My name is Yasemin Isabella, daughter of Property Wizard Turkey’s Selahattin Kaymak. I was five years old when we moved to Turkey—a place that felt loud, strange and nothing like home. I didn’t speak the language, I didn’t understand the people, and I didn’t know why everything suddenly felt so different. At school, the other children played games I didn’t know, laughed at jokes I couldn’t follow, and spoke words that sounded like music I wasn’t invited to dance to.
One of the vivid memories I have from our move to Turkey is saying goodbye to my grandparents and cousins. I was obviously very upset and didn’t know how I would live without them. To me moving somewhere so different from everything I knew — far from the people I loved, surrounded by a language I didn’t understand, and living in a place that didn’t feel like home — made it feel as though my world was ending.
I started preschool around a month after we moved and I have to admit I cried basically every day for a while. I didn’t understand what anyone was saying and I felt very out of place. However not long after I made my first friend who helped me a lot and it felt nice to know I had a friend. It took me around six months to talk at a good level in Turkish.
Thanks to my mum reaching out to people through social media I was able to make quite a few British friends who spoke native English and had a British parent just like I did.
Primary school was a bit difficult for me at the start because my Turkish wasn’t as good as the other children but I caught up pretty quickly. I soon had a good amount of friends and I started to feel at home again. My family and I went back to the UK every summer for a few weeks which was always very fun especially because I got to see everyone that I missed. My family also came and visited a lot and still do now, it’s always great seeing them and spending time with them while they’re here.
When I started middle school I was selected to be in the top class in my school which I was very pleased with myself about. I still continued to see my British friends a lot and also had a lot of close friends at my school. In the middle of year 5 covid came around and schools shut down. We were doing online lessons which I wasn’t the happiest about as I am someone that enjoys school and loves seeing their friends every day. The whole of year 6 school continued online. I did still see my friends as much as I could but it wasn’t the same.
At the start of Year 7 we were back to school and everything was back to normal again. Towards the end of year 7 I had to start studying for the high school entry exam known as the LGS here. I went to school in the summer and studied a lot throughout year 8. It was a very stressful time and was very draining but it was all worth it because I got into the second top school in Fethiye, scored in the top 4.5% of the whole country, and got the third best score in my whole school.
The summer after year 8 was very relaxing and fun, after being very stressed the whole year. I was very excited about starting high school – it felt like a fresh start and a chance to meet new people. Year 9 felt like a dream come true after year 8. I was always out with my friends- going to the beach, hanging out in town, visiting each other’s houses, and so much more. I finished the year 9 feeling very happy and even more excited for what was to come.
That summer I was out with my friends all the time — both Turkish and foreign. I am still close with some of my British friends from when I was younger. My best friend, who is half Turkish and half Scottish, has been the same since I first moved here . I think there’s something special about the British friends you make when living abroad — over time, they begin to feel more like family than just friends.
I am now 16 years old and in Year 10. When I first moved here, I thought I would hate it and want to go back to my home in England. However, slowly Fethiye did become my home. As much as moving to a different country can be scary and confusing, over time, things start to feel more normal.
I now think that moving to Fethiye was a good decision because, as a teenager, I have more freedom here because it’s safer. Another bonus of living here is that the weather allows me to live more of an outdoor life and lets me do lots of different things with my friends, things I wouldn’t be able to do in the UK.
A typical weekend for me starts on Friday after school. I usually get home, get ready, and take the bus to meet my friends — whether it’s in town, at the park, the shopping mall, or the beach. Then I head back home later by bus. On Saturdays, I wake up early for volleyball practice, then come home, get changed, and go out again with my friends. Weekends are definitely my favourite time — there’s always something fun to do in Fethiye.
Some of my favourite things to do in Fethiye include going into town or down to the harbour, swimming in the sea at Ölüdeniz, and playing beach volleyball afterwards. I also love walking along the promenade at Çalış Beach, especially at sunset. Other things I enjoy are going to the cinema, visiting the waterpark, going on boat trips, and taking the cable car up to the top of Babadağ Mountain.
Another thing I enjoy is celebrating the cultural traditions of both countries. We still get to celebrate Christmas, Easter and Halloween here. The expat community organise special events for these occasions and we also get together with our British friends. There are also many big Turkish celebrations throughout the year — including public holidays dedicated to children, teenagers and sports! On those days, we get time off school and there are all kinds of events like parades, performances and even concerts with famous singers.
To wrap it all up, I love my life here. As much as I still love going back to the UK to see my family, after being there for a couple of weeks, I feel ready to come back to Fethiye, the place that now feels like my home. I am always desperate to see my friends and do all the things I love in Fethiye.
If you are thinking to move to Turkey with young children, please do not worry as from my experience it has been very positive. Of course it will be hard but it doesn’t take long for children to speak Turkish fluently. Fethiye is a very nice place for children to grow up.
If you’re considering relocating to Fethiye or anywhere in Turkey with young children, Property Wizard Turkey is here to assist with local knowledge and advice – feel free to Contact us.
3 Bedrooms 
3 Bathroom