As of the past few years, I have lived in Türkiye. Specifically, Antalya. A city where I feel at home, due to the large community of foreigners, including many Russians.


(Disclosure: These pictures are largely from Istanbul, with one from Diyarbakır)

Prior to me moving here, I still for some reason had become acquainted with an unusual number of Turkish people in my work. Even prior to me knowing a single word in the language, good natured Turkish people were overrepresented in my life - I met people of dozens of different nationalities, but without even knowing where they were from, I ended up becoming surrounded by people from this country.


(Me with my best friend and former administrator of Kolyma, Kutay Demir)

So today, with few exception, almost all of my friends are from this country, and I have a perhaps, grade school level grasp of the language.



Türkiye like all countries has its flaws of course. They were not invisible to me when I came here, but no country is without flaws. My sincere belief is that as Europe and North America decline, that Türkiye will become a dominant nation in the future, a economic hub supplying the world with hazelnuts and other goods. It is much more conveniently located then say, the United Arab Emirates - it is right in the crossroads between the three old world continents.



So as my two home countries, the U.S. and Russia, become more chaotic and unstable, moving here seemed like the right thing to do. Leaving the U.S., my home, and a country I feel deeply close to - having spent much of my life there - was not easy... Moving to a country where I do not speak the language, was not easy. But I had my eyes set on this country well in advance - as my company shifted its focus away from Russia, I decided not to shift to the west, but to a third option. A country that is not dogmatically aligned to the East vs West binary.



It also has alot of cats



A lot of cats..



And funnily named snacks



The year round beautiful Mediterranean weather, the food and the good natured people were all huge factors, but it was ultimately my belief in the future of Türkiye, and in it being a great place for my businesses that made me come here