  We also took our pets with us and all we wanted was a nice quiet life enjoying our pets and eachothers company.  It's not paradise and the lower interest rate means tightening our belts a bit but we are, on the whole, still happier here than we were in the UK.  We knew when we moved here that we would not join groups or mix with people unless we really wanted to, we didn't do it in the UK so why would we do it here?  There are certain things we both miss from the UK like family, friends, concerts, good curry etc., but, so far, we have not considered going back.

[tracey1398]

we came here just over 2 years ago to get out of london our kids have settled in nicely and we have had all the usual s..t of red tape that has stopped a few of our plans but so far so good our daughter katie is doing well at the local school goes to dance classes art classes ect and is enjoying being a kid unlike her friends at home who are already mini teenagers. we dont drink in the bars which removes us from alot of the rubbish and gossip that goes on and have made a good network of english and turkish friends  so far so good but things change and who knows where we will be in a couple of years but at the moment we live in the day one thing we have learned is as long as we have a roof over our heads food on the table and the kids are happy everthing else is a bonus

[stoop]

I have never lived abroad but we do have friends who now live in Spain. We visited them a while back and the things that hit me most were that they were drinking much more than they ever did in the UK but also the 'friends' that they had made were just other ex-pats. They even admitted that they would not be friends if they were back in the UK.

I always wanted to try it but Maggie talked me out of the move - first to Portugal and then to Turkey. She was worried about the language problem if things went wrong. I suppose having a little house over there will give us the chance to stay for a few months when we both retire. Can't see us moving - even though Thailand has the pull of our youngest living there.

[Scunner]

It's true Stoop. It's a 'birds of a feather' situation - we tend to find other Brits like ourselves to mix with and I freely admit that I allowed some individuals into my social circle who I would never have in a million years if we were both in the UK. Luckily I also had Turkish friends and was able to disappear off to a restaurant where I was the only non-Turk and have a night of culture

The drinking thing is another one that is also true. There is far more drinking going on. Not just the ex-pat community sitting necking Efes in the sun, I think everyone. We were out way more than we were in the UK before moving to Turkey, and certainly way more than we do since we returned. We rarely go out to the pub over here - maybe twice in the last 6 months!

It's a lifestyle thing and definitely drinking plays a far larger part over there.

[Ian]

And in view of all these challenges and obstacles living in a country that is politically unstable, ridden with alcohol abuse, got an unusually high number of opinionated people, not sure of it's politics, still evolving in it's own right - when do you think you will leave Scotland and go home to Northampton