US woman lives village life in Turkey’s tourism hub

MUĞLA

After falling in love with the southwestern province of Muğla’s tourism hotspot district of Dalyan, an American woman from Virginia decided to move to the district permanently, living a village life in a 50-square-meter house for three years no

It only took six months for 35-year-old Nichole Neary to make a decision and move to Dalyan following a one-week visit to her Turkish husband’s family in the district in May 2018.

“I visited Dalyan in May and settled in the fall of the same year. I found the piece of Eden here,” Neary told daily Milliyet.

Neary, who was raised in New York and is a university graduate, is now spending her days cleaning grass, greenhousing, harvesting and visiting or hosting her village friends.

“My husband joined me after I moved here alone. I had no one of the same age as me. All the villagers were elderly people,” she said with a laugh.

Neary, a yoga lover who is adjusting to her new life, started organizing yoga events in the region to help her make new friends.

She also has a small online business called “Kıvırcık Kızlar Gelsin,” which means “Let The Curly Girls Come,” where she sells products fit for women with curly hair.

She wants to expand her online business, but she has to improve her Turkish a little more to make it happen.

“I want to sell some digital products, but my Turkish is not so good. I will start after developing enough command of the Turkish language,” she said.

The two things that Neary loves the most about the village culture are exchanging freshly fruits plucked from gardens with neighbors and enjoying Turkish coffee while chatting.

When asked if her parents had any reaction to her decision, she said, “No. American parents are less protective than the Turkish ones.”

“They wanted me to be close to them in Virginia. But they respect my life. They are going to visit me soon; I will give them a tour of the region,” she added.