The Art of Solitude
It comes on suddenly. One moment you’re experiencing an exciting roller coaster of new experiences, emotions, thoughts, and people. You’re learning to become more...
Alo 171: Ministry of Health’s Support Line to Quit Smoking
If you or a loved one are thinking of quitting smoking this summer, and you've got a basic handle on Turkish (or want to...
The Istanbul Incident: The Case of the Spinning Dolphins
The day the spinning dolphins appeared in the Bosphorus, Laura understood that Istanbul would never be the same again. Of course, in a city...
The Personalities of Six Istanbul Neighborhoods
Personality is a phenomenon which describes the way people behave in everyday life. It’s an essential concept in order to understand and predict our...
The Way We Travel
When it comes to travel, the questions, ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ are often far more meaningful than, ‘where?’ Two people may go on the same...
TIYYD: Building a Better Tomorrow for Refugees
What’s left behind becomes a faded memory, one that will be carried long distances no matter how tough it gets. Life becomes what’s packed...
Istanbul Adrift
It was bound to happen sooner or later. But it happened much sooner than the citizens of Istanbul were ready for. And it happened in...
That Pink Elephant Mystique: A Celebration of International Women’s Day, in...
“Silence is the worst. Whenever a thick cloud of silence descends, the yapping voices inside me become all the more audible, rising to the...
25 Eco-Signs You Live in Turkey
Living in Istanbul comes with many joys alongside many compromises. If you are the kind of person who tries to lead a green life,...
Our Hearts Go Out to Soma
It has been incredibly tragic day; the deaths of those workers in the Soma mine seem so senseless, we've been having a hard time...
26 Yabancı Stereotypes You’ll Encounter Living in Istanbul
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...
My Thoughts on Turkish Society as a Young Turk
As a young Turkish woman who hasn’t lived abroad yet, the scope of my writing is largely about living in Turkey. In my essays,...
Coming to your senses: The Olfactor
“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is...
The Allure of Elsewhere
Wherever you go, there you are. And wherever you are, there is someone who wants to be somewhere else. After living in the United...
New Year Bibliotherapy: 10 Turkish Books to Read in 2021
Even though decades pass, some stories and books are ageless. Reading is more than just a hobby, as books also help us manage mental...
How to Stop Being Such a Yabancı: 23 Resolutions for 2015
Stop ordering on YemekSepeti cause you’re too scared to order over the phone in Turkish.
Stop forcing your friends to call you cause you forgot...
A Cat, A Rat, and Two Teyzes
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...
Just for Fun: Seven “Worst” Turkish Foods
Wow, I know, that was a controversial title wasn't it? Now that I've got your attention, can I just say that obviously this is...
Underneath Istanbul
The timeless column feels cold and rough to the touch. I like to visit things that are a lot older than I am. It...
Three Significant Barriers in Expat-Local Romantic Relationships
Being an expat is difficult. You start a new life somewhere you probably have very limited knowledge about. All your old habits and automatized...
Ten Things I Have (and Have Not) Gotten Used to about...
I have been living in Istanbul for four years. Just writing that sentence makes me dizzy.
As a Spanish expat living in this amazing city,...
Romance of the Roma: Hıdırellez, Spring time and the ‘Gypsy’ culture...
Perhaps there is no word more loaded and simultaneously mythologized yet scorned than the term “gypsy”. From Fleetwood Mac to Cher to Lady Gaga...
Three Romantic Ideas for Valentine’s Day in Istanbul
Every year, with the arrival of the first day of February, we know what is ahead of us -Valentine’s Day! While some can’t wait...
Just for Fun: Seven “Best” Turkish Foods
When Tas decided to share her cheeky and genuinely pretty accurate list of worst Turkish foods (looking at you leblebi!), my inner Turk compelled...