My first month in small-town Arkansas: what surprised me after moving from Izmir
· 3 min read
I arrived in the US on July 3, 2026. After two days in Chicago, we drove home to Arkansas. This is what my first month felt like, before any of the paperwork stories on this blog.
Where I live
I grew up in Izmir, the third biggest city in Turkey. To see a forest there, you drive up into the mountains.
Now I live in a small town in Arkansas with a population of about 6,000. Next to it are two other small towns, and the nearest bigger city is about 40 minutes away. It is not a village. There are supermarkets, gas stations and fast food. But it is very far from a city.
What surprised me
Everything is a drive away
In Turkey, I walked out of the door and was at a shop in 30 seconds. Here, every errand is a drive. You do not walk to the market. You cannot do anything without a car. That is why buying a car was one of my first big steps: Buying a car as a new immigrant.
Nature is right outside
Every evening, deer come to the edge of our yard. In my first month I saw deer, a raccoon and an armadillo, all for the first time in my life. Squirrels run around everywhere in the park. Nobody stops the wild animals. You live next to them.
The roads are empty and wide
The roads are wide, the cars are huge, and there is almost no traffic. And most people follow the speed limits, because police cars have radar and they do stop you. After Turkish traffic, that was a big change.
The food is sweet
This was the hardest part. Turkish food culture and food here have nothing in common. Almost everything is sweeter, even the bread. A month later, I still was not used to sweet bread. I am not sure I ever will be.
The stores are enormous
I went to Walmart, Costco and Best Buy for the first time. The stores are huge, and you can buy almost anything in one place.
The mailbox is real
Like in the movies, you check your mailbox every day. In Turkey, we almost stopped using mail. Here, it is how important things arrive. All my USCIS letters, my Social Security card, my work permit card and my bank cards came that way. Checking the mailbox became a daily habit.
No stress
I have worked since I was young, and life in Turkey was stressful for me. In my first month here, I did not have one stressful day. Quiet roads, green everywhere, no rush.
The hard part: waiting
The first month was also quiet in a bad way. With a K-1 visa, you cannot work until you get a work permit. So I spent almost every day at home. I went to the park in the evenings. There was not much else to do, because everything is far away.
That waiting is why I started building websites and making videos. I write about the work permit here: My work permit (EAD) timeline.
Language
My English is good enough to talk, read and write without problems. But when Americans talk to each other, fast and swallowing words, I sometimes cannot follow. It is my second language. It gets better every week.
What I would tell someone moving to a small US town
- Plan for a car. Without one, you will depend on others for everything.
- Bring patience for the food. Find a store with international products.
- Check your mailbox every day. Important government letters come by mail.
- Use the waiting time. If you cannot work yet, learn, build something, study for the driver's test.
- Go outside. Parks, nature and quiet are the best part. A few months later, this became the part I love most: Why I love small-town life in America.
Summary
- From a city of millions to a town of about 6,000 people.
- Everything is a drive away, the food is sweet, the stores are enormous.
- Deer in the yard, wide empty roads, and almost no stress.
- The hardest part was not being allowed to work yet.
I talked about this first month in Turkish, in a video on my YouTube channel: watch it here.
Going through the same thing? If you are stuck on this step and need help, send me a message. I read every one.
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I am not a lawyer or an accountant. This is my own experience, written down as it happened. Rules change and every case is different, so check with the official source or a professional.