MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL
03 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016
SYRIA SPECIAL CHARITY ACTION: HOW YOU CAN HELP PLUS
I Was A Refugee Memories of war in Bosnia
Culture Kids Scavenger hunt in the Grand Bazaar!
FASHIONISTAS
OF ISTANBUL
A look at some of the rising stars
CONTENTS JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016
LALE NEWS
4 SOCIETY Hip happenings about town – Christmas parties, Winter Festival, Halloween and much, much more 12 NETWORKING How to do business in Turkey,
16 LALE LIFESTYLE
20 HEALTH Dent Group advises on taking kids to the dentist
22 HEALTH Advice from Acıbadem about how to avoid spinal damage
14 LEGAL EAGLE Our legal guru, Karen Akıncı,
24 FASHION A look at some of the up-and-coming designers from Istanbul Moda Academy
16 CHARITIES How IWI is helping to support
50 TRAVEL Troy – an unlikely hotspot for nature
plus upcoming IPWIN events
gives advice on how to avoid confrontation after an accident
Syrian refugees and how you can help
52 EVENTS Get the new year off to a joyful start
wıth some culture and fun at a variety of IWI events in January and February
LALE FEATURES 32 NEIGHBOURHOOD TOUR
A look at the fast-changing neighbourhood of Karaköy in Beyoğlu
38 INTERVIEW As the war in Syria rages on, IWI
member Halima Hodzic reflects on the three years she spent as a child refugee fleeing conflict in Bosnia
42 CULTURE We explore the newest exhibition at Pera Müzesi - a celebration of nude painting and modernism in Turkish art
30 FRIENDSHIP A new platform from The Dame Drum helps international women to connect in Turkey lovers
LALE REGULARS
3 LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR AND THE CHAIR
56 BOARD NEWS 57 NEWCOMERS 58 MUMS ’N KIDS 60 CLUBS, GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS 63 SPECIAL OFFERS
46 CULTURE KIDS A scavenger hunt around the Grand Bazaar
50
42
LALE
BOARD INFORMATION IWI Office Hours: Wednesday 10:30am to 1:00pm Adresi / Address: Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Çamlıtepe Sitesi No:74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus Ortaköy İstanbul – TURKEY Telephone: 0212 287 35 71 www.iwi-tr.org Dergi Adı / Magazine Name: Lale, Monthly Programme of the International Women of İstanbul Yayını Yapan / Publisher: IWI International Women of İstanbul, Dernek Kod: 34-64/027 İrtibat Adresi / Address: Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Çamlıtepe Sitesi No:74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus Ortaköy, İstanbul – TURKEY İmtiyaz Sahibi / Licensee: Nilgün Çoruk Adresi / Address: Emin Sokak Tamer Apt. No:4/13 Etiler-Istanbul
IWI BOARD MEMBERS Chairwoman
Stephanie Machoi
chairwoman@iwi-tr.org
Sponsorship Coordinator, Vice Chairwoman
Anne Marie Yilmaz
sponsorship@iwi-tr.org
Treasurer
Nicole Liao
treasury@iwi-tr.org
Office Coordinator
Jeanette von AlvenslebenNiethammer
secretary@iwi-tr.org
Membership Coordinator
Elena Sklyarskaya
membership@iwi-tr.org
Lale Editor
Nina Lister
lale@iwi-tr.org
Advertising Coordinator
Aylin Gottardo
advertising@iwi-tr.org
Neighborhood Coffee Mornings Coordinator
Marina Fricke
ncm@iwi-tr.org
Newcomers Coordinator (European side)
Ayse Yücel
newcomerseurope@iwi-tr.org
Newcomers Coordinator (Asian side)
Gabriele Sailer
newcomersasia@iwi-tr.org
Events Coordinator
Merle Klehn
events@iwi-tr.org
Charity Coordinator
Kristina Wilfore
charity@iwi-tr.org
Programs Coordinator
Nicole Lussow
programs@iwi-tr.org
Mum's N' Kids Coordinator Position available
mumsnkids@iwi-tr.org
Sorumlu Yazı İşleri Müdürü / Responsible Editor: Nilgün Çoruk Adresi / Address: Emin Sokak Tamer Apt. No:4/13 Etiler-Istanbul
IPWIN Coordinator
Katharina Meyer
ipwin@iwi-tr.org
SEO Online and Branding Coordinator
Anna Ilhan
brandingcoordinator@iwi-tr. org
Process Optimizing Coordinator
Karen Yarnold
operations@iwi-tr.org
Yayın Türü / Issue Type: Yerel Süreli
Relationship Manager
Halima Hodzic
relationshipmanager@iwi-tr. org
IWI Newsletter Coordinator
Suzy Kaluti
iwieletter@iwi-tr.org
Digital Media & Website Coordinator
Katja Tongucer
digitalmedia@iwi-tr.org
Events Team
Karina Yalcin
events@iwi-tr.org
Programs Team / Spring Festival
Tanja Grüb
programs@iwi-tr.org
Programs Team
Nihan Mortensen
programs@iwi-tr.org
Basım Tarihi: 19.12.2015 Sayı: 78
Charity Volunteer Coordinator
Kristina Delgado
charity@iwi-tr.org
Communications Associate Eleanor Ross
communications@iwi-tr.org
Official Facebook page: facebook.com/istanbulwomen Instagram account @iwistanbul
Events Team and administrative suppport
Ayla Schwartkop
adminteam@iwi-tr.org
MumsnKids Party Coordinator
Maria Ciftgül
mumsnkids@iwi-tr.org
Tasarım / Design: Marlet Advertising Studios www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16 Matbaa / Printer: Marlet Print Solutions Fener Kalamış Caddesi: No:30 Kalamış / İstanbul www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16
Cover picture courtesy of IMA, clothes by Merve Derya
2
IWI EMBEDDED TEAM
LALE
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Living in Istanbul, we are all familiar with the sight of refugees. While Turkey should be admired for opening its doors to so many from Syria, life is still hard for those who have been waiting here, often for years, to return home. Most are not entitled to work and, frequently, women are here alone with their children with little means to support themselves. For this reason, we have dedicated our Charity section this issue to initiatives in place to help urban refugees – those living in Istanbul rather than in refugee camps. We support several programmes and drives to help Syrian women here to earn a living and to find support from within their own as well as their surrounding environments. Find out more about how you can help on page 16. In a similar vein, for those of us witnessing the plight of Syrian refugees on a daily basis here in Istanbul (where, incidentally, there are more refugees from Syria than in the whole of Europe), it can be hard to understand the rhetoric coming from Europe regarding those countries’ fears of an influx. To this end, our very own board member, Halima Hodzic, herself a child refugee survivor of the war in Bosnia in the 1990s, talks to us about her experiences in our interview section on page 38. Above all, she wants to remind us that her family only survived because of the charity of strangers, in Bosnia, in Croatia, where she eventually escaped to, and in the US which ultimately took her family in and gave them a new home and a new start. Halima reminds us that refugees are human beings – their plight could so easily be our own – and we should treat them as such. This is such an important message and I urge us all to help in whatever way you can. We hope you have a wonderful start to this, the new year, and enjoy Lale! Nina Lister Lale Editor lale@iwi-tr.org
A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
When you think about the huge variety of skills, talents and knowledge we have between us at the IWI, and what we can achieve when we put them all together, it is pretty awe inspiring. I am overwhelmed every day, meeting so many inspiring women who are members of the IWI and who enrich or support our community in so many ways. Some of these wonderful women joined the IWI board as volunteers recently, for example Anna with a BSc in Geological/Geophysical Engineering, Katharina with a Master’s Degree in Organisational Psychology from Germany, or Karen with a BSc Honours in Pure Maths and Statistics and 25 years experience in process engineering and redesign from Scotland. At the moment, our Board represents nine different nationalities, and we experience diversity every day.
Besides all this, we learn how enriching and fulfilling our mission “from women for women” can be, looking at the fantastic fundraising results of our Christmas Charity Festival in December with around 55,000 TL net income. A big round of applause is well due to all our volunteers who served before, during and after the event as well as a big thank you to our sponsors, stallholders, partners and contributors. Without your support, passion and generosity, we could not have pulled off such a well organised event and, together, made a difference by raising vital funds for the IWI charities. For 2016 I wish all of us a healthy and successful new year and I count on your support to make this year even more successful than the last. Stephanie Machoi Chairwoman chairwoman@iwi-tr.org
LALE SOCIETY
HALLOWEEN PARTY PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER
IWI kids enjoyed a scary Halloween party at Gymboree in Ulus in October. They made Halloween bags, played some spooky games and the very bravest little witches and wizards paid a visit to the Pink Witch’s cave for a special Halloween treat
4
LALE SOCIETY
PERA PALACE TOUR PHOTOGRAPHY: KAMILA BAKIRHAN
In November, IWI hosted a fascinating tour around the charming, historic Pera Palace Hotel. The Pera Palace was the first luxury hotel to be built in Istanbul to host passengers travelling on the the Orient Express railway from Paris. It has recently been beautifully restored to its former glory
Alicia from Spain, Gwendolen from the US, Anita from Hungary, Kathryn, Jelena from Serbia, Karen from the Netherlands, Anne-Marie from Romania and Aylin from Germany
Aylin from Germany and Alicia from Spain
Karen from the Netherlands and Gwendolen from the US
Catherine from the UK, Jean, Jules from Australia, with guests
At the event
Enjoying delicious patisseries before the tour
Jules from Australia, Alicia from Spain, Jean, Ayla from Germany, Aylin from Germany, Anne-Marie from Romania, Anita from Hungary, Nina from the UK
Angelika from the Netherlands, Catherine from the UK, Fiona from the UK, Ayla from Germany and Gwendolen from the US
LALE SOCIETY
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR PHOTOGRAPHY: AIVITA LEJNIECE, KAMILA BAKIRHAN, HILANEH MAHMOUDI
IWI hosted its popular Christmas Bazaar at the Hilton Bosphorus Hotel on November 29, featuring a variety of stallholders, food court, Santa’s Grotto, lottery and a host of choral and dramatic performances
6
LALE SOCIETY
CHRISTMAS CUPCAKES PHOTOGRAPHY: AIVITA LEJNIECE
IWI ladies enjoyed making gorgeous cupcakes just in time for Christmas with Houda El Haimeur, a certified cake decorator from Morocco
Getting ready to decorate
Karen from the Netherlands
Gabriela from Mexico
At the workshop
Gabriela from Mexico, Miriam from Germany and guest
Guest with Houda from Morocco and Gabriela from Mexico
Working hard!
At the workshop
7
LALE SOCIETY
CORDON BLEU WORKSHOP PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNETTE FLECK
The Cordon Bleu Culinary Art Institute hosted a workshop for IWI members in November, where ladies toured the professional kitchens and had the opportunity to talk to Michelin-starred chefs
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
8
9
LALE SOCIETY
ASIA-SIDE CHRISTMAS LUNCH PHOTOGRAPHY: KAMILA BAKIRHAN
IWI’s Christmas lunch for members living on the Asian side of the city took place at Il Padrino restaurant in Caddebostan in December. Ladies enjoyed mulled wine, roast turkey with all the trimmings and delicious pastries
Marianne from Australia, Enkthtuya and Karen from the UK
Michele from the Netherlands with guests
Maretta from the UK, guest, Lesley from the UK, Lisa from the UK, Jules from Australia, Suzy from the US
Guests
Guests, Jules from Australia, Hülya from Germany
Guests with Sheila from the UK and Linda from South Africa,
Sheila from the UK, Linda from South Africa
Hülya from Germany, Marianne and Nuran
10
Guests
Anne-Marie from Romania, Karen from the Netherlands, Tomoko from Japan, Marianne from Australia, Karen from the UK, Gabriele from Germany
At the event
LALE SOCIETY
EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS LUNCH PHOTOGRAPHY: KAMILA BAKIRHAN
Alancha restaurant in Maçka hosted IWI’s Christmas lunch for ladies living on the European side, serving up a delicious lunch of steak or Seabass
Catherine from the UK, Mary from Australia
Yuriko from Japan and Esbie from South Africa
Miriam from Germany, Halima from Bosnia, Nicole from the US and Nina from the UK
Sheila from the UK and Yuriko from Japan
BJ from the US with Sia and Anna from the US
Elena from Russia, Cynthia from Canada, Anita from Hungary and Elie
Kathleen from Switzerland, Cynthia from Canada, Miriam from Spain, Anita from Hungary, and Hasnaa from Morocco
Ayşe from Turkey, Marina from Indonesia, Karen from the UK
11
LALE NETWORKING
HOW TO GET AHEAD IN BUSINESS IN TURKEY
–
FEATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER
Negotiating a new culture when setting up in business in a different country will always present hurdles – doubly so if you are a woman. At a recent event hosted by IPWIN, specialist adviser Semiha Ünal explained some of the dos and don’ts
I
t is no secret that doing business in Turkey has its frustrations for those not familiar with the culture here. In November, Semiha Ünal, who specialises in guiding foreign companies and start-ups through the minefield that is Turkish business culture, spoke at an IPWIN event about some of the pitfalls you could avoid with a little advance knowledge.
RELATIONS
Turkey is both traditional and Western-facing, with a paternalistic business structure (title is important) and significant government control. “Some entrepreneurs or managers believe that all it takes to be successful in other markets is to be experienced in their own field,” said Semiha. “This is absolutely not possible.”
Be prepared for highly personal questions from acquaintances. In Turkey it is perfectly acceptable for casual acquaintances to ask each other’s age or even salary.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND ETIQUETTE
You will get off to a better start in a Turkish business meeting if you don’t just launch straight in to the business at hand. Turks like to make a personal connection first and will appreciate it if you take the time to engage in a little small first. Talk a little about Turkey – its geographic importance, its people etc. Avoid religion and politics! Punctuality is taken very seriously when it comes to business meetings, so if you are running late, call to explain. However, this varies across Turkey. The further east you go, the less important it is to make a formal appointment. “Body language and attitude are really important,” Semiha said. “Do not cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets while you are talking. Similarly, show respect for Turkish cultural values and do not adopt a patronising or authoritarian attitude.” Pressure tactics, such as imposing deadlines, will not be appreciated. How you dress is important. Women should wear suits, dresses and heels. Avoid low-cut blouses, shorts and short skirts.
DINING AND ENTERTAINING
“If you have guests, you must serve them tea and you should always accept tea from your hosts,” said Semiha. “Be prepared to drink a lot of tea!” Similarly, if you are eating with hosts, come along hungry. They may be offended if you don’t eat a great deal. It is wise to err on the side of caution when it comes to alcohol, however. Turks who are strict Muslims never drink it, so don’t offer it. There is no such thing as “going Dutch” in Turkey. If you invite someone to dinner, you must pay the bill and allow the other person to pay the bill if they have invited you. While it is fine for a foreign woman to invite a male business contact to dinner, however, they will not allow you to pay the bill.
