Erasmus Experience in Adapazari, Turkey by Malvina

Why did you choose to go to Adapazari, Turkey?

I wanted to go to Turkey and the sending institution suggested me Sakarya University because it had relations with part of its stuff.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

The scholarship had a duration of 6 months and the money per month had been 650 euros.

What is the student lifestyle like in Adapazari?

Honestly, not very satisfying. Despite being a fairly populous place (nearly half a million) with a big university campus and numerous students, its rythms were like that of a small town. Namely, there were limited number of places where European students could have fun with other young people, the locals even the students were rather conservative and very few people actually could speak English. Also, there were really few erasmus students. Other than that, it felt pretty safe to go out at night for long walks, it had many nargile and baklava places where you could spend hours hanging out and not stress over time. Also, its open markets were fairly rich in local products and pretty fun to be around. Finaly, the people where very hospitable with foreigners but all in all, was a rather boring and bland place to spend 6 months as a student.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Adapazari to other students?

Not really.

What is the food like?

The food was really good, like turkish food in general is, from turkish fast food to restaurant food. The only limit is the meat, it's not the best place for vegeterians. However, I have to refer to the super market food which was fairly cheap, but not realy good in quality.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Adapazari?

It was very difficult to find accommodation, we were searching for over a week, whereas in the meantime we were going from one host to the next which proved to be tiring and awkward sometimes. The erasmus office of sakarya uni was not really helpful and finally we found an apartment via a really good friend of ours that was Turkish, thus could make the searching and talking for us. If it wasn't for him the whole thing would have been a disaster.

How much does it cost to live in Adapazari?

The cost is generally low, but I have to say that the rent was in the level of Greek prices and even more pricy. For example, for an apartment with one bedroom, and let's say, 45m2 space, the price at the time (2016) was 950 tl, back then equivalent to a bit less than 500 euros.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Unfortunately, by the time we went to Sakarya University, the turkish language courses had been cancelled, so we had no support from uni on that matter. The language barrier was a big problem, most of the people didn't speak english, not even the students. University stuff of course did, but most of the student's didn't, something that lead the erasmus students to isolate themselves from the local or university community.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Adapazari from your city?

I come from Greece, so I had two affordable options: either bus or plane. The first time I travelled by bus from Athens, which cost me 50 euros and 14 hours to reach Istanbul, while when the time came to leave the place I traveled by plane.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Adapazari?

Definitely at the Z-bar, the only place that had youthful music (e.g. pop-rock, rock etc.) and serves alcohol. Attention, there are times that police passes over to check on IDs, so be sure to have them on you at all times. Also, another interesting place, this time for a coffee or tea was the Antique cafe, a small, hidden place with much taste, full of antiques and nice people, unlike most of the rest coffee places of the city being more nouveau riche, trying to be modern. Both places are located in the center.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Adapazari?

There were some good doner places -wrapped pies with meat and vegetables- at the center, along with some student's places where you could order kitchen food -mostly soups and pilaf/rice- in very low prices. They had the style of Univeristy restaurant. Of course, I shouldn't forget the baklava places that are to be found everywhere, selling really good quality baklava -but rather pricey.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

That is exactly the biggest problem of Adapazari, it doesn't have any such places. There is only one history museum near the center, an institute for art exhibitions (at my time there it had only a few old Adapazari photos as exhibits) and that's that. Another disappointing thing is the architecture that has no interest or history at all. There are only a couple of old ottoman wooden mansions in the city, but other than that is just a fast-growing, nouveau riche turkish town.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Adapazari in the future?

If you go, the only things in my opinion that add to the city's charm is the ability to make friends, which is not easy with the local students, but exciting if it happens, the remaining turkish culture daily habbits of the city, like the calls for prayer from the mosques throughout the day, the markets, the nargile places and the fact that the city is near Istanbul, so you can travel in 3 hours approximately and be there. However, if I were you, I would rather go to Istanbul without second thought. Be careful with the health insurances and resident's permit, it's not gonna be easy (the erasmus office really is not that helpful), so be sure to find a good Turkish friend to help you around. And of course, if you are a girl, be prepared for indiscreet male gaze wherever you are. Last but not least, you have to know about the public transport, it's small vans called dolmus, that instead of tickets take 1tl per person and drive like mads. That's all.