Lifestyle & Commentary

Moving to a new city, where you don’t really know anyone? There is a lot of excitement when you open a new chapter in...

I went and played my first game of football for a team in Turkey, adding to several other nations around the world in which...

To better foster a sense of community, help people network, and facilitate sharing advice, we've put together some Whatsapp groups. If you're interested in...

It’s Tuesday, May 26, 2020, the final day of lockdown in Istanbul. Some of you spent your days indoors working on your bodies. Many...

Walk. Breathe. Eat. Drink. Consume. Repeat. Wasn’t life nice and easy in Istanbul before coronavirus? We didn’t realize how fortunate we were back then. Thankfully,...

Stereotypes are inherently oversimplified, but can also hold some truth to them and be a fun(ny) opportunity for self-reflection. The international community living in...

In the era of digital nomads, Turkey has proven itself an idyllic destination for freelancers from all over the world. Whether settling in for...

During my first few months in Istanbul I wasn’t exactly bowled over by the place. I thought it was pushy, crowded, ugly and disorganised....

Three weeks ago, I was taking the metrobüs with my brother from Şirinevler, on a very rainy day. Being as crowded as it was...

This past week we read of some journalists from Hurriyet Daily News going undercover, disguised as tourists, to shine a spotlight on Istanbul’s notoriously...

We've all been there, haven't we? You are in a foreign country and some strangers approach you. You immediately think: "Whatever they are they selling,...

Located in the quiet northern suburb of Sarıyer, Tarabya is home to the modern, chic amenities of downtown life as well as the natural...

OK, I’ll admit it: I hate these lists. They’re usually a shortcut to thinking. Besides, I’ve always fancied myself more an impressionist than medievalist,...

Memory is a funny thing. As much as it keeps record of reality, it also creates a reality of its own. As expats, we...

It started with my husband spotting a rat on his way to work. "Don't get scared, but I saw a mouse on the ground floor...

My first memory involving David Bowie is from when my Aunt took me, at age 4, to a screening of “Labyrinth”. The details are...

I have never really been a "film guy" in the traditional sense, but growing up in a small town where there wasn’t much else...

This October, the Yabangee community enjoyed a wonderful basketball match-day with Darüşşafaka Tekfen - one of the top teams of the Turkish Basketball League....

Recently my friends and I have created a rule. We are not allowed to have more than 3 cocktails when we’re out. Whoever is...

Yesterday Turkey was rocked by a horrific suicide bombing targeting a group of people traveling to Syria on a humanitarian mission. The victims were bright, selfless...

Turkey is one of the few countries in the world where the rate of HIV/AIDS cases has been increasing in the past decade. Despite...

The day the spinning dolphins appeared in the Bosphorus, Laura understood that Istanbul would never be the same again. Of course, in a city...

In Turkish, the word ‘korkma’ means ‘don’t be scared.’ How I learned this makes for an interesting story—one which strengthened my belief that people,...

This weekend has seen the country suffer its worst terror attack to date, with two bomb blasts in Ankara leaving over 95 dead and 240 injured. The tragic...