How a small town in southern Turkey turned into a Russian intellectual hub

This town drowning in Oleandras is similar to many resort places: about 10 thousand people live all year round in the so -called “small” porridge, and a figure grows many times during the season. The Russians used to love these marvelous places, but after February 24, they became especially a lot of them here. Now about every fifth or sixth Kashets (or Kashanin?) - a citizen of Russia.

Who are all these people? And how can one become one of them?

"I remember the war in Georgia quite well"

The literary observer and teacher Galina Yuzefovich with her husband and youngest son sat on a plane on Turkey at 12 o’clock in the afternoon of February 24.

- We emigrated so hastily due to rather random circumstances, and also due to rather random circumstances were in porridge. In Turkey, at that moment was our eldest son, who left here for climbing fees. He is sports climbing, and I have a very lively imagination. I remember the war in Georgia quite well: I flew away from there on the plane in which people smoked, and I could fly standing, because there were not enough seats. And very vividly imagined all this. I thought that now all the boundaries will slam slam, the son would remain far from the parents, and it will be better we will be on the one hand of the border. Then Airbnb was still working, we found a successful apartment in porridge. My friend lives here (now they live much more, and at that moment there was one who came to winter with the family), we knew that it was a town, I did not want to settle in a resort area - it was important that there was good Internet, infrastructure. In short, we clung to the map and ended up in porridge. And since then have never regretted this, because here the most beautiful view, the beautiful coast, a lot of pretty familiar people. It’s good here.

When asked why the small town turned into Mecca of the Relokantov-Russian, Galina Leonidovna replies that a lot of people from that social stratum, which is now leaving Russia quite actively, has come here historically. And in fact, this is an illusion that only one porridge is one. If you drive 30 km along the coast, you will come to the Kalkan, there the picture is similar. Many Russians are settled in Antalya, they are simply not so visible, because Antalya is a big city. “In general, the whole coast seems very hospitable because

In Turkey, it is beautiful, tasty, there are no pronounced anti-Russian sentiments here, so we feel quite comfortable here, and not by people of the fourth grade.

It is easy to arrange a residence permit, inexpensive, the Mir cards work, which is significant for many people. All this coast is quite densely populated by our compatriots, ”says Galina Yuzefovich.

She and her family will move to live in Cyprus in the near future - this is how her husband is developing. But the dream of having a pension in Turkey has not disappeared.

"You go out into the street - there are only Russians around"

-I-and-and, EP! - Alena’s high blonde in Bustier and trousers “under Zebra” leads Denshall lesson on a helicopter platform. The view of the porridge from here opens an amazing one, and the whole sight is more than picturesque: about 15 girls, sunset, hot dance rhythms. “Look, how cool my hips are! I give birth to you a dozen beautiful kids! " -In the 70s of the last century, Jamaican women said without words, making these movements. Alena from the class removed the most risky sexy straps, but still not to take her eyes off. Zevaki, by chance (or not) who appeared on the site, squeeze to its edges. Once a Turkish couple came to the lesson: while the girl was dancing, the guy looked jealously around.

PRAR by profession, Alena first got into cereal in January 2021. First, she booked a place at the hotel for two nights, then extended for a week. According to her, then for the whole cereal there was a man of 15-20 compatriots, very few. A week later, with a new friend, she rented apartments with two bedrooms: 3000 lire per month at a course of 10 rubles per lyre - an excellent price by Moscow standards. ( According to the Central Bank in mid -July, 1 Turkish lyre cost 3.55 rubles, but a real course is ten percent higher - approx. Ed. ) They lived until the end of June.

The second wintering of Alena began in December last year. Prices have already crawled up. On the one hand, inflation affected, the highest in the country for 23 years: according to the Institute of Statistics of Turkey, by June of the 22nd it accelerated to 73.5%, food prices for a year increased almost doubled. On the other hand, the Turkish cities began to be in demand for those foreigners who could work remotely in pandemia. And of course, the war said a very significant word. Since March of this year, the Russians began to move abroad massively, and Turkey in this regard is a very nice option: it is still cheap here (especially for a person whose income is tied to solid currencies), it is safe, easy to get a residence permit, etc.

- How many Russians were in March in March? - Alena asks. - You go out into the street - there are only Russians around. Now many have left. Some realized that this was not as cheap as they were waiting: the rent has grown two to three times. My mistress is German, everything is clear to her: as they agreed and kept the price. But there were cases when people shot at the locals, and they said in a month: “Sorry, the price doubles. Do not like it - go. " And another calls the place of one compatriot. When the mass migration of Russians began, the request appeared: “They are ready to shoot for 20 thousand lire per month,” they wrote in real estate chats (with the then course of 7-9 rubles per lyre).

