Ankara Pros and Cons

[Wanderlust]

I've been living in Ankara for what about 7 months now.  I'm originally from America, and I'm one of those women married to a Turk.  He works for the government, and I am a former medic, nurse assistant, firefighter who is going on a new career track. Anyway that's me, so what about Ankara?

I'm not sure if any of you live here, or if anyone is looking to move here.  I can tell you that it's a place not a lot of foreigners choose because it's really just a grey government city.  No beaches, not as much fun things as Istanbul...so it's not really the top choice it seems since I stick out like a beacon here.

I'm going to write pros/cons to living here, and if you have the time I'm interested in what they are for where you live so we can get a taste of what other cities are like.

The Pros of Living in Ankara

• Embassy and all government buildings are close so paperwork is so simple to complete
• So many different shopping places, easy to find almost anything
• It's populated but the districts within Ankara give you a smaller town vibe
• More diverse restaurants than in smaller cities
• Easy to find English speakers
• Good central point for traveling throughout Turkey
• Lots of university options
• My cat likes Turkey more than America
• They are trying to green up the grey look of this place
• Everyone's always at parks, or outdoors which is cool
• Clothes are much better than in my country

The Cons of Living in Ankara

• It's grey, and boring to look at
• Skyscrapers, everywhere (I hate tall buildings)
• People seem to not smile here, or look happy outwardly
• Roads are bad
• City Engineers have weird residential planning
• Doing things in Ankara takes time for the commute
• Statues of everything everywhere
• Kind of communist looking downtown area (at least to me)
• Weather is just insanely hot in summer, and just Siberian cold in winter
• Politics is always the conversation due to being here
• Snobby close-minded conservatives
• Confused secularists who don't know what secularism means
• Cars are expensive
• Houses and electronics are expensive
• Not fitting the standard Turk body size means very small selection in clothing/shoes (I'm really tall and I "guess" I have big feet since I wear size 41)
• Sometimes looking for ONE thing/item can take you all day going through various stores.

That's all I got, your turn!

[YabanciGirl]

I used to live in Kichoren close to Akkopru station. Ankara is boring if you don't have people to hang out with there. Kizilay has lots of nightlife if you're into that, there's a lake close to Bilkent, you can rowboat, and there's a few underground casinos if you like games. Lots and lots of malls as you already know. I tried the churches to meet people, but it was all Turks and I didn't find the atmosphere peaceful. Connected with some people over Couchsurfing and Expatblog. I only made it to one year then left.