Moving to Bursa and Where to Live

So you’ve decided to make the move to Bursa, the fourth largest city in Turkey and you’re wondering where to live in this city of two million people. Whether you’re moving for work, love, school or you just love the city, check out my tips below on where to live in Bursa. 

First of all, it would be helpful to know where you’ll be going everyday. Are you a student and going to Gorukle every day? Are teaching in the old city center of Heykel? Bursa is narrowly spread out across the foothills of Mt. Uludag. You wouldn’t want to commute from an eastern neighborhood in Yildirim to Gorukle everyday, as the commute would take way too long. While traffic isn’t as bad as Istanbul, Bursa traffic is getting increasingly worse with construction and an ever-expanding city.  There is a pretty decent public transport system including a couple of trams, buses and two main metros, but during peak hours, you can feel like a sardine stuffed in a tin can.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the more popular areas in Bursa:
Nilufer: Nilifuer seems to be the most desirable area in Bursa due to its expat friendly neighborhoods, nightlife and its close to proximity to public transport and just about everything else in Bursa. Specific areas that are popular among both locals and expats for living quarters are areas around the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Boulevard (FSM), the Korupark Residence area and Besevler. Housing isn’t cheap in these areas although you can sometimes come across a good deal. Rents in the above areas typically range from 800-1800 TL per month.  You’ll love these areas because of the nightlife (both on FSM and Podyum Park), the Metros at either end of FSM for fairly quick public transportation and you will feel welcomed by the locals.

Osmangazi: Before the Nilufer area became popular, most people lived in the Osmangazi areas of Heykel, Kukurtlu and Cekirge. Rents are more affordable in these neighborhoods with rent ranging from 400-1500 TL per month. Kukurtlu is a beautiful neighborhood with parks, cafes and close public transport. Cekirge is similar although a bit further from the metro. Heykel is the old city center. Traffic can be kind of tight here during rush hour and the streets are usually quite narrow. I love going to Heykel to discover cool shops and to chat with the locals. All the way out near the Bus Garage (otogar) is a massive community called Bursa Modern. The homes and towers are beautiful but if you ever want to meet up with friends (most of them will probably live near FSM), you’ll have a bit of a commute on your hands.

If you’re a student studying at Uludag University, you’ll probably want to live in Gorukle. Gorukle offers some of the most affordable housing options in Bursa but is a bit far from FSM and Heykel. While they have their own little community of bars and restaurants, it’s still a bit far out for my taste. That being said, I know many people living in Gorukle and they do not mind the commute.  Ozluce is another option between Gorukle and FSM offering newer flats with semi-affordable rent.

Many expats live in Bademli. Bademli is a neighborhood that isn’t easily accessible without a car. There is public transport but it is sparse. This area offers many “villa” type homes often coming with swimming pools and 24 hour security. Rent in Bademli can range from 1500-3000 TL per month.

Before you decide where to live in Bursa, my advice to you would be to choose a place close to public transport. No matter where you choose to stay in Bursa, I am sure your experience will be an unforgettable one.

Thinking about coming to Turkey? Think again....and then come!

Traditional Turkish Tea

Hahaha...I got you! With all the hoopla in the media regarding Turkey in the last few months, I thought I would chime in and give my 2 cents.

While visiting Seattle for the month of July, there was an attempted coup in Turkey. It was the weirdest thing: I was on a boat heading to the San Juan Islands when I started receiving messages from friends and family both in Turkey and the US. To hear of the attempted coup in Turkey was heart breaking. It seemed like just when things were starting to quiet down, this happens. My family and friends were grateful that I wasn't in Turkey during the coup attempt. Many of them advised me to change my ticket and stay a few more weeks in the US so that things could "cool off" here. Well, We didn't change our ticket and came home to what was pretty much business as usual for Turkey. No, there weren't tanks roaming the streets; no, there weren't armed gunmen on every corner. People were just going about their daily lives as they always did.

Turkish Coffee

When people ask me about if I feel scared of living here, I just remind them of the recent attacks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In todays world, an attack, earthquake, Ebola and just about anything else you can think of can happen to anyone, anywhere. Your location doesn't matter. If it's your time, it's your time. I truly believe that mainstream media makes things worse than they really are. That being said, you should always be aware of your personal surroundings whether you're in London, New York or Istanbul and use due diligence.

Delicious Food From Antakya

So, should you come to Turkey for work, to live with your family or to simply visit? Absolutely. Turkey still has some of the beautiful, historic places I've ever seen. The people of Turkey are some of the most humble and friendly people around.

Living in Bursa, Teaching English & Handmade Scarves!

Hello Internet Browsers!

It's time for a little update on the Turkish Trekker blog. First of all, I'd like to say thank you for all the comments and and messages I've received from readers over the years. If my blog helps just one person, I consider it a success!

What have I been up to? Well, after a short leave from teaching English, I've returned to my 'roots' as an English teacher--you just can't beat the time off. Summer break is just around the corner and we're busy planning on yearly escape to--somewhere. I'm still living and working in Bursa, Turkey and still having a blast. And no, there is no war in this part of the country.