We, those who have been here for a long time, were amazed: people, why are you warming up prices? After all, the Turks see everything! Then the overheated demand is a little reduced.

So far, the main work of Alena is PR in Russia, but she found a potential customer here - with the help of a company that organizes meetings, acquaintances, mitaps. For this, almost nothing was required, just to come to one of these parties. “There is a feeling that in porridge they really collected the cream of society, smart, educated, erudite, and techies, and not techies,” says Alena. - There are a lot of ITSHNIKS, Digital Nomads, but at the same time, creative people. Even in Moscow, I do not have such a social life as here. You can go out and get acquainted with the mass of the people in the evening. ”

"It is impossible to go to kill for me anywhere"

Samir created the “ours in porridge” chat in January of this year. In a month, the chat grew to 300 people, by the beginning of the war there were already 800 participants in it, and after February 24, there were 100-200 new per day, there were a lot of refugees. “First of all, these are citizens of Russia, but there are also citizens of Ukraine,” says Samir. “The most diverse people ran away mainly with families, although I know several guys of draft age.”

For Samira, he was not a city where he fled: an IT-Recter on the full remote, he just wanted to comfortably conduct wintering. Although what is a refugee, he knows firsthand, relatives - Jehovah's Witnesses. After the ban on activities in Russia, the mother and sisters of Samira parted to different cities of Europe.

“We have a motley public in our chat,” says the young man. - We immediately stopped all the stuffing on both sides. I deleted reports about the request to support both the Ukrainian and Russian army. My attitude to any military operations, to weapons, is strict neutrality: it is impossible to pick up a machine gun and go to kill for me anywhere. Jehovah's witnesses, although I do not belong to them, and during the Second World War adhered to strict neutrality.

According to Samir, the porridge stands apart against the background of those cities where everyone can come. Yes, Antalya, Alania, Mahmutlar by ear, there is better transport accessibility and below the price. But porridge is a "paradise for the elect. He was promoted by bloggers, various editions, influeners who came here. Here its own atmosphere and party formed. And not the last thing did our chat.

Every third with whom I see, says: “We arrived because we really liked the community, chat, all services.” There is not a toxic audience, people are adequate and objective. ”

About half of the arrivals-ITSHNIKS, but there are representatives of other specialties: a lot of people who launch online schools, marketers, giving lectures, and nutritionists. There are different athletes - those who teach crossfit, yoga, dancing, Pilates. A lot of creative characters who teach to draw, arrange exhibitions, etc. Disputes about which crypto -core is better and for a long time the “cue ball” will fall, while they are universal.

Life in a tiny town boils. Together, compatriots can be engaged in yoga, swimming and dancing two to three times a week, play football and volleyball, listen to lectures from leading literary critics, go on excursions with famous guides, participate in Quizes the most intelligent porridge, go to winery with tasting, swim on the sounds of live music-and this list is far from complete. It happens that for a day there is not one, but two or three events, to choose between which it is very difficult.

It would be naive to think that you can throw everything in the harsh homeland and come to the porridge with one passport what you always dreamed of: a financial pillow for the first four to five months is required. “But if a person is looking for opportunities to earn money, he will certainly find them, because non -working, that is, communication with different people, is at the heart of everything,” Samir believes. “It is important to focus on one project and work on it.”

A tourist residence permit in Turkey is quite simple, and there are those who are called to help for 8000 lire: it is enough to come to the rendezvous once - a meeting with a migration official - and you can get a residence per year or six months. Kash was not included in the list of Turkish cities, which officially limits the percentage of foreigners. Since July 1, 2022, the number of such mahalla - districts - in the country increased from 781 to 1169, and, for example, there were ten of them in Antalya, although there were only three a month ago.

The main problem porridge is a very expensive real estate, almost the most expensive on the Anatolian coast. From the level of prices with porridge, only a neighboring Kalkan, chosen by the British, can compete.

“Yes, dear real estate in porridge,” Samir confirms. - But if we are not talking about the top villas on the peninsula, where the price tag starts from $ 2500 a month, then it is easy to remove apartments worth from 15 to 25 thousand lires per month. It is about 80 thousand rubles-not so much money for Moscow, and housing can be worthy, divided with someone. There are people who leave porridge, but not because they cannot pay so much, but because they do not want to fundamentally. I agree with them, even 15 thousand lires for apartments is not ready to give.

