Emigrating to foreign climes used to be something that ‘old people’ did and indeed many pensioners and early retirees do take off for foreign shores because their pension goes a lot further and they no longer have a family to support. Today though, it’s not just the older generation who are seeking a new life in a warmer climate; many young people are disillusioned with UK life and are choosing to live abroad, where housing is cheaper and life much more relaxed.A Permanent Holiday
Adam Saggers, aged 24 moved from Preston to the beautiful town of Abana on the Turkish Black Sea coast two years ago. He didn’t set out with the intention of moving, he had just completed a B.ENG in Computer Design and Programming at the University of York and after spending so much time studying for his finals he decided to book a holiday in Turkey. He was unsure about the length of time he wanted to spend away, but thinking he might want to spend the whole summer in Turkey he bought a one way ticket and as Adam explains, ‘I still haven’t booked my return ticket, I’ve been here two years, and I’m not planning to go back!’Falling in Love
Adam fell in love with Abana – it was a complete contrast to his home in Preston. He explains, ‘Abana has a massive coastline around 11 km long, whereas Preston is just full of housing estates.’ When Adam decided that returning to the UK held no future for him he began to look for work. He landed on his feet by getting a job with a small company, which designed web pages for local businesses, he recalls, ‘I worked there for six months, I loved the job, but it was only simple stuff compared to the work I did when I Was at Uni, so at times I was fairly bored and in the end I decided that I would set up on my own and work from home. I found a wide range of clients by going round knocking on business doors and just asking, I put together a portfolio of my work and started to win contracts.’ Adam’s proficiency in Turkish is still limited although he is now having lessons in the language, but to generate business he had to employ a translator to canvas for him. Easy Living
Adam maintains that living in Turkey is ‘ten times cheaper’ than living in the UK and on his salary of around 750 YTL (sometimes it is more depending on the work I have got that month), he has enough money to live on, “I pay around 400 lira for bills, food and petrol.’ Espite this being much cheaper than back in the UK, he warns against doing mental calculations to work out how much you are spending in pounds, ‘everything is cheap compared to the UK way of life, but it could still be expensive compared to the Turkish way of life.’Adam lives in a two bedroom apartment, around 70 sq m in size with an open plan kitchen and lounge area, which he has decorated in a minimalist style. The apartment lies a short walk from the beach. There are many things to like and hate about Turkey and one of Adam’s pet hates is the fact that when he walks into a shop, the owner often assumes he is a tourist and they start hounding him to buy things. Adam explains, ‘the minute I tell them that live here, they leave me alone, but it is the assumption that I am a tourist that annoys me, I also really hate the fact that the language is difficult to learn, I have been learning for 6 months and I still find it really difficult but I am getting there, it’s just frustrating.’
There are plenty of advantages that outweigh these points, Adam highlights some of them, ‘I like the fact it is never really raining. I can work the hours I choose and people are always so friendly - even the people you don’t know say ‘hello’ and wave at you in the street. Of course I love the fact that the sea and the beach are right on my doorstep and it is so clean!’
Thoughts of Home?
Adam has not been living at home for several years now so homesickness for the parents he left behind is something that he rarely thinks about. At first, moving alone to Turkey took some getting used to, he remembers, ‘Moving alone was scary but I was excited, Mum and Dad didn’t think I was serious about it when I rang them but when I found the job in web design they knew I was serious. Now of course they like me being here because when they visit they always get a tan!’ Adam loves his life here and has many friends both expats and locals. There is still no girl in his life, but he believes that that aspect will take care of itself. Whilst no-one knows what the future holds, Adam says, ‘I can’t see myself moving from Abana, I love everything about the town, the smells, the people, the general way of life and I can’t see myself ever buying my ticket back to the UK! Of course I go back for Christmas and family occasions but to live I can’t see it ever happening.’ Adam’s business is taking off, he never turns work down and he has plenty of satisfied clients so much so that he may have to hire another pair of hands. Some Words of Advice
Adam reflects on what advice he would give to other people thinking of moving to Turkey, ‘You hear many horror stories about moving abroad, people being ripped off with money and for properties, but you have to remember you are a target for people who are trying to rip you off because you don’t know the language, the way of life, the location of anything you would need for example supermarkets and this is the same in any foreign country you move to.’ Adam advises, ‘Please don’t be so trusting with people you don’t know, who are offering to help. I’m not saying don’t accept help, just use your common sense and when getting work done, get quotes from many recognised companies and just be aware.’ If you are young and have a dream it is worth chasing, you may fail and find out that the dream of a life abroad was not really what you had imagined, or like Adam it may be the best move you ever made. Whatever the outcome, you won’t know until you try it!