12
It can be useful to have a connection in common with a business contact to help “oil” the relationship as Turks may be reluctant to do business with someone they do not know at all. However, you must be sure of the credentials of your connection. If they are not highly regarded, you will lose out.
In Turkey, decisions in organisations are made from the top. If you are the top person in your organisation and you send someone less senior along to a meeting, they may not be taken seriously.
BUSINESS ATTITUDE
“You will always bargain for everything,” said Semiha. This is when it does not pay to be direct. “When you negotiate you may have to play convoluted games to get what you want.” Expect meetings to take a lot longer than you might be expecting and to have frequent interruptions with phone calls, etc. Knowledge and creativity are still not regarded particularly highly in Turkey and people can use or copy your idea or web content easily and without permission – so be careful how you present it. Overall, if you want to get along in business in Turkey, you must network to develop personal relationships within the relevant business community – in Turkey, there is no difference between business relationships and personal ones. “I like to act according to a saying,” said Semiha. “It is not the power of the drop that creates the hole in the rock, but the continuity of it. You have to win the trust of Turkish people before you do business with them,” said Semiha. “But protect your idea, business or brand!”
IPWIN EVENTS
JOIN IN WITH IPWIN Every month, IPWIN hosts a number of informative talks and networking events on topics of interest to those living and working as expats in Turkey. Here is a taste of what is coming up in January and February NETWORKING AND COCKTAILS EVENT The International Women of Istanbul (IWI) and International Professional Women of Istanbul Network (IPWIN) are delighted to present an after-work cocktail party and networking event for businesswomen, women entrepreneurs and professional women in Turkey at a special new venue for our gatherings. The theme of the event is “Women in Business in Turkey”. As well as interesting speeches from IWI chairwoman Stephanie Machoi and one other keynote speaker, surprises, cocktails and finger food, we will gather and network with other vibrant and inspiring women – both foreign and Turkish to exchange ideas and knowledge, and to make new friends. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get more involved in the business scene in Istanbul. You can find more details about this great event on our website: www.iwi-tr.org; and please RSVP to ipwin@iwi-tr. org if you would like to attend. The attendance fee includes one welcome cocktail and nibbles. There will also be special “happy hour” cocktail prices available.
If you are interested in joining IWI, you will be able to register for membership at this event. Please note that, as per IWI policy, a reservation made is considered a reservation paid. Last-minute cancellations and no-shows will be charged accordingly.
Date
Thursday, February 18
Time
6.30pm to 10.00pm
Location
The Marriott Sisli Hotel, Abide-i Hurriyet Caddesi No 142, Sisli
Cost
Business Members free of charge; Classic Members 30TL; Basic Members 40TL; Guests 50TL
Reservations
ipwin@iwi-tr.org
Contact
Katharina Meyer
TALK AND WORKSHOP: THE BENEFITS OF MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IPWIN is delighted to announce a talk and workshop on a very important and interesting topic; “Raising world citizens – the benefits of multilingual and multicultural education in early childhood”. Our speaker, Elif Icbilen Welsh, is the Country Manager of Fröbel İstanbul, a fully supported and established preschool, founded by a German foundation dedicated to the multicultural, multilingual education of children aged two to six. She is a passionate believer in raising each child as a world citizen with all the values our world needs. Elif established the Koç University ELC for Kids Programme and co-founded ArtCore Creative, an Interactive digital advertising agency, based in Istanbul. Date
Wednesday, January 20
Time
7.00pm to 9.00pm
Location
FRÖBEL İstanbul Çocuk Eğitim Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi Konaklar Mah., Meşeli Sok. No:19 4.Levent-İstanbul
Cost
Business Members 25TL; Classic Members 30TL; Basic Members 40TL; Guests 50TL
Reservations
ipwin@iwi-tr.org
Contact
Katharina Meyer
13
LALE LEGAL
WHEN ACCIDENTS TURN NASTY FEATURE: DR KAREN AKINCI. PHOTOGRAPHY: CİHAN SONÜSTÜN
Our legal columnist, Karen Akıncı, warns what can happen when you don’t take legal precautions after an accident
I
thought I would change tack this month with a cautionary tale for the season. The motivation behind this story is a peculiar side effect of the rise of awareness and the laws for protection of women in Turkey. I only have good things to say about tightening laws for the protection of women especially considering the level of female and spousal abuse that we come across in our practice. However, as you will see from poor Charles’ story, a woman’s statement may be given a higher level of preference in protection and assault cases. Let’s join Charles as he innocently wanders around a shopping centre waiting for his wife to finish paying for the Christmas shopping. Suddenly, a woman, who he later learns is named Ayşe, carrying a hot cup of coffee and texting on her phone, barrells into him. In the collision, Ayşe drops her phone and spills her coffee down her coat and over Charles’s arm giving him a nasty scauld. Charles, being a very British gent, apologises profusely, pulls out his hanky and offers it, not considering his own injuries at all. As he bends down to pick up her phone for her they bang heads. Charles, now suffering a burn and a rising egg on his head puts his hand out to help her up, at which point she starts to shout and call for the security guards. Charles tries to calm her but Ayşe is very upset and angry. Bystanders tried to help, saying they saw it all, and soon the security guard is there. One thing leads to another and Charles and his wife find themselves in a Turkish Police station making a statement about how he accidentally bumped into Ayşe in the shopping centre. The police ask if he wants to press charges because he is injured and there is an argument that Ayşe was negligent carrying a coffee without a lid while walking and texting. Charles won’t hear of it, he says it was an accident and no harm has been done. The police give him his statement and say he should go to the hospital to have his injuries tended and a report made about how they happened. But by the time he gets home he is too tired. His wife, a retired nurse, patches him up, gives him a pain killer and puts him to bed. The next day the pain has subsided; his wife changes the bandage and says it looks fine, checks his eyes and tells him he’d live; they put the whole thing down to experience and he goes back to work. Three weeks later, after his injuries have healed, Charles is dumfounded when served notice of a court case against him for assault. Ayşe had apparently gone straight to the doctor and shown him an injury inside her cheek from where they had bumped heads and she bit herself. This was her only injury because her coat took the brunt of the coffee. The doctor has written a report stating the nature of the injury,
saying that she was injured during an altercation with a man in a shopping centre. She then made a complaint in another police station that Charles had caused her injury deliberately, showing the doctor’s report. The day after the summons, Charles goes to the shopping centre but learns that video files are only kept for two weeks. He seeks out the security guard but is told he had left his job.
To cut a long story short, Charles was sadly convicted of assault, given a two-year suspended sentence and a small fine. Ayşe did not bring any action for compensation and he thankfully he did not hear from her again. The main reason was convicted was because of the documentation that Ayşe provided in the form of the police and doctor’s reports and the lack of documentation on Charles’s part. Even the police report that Charles had said he considered it an accident and no harm was done.
Charles now faced a worrying two years because if anything like this happened again he could potentially go to prison. He made the very difficult decision to retire and leave Turkey simply because of this experience and it was a sad end to an otherwise very happy experience in Turkey as an ex-pat. Charles acted as a perfect gentleman all the way through the experience but we can analyse the mistakes that he made. Charles’s initial auto-response of apologising to Ayşe, when in fact it was she who had crashed into him, scaulded his arm and given him a concussion, was a matter of pedigree and I would have it no other way. It must be said though, that had Charles indicated to the security guard, police and bystanders that Ayşe had actually crashed into him and not the other way around, she may not have been so confident to turn the blame to him. Apart from this, Charles could have taken some steps to mitigate his situation. First, he could have asked the security guard and any witnesses for contact details in case he needed them to give an account. He could have asked the shopping centre keep a copy of the video.
Most importantly, Charles should have gone to the doctor and had his injuries catalogued and a report written up explaining how they occurred. He should also have told the police clearly that he was minding his own business when Ayse barrelled into him carrying a hot coffee without a lid while texting on her phone but he did not want to press charges. If Charles had gone to the doctor, and given this statement to the police, even if he didn’t press charges at the time, he could have made a counterclaim when Ayşe accused him or at least he would have had evidence from that time to refute her case.
Characters portrayed are fictitious and for the purpose of illustration of actual legal matters and possibilities from the real experience of the author. This information is not exhaustive and not intended as legal advice. The author takes no responsibility for any action taken after reading. Legal Advice should be sought before any action is made. Akinci Law Office holds a surgery for telephone questions on Wednesday mornings or for further information on anything you have read here or related questions you can contact them on info@akincilaw.com
14
Come
explore with us !
keystoneschools.com.tr I 0216 370 4951 I
K.Çamlıca
-
İstanbul
LALE CHARITIES
SYRIA – CRISIS OF OUR TIME FEATURE: KRISTINA DELGADO. PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNETTE FLECK AND COURTESY OF SMALL PROJECTS ISTANBUL
As the war in Syria continues with no end in sight, organisations like Small Projects Istanbul and KADAV are inspiring hope by investing in migrant women and leading the way towards rebuilding the lives of refugees in Turkey. Kristina Delgado, IWI Charity Volunteers Coordinator, reports
T
he media abounds with images of refugees living in squalid conditions in camps. But the plight of urban refugees, many of whom have been “stuck” in cities such as Istanbul for years, is not always so sympathetically looked upon. Most came here hoping they would return to their homes soon. But as the months have turned into years, they now face the challenge of rebuilding their lives in a different country. This is a particular challenge for women. As the war in Syria enters its fifth year, the impact of history’s largest humanitarian crisis is daunting. The United Nations estimates that more than 11 million people have been displaced by the conflict, of whom 4 million are now refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries like Turkey. To make matters more critical, an estimated 75% of Turkey’s 2 million refugees are women and children. As the number of refugees grows, the crisis becomes more complex and the needs of all members of the refugee population increasingly change and differ. Unfortunately, through these evolving circumstances, the specific needs and plight of Syria’s women is often forgotten and underestimated. As the crisis worsens, more focus is placed on men who actively wage war and less attention is placed on women who also pay a heavy price for the conflict. Male family members are often killed, imprisoned or injured, leaving women to become the sole providers for entire households. As a result,
16
most migrant women live in severe poverty with extreme pressure to provide for their families. Women often singlehandedly carry the burden of their entire family’s security as they struggle to survive economically in their new host communities in Turkey. Additionally, Syrian women live in the margins of society due to sociocultural divides that leave them voiceless and powerless. Women who live in critical and impoverished circumstances are often completely isolated because of language barriers, leaving them incredibly vulnerable. Most are unaware of their rights as refugees in Turkey and are consequently susceptible to violence and exploitation. In the most impoverished refugee communities, many live under the constant threat of abuse and are forced carry the burden alone. Being aware of the specific challenges women face, Syrian men become increasingly protective and controlling of the women in their families. Often this means keeping their daughters and sisters from attending school or seeking employment and isolating their wives and mothers entirely. In an effort to remain safe, these measures obstruct any semblance of community or peer-to-peer support that is needed to help women heal and rebuild their lives. Through providing economic opportunities and a sense of community, charities and social organisations such as Small Projects Istanbul and KADAV – both are IWI grantee charities
LALE CHARITIES – are helping to give these women the tools to build their lives anew. When women are empowered, their families are empowered and entire communities are strengthened for the promise of a better tomorrow. There are currently more Syrian refugees in Istanbul than in the whole of Europe. With the growing needs of the nearly 350, 000 urban refugees here, a shortage of funds and resources and a lack of development practitioners, Syrian women are at great risk of becoming marginalised. While there is a tremendous desire to help Syrians within the expatriate and local communities, the gravity of the crisis requires international and local organisations to go a step further by providing humanitarian strategies to enhance Syrians’ sustainability and self-reliance. This means a systemic move away from providing immediate, emergency relief, and instead a move toward responses that meet the long term needs of Syrians in Turkey. Both KADAV and Small Projects Istanbul are stepping up to this challenge. These two organisations are working towards building sustainable programmes to address the gaps in the refugee response by focusing their efforts on empowering Syrian women in Istanbul and creating opportunities for economic recovery, promoting community building, and importantly, providing integration into Turkish society.
EARNING POWER
Small Projects Istanbul (SPI) has broadened its original education-related mission in order to remain faithful to the growing needs of refugee community. SPI’s team quickly realised that they could not solely focus on education services when the majority of the women in the community were left in dire circumstances as the only providers for their households. Education initiatives must run in tandem with other forms of living support. If a child’s family does not have access to the most basic needs of food and shelter because of poverty, those issues must be addressed along with education. No aspect of the refugee crisis can function independently of another. SPI is now registered as a Turkish non-governmental organisation that aims to empower women through specific projects that promote economic security while also helping students displaced by the Syrian conflict. They provide access to scholarships and supplemental education in order to help families succeed in Turkey and beyond. SPI tries to stop the downward spiral of unemployment and poverty that a lack of education causes for the Syrian refugees. The organisation is based in Capa where they have a community centre called The Olive Tree. Most members of The Olive Tree community centre are women whose husbands migrated to Europe alone to try to safeguard a better future for their families before beginning the process of a lengthy family reunion. SPI’s communication manager, Anna Tuscon says: “For many women, it means they are left on their own with little or no means of income to support themselves and their families as they don’t have a right to work in Turkey.”
Opposite page: A support group for Syrian women run by KADAV Above and top: Children play and learn at Small Projects Istanbul Right: Özgül Kaptan, coordinator at KADAV
Aware of the growing need to help women become self reliant, SPI began running a craft collective project for women in Capa that provides training and opportunities for economic recovery. The project, which began in November 2015, helps women earn money by learning crafts like weaving, sewing and jewellery-making. The products are then sold through local business partners across Istanbul, including Grand Bazaar jewellers, and proceeds are given directly to the women. “For some women, it is the first time in their lives they have done any kind of work outside of their homes and they are thriving,” says Tuscon. Income-generating activities not only help women gain livelihood security, but more importantly, empower them by giving them the tools they need to gain a sustainable independence and reclaim dignified lives for themselves and their children.
17
LALE CHARITIES BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH WOMEN
In addition to economically empowering women for long-term benefits, KADAV is pioneering new programs that focus on building a sense of community to help women become more independent. Through a partnership with Hayata Destek, KADAV is leading women’s programmes for a community centre in Küçuükçekmece (Support to Life). KADAV, or Women’s Solidarity Foundation, is a Turkish organisation that aims to create opportunities for gender equality in Turkey and was established initially to support women after the Marmara earthquake in 1999. Today, KADAV provides support for women who experience gender-based violence, have a lack of employment opportunities and suffer from marginalisation and discrimination. KADAV supports the gender-based work of international and national organisations to address the gaps of intervention in safeguarding women.
