What I learned after a year of living in Turkey

We are hitting our first anniversary of living in Antalya and in this moment of reflection I gathered the things I learned this year.

Slow living. It is very hard to plan something in Turkey. People can postpone anything last minute (“yarin” is Turkish equivalent of Spanish “manana”), businesses can be closed and there is a lot of room for unexpected circumstances. So my go to rule is always - plan one big deal a day and don’t get frustrated if you don’t finish any other deals.

Art of living. Turkish people know how to live their best lives. All these cafes on the beachsides, evening walks by the sea, picnics and balconies. There are a lot of things I’m still learning in order to make my life more enjoyable every day.

Cooking. I have never thought that I could impress someone with my cooking. I mean I’m still learning, but it’s a huge progress for me. It would be a shame having all these fresh foods and juicy vegetables and not trying to cook.

Loving nature in all its aspects. I’m in a constant awe every minute of our walks. I’ve never seen so many plants, animals, insects and life. I even started gardening a little on my balcony!

I’m no longer surprised by anything. This year Turkey surprised me a lot. I would say I’ve never been really surprised in my life before. After a while I became immune to any cultural shock.

A lot of you ask me how long I’m planning to stay in Turkey. For now I consider Antalya as the most comfortable place and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to stay in this wonderful country, explore it’s hidden gems and share with you. I hope that government policy towards tourists won’t change in the nearest future, however this year proved us all that you can’t really rely on anything:)