Relocating to another country is never just about changing your address. It’s about changing your mindset, your routines and your vision for the future. For Aralkan (38), moving from Turkey, Istanbul to the Netherlands was exactly that: a bold decision that marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Working as a Senior DevOps Roaming Engineer, Aralkan made the move together with his wife with a clear goal in mind: building a stable and peaceful future for their (future) family.
"It's a quiet, suburban lifestyle."
After living in Istanbul and being married for three years, the couple deliberately chose a quieter life. They now live in Capelle aan den IJssel, while Aralkan is working in Rotterdam. An environment, close to the city, but away from the rush.
“It’s a very quiet, suburban lifestyle. It’s close enough to the city, but far enough for it to be calm. Because we’re not in the hustle and bustle of Rotterdam. We’re planning to start a family one day, and this will be a very good environment for that.”
His wife, an HR Generalist, also started building her own path shortly after arriving.
“She doesn’t speak the language yet, but she has adjusted and found work: voluntary work and freelance jobs. That helped her integrate and feel part of society.”
"Is was a very smooth and fast process, which honestly surprised me.”
“The help from the Wypoon team was excellent. I didn’t have to think about any of the steps, such as the visa process and going to the embassy, everything was clear and well-organized. We own a house in Turkey, so we had to make some important decisions: what to do with the house, whether to rent it or keep it, and what to do with the furniture. But it was a no-pain taking process.
Wypoon supported us at every stage, thanks especially to Isabela, Rens, Gozde, and of course Turan. It was a very smooth and fast process, which honestly surprised me.”
“I feel like there is nowhere else to go. I want to take roots here and look to the future.”
“Career-wise, it was definitely a step up! But next to that, I feel like I have achieved a life goal. All my life I wanted to relocate to a Western country, and I’m in a very fulfilling state. I feel like there is nowhere else to go. I want to take roots here and look to the future. We plan to stay as long as possible and, in the long term, perhaps even acquire citizenship.
The quality of life here is premium compared to Turkey. Living in a peaceful environment means our future children will have a very safe life. Overall, it’s a great country to live in, and we’ll see what the future brings.”
Differences between the Netherlands and Turkey
“Life in general is less crowded here. I came from Istanbul, so you can imagine the chaos and intensity there. And I must say: it takes a lot of pressure and stress off day-to-day tasks. When shopping in Istanbull there will always be 10 to 20 people at the counter trying to buy things. Here, it’s much calmer, especially in Kapelle.
Public transport is really good as well, especially in Rotterdam, and it’s not crowded at all. Those general differences make people more or less content with their life and their roots, which is a big difference in attitude compared to where I came from, where there was a lot of pressure on people just to get by.
In the professional life, people make work easy for themselves. They take all the necessary steps to make work feel less like work, building routines that reduce the load and make life easier. In Turkey, it was harder to make changes in the way work was done. The approach here is very different, much more efficient.”
Advice for future expats: "Save up some money for unexpected costs."
“Save up some money for any unexpected costs that may come up, having savings is essential. Also, try to negotiate your salary as best as you can, because some friends have experienced salary issues. Research the job market thoroughly in your field and do your homework before making the move.”
What Aralkan would put on a Dutch Tile?
“It is a big step, for sure. You need to be brave about it and just do it, and you will see the results. Coming from a Middle Eastern country to a Western European country is a very big change. The culture is very different. You must be prepared to leave your past behind and look to the future, and see what your new life has in store for you. You need to be brave to make positive changes in your life.
This is not only about immigration, it applies to anything in life.”
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