“If you put people together, they’re able to solve problems together and help each other, but people need a place to come together in order to start this movement.” These workshops provide the framework for social cohesion by giving the women a sense of purpose in an active and lowpressure environment. Due to the threats of exploitation and abuse, Syrian women live most of their lives in isolation and do not have any access to peer support. By giving women an opportunity to participate in a meaningful activity, simultaneously women enter a safe space where they can receive psychosocial support from professionals or receive support from their own community. Ultimately, helping women build social networks helps them heal, cope with the demands of daily life and become more resilient. As Özgül Kaptan says: “Progress for the community starts with women.” If you are interested in supporting the refugee community in Istanbul, consider supporting sustainable initiatives that equip refugees with tools and the skills needed to independently transform their lives. For more information on the projects above please visit: www.smallprojectsistanbul.org and www.kadav-ist.org Right: Syrian boys play outside in the Küçükçekmece neighbourhood Below: Small Projects İstanbul supports Syrian communities
As of December 2015, KADAV has been operating women’s programmes in the underserved community of Küçuükçekmece. Its gender-based projects are supplemental to health and legal services that are offered through other organisations at the community centre. In addition to advocacy and awareness projects, KADAV will start cooking workshops for the women in the community. Through cooking classes, women are immersed in Turkish language and culture that not only presents an opportunity for women to eat and learn about wellness but most importantly provides a safe and positive environment for social cohesion and community building. Cooking workshops are invaluable tools for long-term integration into Turkish society for Syrian women. Syrian cuisine is predominantly meat-based, whereas Turkish home cooking is mostly plant-based. Since meat is expensive in Turkey, many Syrian women can’t afford to eat the way they did culturally in their home country. Cooking classes present an opportunity to educate women about wellness while bridging cultural and language divides through food. Women learn about how to prepare vegetable-based Turkish dishes while also learning about daily food organisation and distribution. This project also allows the women to be fully immersed in Turkish language and culture in order to build a sense of camaraderie with Turkish women in their host community. It provides a venue and opportunity to better integrate with Turkish society and move beyond cultural isolation. Beyond the immediate benefits of cooking workshops for Syrian women, this project creates a positive environment to facilitate a feeling of community and belonging that is necessary to help women thrive. KADAV’s Özgül Kaptan says:
18
LALE CHARITIES HOW YOU CAN HELP Small Projects Istanbul is looking for a pro bono Marketing Specialist to help create a marketing and distribution strategy to sell the women’s crafts and jewellery. SPI seeks a dynamic professional with experience in product sales and development who will manage its distribution. Please send your CV to volunteers@ smallprojectsistanbul.org. KADAV is seeking donations to create a nursery for its community centre. Donations accepted are baby food, diapers and portable baby cribs. Additionally, KADAV is open to cooking, craft, beauty and wellness workshop ideas to support their current activities. If you have ideas for a creative workshop and can donate resources to run a small project for the women in Küçükçekmece please contact ozgulkaptan@gmail.com Although there are limited opportunities to work directly with refugee relief, there is important work everyone can do to help ameliorate the Syrian Crisis. Lend your voice to advocate for an end to the Syrian conflict. The recent escalation of violence in Syria has worsened the terrible suffering endured by Syrians, and stressed the need to urgently find a political solution to the conflict. The lives claimed by the conflict and the number of people fleeing violence are growing every day and we must urge world leaders to pursue political solutions to the crisis beyond military intervention. This includes pushing governments to pursue diplomatic and political means to end the conflict and insisting that Western governments increase refugee resettlement quotas and streamline resettlement procedures. To push leaders to seek political solutions for the end of the Syrian Crisis: www.change.org/p/don-t-let-syria-down stopwar.org.uk/index.php/petitions www.avaaz.org/en/solution_for_syria_loc To urge governments to help resettle refugees in the West: petitions.moveon.org/sign/syrian-refugee-resettlement-1 petitions.whitehouse.gov
JEWELLERY AGAINST TERRORISM
Small Projects Istanbul has teamed up with jewellers at the Grand Bazaar to teach Syrian women how to make jewellery and sell it on their behalf
N
urhan Gümüşmakaş, the founder of GrandBazaarJewelers.com, has come up with a bracelet design which both highlights the plight of refugees, while helping them to earn a living, but also turns terrorism on its head. The bracelet design is an Arabic letter “N”, which is used by ISIS to mark Christians living in the areas which it currently controls. Nurhan stresses the design is meant to symbolize all refugees who have been forced to flee their homes for safety. He designed small discs in 925 silver, a mix of silver and gold, and 18 carat gold on macrame bracelets. With years of knowledge and experience behind him, Nurhan optimised the design of the discs to require minimum man hours thereby reducing his costs in order to give more support to refugees. After the cost of materials, all of the money will go to Small Projects Istanbul, a nonprofit charity based in Istanbul and run by a team of Australians, New Zealanders and Syrians dedicated to helping refugees regardless of their ethnic and religious affiliations. The actual weaving of the “N” support bracelets is being done by refugee women themselves – many of whom practise varying sects of Islam. It is a truly multicultural, ethnic and religious effort. Nurhan has further developed this special line with bracelets designed and
manufactured by the refugee women themselves. In the past year, Nurhan says he has witnessed increasing numbers of refugees begging on the streets out of necessity. Most refugees are not given permission to work legally and educating their children in UN approved Arabic curriculum is costprohibitive. “It’s terrible to see and the first thing I think of is my family. The current refugees from Syria and Iraq need help. I’ve watched children here sharing a meal of rice on the ground in the centre of the city. They aren’t even asking for money, they are asking for bread.” GrandBazaarJewelers.com is a jewellery manufacturer and wholesaler of gold, 925 sterling silver and gemstone jewellery by master jewellers and artisans in Istanbul. It offers fine, handcrafted pieces that are chic and timeless. The organisation is one of the first to sell online. The refugee bracelets, which are priced at 50TL, are available for purchase online at www.GrandBazaarJewelers.com and select retailers in the US, Europe, and Australia. For wholesale inquiries, http://www.grandbazaarjewelers.com/Home/ Variants/300/Small-Projects-Istanbul-Donation
19
SPONSORED FEATURE
TAKING KIDS TO THE DENTIST None of us exactly relishes the prospect of going to the dentist, least of all our kids. Paediatric dentist Msc. Dt. Nevşe Çetin Kayabaşoğlu, founder of DentGroup Kids, gives advice Taking children to the dentist can be a fraught experience, particularly if you or your children are nervous about it. Thankfully, these days, many paediatric dentists are doing more to make your children feel happy and relaxed. One of those leading the way in this field in Istanbul is DentGroup Dental Clinics, which also has a branch specifically dedicated to kids, DentGroup Kids. Msc. Dt. Nevşe Çetin Kayabaşoğlu, who graduated from Yeditepe University Faculty of Dentistry with a masters in Pedodontics and has extensive experience in paediatric dentistry, explains what DentGroup Kids has to offer and how parents can help children when it comes to keeping healthy teeth.
What facilities and services do you have at DentGroup specifically for children?
We have playgrounds inside the clinics. While waiting for their appointment, children can play video games, watch cartoons and play with play dough. Our examination boxes are also filled with toys. During the examination they can watch a 3D film that they choose from the watch list. Even the examination seat looks like a dinosaur.
Which of the DentGroup branches have facilities for children?
DentGroup Maslak, DentGroup Ataşehir and DentGroup Kids in Caddebostan, which is our first kids’ branch, contain special facilities for children.
Why is it important for children to see a specialist paediatric dentist?
A paediatric dentist is sensitive to “dental phobia” and can turn the dental treatment into an enjoyable game for the child. She will determine a child’s risk of decay and can apply dental sealants to the child’s teeth to help prevent decay. The pedodontist can also advise on special dietary requirements for children and will ensure that the correct progress of the child’s jaw and teeth development is in order. Also, she will be able to perform orthodontic treatments and other dental treatments for children who require special attention.
How do you make children feel relaxed and comfortable at the dentist?
The doctor first welcomes children outside the surgical room, and will play with them and try to relax them. For instance, sometimes our pedodontists draw shapes onto hands of kids with a makeup pen.
What sorts of dental problems do children frequently have?
Often we find that they have cavities and improper positioning of teeth. These are the most common problems.
20
What can parents do to avoid these problems?
Primary tooth care is a preparatory step for caring for adult teeth. Parents should encourage their children to care for their milk teeth first. Because they will be replaced by permanent – or adult – teeth after approximately 10 years, it can be easy to underestimate the importance of primary teeth. Even when this is the case, however, it’s highly important for your children to practise healthy dental care habits to keep their primary teeth in good shape.
When should parents get their children examined by an orthodontist?
Children must be taken to an orthodontist for examination in case of; breathing through the mouth or adenoid problems, use of a pacifier for a long time, having a thumb-sucking habit, having a cleft lip or cleft palate, detection of a missing tooth, having received a major blow to the jaw, the upper or lower jaw being too far back or forward from the maternal or paternal side, observation of a buck-tooth, early extraction of a baby tooth or, lastly, having crooked teeth.
Why is primary tooth care so important?
The permanent teeth actually develop from the same root germs as primary teeth, which means that the primary teeth have a central role in guiding permanent teeth eruptions. Another function of primary teeth is, of course, chewing. Primary teeth help children break down food in the mouth thoroughly so that they can maintain good nutrition. Children with malformed or decayed primary teeth are more likely to be underweight and exhibit dietary deficiencies. Last, primary teeth play a vital role in speech development. The first three years of a child’s life are considered the most intensive stage for acquiring language, and the average child develops most of his or her speech skills between the ages of two and five. It’s no coincidence, then, that the primary teeth come in between four months and three years of age. These teeth are crucially important for developing proper speech. During the speech acquisition stage, a child will learn how to create various sounds in the mouth, many of which directly involve the use of teeth – such as the “f”, “th” and “d” sounds.
DentGroup Kids DentGroup Call Center: 444 88 21 DentGroup is offering a 20% discount to all IWI members. For more information about the services provided by DentGroup for children, please see: www.dentgroupinternational.com
Msc. Dt. Nevşe Çetin Kayabaşoğlu
What are the most common dental applications for children?
The greatest demand for children’s treatments in our clinics is in fissure sealant and fluor gel applications. Fissure sealant application is a protective treatment in which indented molars are covered with a liquid sealing material. The purpose of fissure sealing application is to prevent plaque accumulation in the indentations of molars which are prone to tooth decay and make brushing easier on these surfaces in order to minimise the risk of tooth decay. It is applied on only the chewing surfaces of molars. Preparation of fissure sealants is quite easy. Fissure sealants are applied within three to five minutes, depending on the communication between the child and the dentist. If fissure sealants are not applied, the surfaces of the molars of your child, which are prone to decay, will not be protected. Hence, primary molars, which are the longest remaining primary teeth, will be in danger of decay. Fluor gel applications, on the other hand, reinforce the constituent of dentine and make the tooth structure resistant to decay. Fluor gel is applied to all surfaces of the teeth. It is effective for four to six months, depending on your child’s decay risk group. It needs to be applied again after this period. After a certain time, fluor will be stored in every incoming tooth.
21
Neck and back pain is rapidly becoming an epidemic
The 7 Enemies Of Your Spine
Back and neck pain is a major health problem of our century. It is becoming widespread and affecting everyone from 7 to 70. In modern life, 90% of the population will experience disabling back and neck pain. Anesthesiology Specialist Dr. Halil Algan from Acıbadem Kadıkoy Hospital Pain Management Department explained that, rather than just calling back or neck pain an ache and waving it away; the cause of the pain should definitely be investigated. Most of the pains we experience are caused by wrong movements and postures of our daily lives. Dr. Algan who pointed out that hundreds of thousands of people in every country experiencing chronic back and neck pain could actually have a pain-free life with the application of some very simple methods. He also added that we can easily avoid certain actions that could be harmful to our spines.
Dr. Algan explained the 7 actions that could be harmful to our spine and provided important warnings and recommendations. Lower back and neck pain are among the top reasons for doctor admissions (actually the 2nd reason of all doctor visits). Prolong sitting, bad body posture, lack of routine exercises, weight gain are among top reasons. Back and neck pain come knocking on your door even at young ages. These pains quickly start to decrease your quality of life and increase the discomfort. Than Chronic Pain comes to our lives (pain more than 3 months), which requires extensive treatment plans. Acıbadem Kadıköy Hospital Pain Management Department specialist Dr. Halil Algan said that, chronic low back and neck pain cause a huge work loss in every country. The amount of work loss reaches hundreds of millions of US dollars every year other than treatment costs. This brings the ‘non-surgical Pain Management treatments’ forward as they are low-cost and they quickly recover the patients. Dr. Algan adds, “The government’s policy must be reducing the work force loss caused by chronic plain to a minimum as many patients are currently being surgically
operated for just getting rid of their pain even it is not medically indicated”. This also hugely increases the medical costs; keep the patients away from their work and family and social life for a very long time. This is why Pain Management Departments play the lead role for treating the low back and neck pain problems in US. Lower back and neck pain is at the top Dr. Algan said that “determining the location of pain and the history of patient’s pain is crucially important. Patient’s complaints and history, almost every time, tells the diagnosis of the pain to Pain Clinicians”. He added that “for example, can they make their bed in the morning; can put their socks and shoes on by themselves; can they do daily shopping; can they drive or even stay in a vehicle without pain?. Telling a patient that she or he has a herniated disc and disc surgery is necessary almost always ends up with chronic disabling spine pain”. Dr. Algan emphasized that “tens of thousands of
Acibadem Kadıköy Hospital Pain Treatment Center, Anesthesia and Reanimation Specialist
Dr. Halil Algan
patients in our country who are experiencing chronic pain, can live a happy and pain-free life if they have simple and effective pain management treatment options. Rules: -Movement is mandatory! -Never bend forward without flexing your knees!
1 3 4 5 2 A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
Technology and modern life are not always human-friendly. They bring sedentary lifestyles. Inactivity hurts our spine. Sitting more than 30 minutes is enough to hurt your discs, back muscles and spine. Walking and leaving your office desk and tech-gadgets every 30 minutes are mandatory.
OVERWEIGHT
Excessive weight increases the load and pressure of the spine discs. This gives way to chronic back and neck pain. Also healing and recovery is more difficult, if the spine carries a lot of excessive weight.