As for the purchase of real estate, there are several people among the new Russian Kashevites who have purchased apartments. Moskovsky price tag: 9-10 million rubles, in terms of, there is a 2-room apartment in the Nagoric part of the city, from where you can only get to the sea, but not reach. Housing near the sea can cost 20 and 25 million rubles: over the past year, real estate in price has grown at least twice.

Of the acquaintances of Samir, many have now left for Russia or to the north of Turkey to wait out the heat. “I would not call cereals a place where people want to stay,” he emphasizes. -That is, they probably want everything, but not everyone has the opportunity due to a high rent. Kash will become cyclic: people will come here in the fall and leave in early summer. And so now it will be constantly. ”

"The nuclear bomb did not fall - and okay"

According to Samir, 95% of those who live in porridge are against the current Russian politics, but it is impossible to call them political residents, they did not suffer in Russia for their beliefs. But Nadezhda, who until recently, working as a guide in Dagestan, helping Shelter for women and worked as a volunteer in one of the human rights organizations at the same time.

- There are many political emigrants: young, adaptive, those who do not agree with the existing regime. Although there are a lot of those who are only important to make it good, tasty, cheap, and they do not need anything else for happiness. Previously, ordinary average vacationers came to Turkey, to the southern shore, intended to sunbathe with a belly and burn with their ears. Now other Russians have gone, and the Turks themselves are talking about this. These other Russians do not scare that in porridge as such an All Inclusive is not highly developed. Kash is a place for an independent life.

Nadia in Turkey earns photography and in parallel teaches the Turkish language. The police periodically come to her mother, living in Russia and are interested in whether she had met her daughter recently. Mom honestly replies that I have not met.

“In Russia, gradually getting used to war and everything that was happening: the nuclear bomb did not fall - and okay,” the girl says.

- I realized that if I stay in the country, I would also get used to it. I’ll get used to it to such an extent that I will wait for the search, but I do not want to wait for this moment.

We are talking with Nadia at the table of a cafe with (conditionally) Russian cuisine: the owner of Ismail, the Turkish Kurd, with the help of personnel, who was recruited, including in the open spaces of the CIS, prepares pesm and borscht. Kvass Ismail taught to cook one Russian Kashevsy, dumplings supplies another, black bread in the sourdough - the third. So far, this is the only cafe with Russian (but not only) kitchen in porridge, which means a potentially free niche for business.

"I want to live not in the country, but on the planet"

“Previously, there were diasporas, but now - community,” the new Kashevites say. One of them suits classic tours, holds a taxi service together with the Turks, develops the delivery of dishes.

And Maxim Zaikin, on the villas taken in the sublease, creates coliving, joint accommodation of people who share similar habits and values. The mentor of several projects in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the creator of the ECO-system “CO”, he arrived in the winter in Kash in November 2020: butterflies flew, flowed flowers, you could swim. At first I arranged a party in the Kalkan, which came about 45 people, most of all from porridge. I realized that you need to move to a neighboring town.

“All the people with whom I communicate here say that there is some place of power,” says Maxim. - That cereal gives energy, it helps to grow. In my environment, everyone feels it. When there was an influx of Russians, I met people with whom Facebook is familiar, but I personally never saw. Now there is a reverse process: people have stayed in Turkey officially allowed for 90 days, decided to return to their homeland or change the location.

We often see how they leave, understand what they really want - and come again. Kash during the war became not only a corner of calm, but also a corner of development.

In the peak of the heyday of Maxim and his partner in Nikita’s business, there were six villas on the peninsula and apartments in the center of the town. Not in the season, prices start from $ 1,000 per month for a room for two, in the season - from $ 1,700. Plus coworking: Every day some events, lectures, workshops are held in it-in fact, he became the community and the cultural center. “Due to the fact that cereals are a place with an incredible concentration of beautiful people, we are very easy for us to find speakers, they come to us ourselves,” says Nikita.

In the near future, the team thinks to make camps with experts on villas and launch children's educational programs: Zaikin himself has two children, 8 and 10 years old, they were transferred to online education. But Maxim dreams of building an offline program.

Many people come with children, and the nearest school with training in Russian is located in Antalya.

“I don't think to return to Russia,” Maxim will outlive. - I want to build such a system of life so that you can move between the hubs: cereals, Bali, Portugal - we go to where the market is where compatriots go. I would like to live not in the country, but on the planet.