In collaboration with ATÖLYE, Yabangee continues to present Expat Spotlight, a monthly series showcasing the freshest, most inspiring contributions being made by Istanbul’s diverse international community to the city’s cultural, sporting, humanitarian, and business spheres. An opportunity to share moving stories, reflect on personal experiences and participate in a resourceful dialogue, we invite foreigners and locals alike to come and embolden others.
Taking place in English, the fifth Expat Spotlight event is set for Tuesday 26 September, centering on the theme of “Istanbul as Home”.The event is free and set to kick off at 19:30, with doors set to open at 19:00. No need to RSVP to join.
Speakers include:
Lars Larsson (Master of Ceremonies) is a part-Swedish, part-British, part-Turkish, life-long expat, who came to Istanbul in 2006. Since then he has travelled extensively in the country and the wider region, started a business, and is about seal his deal with Turkey by getting married in Adapazari next month. The cliched, but very real, combination of the comfortable and the awkward, the modern and the pre-modern that Istanbul has to offer has kept Lars here, despite many well-intentioned efforts to escape. He has since accepted his fate as an Istanbul lifer, and claims to have no regrets.
Jenny Molendyk-Divleli is a Canadian that has been living in Istanbul with her family for the last six years. Trained as an American Sign Language interpreter with a degree in Linguistics, she put her career on hold to raise her five children. After moving to Istanbul she opened Early Bird English, focusing on immersion, play-based language classes for children. She is also very involved with the Syrian community in the Pendik municipality, organizing fundraisers, distributing aid and supplies, and being a connection between refugees and the municipality. She has been working towards integrating a Zero Waste lifestyle in her home, focusing on reducing consumption, using local resources and above all just living mindfully. In her spare time she leads a book club, and repurposes “Bratz Dolls” to give them a more natural look creating new realistic child-like dolls (Acorn Toys OAK Dolls), and enjoys lifting weights and functional fitness. She is an advocate for homeschooling and natural medicine and one day hopes to train in the field of Homeopathy.
Anna Ilhan is the Chairwoman of the International Women of Istanbul (IWI); and has been residing in Turkey since 2012. Originally from America, Ms Ilhan spent over 18 years in the petroleum industry involved in all aspects of oil and gas operations and global business development before leaving that life behind. Currently, she is a part of a new European tech startup focused on sustainable fashion.
Melek Barngrover is a lawyer, former chemist and travel enthusiast. She writes on legal matters of interest to expats in Turkey, such as work permits, setting up businesses, and marriage.
Špela Grošelj is from Slovenia and she moved to Istanbul in the fall of 2013. She came to pursue her PhD about the Turkish Art. She is not a person who can stay at home for a long time, so soon after landing in the city she started to discover Istanbul, its vibrant social life and its cultural diversity. She also became a volunteer at Istanbul&I. Špela is sharing her Istanbul experience on her blog and as a contributor for Yabangee.
Amer Arab is a Palestinian refugee from Syria, who decided to come to Turkey to continue his education in 2004. A computer scientist by education, worked for many high profile tech companies like Zynga, Yemeksepeti and Peak Games. But after the break of the war in Syria and becoming a refugee again, started to work as an Arabic/English/Turkish interpreter for many international bodies and organizations that help refugees and torture victims like the British ministry of defense, USCIS, Amnesty International and ACLU.
To stay in the loop on all developments, check out the official Facebook event.
Tarihi Bomonti Bira Fabrikası – Silahşör Cad. Birahane Sok. No. 1 – Şişli 34381
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