Adeliya, born in 2002 in the village of Tamga in the Jeti-Oguz district, comes from an international family with a rich heritage. Her paternal grandfather is Kyrgyz, her grandmother is Mari, and on her maternal side, her grandfather is Tatar and her grandmother is Uzbek. Adeliya is the third of four children in her family.
After completing her schooling, she received a profession as a pastry chef in Karakol, graduating from college with honors.
In 2020, when Adeliya turned 18, she decided to travel to Turkey, dreaming of seeing the world and earning money. Her parents were not thrilled about this idea, fearing that their daughter might not return.
While in Turkey, Adeliya got a job as a housekeeper through an agency.
Every morning in the summer of 2022, she would wake up at 6 AM, take a walk by the sea for about an hour, do some exercises at a sports ground, and then head to work.
During the same summer of 2022, in Antalya, Adeliya met Tufan Yılmaz, who was born in 1995 in Diyarbakır and has been living in Antalya since he was 8 years old.
“I was sitting on a bench, admiring the sea, when a guy approached me and asked if he could sit down. I replied, ‘Go ahead, I didn’t buy this bench.’ He smiled and sat down next to me.
The smell of fish reminded me of fishing, and I asked, ‘Are you a fisherman?’ He replied no, but he loves to fish. I mentioned that my father also enjoys fishing, and that’s how our conversation started,” recalls Adeliya.
The next day, when Adeliya was walking along the beach again, Tufan approached her once more. Their communication lasted about a week, after which he asked for her phone number to invite her for coffee.
After a month of communication, they became a couple.
Adeliya notes that it was Tufan's restraint that impressed her:
“At the beginning of our meetings, he didn’t show me any physical affection for about a month, which allowed me to understand that he is truly a serious person. Soon we decided to get married.”
The families had to overcome many doubts. Adeliya's parents were against it due to the distance and feared that she would stay in Turkey forever. Tufan, however, insisted on his choice, saying that he would only marry Adeliya and asked the family not to interfere.
After getting to know Adeliya, she was accepted into Tufan's family, and now they consider her their daughter.
Tufan proposed in the very place where they met — by the sea, asking, “Will you be my life partner?” The wedding ceremony took place in Antalya, combining Turkish traditions with Kyrgyz and Uzbek dances.
Currently, Adeliya is not working, and they have a son, Imran, born in 2024, who is now 1 year and 4 months old. Adeliya quickly adapted to the Turkish family, as she had previously worked in a Turkish home for three years.
Her dream is to travel around Kyrgyzstan with her family in a motorhome.