SPONSORED FEATURE
SOFT MATTRESS Soft couches and mattresses with soft build materials might appeal comfortable to everyone at the beginning. But spine mechanics are all deranged on a soft surface, which causes spine pain with prolonged exposure. Our body mechanics needs a firm bed. Also a pillow under or between the knees during night time sleep is the best position for our spine.
PROLONGED STANDING When you stand on your feet for a prolonged time, your back or neck disc pressure starts to increase 4 to 5 times the normal. People who is required to stand extended times during their work, the discs wear and tear much faster. Even ironing at home is dangerous for our back and neck. After 15 minutes, our body needs the shifting of the weight. People who is required to stand extended times during their work, the discs wear and tear much faster.
BENDING FORWARD WITHOUT BENDING OUR KNEES The biggest mistake is here. Legs are straight and bending forward for picking up the newspaper form the floor. Your disc pressure is now increased 6 to 7 times more than the normal. This will certainly rupture the surrounding fiber tissue of your disc. The weight of the object is not the first important parameter. Most important rule is ‘Always Bend Your Knees!’
6
PROLONGED SITTING Human body is structured to move, run and walk. Contrary to knowledge, our spine and the discs are most vulnerable to damage during sitting; not during sports or moving. Office workers who sit during their work hours are among the highest risk. After 20-30 minutes of sitting, back and neck disc pressures increase severely and this brings chronic pain problems. We must leave our desk frequently. There are smartphone applications which warn the user to leave the office desk every 30 minutes.
7
HIGH HEELED SHOES
High heeled shoes, which are attractive and beautiful, are actually harmful to our back and neck spine when worn for prolonged hours and constantly during work. If mandatory, sitting frequently and changing the posture of the spine helps. Shoe heels with 5 centimeters of height are the best choice for prolonged wearing.
*Disc: The powerful, soft and elastic tissue between our bones of the spine. They are strong, elastic and powerful. But when they start to degenerate, they produce neck and back pain. *Spine: The chain of the small bones (vertebra) which starts from our neck and ends at our tailbone *Chronic Pain: Continuous or intermittent pain more than 3 months. Treatment and rehabilitation is totally different from acute pain. Pain Management consultation is needed.
LALE FASHION
Last month, Istanbul Moda Academy, one of Turkey’s foremost schools of fashion design, hosted Istanbul Fashion Week. Jennifer Migan took a look at the creations of some of its up-andcoming stars
RISING STARS
IN FASHION
FEATURE: JENNIFER MIGAN. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS
LALE FASHION
W
hen the Mercedes Benz Istanbul Fashion Week was cancelled late last year following the tragic events in Ankara, Istanbul Moda Academy, which has produced many of the current rising stars in Turkish fashion, stepped in to host its own celebration of fashion in late December. Over the next few pages, you can see some of the designs highlighted there. In recent years, Turkish fashion has been moving its way up on the international fashion stage. While only 20 years ago, despite the existence of internationally acclaimed brands such as Atıl Kutoğlu, Arzu Kaprol, Dice Kayek or Hussein Chalayan, Turkish fashion was still largely associated with lavish designs and excessive broidery, nowadays, it seems, Turkey is becoming a powerhouse of global fashion. While the fashion industry is often depicted as a rather cutthroat business, Turkish designers are highly collaborative and this approach is powering their success. They understood that in order to achieve individual success, they had to come together and unify to promote Turkish fashion more generally. In 2006, therefore, several experienced designers created the Fashion Designers Association of Turkey (MTD) to take the industry to another level. The original members were Bahar Korçan, Ümit Ünal, Hatice Gökçe, Hakan Yildirm, Arzu Kaprol, Özem Süer and Idil Tarzi. The goals of the founding members were to open the fashion market beyond the textile industry and launch a fashion week in Turkey. Thanks to the continuous efforts of the past and present board members, the organisation has today more than 120 members. In order to prepare the next generation of designers, it also was crucial to establish design schools with a more global outlook in Turkey. And what better city than Istanbul to embody this ambition? In 2007, the Istanbul Moda Academy
(IMA) opened its doors in Nişantaşı, the city’s fashion’s epicentre. It has sought since then to create a savoir-faire à la Turque in terms of fashion training design. “Istanbul Moda Academy (IMA) is a worldwide acclaimed and one of the most proficient fashion schools in Turkey,” says Seda Lafçı, IMA director. “We are offering an innovative and modern education in the field of fashion and all relevant branches. The IMA pursues the goal of training fashion professionals of the future, possessing an in-depth insight in fashion, design and arts as well as an awareness of the global markets.” IMA offers a large curriculum, and its programmes include fashion design and technology for men and womens’ wear, product development, leather footwear and accessory designs. In addition to that, students majoring in readyto-wear fashion have the opportunity to spend one year at the prestigious London College of Fashion, which has a partnership with the Academy. Apart from getting hands-on experience while maturing as stylists, the highlight of IMA’s curriculum is the opportunity to show a collection during Fashion Week. “IMA is the only fashion school presenting at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Istanbul. And with our strong relations with Turkey’s fashion industry, our students can create a strong network within the industry during their education,” says Seba. “The students have a chance to experience the good and bad of the industry before they actually take part in the business.” “Students’ works and portfolios have evolved tremendously and become very contemporary with a strong fashion sense,” she says. “They are visually stronger and show great evidence of research and experimentation of creative and technical skills.”
Opposite page: Edgy lines and muted colours from Ceren Bürünsüz were among the designs to be shown at IMA’s Fashion Week in December Below: Istanbul Moda Academy in Nişantaşı, which hosted December’s Fashion Week
LALE FASHION For Sebnem Günay, an undergraduate student in Fashion Design and Technology and rising star at the academy, taking part in Fashion Week is a reward for her hard work: “When I first came they told me that if I was good I would be a part in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Istanbul. It is a great opportunity for the students,” she says. “It has always been a dream of mine and I have worked hard for it.” She explains that the purpose of her collection was to create a new style that is “casual, colourful, happy while mixing different types of fabrics”.
Merve Derya’s playful design for the IMA show
While the students create their collections from A to Z, they get mentoring from world-class stylists such as Hussein Chayalan or Mehtap Elaidi who is the current President of MTD. Some of today’s rising stars of Turkey’s fashion are former IMA students. That is the case for instance for Aslı Filinta. Since her student days, her feminine and timeless creations have graced the pages of Vogue Nippon, and made quite an impression in Paris where she won the Who’s Next Generation’s Young Designers Fashion Award and was invited to do an exhibition at the Palais Royal. Investing in young designers has been a strong area of focus from government and private instances in order to build the sector. Two years ago, the Istanbul Development Agency and the Istanbul Apparel’s Exporters Association (IHKIB) partnered up and created the Fashion Incube, the first fashion business incubator in Turkey. More than funding innovative projects, it provides technical support with an access to offices and showroom spaces, a 360 consultancy including brand strategy, business management, collections preparation for IFW and international fairs and mentoring from experienced designers or fashion professionals. The continuous effort from designers and fashion professionals in promoting Turkish fashion has played a major role in the emergence of a generation of talented young stylists. Many of them have worked for well-established retail brands in Turkey (and sometimes abroad too) before launching their own brands. Mostly based in Istanbul, these young designers ideally represent what makes Istanbul such a fascinating city: modern, multicultural and yet still attached to traditions. They understand the codes of global fashion, and yet, they stay very connected to their roots and implement Turkish culture in modern designs. Brands such as Zeynep Tosun, Les Benjamins, Tuba Ergin or Asu Aksu are becoming very popular with international celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Robert Downey Junior, Nicole Scherzinger and Travis Scott. Although the fashion industry is massively designed for women, men have traditionally occupied (and still do) the most important positions in the business. So, when acclaimed designers Mehtap Elaidi, Zeynal Kartal or Arzu Kaprol reached international fame, being a female stylist proved to be quite an achievement. And by being pioneers in the industry, they certainly impacted a whole new generation of women who are taking their places year after year the forefront of Turkish fashion.
26
IMA’s Seçkin Piriler Tangözer was striking and futuristic at December’s Fashion Week
Clean lines and a little cubism from IMA designer Iris SĂźloĹ&#x;
LALE FASHION
ISTANBUL DESIGNERS OUR TOP PICKS Mehtap Elaidi
If you like iconic and timeless pieces, you will love Mehtap Elaidi designs. You will especially enjoy Elaidi’s ability to create classic items with a great use of colour and silky materials that create a sense of “effortless chic”. Her showroom can be found at Akkavak Sokak, Haci Ömer Apt. No: 18/12, Nişantaşi.
Arzu Kaprol
Confident women will embrace Arzu’s fashion-forward designs. They will like the well-shaped and architectural designs which are yet very comfortable. Ideal for those who like to show that you can dress in a professional manner at work while still bringing some edge. You can also rock Arzu’s style for an after-work date in a trendy place or for a girls’ night out. Find her flagship shop at Abdi Ipekçi Cad, Atiye Sok, No:9, Nişantaşi.
Zeynep Tosun
Zeynep studied fashion in Milan and is a very well established designer not only in Turkey but overseas as well. Her unconventional, feminine, high-tailored couture designs have graced the runways of Istanbul and London Fashion Week since 2010. Lady Gaga, the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger and Keri Hilson are among the many celebrities who have celebrated her looks. Her showroom can be found at 8. Gazeteciler Sitesi, Hare Sok, No:22, Akatlar, Besiktas.
Nej
The philosophy of Nej will resonate with free-spirited women who like silky, asymetric yet elegant clothes that are made with a great respect for nature. Valikonağı Cad, No:65 D:2, Şişli
Lady Faith
Before creating her brand in 2012, Nazli Soylu, the woman behind Lady Faith was the senior designer for iconic stylist Diane Von Furstenberg. Soylu’s aim is to create spiritual designs that inspire women. Through her colourful and geometric designs, she wants her customers to “bring forth their inner goddess and become paintings in motion”. Lady Faith is at Cevdet Paşa Caddesi, Park Apartmanı No:33/3, Bebek.
Tuba Ergin
This former IMA student was quickly noticed for her strong identity as a designer, her use of natural fabrics that she likes to put together in order to create provocative, innovative and confident designs. Teşvikiye, Akkavak Sk, Şişli.
Gamze Saraçoglu
This designer stands out with her feminine haute couture style. Indeed, her ability to create impeccably tailored designs while paying great attention to subtle details are among the reasons why she has collaborated with famous brands such as Donna Karan, Zara and NafNaf. Find her at Gamze Saraçoğlu Moda Tasarım Stüdyosu, Abdi Ipekçi Caddesi, Isparta Palas Apt, No:19 Kat:2 D:3, Nişantaşı. Top: Sebnem Günay’s playful, colourful designs were among those on show in December Right: Nazlı Tamer’s designs showing an intelligent mixture of texture and form on show at IMA
28
THE DAME DRUM Connecting Women
SPONSORED FEATURE
Dame D rum
Have you recently relocated to Istanbul? Are you looking to broaden your social network? Launched in May 2015, The Dame Drum is an online platform designed to connect you with like-minded women in your area. It is a place that brings together women of similar ages, similar life stories, and similar interests. Inspired by Marnie Mercier, The Dame Drum project came about during a conversation she had with her now business partner, Anna Ilhan, in the fall of 2014 after each experienced a major transition in their lives. Marnie had recently separated from her husband while on an expat assignment in the Netherlands; and Anna had recently relocated to Istanbul. Although their situations differed, they both realized the need for friends; and the difficulty in meeting like-minded women in their areas. The Dame Drum is about connecting like-minded women not just through their website but through organised events that will interest their members by working with other organisations in the area; and hopefully non-profit groups to assist them with increasing awareness with their cause. Anna and Marnie’s aspirations do not stop there. In the near future they would like to introduce mentoring programmes, professional networks and a bulletin board for users of the site. As Anna says: “Our story is about connecting women.” How can The Dame Drum work for you?
The Dame Drum website is designed to connect women who share common attributes in the area in which they live. When you create your free profile, you first specify what you are looking for in a friend, such as someone to visit a museum with, walk the dog with, or have coffee with. The next step is to fill in a section about yourself; your interests such as music, fitness, leisure activities, etc. When your profile is complete, the system will instantly connect you with women who have similar criteria. When you find someone that interests you, you then send an introduction. Once the introduction is accepted, you will have the opportunity to communicate with your new friend (securely through the site) by way of email, instant message or even video chat.
As best said by Marnie: “At different stages we are required to transition to a new phase in our lives: either we move to a new area where nobody and nothing is familiar; are recently single and looking to develop a different circle of friends, experiencing a career change or retiring and looking for a new hobby. Someone once said that when I look back through old photos I find my happiest moments are always with my girl friends. The Dame Drum is where friendships begin. A place where women can connect, share and thrive.” Visit the website at www.thedamedrum.com
LALE NEIGHBOURHOOD
KICKING AROUND KARAKÖY
FEATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNETTE FLECK
Karaköy has hosted multiple cultures and nationalities, with all the fastmoving changes that go with that, for centuries and it is still undergoing dramatic transformation. Annette Fleck took a walk around to see for herself and this is what she found
W
hen I most recently visited Karaköy, I was hoping to find a vivid mixture of narrow streets, of fin-de-siècle buildings, quiet rundown street corners and perhaps a few chic cafes á la Parisienne. But hang on a minute. Is that not the scenery which has come to characterise much of central Istanbul? I wanted to know what it is that really sums up the unique character of Karaköy. Walking through the neighbourhood, my attention was immediately absorbed by the colourful graffiti and mural art which seems to line nearly every street. Some of the paintings have clearly been done by professionals, such as the one by Murys opposite the entrance to the Russian rooftop Church of St Panteleimon. While you may not be surprised to find a Russian Church in Karaköy, you might find it more intriguing to discover that this church is located on the rooftop of a sixstory building. To explain this curiosity we have to go back a little into history. The whole area north of the Galata Bridge, from the edge of the Golden Horn to the Bosphorus, has been a port area since Byzantine times. In 1261, merchants of Genoa were given permission to settle and do business here. The district developed rapidly under the old name, Galata. Nowadays everybody uses the Turkish name of Karaköy. Although it is home to a Muslim majority, it also hosted many Orthodox Greeks, Armenians and Jews. Russian Christians arrived in shars as Pilgrims on their way to the Holy Later, and later on as refugees – casualties of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Of course all these people were not only in need of housing, but also of proper places of worship. Those who came first still found space to build their churches, but for those arriving later, space was rare – or only to be found on top of six-storey apartment compounds.
