Party Time! Excellent! Antalya's Expat Social Scene

One of the nice things about being an expat here is that you're automatically added to so many guest lists.  Like much of networking, this is accomplished via the internet.  Facebook makes it easy; once you've friended your fellow expat you are notified when she publishes an event.  The "official" expat site, Antalyaexpats.com, also has a Facebook page where you can check on events.  For the Facebook- avoiders, the expat site enables posting invitations and sending private messages.
The expat website was how I first connected with most of these people.  Pat was having a barbeque, everyone was invited, and I went. (I wrote about this Halloween drive through a graveyard in The Expat Community  in November. Pat's parties are among my favorite events here.  It's a nice change from Antalya to spend the day in a small village with expansive views.

Views from Pat's place.

I also love the variety of nationalities represented.  Here's a list of what I remember:
American, Australian, Canadian, Dutch, French, German,  English (don't call them British), Irish, New Zealand(ers?  They call themselves Kiwis but I doubt that's official), Polish (they were vacationers just passing through), Russian, Scottish, South African and of course Turkish.  There's also a wide age range, from two to seventy-eight.
The music was equally varied.  During cocktail and dinner Cenk was on the roof playing saxophone along with some kind of music-minus-one recording. It set just the right tone for a summer garden party. Later, the roof became a disco as a computerized DJ came up with random tunes like "Who let the dogs out", to which we all danced and barked.
Later in the evening we were treated to a performance of Turk Sanat Muzici (Turkish Classical Music) performed on kanun  (zither) and oud (strummed string instrument). There was also a singer, but all the Turks sang along.

Listening to music at Pat's house.

Pat also  has had a lovely treehouse, but it started to fall apart.  Several of us were sitting at the dinner table in the treehouse when a floorboard gave way and a guest fell through, landing in a wheelbarrow.  She wasn't seriously hurt, but the treehouse is now closed for renovation.

Pat's treehouse, shortly before the accident.

Other recent parties include birthday celebrations for Aysun and Bila at Ruud Bar (conveniently located in my neighborhood) and for Bill at his house downtown.  At Ruud Bar we danced to old Beatle recordings and relaxed in Leyla and Cenk's garden around the corner.  At Carol and Bill's we celebrated not only his birthday, but their one-year anniversary of living here.  We ate some of the best food I've had in Antalya, a mixed grill (steak, kofte, chicken) and various vegetable dishes and deserts made by guests.  I wish I'd brought a camera to take a photo of that table of food.  It was really quite impressive.
This was a more sedate party, without dancing.  Then again, I had to leave at 10:45 to catch the last dolmus back to Konyaalti.  Who knows what went on after that?