Hello, my name is Beate Deniz and I was born in 1967 in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, completed hotel management training, divorced, and have an 8-year-old child. I migrated to Turkey in 1998. How did that happen? Well, just like you, I was on a holiday flight, wanting to relax from the everyday stress of being self-employed. Originally, a ski vacation was planned, but as there were no available spots, the travel agency recommended a trip to Turkey. I had never been there and had no idea what to expect in February. Even as we passed by, I noticed a sign from the bus that indicated horseback riding was possible there. I thought, great, my vacation was saved. This led me to encounter my great love, Mustafa, on my way. At that time, Mustafa was an unspoiled country boy, and he still is today. I was fascinated by the land, the people, and the animals. It quickly became clear to me that I didn't want to go back to my pre-programmed life. However, I didn't approach emigrating naively. I spent a year and a half considering it and prepared myself for a simple life full of many sacrifices, embracing a different culture and mentality - in short, an adventurous life. I had no great expectations but knew that in the worst-case scenario, I could always manage in my profession in the hotel industry. Mustafa and I got married, and that's when we had our first media appearance. We organized a horse wedding with a carriage, followed by a procession of riders and opened a horse race. From then on, it was clear that our shared hobbies, horses, and dogs, would become the center of our lives. We built a small ranch in Titreyengöl. However, the ups and downs of tourism soon showed me that one shouldn’t focus solely on one thing. You must have several options to survive crises. Thus, the project of West Virginia City emerged. With the help of our regular guests and friends, in 2002, we built a small cowboy city on Mustafa's family land, secluded on a hill but with a view of the sea and tourism. It included a guesthouse, saloon, and horse stables. As soon as we finished, the press and television rushed in. It seemed that by fulfilling our dream, we had passed on a part of the happiness to many others. Since then, West Virginia City is a place where one can relax stress-free, where singles feel like part of the family, where children can simply be children without constraints or rules, where one can learn to ride loving and lively Turkish horses in a short time, or explore the fantastic landscape around the reservoir and the slopes of the Taurus Mountains - close to tourism yet far from the hustle and bustle. That doesn't mean that there's nothing happening here. We constantly have international artists at our well-attended barbecues. And every year, we set off with a mixed international group of riders into the mountains for a trail in the Valley of the Wild Horses. This turned into a 20-year story, which ended in 2017 with a divorce and separation from everything. Many might still want to know what became of my 8-year-old daughter back then. Well, after learning the Turkish language in a state school, she fought her way up to Hacetepe University in Ankara, past many Turkish children. There, she studied mathematics and now works as a teacher and owner of a tutoring school in Manavgat with about 400 children. My son Efe Lorenzo Deniz, born in 2000, has become a successful beach soccer national player for Turkey and was recently selected among the top 100 players in the world. As for myself, at 50, I brought fresh winds into my life, took on another challenge, learned new professional fields, and am now a real estate agent, owner of a travel agency, and involved in networking. I want to share all these experiences and a network full of successful business people with you. Feel warmly welcome to our platform and find a part that makes you happy."