32
Thus, as I was imaging how the quarter must have looked a long time ago, I found myself outside the Yer Altı Cami mosque. Its rather sombre entrance gives way to a serene underground space which dates back to the 17th Century and used to be a part of the ancient Genoese Town Wall Towers. After soaking in the atmosphere of these holy sites, I continued my walk to some of the more vibrant and thriving parts of Karaköy. Here, magnificent commercial edifices are divided into workshops where various mechanical and electronic products and services can be found. As I walked down the streets my eyes focused on the rundown houses which surrounded me. Most of these buildings are unlikely to survive a minor earth tremor but emit an undeniable charm and history-laden atmosphere. I could empathise somewhat with the ongoing construction works which aim to gentrify the streets, but also felt somewhat unsettled about the concomitant process of this gentrification which is slowly
taking over the area. This process has brought about the arrival of new coffeehouses such as the Karabatak, and teahouses such as Dem, which directly appeal to a new generation of hipsters with their cosmopolitan café and tea culture. Alongside the teahouse, I stumbled into the Cité Francaise and her pleasant passageway which is lined with upmarket galleries, boutiques and eateries offering various gastronomic delicacies.
new space to display their street art jewellery. Even the old, atmospheric but somewhat higgledy-piggledy fish market has been replaced with a sparkly new, tiled one next to the ferry landing. It is clean and bright, but not the same.
Yet despite all this new age charm and grandeur I wonder about the future of the motley crew of merchants who used to reside here. When I met Onur Bey in March this year, for example, he proudly presented me with his locksmith equipment, but when I passed by this time, the lights had already been switched off. A similar sad fate seems to have overcome Mustafa Bey. Where he was working as a garbage collector, a new hotel is now under construction. Turfed off the construction site, Kurds of Diyabakir will need
In Karaköy, as in much else of Istanbul, various parallel, competing and contradictory processes are at work simultaneously. In that sense Karaköy is perhaps not that different from other parts of the city. What really seems to set it apart and render it unique however, is the divergence of the worlds which still coexist in this place, and the speed with which these have been combined and replaced with a new reality. Top: Panorama of the ancient district of Karaköy, north of the Galata Bridge Opposite page below: View from St Panteleimon Church Above: Inside the Cité Française Left: Inside the Yer Altı Camii
33
LALE NEIGHBOURHOOD
I just hope that Karaköy will continue to be a vivid place rich in local culture. I hope the ancient architecture will be preserved and that the serenity of its holy places and unique charm of its maze of buildings will not be obliterated by fancy new structures. Until now Karaköy has managed well the split between past and present. Places like Art Gallery Atölye11 seem well able to combine old and new. It is built into the outer walls of a former church and offers a unique set of accessories of Anatolian design. The pastry factory, Güllüoğlu, which has maintained its production in Karaköy but now sells its famous baklava worldwide, is another example of this blend of modern and traditional. I expect change is always a little unsettling, but I remain hopeful that Karaköy will find its unique and special blend of cultures and traditions and that new developments somehow preserve the unique spirit of the place. Located at the heart of Istanbul, it can be something of a model for a healthy and organic evolution of other areas too. But I suppose only time will tell whether my innate positivism is justified or whether new tourist ports, hotels and shopping malls manage to crush this most charming historical mélange of Karaköy.
Top: Panorama of Beyoğlu Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi Sokağı Above: Some of the plentiful mural art to be found around Karaköy Left: Inside Galery Atöliye, one of the many ındependent galleries in the neighbourhood
34
36
SPONSORED FEATURE
I WAS A
REFUGEE
FEATURE: NINA LISTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: FAY MAGNUSSON AND HILANEH MAHMOUDI
The breakup of the former Yugoslavia quickly disintegrated into violent civil war in the first half of the 1990s, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and resulting in the genocide of tens of thousands of Bosniak Muslims. Just a child at the time, IWI member Halima Hodzic was among those forced to leave their homes to escape the violence. Her story is an inspiration to us all
T
o anyone meeting her today, Halima Hodzic is an ordinary middle-class professional from Chicago who moved to Istanbul a year ago as a trailing spouse. Sound familiar? That’s because it is a very familiar scenario for many of us. However, as a child, Halima spent a harrowing four years as a displaced refugee in Bosnia and Croatia. While Europe debates the rights and wrongs of offering safe haven to refugees from Syria, her story serves as a salutary reminder to us all that refugee status is not confined just to “other people in other countries”; it could so easily be you or me. In 1992, following a people’s referendum in favour of Bosnia’s independence from the former Yugoslavia, a devastating civil war descended on the country as Serbian and Croatian minorities opposed the move. Halima was just 13 years old and living in Kozarac, close to Prijedor, at the time. What followed was a terrifying six months on the run with her mother and two younger siblings, trapped for a time in the notorious Trnopolje concentration camp – famously featured on the front cover of Time magazine while she was inside – and enduring a bewildering trek through the mountains before finally crossing the border into Croatia where she was stuck with her family for three years as a refugee.
38
What was your early childhood in Bosnia like?
It was very ordinary. We were a middle class family living in Kozarac near the city of Prijedor, although it was a Serbiandominated area. I have a younger sister and brother – there are a few years between each of us, so my sister was 10 and my brother was six when the war broke out. My mother was a stay-at-home-mum and my father worked for a Croatian company – his job took him overseas a lot, mostly to Russia. That is where he was when the war came to our area. I went to school as normal and, yes, most of my friends were Serbian, but I was completely unaware of the differences between us. We used to celebrate all the holidays and festivals together. I only started to understand there were differences between people when suddenly, in 1992, a lot of new children started coming. We knew they were different because their accents were strange to us. In fact, they were Croatians who had been displaced by the war. Until the war, I had no idea of the differences between me and my friends. My family were Muslim, but we still had a Christmas tree in December – we just called it a “New Year” tree. I really knew no difference.
LALE INTERVIEW
How aware were you of what was coming?
Not at all. I know now that my mother was listening out for news and she even had two “running away” bags packed. But she never let on her worries to us. She later told me that her best friend, who was Serbian and a neighbour, had tried to reassure her that they would protect us if the war came, but after we left, we never saw them again. I heard their son joined the Serbian army as well.
How did leaving your home finally come about?
My mother heard that the Serbian army was coming closer and she thought we would be safer in the city where our cousins lived. So, one morning in April, we picked up the two bags she had packed and went off to Prijedor. We stayed with an aunt and uncle, but not for long. It was soon apparent, however, that Prijedor was surrounded by Serbian forces and we had to leave. That was very sudden and we didn’t even have time to take our bags. We left and ran. I remember the panic then – people were just scattering like ants. My mother was wearing a long purple house dress which wrapped around her. For the next few weeks it was all we had to keep warm. We spent the next few weeks in the open. We slept in the open, moving from village to village to find help. People gave us food and water. We had nothing but what we were wearing. My mother was always listening for news and as soon as we heard about soldiers nearby, we had to run again. We never spent more than one or two nights in one place. We eventually ended up trapped with a lot of other Bosnian Muslims between three villages. It felt as if we had been herded there – forced into one point by the soldiers closing in on us. There were soldiers all around those villages and we couldn’t risk leaving. We would move from house to house – wherever there was space. One time there were 120 of us at a single house – squashed inside and around the house in the garden. Eventually, a cousin who lived in that village found us space in another house.
How did you survive?
It was mostly women and children in those villages because the men would be arrested and taken elsewhere – we now know there were concentration camps just for the men. But there were some men left hiding with us who would sneak out at night and try not to be seen by the soldiers. They would go back to their homes or to abandoned houses close by and fetch provisions. One of our cousins did that and came back with two blankets for me and my sister so we could be warm at night. My blanket was my only possession and I still have it now. It is very ragged and torn, but it was the only comfort I had for all that time. In some ways we, as children, completely normalised what was going on. My mother forbade us from leaving the house, but we climbed out of the window anyway to go and play with the other children in the village. I remember playing in the street and watching tanks of soldiers go past. It became our new “normal”. I guess that is how humans survive this sort of trauma. Life was frightening too, though. The soldiers would often come into the house and demand we give them things. I don’t know what they thought we had – they had already taken everything. If one of the men had been out for provisions,
they would take all of that. Anything they couldn’t carry away they would ruin. Once they poured gasoline all over a bag of flour we had. Everyone was so hungry that we made it into bread anyway. I remember how good it felt to have something in my mouth to chew on and then the burning pain of swallowing it because of the gasoline. We didn’t care though, we were starving. Soldiers often came to summon certain women and girls to go and “help” with something. They told us they were raped, although often they said nothing and we just guessed that is what had happened. My mother escaped that, thank god, but she came close to it a couple of times – mostly to stop me from being taken. I was 13 and well-developed by then and I probably looked older than I was. I was also very feisty and likely to fight back and my mother was really worried for me. One day a soldier came into the house and told me to be ready to come with them the next day to “help” with something. My mother was distraught and pleaded with me not to fight them or I might not come back alive. I said “No way! I am going to fight them!” That was when she decided it was time to hand ourselves into the refugee “camp” which had opened nearby. Her reasoning was that at least we would know what the dangers were there, rather than just waiting every day for someone to come and rape or kill us.
Where did you go?
We went to Trnopolje nearby, which we heard was a camp for refugees. After she discussed it with others in the house, quite a few decided to come with us. So, as a group, we went there and handed ourselves over. It wasn’t a refugee camp of course, it was a concentration camp and we stayed there for three months in the end. We know now that the camp held between 4,000 and 7,000 Bosniak and Bosnian Croat inmates at apparently around 30,000 people passed through between May and November 1992. It is public record now that mistreatment was widespread and there were many instances of torture, rape and killing – 90 people died there. When we got there, my mother finally cut off our hair. We were all riddled with lice and we were filthy. We slept on the second floor of an old school house – it was just women and children there now, and it was very cramped. We were allowed to go and fetch water a few metres away from the building, but you had to cross a security line to do so and lots of girls and women were taken by soldiers at that point and raped. My mother couldn’t risk going and possibly being killed as well, and she couldn’t send me, so she had to send my sister. She was still very small and skinny and we could watch her all the way to the well and back from the window. Thank god no-one ever touched her, but these were the sorts of awful decisions my mother had to make on a daily basis. There were some men in the camp, but they were put in different buildings and we heard they were treated badly. I never saw any violence, but we saw an uncle after an “interrogation” once. He was in such a bad way, he couldn’t stand and no one could touch him because he had a lot of broken bones. He had to be lifted in a blanket. He later emigrated to Switzerland and he is alive now, thanks to the multiple operations he has had there. We saw a lot of men in similar condition there. We saw dead bodies which were collected, loaded up and taken away on trucks. Again, it became our “normal”, which is hard to believe now.
39
LALE INTERVIEW How did you survive in the camp?
How did you get out of Bosnia?
How did you get out of the camp?
One of our uncles had been living in Zagreb for a few months then and he had been coming every day to the bus station to see who would come off the buses from Bosnia. That’s how he found us. He was helping lots of refugees by giving them somewhere to rest as he had an apartment very close by and recover before moving on again – he only had a small apartment, but that’s where we went.
We were not given food often or regularly, but when we were, we were given a very watery stew to eat – people said the guards spat and urinated in it, but we were basically starving so we didn’t care. Everyone was gaunt. Then a baker started coming to the camp to sell bread – at highly inflated prices of course. When we had first run away, my mother had sewn a lot of money into the collar of her jacket – it was a soft leather jacket and I remember it vividly. She couldn’t afford to draw attention to the fact we had all this money, so she would distribute a bit to each person in our building every morning and we would all go and line up for the bread. It meant everyone could eat something and the soldiers wouldn’t know whose money it was. Thank god that scheme worked. The Western media got wind that there were concentration camps in Bosnia and a TV crew came to the camp. As a result, the Red Cross came to inspect – of course it was all tidied up before the inspection. They then demanded that all the women and children be released immediately. We were told we were going to be handed over to Bosnian forces, but we had no idea where we were going or how long the journey would be. They herded hundreds of us onto a freight train with those carriages with big doors which slide shut and off we went. It was really cramped. After a couple of hours, the train stopped and it was really dark. We heard some gunshots and screaming outside the train and then it pulled off again. We later discovered we had stopped in a 3km-long tunnel, which was why it was so dark. Some people said later that the train driver had been ordered to stop and that they were planning to seal off the tunnel and gas the train. Apparently the train driver refused and just carried on. He saved our lives, basically. When we finally got off the train, we had to walk a long way – possibly for a day or two. We had to cross a river towards the end of the journey over a wooden rope bridge and it was pouring with rain. The soldiers were shouting at us to move faster, but it was impossible. That was when I saw a soldier rip a baby from a woman’s arms and throw it into the river below. She jumped in after and I heard that many others were pushed in as well. After we crossed the river we stopped. We didn’t know what was happening here but after a few hours we were told to walk up a track. When we got to the other side, we saw more soldiers with trucks and they told us to get it. This was when my mother lost it and refused to get in. The soldier trying to help her turned to another and said “Muhamed, come and help this woman.” That was the moment that we knew we were safe, because they were obviously Muslim. We had been handed over to Bosnian soldiers. They told us later that they had negotiated for us and done a prisoner swap. We had been hostages. To me, all the soldiers had looked the same. I couldn’t tell the difference between them and I certainly didn’t know what any of the insignia meant. The Bosnian soldiers took us to Zenica, which was basically a transit stop for refugees, although we were there for some time. I remember, I had lost my shoes at some point so I was walking barefoot. I met a girl in that city the same age as me, also a refugee there, who gave me her shoes. We met each other again later on and we are still friends now.
40
We walked! We were told we could get across the border to Croatia but it was too dangerous to go by road, so we would have to walk 34km through the mountains. Once we finally reached the border, we were put on a bus to Zagreb. I remember when we got there, charity workers got on the bus with baskets of sandwiches for us. Then another person came on with more for anyone who hadn’t got any the first time. We stuffed our sandwiches under our clothes so we could get more. We were so desperate for food and so used to not knowing when the next food would come.
When we got there, my mother called my father’s company on the phone and they put her through to him in Russia. Apparently he fainted when he took the call. He had heard on the grapevine three months before that we were all dead. He couldn’t believe it. He came to see us as soon as he could – although that wasn’t for a while – but ultimately he had to go back to Russia because that was our only income and we had nothing else at all. My father’s company happened to own a barracks building in Zagreb, which was converted into accommodation for refugees. We got priority and moved in. We stayed for three years. We had a room with four bunks and it seemed like luxury. My father was able to send some money, but we relied on charity for those three years. My sister and brother were able to go to school, but we were only entitled up to the eighth grade, so I couldn’t go. Later some charities set up some classes for older children to help them finish high school. Over time, more and more charities got involved. They would come and cook meals in the communal kitchens and give dance classes and tuition. We also got all our clothes from those charities and schools overseas would send things for us. Those were the best things. It always perplexes me when people ask: “Why are they giving Syrian refugees dance lessons? They need food and clothes.” Because those dance lessons were what acknowledged that we were human beings.