My wife, Duygu, has been busy with her online Etsy shop. Duygu and her mom are designing and making hand-made scarves and selling them online: www.etsy.com/shop/ScarfAngel If you'd like to support our family by purchasing a scarf or other hand-made item, we'd surely appreciate it!



In the mean time, if you have any other questions about Turkey or any city in the country, leave a comment and I will do my best to help you out! :D

Until next time.....

Living and Working in Bursa

I’m often asked what it’s like living and working in Turkey, particularly what it’s like living in Bursa. Many people want to know about the cost of living in Bursa, how difficult is finding a job and what the quality of life is like in Bursa. I’ll try to cover as much as possible without boring you too much. After all, there are many blogs out there with many different views about living and working in Turkey, the following is my opinion.

First and foremost, I live in Turkey to be with my wife, Duygu. We came here to be near her family and friends and to travel. Working comes second. Since I am a foreigner and my Turkish skills are mediocre at best, I am limited with what I can do to earn money. Naturally, since English is my native language, I chose to teach. There may be some international companies out there that would hire me as is, but it’s all about who you know here and I don’t know many people—yet. I could work in the tourism sector but I am just getting to know the country. It really all boils down to the fact that I am not fluent in Turkish. Once my Turkish improves, I do believe that doors will open.

When it comes to teaching English, there are many private K-12 schools, as well as private language schools. Not all schools are created equally. Some offer housing, some do not. Some will employ you under the table (illegally), others will work with you to secure a legal residency and work permit while in Turkey. My advice to you is that you: stay far away from schools that are not willing to employ you legally. You do not want to face the consequences from the Turkish government if you get caught working illegally.

If you end up working for a private K-12 school, you will typically work a 9-5 schedule with occasional Saturdays—the number of Saturdays depends on your school. If you work for a language school, be prepared to work evenings and weekends, when most people are out of school or not working. The pay is similar between the two for starting teachers with more reputable private K-12 schools typically paying a bit more.  

Bursa is a nice city and is located 2 hours away from Istanbul by ferry. It claims to be the 4^th largest city in Turkey after Izmir. The air is fresh, we are near the sea in Mudanya and Mt. Uludag is about 45 minutes from the city center for skiing and other outdoor activities. On the other hand, Bursa is a conservative city. When compared to Istanbul the nightlife here is pretty much non-existent. There are some bars and cafes that you can visit to have a drink and relax, but in the winter, be prepared to make a reservation to go to a Red Robin/Applebee’s style restaurant to eat and drink on Friday and Saturday nights.

Rent in Bursa can be as low as 450 lira per month in the older city center, all the way up to 1200 lira or more for newer places located in trendy new neighborhoods. On Average, expect to rent a 2 bedroom, decent and clean place for around 800 lira.

Like the rest of Turkey, Bursa is relatively inexpensive compared to the US and most of Europe. Meats, electronics, cars and gas tend to be more expensive as these items are considered luxury items by the Turkish Government and are usually taxed accordingly.

If you’re on the fence about coming to Bursa, I would say go for it! It truly is a lovely place to live and work.

Turkish Friends

One of the greatest things about moving to a new country are the new people you meet and the friends you make. I wanted to take a moment to introduce a few of our friends. By the way, I don't have pictures of all of our new friends in Turkey. If you don't see yourself, it means I don't have your picture--it doesn't mean your'e not my friend :)

Our couch surfers from Belgium Berengere and Mathieu

Sinem

Our pal, Armagan Bay

Our American friend Max and Elis

Elsa and Duygu

Basim visited us in Turkey

Secil and her cousin

Aziz the dizease!

Naz, Gamze and Emra

Duygu and Pinar Cift Pinar

Gozde and Kenan

Kaan and I

Mr. Taner Taneroglu

Rana and Ali

Gami

Serhat Abi

Gokce the Witch

Zeynep and Celal

Orkide and Duygu

Berk, Duygu and Onur

Mr. Mann and Duygu

Cem

Didem and Mert

Selin

I'll have a new post soon introducing you to my Turkish family!

Introductions

Welcome to my blog. This blog is intended for my friends and family living all over the world and anyone else interested in reading/learning about Turkey. My goal is to chronicle all the fun things that come with living in a foreign country through the eyes of a foreigner. For the past few months, I have been living, working and traveling all around Turkey and I have lots of things in my pocket I would like to share. For now, an introduction is appropriate. 

My name is Matt and I just under six years ago, I married a beautiful Turkish girl. After bringing her to the United States and living in Seattle for nearly 5 years, it was time for a change. She missed her family and friends and I needed a change of pace from work. We decided to give Turkey a try. Now, I don't want to say anything is forever, but we decided on Turkey for the long haul. Who knows where life will take us. For now, though, we are happy to be here. 

Before taking the leap across the big Atlantic pond, I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. I had visited Turkey six times before and would typically stay for up to 4 weeks at a time. I kept returning to Turkey because the people here are amazing. My wife's family are very accepting of me and her friends are some of the most sincere people I know. The food...I love meat on a stick (in the words of Anthony Bourdain)...who wouldn't?!? 

But Turkey is more than just great people and tasty food. I encourage you to check back from time-to-time and live vicariously through me. And if you want, come and visit.