Day 01: Are We Doing This?

Today is our 30th Anniversary and I think we're looking at making a huge leap!

After watching a few seasons of House Hunters International on Max, my brain started spinning about whether or not it would be possible for us to move oversees. We own a home in a lucrative part of CA we could rent out, we have no kids, no car payments, I just left my teaching career, and have nothing really tying us here except for Holly's well-paying job.

I'd mentioned a few times that it'd be fun to pack up and move internationally but never thought it'd happen until one day she asked, "So if you could move anywhere, where would you go?" We both threw out lists of places we had enjoyed in our travels but both landed on agreed on the same one, Turkiye.

In 2012 we did a 2.5 week tour of the country and immediately fell in love. That love was only enhanced by our dedication to taking all 3 modules of Rosetta Stone's course in preparation because we wanted a more immersive experience and wanted to be good tourists. We had a great time and even then talked about one day living along the Bosporus in Istanbul.

During our recent staycation the subject of moving came up quite a bit and I think we're serious about planning for this. A long range plan, mind you, but still planning. 

We talked about various placed we visited on our trip: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Konya, Cappadocia and we both agreed the Aegean Coast was our favorite. We settled on daydreaming about Bursa. Why Bursa? It's not as large as Istanbul and is rife with Ottoman architecture and not far from Greco-Roman ruins. A perfect fit for us both.

So we looked online at the affordability of real estate, watched some videos on the city (I'm a big fan of 4k Walking/Drone tour videos), and looked into the walkability of the city and it's public transit system. We're hooked. Now to plan for the eventuality.

I'll use this blog to chronicle our progress but also record questions, and answers, along the way. So here we go.

Obviously, we need to take a vacation to Bursa to see if it suits us, but still, it's exciting.

In no particular order other than what pops in my head:

1. Can we work small jobs while living in Turkey?

2. Is it difficult to get a TEFL  or TESOL certification?
        -20 years of public school teaching should make me marketable.

3. What are the various types of Visas available to expats?

4. Is there an expat community in Bursa?

5. What are the different types of residency requirements?

6. Can we buy a home prior to moving there and rent it out?

7. Would it be worth applying to be candidates on House Hunters International?

8. What's the process for getting a driver's license in Turkey?

9. Do we ship our SUV over or buy a new car there?

10. Is now the time to get a credit card with flight miles?
        -My parents are getting old and I'll likely need to fly home on occasion.

11. When buying something, do we plan for the friends that may never visit?

12. Is now the time for us to both learn to ride a motorcycle for ease of travel?

13. Is Bursa friendly to Americans given our current reputation internationally?

14. What is the cost of living?

15. Will we have to pay Turkish income tax AND US income tax on income earned while there?

16. Live close to a city center or in a smaller suburb village?

17. How is the medical system and would we have access to it?

18. Would I still have access to all my streaming services and would I be able to continue gaming with the guys on Thursday nights (Friday mornings for me)?

19. Is busking allowed in Bursa?

20. What's the wine/beer culture nowadays?

This is a lot to look into and so many more questions will pop up as each gets answered. Can't wait.

Bu heyecan verici! (This is exciting)


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