Items that Halima found in the rubble of her childhood home
LALE INTERVIEW How do you feel your story mirrors what refugees from Syria are going through now?
Can you say how the recent attacks by ISIS on Beirut and Paris have made you feel?
What happened to your family in the end?
I often say that those who died during a war conflict – they have died, but those who survived relive it every day. Reminders never seem to stop. Recent attacks certainly became way too real for me. They woke up the fear that’s been instilled and hiding in my bones. What happened is more than tragic and my heart really goes out to their loved ones. Innocent people once again have been hurt and have lost their lives. This vicious circle of a human being able to hurt another human just doesn’t stop.
When we arrived in Chicago, the Bosnian community had rallied around, found us an apartment rent free for the first two months and stocked it with food and furniture. Later on, we did this many times over for new arrivals from Bosnia.
Right after the attacks, suddenly realising once again that it can happen to anyone anywhere has really made me feel like there’s no safe place on this planet. Where can I go? Where can my kids grow up and live without fear? Is there really no more humanity left in humans? Isn’t there more then enough pain and suffering in the world already? Hearing and reading about all the backfire of negativity now and blame pointed towards someone’s religious belief versus the actual wrong doers actions is even more scarier. Some evil people do use religion to justify their horrific acts, and suddenly I feel like I need to keep justifying that they have not been done in my name, or I have to hide my beliefs to keep my family safe.
It is the same. If it had not been for the kindness of people donating and giving to those charities, we would not have survived. I get so mad when people say the Syrian refugees are making a choice to take those awful boat journeys. Of course they don’t have a choice. They have been waiting to go home for so long – just as we waited in Zagreb until we finally realised we had no home to go to – it was never going to happen. At some point you have to start again, you have to move on. We applied for the visa programmes that were being offered. Unfortunately, we were not a priority because they had to prioritise men who were in greater immediate danger of harm and, of course, our father was not with us. We applied to Australia and the US and were eventually offered places in both countries, but we decided on the US because we had a cousin who had already got a place there so we could join him. We finally went to the States in August 1995.
My father stayed for a while in Russia so he could support the family but he eventually joined us in the US once we could get a visa for him. My mother’s health completely collapsed when we got there. It was as if she could finally give up. She was never able to work after that, so I went to college and studied a business degree and then got a job with an air services company. I started working full time when I was 17 and attended classes at night. That was my first step towards 18 years in the airline industry.
Have you been back to Bosnia?
Yes, I have. The first time was 10 years after the war when my eldest son was still a baby. It was a very emotional experience. We flew to Vienna and then from there to Bosnia. As we approached, I could see the mountains in the distance and knew that was home. I wept then. I had so looked forward to coming home and being some place where I felt I “belonged”, but when we arrived, of course I only had a US passport and had to go through the “others” line. I was devastated about that.
Everything that has been going around the world, especially in the last few months has really been making me feel uneasy. I haven’t been able to keep my eyes dry. Seeing pictures and videos of frightened, desperate people risking their lives just so they can reach an unknown safe place squeezes my heart as it feels very real and too familiar to me. This nonacceptance and refusal by some to extend their hand to them hurts even more. They are running away from evil, give them hope! – I wish I could tell each one.
Our religious beliefs do not identify us, our actions do! I can’t stop thinking about such things, and it keeps me up at night. At one point I locked the kids in the house and wouldn’t let them go outside for couple of days. I work really hard to make sure they grow up to simply be good compassionate people, to leave no room for prejudice or hate in their hearts. I can only pray I succeed.
We stayed with relatives, which was in a part of Bosnia not so badly disturbed by the war. The area I was from though is still under Serbian control – it is officially a part of the Serbian Republic. We did go back to my town that first visit – our house was rubble and I heard differing stories about that. Some said a grenade was thrown into it and someone else said a tank was driven through it. Anyway, my father had it tidied up and still owns the land. He won’t ever sell it – it has been in his family for generations. But my mother will never return to Bosnia. She just couldn’t face it. I certainly couldn’t go home while it is still under Serbian control. It is just too much to take in. The first night back there, we stayed with family nearby and I just felt terrified all over again. My cousin joked that he had a gun to keep us safe, but it made me realise I don’t want my children to go there again.
41
NAKED MODERNISATION FEATURE: NINA LISTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF PERA MÜZESI
This month and next, Pera Müzesi will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a celebration of nude painting, which heralded the modernisation of art in Turkey from the Ottoman Empire and beyond. We take a look at the highlights
T
o celebrate the 10th anniversary of its inauguration, Pera Müzesi is currently presenting the exhibition, Bare, Naked, Nude: A Story of Modernisation in Turkish Painting, which explores the development of nude painting and its role in the modernist movement within Turkish art culture. Open until February 7, the exhibition covers the depiction of nudity in Turkish art from the era of the Ottoman Empire up and through the rise of the Republic. While the art world in Turkey had traditionally been dominated by landscapes and still life – with nude paintings at first produced only in secret – it gradually made way for the emergence of the nude, a fundamental genre in art history. This exhibition also shines a light on the way the modernisation of Turkey, in the formation of the new Republic, was reflected in art. Curated by Ahu Antmen, the exhibition presents nearly 150 works by 44 artists from different periods of Turkish history, including Osman Hamdi Bey, Süleyman Seyyid Bey, Halil Paşa, İzzet Ziya Bey, Avni Lifij, Ruhi Arel, İbrahim Çallı, Namık İsmail, Melek Celal Sofu, Cemal Tollu, Zeki Faik İzer, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Eren Eyüboğlu, Fikret Mualla, Leyla Gamsız, and Yüksel Arslan. Chronicling the footsteps of nude paintings produced secretly at the turn of the 20th Century and, later, more copiously after the birth of the Republic, the exhibition seeks to demonstrate artists’ efforts to overcome cultural resistance to artistic representations of nudity. Ahu Antmen says: “While addressing the development period of nude painting in Turkish art with this exhibition, we also aim to reflect upon the creation of the artist’s identity in Turkey in a period extending from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic; the challenges of creating a desexualised artistic perception about the female body culturally associated with what is intimate; and the ties established between art and nude painting in the conception to modern identities.” The exhibition examines how nude painting became normalised through art in a cultural climate in which even using live models was considered objectionable when the first academy of fine arts was inaugurated in İstanbul. Contrary to the conservatism of the Islamic culture, reflecting the aesthetic norms of Western culture, nude paintings reveal how the body was extracted from being a subject and evolved into a form in the course of the development of art in Turkey.
LALE CULTURE conception of the figure; the issue is not the naked human body but how it is perceived as a form with its infinite appearances, movements, and expressions. This artistic perspective requires us to look at the human body as nature itself, beyond all cultural norms. The nude painting thus holds a symbolic importance as a dichotomous artistic genre that both makes this possible and simultaneously destroys it due to its display.” A move towards a wider acceptance of the nude can be seen in early 20th Century works, which depicted themes such as sea bathing, in the Galatasaray exhibitions organised by the Ottoman Association of Arts. Later, artists such as Namık İsmail, İbrahim Çallı, and Melek Celal Sofu produced nude paintings that shunned academism and emphasised an impressionist sensuality in the 1920s. In the Galatasaray exhibitions of the 1930s, more modernist nudes by artists such as Cemal Tollu and Zeki Faik İzer came to fore. Ostracising sensuality and focusing on the deformation of form, the new nudes not only reflected the artists’ individual search for style, but they also demonstrated the aspects of European modernism which Turkish painting embraced. Many of the artworks on display at Bare, Naked, Nude are drawings, a requisite of academic art education. They originate from different periods, starting with the first Ottoman artists such as Osman Hamdi Bey, Süleyman Seyyid Bey, and Halil Paşa. While the first nudes displayed by Namık İsmail, İbrahim Çallı, Melek Celal Sofu, and Feyhaman Duran reveal the early artistic development of the Second Constitutional Monarchy period, nudes by innovative artists such as Zeki Faik İzer, Cemal Tollu, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, and Eren Eyüboğlu in the Republican era stand out as the forerunners of artistic modernism in Turkey. Bare, Naked, Nude is open to visitors until February 7. The Museum open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm, and on Sundays from 12pm to 6pm. On Fridays, also known as “Long Friday”, admission is free of charge from 6pm.
From the turn of the 20th Century, Turkish artists were first given the opportunity to work with male models at the Academy of Fine arts, and later with both male and female models as many studied art in Europe. As a result, the human body was, through an infinite repertoire of poses, transformed into another genre such as landscape, still life or portraits. Meanwhile, due its perception as a genre representing the female body in particular, the nude assumed a symbolic meaning not only in terms of cultural conservatismmodernism, but as a way of revealing the gender-biased aspect of artistic approaches. Noting that “nude” primarily evokes the idea of a female body, Ahu Antmen adds that this perception, legitimised in the West, also found its reflections in Turkish painting. Ahu Antmen states that the emergence of nude painting was one of the primary indicators of the way in which Turkish painting broke out of its shell both in the cultural and the stylistic sense. He says: “For many artists, the nude constitutes a bridge on the path leading to his or her own
Opposite: Fahrünissa Zeid, 1940s, oil on canvas, Huma Kabakçı Collection Above: Feyhaman Duran, Nude with Kerchief and Towel, 1929, oil on hardboard, Sema-Barbaros Çağa Collection
43
LALE CULTURE
Clockwise from top left: (1) Cemal Tollu, Model in Front of the Window, 1939 (Paris), oil on canvas, Lucien Arkas Collection; (2) Hikmet Onat, Male Model, undated, oil on canvas, Merey Collection; (3) Neşet Günal, Four Beauties, 1951, oil on canvas, Gregory M. Kiez & Mehmet Kutman Foundation Collection; (4) İzzet Ziya, Girl on the Caique, c. 1915, pastel on canvas, Zeyno-Muhsin Bilge Collection
ANNUAL REPORTS | MAGAZINE PUBLISHING | CORPORATE VIDEOS
LALE CULTURE KIDS
SCAVENGERS IN THE GRAND BAZAAR FEATURE: FREDDIE, AGED 11. PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER
Lale dispatched top cub reporter Freddie, aged 11, to the Grand Bazaar to test his scavenging skills in a special treasure hunt organised by Monica Fritz
I
n October we went on a scavenger hunt in the Grand Bazaar run by a lady called Monica. We took the tram there and arrived just outside the bazaar to see some other people who were doing the scavenger hunt gathering there, waiting for everyone else to arrive. When we started the hunt, Monica showed us pictures of items nearby in the bazaar and we split up into teams to find them. We looked for lots of different kinds of items, mainly things like vases and paintings, but also jewellery, puppets and food. We had to find the biggest sugar bowl in the whole bazaar and the smallest shop. The shop was so small, the shopkeeper has to turn sideways to get through the door! We also visited a shop with shadow puppets and the shopkeeper told us all about them. In total we had to find about 10 different items, maybe even 15 or so, it lasted two or three hours. We went all around the bazaar, stopping for some Turkish tea on the way, and even got to go on the rooftops at the end. From the rooftop (where James Bond was filmed on a motorbike!) there were amazing views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. I had been to the Grand Bazaar many times before, but this was a whole new way of seeing it! For more information about Monica Fritz’s scavenger tours for children and families, as well as her Grand Bazaar rooftop tours and Istanbul photography tours, visit her website at www.alternativecitytours.com.
46
A
yşeDeniz Gökçin is telling me about a restless moment she had in a Turkish cinema in 1987. Her mother, Ayşegül, had gone to see Amadeus, the sumptuous, multiaward-winning film about the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. Tiny AyşeDeniz had a destiny as a classical pianist, so the music may have made an impression on her. She might have enjoyed watching the movie too, if she could have seen it. But she was still in the womb of her mother, who was seven months pregnant with her. “Apparently I wouldn’t stay still,” laughs Gökçin. “So she decided there and then that I was going to be a classical musician.” Confirmation of her mother’s cinema hunch came soon enough, when the baby girl took to the piano like a flamingo to the Sultan Marshes. “We had an upright piano at home in Ankara,” she recalls, “and no one knew how to play it. But when I was two, my parents would put me by it and I would improvise and sing for hours. My dad had a video camera and he recorded me. It was more like an impression of a pianist than real pianoplaying; I would even turn the pages of the score as I played.” By the age of six she was a serious piano student, and her strict Turkish teachers had her playing in front of her first audience. She managed a note-perfect performance of a charming Beethoven écossaise, despite running a fever. “I love going on stage,” she tells me, her brown eyes seeming to flash with excitement. “It always felt very natural. I would perform better than at any other time. It helps me concentrate. Okay, it sounds egotistical, but I like being in the spotlight,” she laughs. “I like it when people are finally there to listen to me after all that hard work… I don’t want to do music just for myself.” And there have been years of hard work. Gökçin, now 27, reels out the story of her education: how she went from one teacher to another as she gradually grew more and more
proficient, and how her enterprising father, Balamber, contacted Rosalyn Tureck, the Chicago-born pianist, harpsichordist and interpreter of Bach. “He emailed her manager, saying his daughter played the piano, and sent a recording of a Bach performance I’d done. She got back to him, saying she wanted me to come to Oxford to take lessons with her. But then she said she had decided to move to Marbella, for health reasons, and that I should go there to study with her.” It was an irresistible offer, but relocating to Spain to study with this 86-year-old woman proved a wrench for the 12-year-old prodigy. “I was just a kid, and I was homesick. My mum came with me, but culturally, I was lost.” Gökçin returned to Turkey, then faced another succession of teachers and periods of upheaval, including training at a music college in New York State. In 2011, the bicentenary of Franz Liszt’s birth, inspiration struck. “I was reading about how he created the image of the pianist as a big star, and played to thousands of people. The more I read, the
51
ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD LONDON 8 OCTOBER 2014 EXHIBITION 3–7 OCTOBER
Sold by order of The 12th Duke of Northumberland and the Trustees of the Northumberland Estates Edward William Lane (d.1876), Arabic-English Lexicon, printer’s manuscript copy, 40 volumes, second half 19th century, with 10 rare volumes of al-Saghani’s ’Ubab, Egypt or Syria, Mamluk, dated 653 AH/1255 AD Estimate £200,000–300,000 Enquiries +44 (0)20 7293 5804 34–35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA Register now at sothebys.com
ISSUE FIFTY-ONE 2014
2
MOVEMENTS
ISTANBUL’S EUROPEAN QUARTER & THE SULTAN’S NEW CITY . THE POLISH CONNECTION . PASTA ALLA TURCA
This is an edited excerpt from an article in Cornucopia 50, the first part of the biannual magazine’s Istanbul Unwrapped quartet. Buy the current issue, No 53: The Princes Islands, at good bookshops in Istanbul (price TL40).
