Tag: expat

Being an expat is difficult. You need courage to leave not only your comfort zone and sense of security behind, but also your lifestyle,...

I wanted to send a friend living in the U.S. a letter, so duly went to find my nearest PTT branch. This seemingly simple process...

On my first day of teaching English in Istanbul, I was thrust into the classroom without so much as a book or a clue. I...

A few years ago, on a freezing, snowy day, my roommate and I climbed our way up one of Istanbul's steep hills and hopped...

Every yabancı has at least one tale of woe and regret when it comes to residence permit applications in Istanbul. I am no exception. After passing...

Someone recently described Istanbul to me as a city where you can "have the best day of your life, followed by the worst day”,...

Three years ago, Merve Pehlivan, an art and writing enthusiast, decided to create a friendly environment where writers, poets, singers and performers of all...

A friend of mine, whom I’ll call Gökhan, loves eating. It is one of his great passions in life. As the son of an...

Traffic is a daily grind for some 14 million Istanbullus. That’s not even counting the outskirts, which include several million more. You get used to...

It hit me a few weeks after moving to Istanbul two years ago. I was stressed and confused by so many things like accommodation...

Editor's Note: For those of us who have been in Istanbul for some time and have grown accustomed to the Turkish way of life, it's easy...

By Bairma Kihoro People have always been crossing borders. Not just geographical, but social, cultural and psychological ones as well. Everyone has their own dramas,...

Christopher Vena is a former art teacher turned full-time artist. He and his wife, Jeannie, are a genuinely fantastic duo and resident veterans on expat life...

Meet Agata Blaszkowska, a woman who has worked on rural development programs in eastern Turkey and more recently collaborated with her friends on a...

Meet Patrick Bosteels, a chief connector-mentor for entrepreneurs as he calls himself. Originally from Belgium he and his Turkish wife Nesen founded Stage-Co, a...

Meet Melanie Mehrer, an artist who is gearing up for an exhibition in April. She has traveled all over Turkey, including to Hasankeyf, where...

From the survey: This survey is part of an academic research project titled "Expat Kitchens in Istanbul: Reading Local and Global Identities Through Foodways". The...

You know the situation. Your friend keeps talking about a book they’ve just read.  ‘It’s the greatest book, ever!’ they say. ‘It’s witty/astute/heart-rending/awe-inspiring/jaw-dropping/sensational/life-affirming.’  Eventually,...

Every once in a while, you come across a place that feels like a home away from home. As an expat, this feeling can...

With the weather improving and spring right around the corner, many of us are thinking about where to travel within Turkey. There is one...

 Being betrothed to a Brit, I have quickly come to appreciate a good curry. Although I am normally enamored with Turkish cuisine, Fıccın being...