Name / Adınız Soyadiniz
Alex and Svetlana Marchuk

Occupation / Mesleğiniz
Managers of Patara Prince Spa and Wellness Centre.

Originally from / Doğum yeriniz
Ukraine & Bashkortostan, (both countries part of the former USSR)

Family / Evlimisiniz ve çocuğunuz varmi
Married, with one son.

What time do you get up? / Saat kaçta uyanırsınız
We all get up at 7.00.

What’s for breakfast? / Kahvaltıda ne seversiniz
Usually we have Turkish breakfast.  Alex has coffee, whilst Svetlana prefers tea.

What time do you start work? / Saat kaçta çalışmaya başlarsiniz
We are at the spa by 8.30.

What time do you stop work? / Saat kaçta işiniz biter
Normally by 8pm, but it depends on customers.  Occasionally we may leave as late as 10pm.

How long have you done your current job? / Yaptiğiniz işi ne zamandir yapıyorsunuz
We have done this job for six years, but we have only been in Kalkan since 2009.  How we got here is quite a story.

If you know recent history, you will recall that following Gorbochev's Perestroika (literally, 'restructuring'), in the 1980s, the Soviet Union was dissolved in the early 1990s.

This landmark change resulted in more freedom for the people within the old Soviet Union - freedom to travel abroad, for example.  The timing was just right for both Alex and Svetlana.  Not that they knew each other back then.

First, Svetlana's story.  She graduated from Ufa university, having studied history.  Her very first job was as a history teacher, but this was only for a brief time.  Foreign lands were beckoning.  One of Svetlana's friends was working in Kuşadası, and suggested she came out there to work in tourism.  So that is what she did, working in hotels, in the summer months, and returning to her home town in winter.

After a few years back in Bashkortostan, Svetlana found a job in Izmir, with a trading company, and then with a travel agency.  This is where she met Alex, back in 2000.

Alex left school and went to military university in Lvov.  From there he changed direction.  He wanted to be a professional dancer and choreographer, so in 1992 he went to an arts and culture academy in Kiev, where he trained for 5 years.  Alex formed his own successful dance group, comprising 6 women and 2 men.

Alex had friends working in Turkey, and in 1997 they suggested he should come to work in Bodrum, putting on dance shows.  He spent two good years at Halikarnas Disco in Bodrum, before moving on to perform in Kuşadası.  Whilst there he went into a travel agency in nearby Izmir, to book a flight back to the Ukraine, to see his family, and that is where he met Svetlana.

Dancing is a very physical profession, and from time to time you pick up the odd injury.  Alex, as the manager of the group would have to arrange for physio and massage treatments for members of the group.  This cost money, so Alex decided that rather than paying for treatment, he would get training, to become a qualified massage therapist.

In 2002 Alex and Svetlana set up home together in Kuşadası, and they both worked in tourism, in hotels.  Alex was still putting on shows, and Svetlana was in charge of guest relations.  In 2003 they got married, and in 2005 they had a son, Ilya.

Between 2006 and 2008 Alex and Svetlana decided to change direction slightly - still working in tourism, but in spa and health services.  Alex was already qualified, and Svetlana returned to her home city of Ufa to get her own qualification.  In 2008 they decided to set up their own business, and they set about searching for a location.  After researching many places along the Aegean and Mediterranean coast, they settled on Patara Prince in Kalkan.

What’s the best thing about your job? / Yaptiniz işte en sevdiği şey nedir?
Seeing the results of treatments.  We like to see the happy faces of our customers, as they feel the benefit of their treatments.  Over the years we have made good friends.

Describe a typical day /  Bir gününüzün nasıl geçtini anlatirmisiniz  
We work together in the Patara Prince Spa & Wellness Centre, during the summer season (April to November).  Our son İlya goes to nursery school in Kalkan.

We open the Spa at 9.00 in the morning and usually, we close at 19.00, so we are working all long day - including Saturday and Sunday.  Every customer is different, so every day is different.

We both do similar jobs, but you could say that Alex 'fixes' people, with his massage treatments, and Svetlana has more of a focus on beauty treatments.

In the evening, we like to rest and relax at home, or sometimes we go out to see our friends in Kalkan.

Do the seasons make a difference with your work?  If so, how? /  Yazın işinizde değişiklik oluyormu? Oluyorsa anlatın?
Yes, the summer season is the best time to work, as we provide a service to the many visitors, who come to Kalkan.

In November, the Spa closes, and we may leave Kalkan to go visit friends in Izmir, and other places. 

Sometimes, we may pick up some part time work.  Svetlana is a qualified teacher, and provides foreign language tuition.  Alex may get some massage therapy work.

What makes you happy? /  Sizi en çok ne mutlu eder?
To see our family healthy, spending time with old friends, and discovering new friends.  When our customers are happy, that makes us happy too.

If you were not doing this job, what else would you like to do? /  Şu anki yaptiğiniz işi yapmıyor olsaydiniz ne iş yapmek isterdiniz?
We like what we do so much, that it isn't a question we ever ask ourselves.  Svetlana's traiing is in teaching, so perhaps this is something she could do.  Alex could be a carpenter.  He is so creative - he loves making things out of wood, such as furniture and decorative pieces.

What music do you like to listen to? / Hangi müziği dinlemeyi seviyorsunuz?
All kind of music.  We both like classical music.  After the Soviet Union was dissolved, we discovered some great western music from the 70s, 80s, which we both like.  Alex particularly likes Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and songs from musicals.

If you could meet anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be, and why? / Eğer dünyada yaşayan yada yaşamayan herhangi biriyle tanışmanız mümkün olsaydı onun kim olmasını isterdiniz?
Svetlana: As a history graduate, it has to be someone interesting from the past.  Perhaps Cleopatra, or maybe Cicero.  They were clever people, and it would be fascinating to be able to know more about them.

Alex: Being a dancer and choreographer, two people spring to mind - Fred Astair and Michael Jackson.  Clearly, quite different individuals, but both great showmen and entertainers.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know. /  Kendinizle ilgili bir çok insanın bilmediği bir şeyi anlatırmısınız
Svetlana graduated from ballet school.  Her father talked her out of ballet as a career.

Not only does Alex dance, but he can also sing and he plays the guitar.

Anything else / Başka her hangi bir şey
Thanks to our friends at Patara Prince, who suggested we should do this KTLN Day in the Life.  It was quite interesting looking back at how we got to be here in Kalkan.  This is very much our home now.  We love being in this beautiful part of the world.