MAGIC
CORNUCOPIA
Cornucopia’s Istanbul Unwrapped
The classical virtuoso AyşeDeniz Gökçin’s first musical creation combined the rock-star appeal of Franz Liszt and the psychedelic/progressive brilliance of Pink Floyd. Her new Nirvana Project merges three styles in one uncategorizable genre, call it Sub Classical Rock, Virtuoso Grunge, what you like. Tony Barrell found this prodigiously talented pianist a force to be reckoned with. Portrait by Charles Hopkinson
more I thought, ‘He was a rock star!’” Then she started finding parallels between Liszt and a favourite rock band, Pink Floyd. “Liszt was interested in the idea of the romantic hero who isolates himself from the rest of the world, and the main character in Pink Floyd’s The Wall, of course, creates this wall around himself. Shortly after arriving in London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, she was tinkering with some piano arrangements that fused Liszt’s Dante Sonata with Pink Floyd’s 1979 hit ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. She took the risk of bringing the project to a lesson, showing it to the head of the keyboard department. “I thought he would say, ‘How dare you bring this commercial thing to my class?’ But he thought it was very interesting. I was so happy.” Enjoying herself, she moved on to two more Floyd songs, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Hey You’, ending with a three-movement fantasia. Shortly after graduating, Gökçin found herself in her favourite place, the spotlight, after she released an EP, Pink Floyd Lisztified, and brought her new music to the concert hall. At a concert in St James’s Church in Piccadilly, she played her fantasia, caressing and attacking the ivories before an enraptured audience. There were frequent murmurs of recognition as those well-loved rock tunes emerged from cascades of luscious Lisztiness. The location was perfect not only for its heavenly acoustics: it was also just yards up Piccadilly from No 201, where Pink Floyd themselves recorded a session for the BBC in 1968. Released as a download and well worth watching on YouTube, her virtuoso performance is jaw-dropping. It would have made Liszt dance his socks off. u For signed CDs of AyşeDeniz Gökçin’s latest offering, visit aysedeniz.org/nirvanaproject. Tony Barrell is the author of ‘Born to Drum: The Truth About the World’s Greatest Drummers’ (Dey Street Books)
CORNUCOPIA Issue 51 2014
Turkey for Connoisseurs
ISTANBUL UNWRAPPED PART TWO
THE EUROPEAN CITY
BEYOĞLU BOOGIE
For a limited period only, No 50: The Old City and No 52: Bosphorus Requiem are still priced TL40. No 51: The European City, now a rare issue, costs TL70. The complete quartet makes the perfect gift for 2016. IWI members can order the set post-free worldwide for TL160 at cornucopia.net/iwi-offer
January–February 2016
48 IWI layout Dec 2015 ver2.indd 2
22/12/15 10:1
LALE SPECIAL OFFER SPONSORED FEATURE
January–February 2016
17IWI layout Dec 2015 ver2.indd 3
3 49 22/12/15 10:17
LALE TRAVEL
TREASURES OF TROY FEATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER
Troy isn’t just about ancient battles and star-crossed lovers; there is also a surprising amount of wildlife to be found, and we don’t just mean the famous horse. Nina Lister spent a day there soaking up history and nature
A
s a destination for kids and families, you could make a much worse choice than Troy, which is a convenient day trip for anyone visiting Çannakale or the surrounding region. If you don’t have a car, you can catch a dolmuş from the open-air bus terminal beside the river bridge in Çannakale. Beyond the slightly cringe-worthy Ancient Greek soldier keen to pose for photos with you beside the 1970s replica of the famous Trojan horse is a place filled with wildlife and remnants of a particularly exciting era in Ancient Greek mythology and history. We spotted red squirrels, tortoises and even a snake in the first hour we were there, much to the delight of my wildlife-obsessed son, Arthur. For those more interested in archaeology and ancient history, Troy is particularly fascinating as nine distinct layers of consecutive urban construction have been found here – the earliest dating back to 3600BC. It is thought that the Troy immortalised by Homer’s Iliad was either the sixth or seventh incarnation of the city. The former was destroyed in an earthquake in 1275BC (and the idea of a statue of a horse being erected after this is feasible in homage to the Ancient Greek god of earthquakes, Neptune, who also took the form of a horse in Greek mythology) while the latter is thought to have burned down around 1300BC. The most recent version of the City lasted around 600 years to 300AD and was built during the Roman Empire when it was an important religious centre. After the Trojan horse, you can follow an easy circular trail around the site, which takes you through different eras of the city. The best-preserved remains are from Troy VI – the eastern wall and gate which date between 1700BC and 1275BC. You can also see the partially reconstructed Megaron Building from Troy II, whose bricks were turned red by the fire, which destroyed this version of the city. There is also the Temple of Athena, from Troys VIII and IX, which was rebuilt by Alexander the Great’s general, Lysimakhos. Sadly, many of the treasures of Troy have long been plundered and are stored elsewhere – including “Priam’s Treasure”, which consists of copper, silver and gold vessels as well as fine jewellery, which was smuggled into Berlin in the late 1800s and displayed there until 1941, when it was swiped by the Red Army and is now displayed in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Also missing is an important relief from the Temple of Athena depicting Apollo riding four horses, which is currently in Berlin. It takes no more than an hour or so to visit the site, so is an easy tour for children and is entirely outdoors. There is also a small café with seats under some leafy trees for thirsty kids afterwards.
50
LALE CALENDAR Every month, the IWI hosts many fun cultural and lifestyle events. Here is what’s coming up as we enter the new year
JANUARY T U E S D AY
M O N D AY
W E D N E S D AY
T H U R S D AY
F R I D AY
S U N D AY
S AT U R D AY
01
02
03
Asian Side Newcomers Coffee Morning
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
18
19
20
21
22
23
25
Thai Cooking Class Ali Paşa Hammam Session
Üsküdar/Haydarpaşa Neighbourhood Tour
24
European Side Coffee Morning
26
27
FEBRUARY M O N D AY
01
T U E S D AY
02
W E D N E S D AY
03
Asian Side Newcomers Coffee Morning
08
09
Eataly Cooking Class
15
16
28
T H U R S D AY
04 Terrarium Workshop
10
Ali Paşa Hammam Session
11
29
F R I D AY
05
S AT U R D AY
S U N D AY
06
07
12
13
14
Valentine’s Dinner
European Side Newcomers Coffee Morning
17
19
20
21
22
25
26
27
28
29
Beylerbeyi Neighbourhood Tour
23
52
24
LALE EVENTS THAI COOKING CLASS This Thai cookery demonstration will include instruction on how to prepare: oo oo oo oo oo
Pad Thai Grill sea bass wrapping with herb Stir fried chicken with basil and chilli paste Prawn in Clay Pot with special sauce Fresh spring roll with special sauce
Thai cuisine is among the best in the world, so don’t miss this opportunity to learn the skills to impress your family and friends.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to create the delicate, delicious flavours of Thai cuisine? Well look no further. Come along to our exciting Thai Cookery Class, to be held in January at Maslak. The class teacher, Wandee Kawaguchi, is a culinary instructor from Thailand, whose family were Thai restaurant owners in Bangkok. Wandee has been sharing her love of cooking at Thai food through workshops and classes all over the world, including Singapore, Romania and Spain. She now provides her own homemade Asian food, Wandee Cuisine, here in Istanbul.
Date
Wednesday, January 20
Time
10.45am - 2.30pm
Location
Maslak (address info to be provided after registration)
Cost
Classic members: 100TL; basic members: 115TL
Participants
Maximum 10, minimum 8
Reservations
Online at the website: www. iwi-tr.org
Deadline
Friday, January 15
Person to contact
Ayşe Yücel
Contact Details
programs@iwi-tr.org
ASIAN SIDE DISCOVERY Military personnel who died during the Crimean War and the First World War. For this tour, please meet at 10.30am at the entrance to the Karacaahmet Cemetery. The second tour, in February, will take in the interesting neighbourhood of Beylerbeyi. Participants in both tours will have the opportunity to stop and relax with coffee en route.
Our Asian-side coordinator, Gariele Sailer, has two fascinating coffee-and-culture neighbourhood tours planned for January and February, open to all members of IWI. In January, she will guide a group ın Üsküdar, starting at the Şakırın Camii in the Karacaahmet Cemetery, the first mosque in Turkey to have its ınterior designed by a woman. After strolling through the Karacaahmet Cemetery, the tour will continue to the Haydarpaşa Cemetery, which is run by the British Commonwealth and is the resting place of British
Date
Tuesday, January 25 and Tuesday, February 24
Time
10.30am
Location
January tour: Entrance to the Karaacahmet Cemetery in Üsküdar, February tour: Please see IWI website for more details
Cost
Free
Participants
Any number
Reservations
Reservations are not necessary, but please email Gabriele if you wish to come along
Contact Details
gsailer@paradisefruit.eu
Person to Contact
Gabriele Sailer
Please note: A reservation made is a reservation paid — any cancellations after the RSVP deadline are payable in full.
53
LALE EVENTS KILIÇ ALI PAŞA HAMAM VISIT
land reclaimed by the sea. More of the Bosphorus here has since been filled in and the complex is now surrounded by other buildings. The hamam itself was completed in 1583. Glass doors lead into two separate soğukluks (cool rooms), placed either side of the hararet (caldarium-hot room), which is a traditional hexagon in plan, with open bathing places in four of its six arched recesses. The other two recesses open onto the soğukluklar. Our special price, available on two dates in January, includes a welcome sherbet, tea and water after the treatment, hamam soap and shampoo. Our events do tend to fill up quickly so please register as soon as possible if you are interested. However, if the event is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. There are often cancellations when people’s plans change and we will contact you if a vacancy arises.
A rare opportunity to visit one of Istanbul’s most beautiful and famous hamams at a greatly discounted rate offered exclusively to IWI members. Far from just an enjoyable visit to a traditional Turkish hamam, a visit to the Kılıç Ali Paşa hamam is a fascinating journey back in time. The hamam, located in Tophane, Beyoğlu, was built as part of the Kılıç Ali Paşa complex between 1580 and 1587 by Mimar Sinan. It was commissioned by the Grand Admiral (Kapudan-I Derya), Kılıç Ali Paşa. The buildings were originally on the seafront here – to reflect his status as chief Captain – and the mosque was built on
Date
Wednesday, January 27 and Thursday, January 28
Time
10.30 to 12.00
Location
Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı
Discounted cost
Classic members: 120TL; basic members 135TL
Participants
Maximum 11, minimum 5
Reservations
Online at the website: www. iwi-tr.org
Deadline
Friday, January 22
Contact Details
programs@iwi-tr.org
TERRARIUM WORKSHOP one needs to bring plant species and essential materials together; all the materials as well as the glass terrarium containers will be provided by the workshop. This is something new and different for IWI; it is an art form which is very much in vogue at the moment and has been offered to us by Ceren Işıl at a greatly discounted price of 100TL for Classic members. Basic members pay 120TL. The usual price for this workshop is 250TL, so don’t miss this amazing opportunity to learn a new, creative skill. Please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. However, if the event is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. We will contact you if a vacancy arises. Come along to our practical workshop, in which you will learn the theory of terrariums and create your own to take home, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Terrariums are miniature environments that are created for a specific animal or plant species or environment. Just as happens in nature, different combinations of conditions and plant species can be used to create diverse environments. You can, for example, create your own rain forest terrarium, desert terrarium or a summertime beach terrarium, among other options. In order to create these living environments
54
Date Time Location Discounted cost Participants Reservations Deadline Contact Details
Thursday, February 11 10.30am to 12.30pm Peyzaj Adresim, Tevfik Fikret Cad. No:38 DumankayaFlexSitesiKat:6D:37Ataşehirİstanbul Classic members: 100TL; basic members: 115TL Maximum 10, Minimum 8 Online at the website: www.iwi-tr.org Monday, February 8 programs@iwi-tr.org
LALE EVENTS VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. There are often cancellations when people’s plans change and we will contact you if a vacancy arises. A sample menu from Rejans would include: Starter oo Valentine’s Day 2015 Passion Fruit Salmon and Prawn Ceviche with beetroot spoom, ginger and endive (hindiba) salad leaves oo Duck Confit Chestnut Pelmeni spinach roots, with pomegranate seeds oo Rosewater Sorbet
The Rejans Restaurant is a historical protected site, located off Istiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu, and was founded in 1931 to cater to White Russian emigrés. It rapidly became a cultural institution, popular with Ataturk, Agatha Christie, and a host of authors, artists, musicians, visitors and locals. It is being restored and operated by the 360 Entertainment Group and recently re-opened after a period of closure. The owner, Mike Norman, has been a supporter if IWI for many years. On February 12, he will be offering an early Valentine’s Day dinner for a special price for all IWI membership card holders. More detailed information will be available on the IWI website by February 1. Our events do tend to fill up quickly so please register as soon as possible if you are interested. However, if the event
Main course choice of oo Fillet of Rock Bass lobster with edamame pea risotto oo Fillets of beef medallions with mushroom mélange, honey balsamic pearl onions, and Trabzon Polenta
Sweets for My Sweet oo Minted Chocolate Tea Fondue oo Coffee Date
Friday, February 12
Time
As reserved
Location
Rejans
Cost
120TL excluding alcohol
Participants
Any
Reservations
Please call 0533 691 0360 or 0212 244 8192 to make a reservation
Deadline
Tuesday, February 9
Contact Details
programs@iwi-tr.org
EATALY COOKING CLASS learn Italian food production techniques, following a special menu put together for this workshop. Eataly is offering an exclusive discount on this fantastic workshop for members of the IWI, so don’t miss this opportunity to learn about Italian cuisine from the best. The session will include complementary drinks, a certificate of attendance and a special recipe from the chef to take away with you. Our events do tend to fill up quickly so please register as soon as possible if you are interested. However, if the event is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. There are often cancellations when people’s plans change and we will contact you if there becomes a vacancy.
