Polish couple moves to Turkey to promote orienteering

BURSA

A Polish couple who happens to be orienteering enthusiasts has started residing in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İnegöl district to promote alternative sports after falling in love with Turkey during their last two vacations.

The lives of Pawel Biederman and Lilianna Biederman changed when they first visited the Alanya district in the southern province of Antalya five months ago with their 4-year-old daughter Suzanne.

“We had no idea about Turkish people when we first came here,” 50-year-old Pawel Biederman said, sharing the experience of their first visit to the country.

Sometime later, the couple planned another vacation to Turkey, during which they met Alper Taban, the mayor of İnegöl.

Two months ago, they started living in the İnegöl Nature Sports Tourism Center’s (DOSTUM) facilities with the help of Taban.

“We live a happy life in our new address,” said 47-year-old Lilianna Biederman.

“Even in our second visit to Alanya, we never thought that we would decide to live here one day. We came here just for vacation. We love orienteering, and we were able to conduct it in İnegöl DOSTUM. So we decided to stay in Turkey,” she added.

When asked about the first impressions they had of the Turkish public, Pawel Biederman said: “When we first came to Turkey, we were afraid to get out of the hotel. It was because of the prejudice of the European media.”

Then things changed when the couple saw the “real faces of the Turkish people.”

“Our thoughts changed when we met the people,” he added.

Highlighting that Turkish families share a tight bond, he said, “Turkish people have protected their family structures. We had the same in Poland some 30 years ago, but now it is destroyed in Poland. It is great to see that it still stands in Turkish society.”