Spanish students living in "best flat ever": The local life in Kadıköy

Haber Üsküdar – Paula Perez

For a local news assignment, I have interviewed Spanish students who chose to live in Kadıköy. Those students live in the same apartment where I also live. 

Javi Antich Isern: “Kadiköy is one of the best places to live in Istanbul” 

Javi Antich Isern is 20 years old, and from Spain. He is an Erasmus student at Yeditepe University Fine Arts Faculty. Here is the interview.

Why did you choose Kadiköy as your place for living and what are the strong points you find here?

When I was looking on the internet, I found Kadiköy as one of the best places to live in Istanbul and I also talked to a girl who was doing Erasmus here and she recommended me to go to Kadiköy. I think Kadiköy is a place much more chill and "real" than any in the European side because the other side is for tourists while Kadiköy is a place where things are for people living here more than tourists, which I like.

What are the main facilities your neighbourhood have and the activities you do the most in Kadiköy?

As it is the most famous place in the Asian side to live the communications are really good and in the centre you can find whatever you want to, so living here is great. I usually go to grab a coffee, play board games in a cafe I know and sometimes I go bowling too.

What kind of plans do you usually do in Kadiköy? Do you think this is a comfortable district to live?

Yes it is, as I said before the communications are really good and in the centre you can find whatever you want to.

Are you able to do all the plans you want to do with friends or is there anything you miss from other places where you have lived?

I miss not being able to go to the cinema and watch the films in my native language, I also miss my friends but I believe it is worth to live here.

What are the things you do not like about Kadiköy? 

I don't like so much the amount of people you can find on the weekends or holidays, there is a lot of people in Istanbul! So I would change that If I could.

Would you choose again Kadiköy to live or would you prefer to find another district in other parts of Istanbul?

Yes, I would choose it again.

Inés Vieiro Fernandez: I like living in Kadiköy

Inés Vieiro Fernandez is a 21 years old, and from Spain. She is doing Erasmus at Marmara University, Preschool Education Department. 

Why did you choose Kadiköy as your place for living and what are the strong points you find here?

I decided to live in Kadikoy because of the proximity to the university and because I knew people who lived here before.

What are the main facilities your neighbourhood have and the activities you do the most in Kadiköy?

In Kadiköy there are many options for activities such as clothing stores, supermarkets, game rooms, bars and restaurants. I think the amount of facilities you can find here is perfect to enjoy the daily life and to do everything easily.

What kind of plans do you usually do in Kadiköy? Do you think this is a comfortable district to live?

My plans in Kadiköy are going for a walk, going bowling, going out to dinner or having a coffee. In my opinion it is a very comfortable and safe district to live.

Are you able to do all the plans you want to do with friends or is there anything you miss from other places where you have lived?

I do not miss any plan in Spain because here there are more options of activities, so I can even have more opportunities to spend my time alone or with my friends.

What are the things you do not like about Kadiköy? What would you change or what would you add/remove?

I like living in Kadiköy, the only thing I would change would be more accessible gyms for everyone and more variety of party pubs for people our age, because the ones we can find here are mainly of Turkish songs, and maybe it would be nice to have more variety of songs to change and to explore more contexts.

Would you choose again Kadiköy to live or would you prefer to find another district in other parts of Istanbul?

I think that living in this district has been my best option, it is very comfortable, safe and more modern than others.

Javier Golán Sande: People in Kadıköy are very open-minded and respectful” 

Javier Golán Sande is a 21 years old, and from Spain. He is an Erasmus student at Marmara University, Primary School Teaching Department. 

Why did you choose Kadiköy as your place for living and what are the strong points you find here?

This neighbourhood is close to my campus, so that is the main reason why I decided to live here. In addition, prices in Kadiköy are lower than in other Istanbul areas. I like the atmosphere in Kadiköy, because people here seem to be very open-minded and respectful. 

What are the main facilities your neighbourhood have and the activities you do the most in Kadiköy?

Public transportation is very useful in this neighbourhood and there are several services very close, like markets, grocery stores and Administration buildings. Also, there is always something to do here: from taking some drinks at a café to doing shopping in very nice and unique shops.

What kind of plans do you usually do in Kadiköy? Do you think this is a comfortable district to live?

I often go with my friends for a Turkish tea in some little, cool pub. Also, we like to go out for a dinner or meet near the sea to go running together in the mornings.

Are you able to do all the plans you want to do with friends or is there anything you miss from other places where you have lived?

So far, I’m able to do everything I want here in Kadiköy. I don’t need to go to another neighbourhood in general, except for some specific reasons, but not often.

What are the things you do not like about Kadiköy? What would you change or what would you add/remove?

What I don’t like about Kadiköy is that I feel this neighbourhood is not prepared for the arrival of foreigners. Almost anybody speaks English and they are not helpful when a foreigner can’t manage with the language.

Would you choose again Kadiköy to live or would you prefer to find another district in other parts of Istanbul?

I definitely would choose Kadiköy again in case I had to live here in the future. I enjoy the life here.

Gabriel Mirazo Bouzas: “Ten minutes walking to the university”

Gabriel Mirazo Bouzas is a 21 years old, and from Spain. He is doing Erasmus at Marmara University, Primary Education Department.

Why did you choose Kadiköy as your place for living and what are the strong points you find here?

Because we find the flat where we live so close to the university, it is like 10 minutes walking and also a lot of people told me to live in Kadiköy because of its facilities and it comfortable places.

What are the main facilities your neighbourhood have and the activities you do the most in Kadiköy?

Comparing to other places, maybe not inside Istanbul, but compared to Galicia, here I can go by walk or public transport to any place I want to go. The communications are awesome because we can find a lot of different ways of transport, and also in Kadiköy we have very near the Marmaray station, the metrobus station, subway…

What kind of plans do you usually do in Kadiköy? Do you think this is a comfortable district to live?

I think it is a good district to live, there is not so many people like in the European side, and we have a lot of things to do, like go to the bowling area, to some bar…

Are you able to do all the plans you want to do with friends or is there anything you miss from other places where you have lived?

The only thing that I can´t do is go to the swimming pool whenever I want. Maybe sports facilities like gyms or pools to move and train my body are the things that I miss the most, because they are quite far from my house.

What are the things you do not like about Kadiköy? What would you change or what would you add/remove?

For me there is so much noise at nights, it is a bit uncomfortable and disturbing. But I can understand it, Istanbul has millions of inhabitants, so is normal the amount of traffic here, it has nothing to do with the town where I come from.

Would you choose again Kadiköy to live or would you prefer to find another district in other parts of Istanbul?

I will choose Kadiköy again if my friends are here, but if they move to another district, I will follow them. One of the things that made me decide for this neighbourhood was the number of Spanish students live here. So, if they decide to go to another place, I would move with them, but I would prefer to stay in Kadiköy too.