A couple of people have asked me about this topic recently so I thought it time for a quick update...
I've now been here (Calis) for 4 months. Most of what I said in my earlier scribe still applies. Making friends etc. is still very much the norm & an extra positive is the Turkish people, most are so friendly & willing to help in whatever way they can. Tradesmen arrive quickly & seem to do an efficient job, maybe not up to UK standards but I've yet to have to call anyone back to do a job for a 2nd time. Taxis are never more than 5 minutes away & cheaper than the UK, as are the buses & Dolmus, all the drivers have been friendly & helpful with 1 exception, I can certainly live with that! I've enjoyed helping some folk with their computer/TV/internet problems & gaining knowledge about Turkish way of life in order to pass some hints & tips on to those around me, in particular here on CBF.
I'm enjoying the laid back approach to life here, someone recently described Calis as "dead" in the winter, I disagree. Yes, the seafront is very quiet, not many restaurants open compared to a heaving summers day however if you make the effort there is no shortage of stuff to do, admittedly most is within the Expats community which may not suit all folk. There is charity work to get your teeth into should you so wish, simply supporting them by attending quizzes or table top sales, buying raffle tickets etc. goes some way to helping others less fortunate. I loved sitting on the prom in glorious sunshine on Xmas day with a beer waiting for Xmas dinner to be served, took me back to my childhood which was spent in Jamaica, Xmas day was always a beach day.
I am in awe at the markets for quality & price. To fill the shopping trolley with fresh fruit & veg enough to keep 2 of us going for a week for not much more than £10 still amazes me & I enjoy trying to chat with the stallholders in Turkish, laughing when I get it wrong & smiling when I actually understand what they are saying. This is without any extra tuition, just listening & asking lots of questions! I've learnt that a "village bread" with 2 types of cheese bought from 1 of the stalls makes a superb lunch, washed down with a cay for less than a nasty cup of Mc'Donalds coffee! If in doubt ask, no one has ever shouted at me for not understanding.
However there are a few negatives appearing & it wouldn't be a fair update if I didn't mention them.
The winter weather has been one of the worst on record apparently with lots of rain & far colder than I expected, the weather is 1 thing we can't control & have to take it as it comes. It's made me rethink my plans if I did another winter here, I would increase my budget for heating to double my original & also make sure I hired a car for the term of my stay. In November I wrote how nice it was to enjoy my daily bike ride on the prom, this has been almost non existent for the last month & I have never in my whole life watched so much TV. Whilst this may seem boring it's out of the ordinary for me as I watch almost no TV in the UK having worked nights for many years. Having a car would just help to get out & see a bit more of the local attractions, even if it's just for a lunch & back before dark, guess this is something I'm used to in the UK, the car being always available & right outside the door.
What makes that slightly worse is the standard of Turkish house builds, they are very poor when it comes to keeping heat in the home, in fact I would say there are no standards. It's frustrating to get the flat nice & warm, nip out for an hour or so & come home to it freezing cold. Solution is to leave the heating on but that comes at a price, personal choice would have to be used here. I was advised that my winter bill for electricity on a 2 bed apartment would be appx 80tl a month, in fact 148tl & 169tl have been the last 2 months but I'm not alone, everyone I've spoken to has had higher than average bills due to the poor weather. At least I've resisted the temptation of an electric blanket or hot water bottle, not quite that bad yet!
What do I miss?
In no particular order: Friends & family, Koppaberg pear cider, a decent Chinese or Indian meal, central heating, electric shower (not having to wait an hour for the immersion to warm the water in the mornings which ties your daily schedule somewhat), extra mature cheddar cheese & thick sliced gammon ham (yes both are available but at a high price), drivers with a little more patience & not quite as reckless, having a structure to my day (taught me I'm not ready to retire just yet!) & probably other things I can't think of right now.
I hope that is of some help, feel free to ask any specific question if you have any, am happy to help.
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Now to update my future plans. I was originally going to stay in Calis for 8 months, this has been shortened to 5. Not because I'm not enjoying life here but due to "circumstances" changing. My landlady has managed to sell the apartment I'm renting (well done Jo in this economic climate) therefore have been given notice to move at the end of Feb. My g/f joined me on Boxing day & we decided that to move everything for such a short time wouldn't really be worth it so UK beckons at the end of the month, a short stay of 1 week then we are off to Jamaica for 2 weeks of "proper" sea & sun before restarting work in April.
If the summer season goes well plans are to come back to Calis for 3 months starting in Jan 2013, watch this space...