Learning to cook has never been so much fun. Join us to discover all the secrets of Italian cuisine with Eataly Kitchen Workshop at the Zorlu Centre, Gayrettepe, in February. This is a first-class workshop equipped with a 20-person professional kitchen especially designed by Italian architects. During the session you will cook and taste dishes from a special menu together with Eataly’s professional Italian and Turkish chefs. You will be able to taste traditional Italian ingredients and
Date
Wednesday, February 17
Time
10.30am to 12.30pm
Location
Eataly Mutfak Atölyesi Zorlu Centre- Meydan Katı - Beşiktaş
Discounted cost
Classic members: 110TL cash; basic members: 125TL
Participants
Maximum 20, minimum 10
Reservations
Online at the website: www.iwi-tr.org
Deadline
Monday, February 15
Contact Details
programs@iwi-tr.org
55
IWI BOARD
JOIN THE IWI BOARD & TEAMS
ALL ROLES ARE VOLUNTARY
Have you got vital skills you could be sharing with us? If so, we want to hear from you. We have the following positions available on the board or supporting the board. All enquiries to chairwoman@iwi-tr.org
DEPUTY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
LALE DEPUTY EDITOR
DEPUTY SPONSORSHIPCOORDINATOR
IWI needs to build up its visibility among advertisers and sponsors, particularly in regards to Lale magaziıne.
Lale is seeking a deputy to support the editor. The position involves generating feature ideas, writing, proofreading, commissioning writers, coordinating photographers and assisting with the production process at press time.
The Deputy Sponsorship Coordinator, is responsible for building up new and existing relationships with sponsors of the IWI. This includes informing them about our planned activities during the year, offering and negotiating interesting sponsorship packages and guiding our sponsors through the events and the processes of receiving their benefits from the packages. We are looking for a likeable and energetic lady to join our team. Related experience would be a plus but not a must.
The position involves working closely with the IWI’s Advertisig Coordinator to seek advertisers and sponsors for Lale Magazine. Sales experience is not necessary; but good communication skills and ability to work with clients on a face-to-face basis would be a plus.
56
The position would not require too much of your time, although some periods are naturally busier than others. No publishıng experience is necessary, just a desire to learn what it takes to produce a high-quality magazine.
IWI NEWCOMERS
ARE YOU A NEWCOMER?
IWI holds get-togethers over coffee to welcome newcomers every month on both the Asian and European sides of the city ASIAN SIDE COFFEE
EUROPEAN SIDE COFFEE
We hold coffee meetıngs every second Tuesday of the month at 11am at Zamane Kahvesi ın Bostancı. No need to reserve just come along and grab a coffee. For more information, contact Gabriele Sailer (0546 234 2835). Directions to our coffee mornings can be found at www.ıwı-tr.org.
We hold coffee mornings every thırd Thursday of the month at 10.30am at Nevzat Özgörkey Binicilik Tesisleri Doru Restaurant at the İstanbul Altı Spor Kulubu in Maslak. No need to reserve, just come along. For more information, contact Ayşe Yücel (0532 356 3843).
AREA
COORDINATOR
CONTACT
Area A/C/F
Etiler, Akatlar, Ulus, Beşiktaş, Levent
Sebti Hasnaa
hasnaasebti@hotmail.com
Area B/J
Tarabya, Sarıyer, Büyükdere, Zekeriyaköy, Kilyos, Uskumruköy
Szilvia Nagy
szilviaboldva@gmail.com
Area D
Arnavütköy, Bebek, Rumeli Hisarı, Baltalimanı
Position Available
Area E
Ortaköy, Levazım, Balmumcu
Wendy Serter
wserter@gmail.com
Area G/L
Nişantaşı, Osmanbey, Şişli/Fulya, Gayrettepe, Esentepe, Tepebaşı, Teşvikiye, Maçka, Beyoğlu, Taksim/Tünel, Sultanahmet, Harbiye, Fatih, Gümüşsuyu/Eyüp, Cihangir/ Topağacı, Gaziosmanpaşa/Kabataş
Ayşe Yufkayürek
ayse.yufkayurek@gmail.com
Area H/I
Yeniköy, İstinye, Maslak, Reşitpaşa, Emirgan
Szilvia Nagy
szilviaboldva@gmail.com
Area K
Kemer, Göktürk
Stephanie Machoi
stephanie@frauenzeitalter.de
Area M
Maltepe, Kadıköy/Üsküdar, Moda, Ataşehir, Kartal, Ömerli, Kücükyalı, Salacak, Tuzla
Lynn Nish
nishlynn5@gmail.com
Area O
mraniye,Çekmeköy, Beykoz, Çengelköy, Ü Anadolu Hisarı, Beylerbeyi, Kanlıca, Kandilli, Polonezköy, Kavacık
Valerie Celebi
valeriecelebi@superonline.com
Area P
üyükçekmece, Küçükçekmece, Hadımköy, B Bakırköy, Ataköy, Yeşilköy, Yeşilyurt, Bahçeköy/ Bahçelievler, Güneşli, Yenibosna, Beylikdüzü, Halkalı, Bahçeşehir, Bağcılar, Esenyurt, Küçükköy
Karen Yarnold
karenyarnold1@gmail.com
Area Y
Caddebostan, Fenerbahçe, Erenköy, Kalamış, Suadiye, Valideçeşme, Göztepe, Bakkalköy, Çiftehavuzlar, Şaşkınbakkal, Küçükbakkalköy, Bostancı
Gabriele Sailer
gsailer@paradisefruit.eu
57
MUMS ’N KIDS
MEETINGS AND PLAYGROUPS IWI has weekly playgroups organised according to children’s ages. These are usually hosted by our members at their homes, meet-ups at parks or walks along the Bosphorus coast IWI GROUPS
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS
These playgroups are free of charge for IWI members. This is an opportunity to meet other parents of infants or toddlers, as well as share the joys and trials of motherhood while creating a support network.
Bosphorus International Pre-School, Emirgan
Please contact the Mums ‘n Kids Coordinator at mumsnkids@ iwi-tr.org if you have any questions or suggestions. To join a playgroup, please go to IWI’s website and visit the Mums ‘n Kids page under the Members’ Section for the coordinators’ email addresses. The coordinators will add you to the group’s mailing list to keep you updated about future events. Pregnant and infants (0-12 months) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 11am-1pm Coordinator: Ayşe Yufkayürek Walkers – Younger Toddlers (1-2 years) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 10am-12pm Coordinator: Deborah Chao Decock Toddlers (2+) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 10am-12pm Coordinator: VOLUNTEER NEEDED Asian Side Playgroup (for all ages) Usual meeting day/time: Mondays Coordinator: Lilian Hasenpusch
Teacher-organised activity, song and circle time, garden play (weather-permitting). Coffee, tea, milk and cookies provided. When: Tuesdays Time: 10am-11.30am Cost: FREE Age group: 0-3 years Please contact Ms Collette Laffan-Persembe at preschool@ bipschool.net or telephone at 0212 277 8444. *Note: please call on Mondays to reserve. There are only 10 openings every week. Please only ONE known adult per child. www.bipschool.net.
British International School, Zekeriyaköy and Etiler
Indoor and outdoor play (weather-permitting), followed by snack and music time. A known adult must stay and supervise the child. Zekeriyaköy (Tuesdays and Fridays) / Etiler (Wednesdays and Fridays) Time: 9am-11am (both campuses) Cost: 10TL per session Age: 0-2.5 years of age Please contact Mrs Amanda Ilhan, Preschool and Primary Deputy Director at amandailhan@bis.k12.tr or telephone at 0212 202 7027 ext 116 www.bis.k12.tr.
Eden’s Garden International Preschool, Yeniköy, Istanbul Baby Ballet Playgroup for Boys and Girls
When: Thursdays Time: 9:30am-11:30am Cost: 30TL per session, (no block-booking required) Age: 0-3 years Where: Ballet Studio, Eden’s Garden International Preschool, Güzelce Ali Paşa Cad. No. 50, Yeniköy, İstanbul Bring: Soft slippers for little feet Please contact Karen Holyoak Çiftçi, Director at director@ edensgardenpreschool.com or telephone 0212 262 4302 www.edensgardenpreschool.com.
58
Fotini Café - Arnavutkoy, Besiktas
Hotpot Café - Şişli, Istanbul
IWI members enjoy a waiver on the 8TL entrance fee to the playroom. Please present your IWI membership card to claim your discount. Please contact Lena at fotinicafe@gmail.com or telephone 0533 093 9992.
There is a 10% discount for IWI members. Please present your IWI membership card to claim.
A café with a playroom dedicated to babies and toddlers up to three years old, Fotini Café is located along the Bosphorus coast and offers a comfortable area for you and your child to unwind and have fun at the same time.
Francalaci Cd. No.26, Arnavutkoy, 34345 Istanbul, Turkey www.fotinicafe.com
Gymboree Play and Music
15% discount for IWI members on Play and Learn classes in the Ortaköy branch. Please present your IWI membership card to claim your discount. Gymboree Play and Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children aged 0-5 for over 30 years. Today there are over 550 locations in 30 countries, making Gymboree the global leader in early childhood development programmes. Designed by experts, the age-appropriate activities help develop the cognitive, physical and social skills of children as they play. The programmes are also recognised for their unique approach to parent involvement, which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development. Cost: 1,020TL for 12 classes (after IWI discount applied) Gymboree members can also enjoy complimentary free-play times during the week. For non-Gymboree members, IWI members these cost 30TL per hour. School Skills programme (drop-off) for the 2-3 year olds or 3-4 year olds. 10% discount on full-year School Skills programme for IWI members. Music and Art classes are also available. Limited offer for IWI members: 12 classes for the price of eight. Birthday parties for 1-7 year olds (20% discount for weekday bookings) Please contact Esra Taşar at esratasar@gymboreeturkey.com or telephone 212 275 8787. www.gymboreeturkey.com
Woodsview Internatıonal Nursery and Preschool, Tarabya, Istanbul Mother and Baby Music and Movement. Parents and guardians can come along for fun singing and dancing with their little ones. When: Mondays and Tuesdays Time: 4.00pm to 5.00pm Cost: 30TL per class or 50TL for two classes per week Age: 6-23 months Where: Woodsview International Nursery and Preschool, Sumer Korusu, Altuncu Sk, No 5, Tarabya, Istanbul Please contact Maresa Shahnooshi, Teacher and Preschool Coordinator at maresa@woodsviewpreschool.com or by telephone on 0212 299 3906. www.woodsviewpreschool.com
Merkez Mah. Perihan Sk. Erbil Apt. No 71-73B, Şişli – Istanbul Located centrally in Şişli, with just a short walk from the metro station, Hotpot café offers playgroups (baby/toddler), yoga (prenatal, yoga, adults), dance and drama classes and other fun activities for both kids and mums.
Please contact Melissa at info@hotpot.web.tr or telephone 0212 343 5353. www.hotpot.web.tr
Kindermusik at Play to Learn Pre-School
On the European side in Akatlar, Nişantaşı and Koç University Rumelifeneri Campus and on the Asian side in Ataşehir, offering different music classes. My Time Programme: 18-30 months ABC, Music and Me Programme: 2-4 years of age Please contact Ms Ozlem Hun at info@playtolearn.com.tr or telephone at 0212 352 3031 or 0532 237 2272. www.playtolearn.com.tr
Full Circle Healing Doula List
There are doulas on both the European and Asian side. Doulas may be willing to travel to your location. For more detailed information about each doula, and on how a doula can support you, visit www.fullcirclehealing.org.
Do’um
Specialising in pregnancy and childbirth, providing education and counselling services to expecting parents and bringing together experts who believe in a natural approach. www.do-um.com
LOLA (Lots of Lovely Art)
After-school workshops, toddler art, kinder art, weekend workshops, holiday camps, themed birthday parties. www.lotsoflovelyart.com
Our House
Our House is located in Cihangir as a center for children and families. The aim of the organization is to generate curiosity, creativity ad awareness for children at all stages of development. www.ourhouse.club
KidsAloud British Culture International Preschool
Teacher-organised activity Emirgan, Istanbul Song and Circle Time, Day’s Activities (Art/Dance), Garden or Ballet-GYM Studio Play An adult to stay, supervise child. Tea, coffee provided, snack and milk for kids. When: 10:30am - 12:00pm on Wednesdays Cost: FREE for IWI members Age group: 0-4 years Bring: Soft slippers Where: KidsAloud British Culture Preschool Emirgan Mah. Şirin Sok. No:32, Emirgan İstanbul Please contact Mrs Sevgi Dogan or Caroll İbrahimov Tan telephone 0532 361 4427 - 212 229 37 76 or sariyer@ingilizceanaokulu.com *Note: please call on Fridays or Mondays to reserve (within the quota) www.ingilizceanaokulu/sariyer
The Mums ’n Kids Team is a volunteer group that organises activities for you and your children to enjoy. Please take responsibility for your own child’s safety IWI is not liable for any injury or loss incurred.
59
GROUPS & ASSOCIATIONS Alcoholics Anonymous/Al-Anon
Open AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings in English are held in the Union Han building on Istiklal Caddesi, Tünel, next to the Swedish Consulate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6.45pm (contact 0533 626 5724 ). There is an Alanon meeting at 6.30pm on Thursdays in the same location. On Sundays, there is an open AA meeting at 4,15pm in Harbiye (contact 0539 606 0123). On the Asian side in Kadikoy, there are meetings at 6pm on Thursdays and at 5.30pm on Saturdays (contact 0537 433 8368). A full listing of all English-speaking AA meetings in Turkey with local contacts can be found on the AA Europe website: www.aa-europe.net
Asian Ladies of Istanbul
The Asian Ladies of Istanbul is a non-profit social group established over 20 years ago for ladies from East Asia living in Istanbul to come together. A members-only Facebook page provıdes news of the monthly lunches, news, events, photographs and useful information. Please contact Kim Cakirkaya at kim.cakirkaya@gmail.com or 0533 463 6930 for further information.
ARIT (American Research Institute of Turkey)
The Friends of ARIT Istanbul, with branches in North America and Ankara, was established to support the ARIT in Turkey. The Istanbul Friends run a year-round programme of tours and lectures for members and guests. Membership is open to all interested residents of Istanbul. For further information call 0212 257 8111.
AWl (American Women of Istanbul)
AWI is a social network open to Americans, Canadians and spouses of US or Canadian citizens in Istanbul. AWI offers social programmes from special-interest groups to charities. If you’re a newcomer to Istanbul please contact our newcomers committee. Email Debbie Abdo or Sia Israfil at awiistanbul@gmail.com.
Belgian Friends of Istanbul
The Belgian Friends of Istanbul gathers every month for drinks, brunch, dinner, a walk or a cultural activity. We also offer activities such as the annual St Nicholas party for children or New Year’s dinner. Our Facebook page allows members to exchange information about job opportunities, housing, babysitting, Belgian cultural events in Istanbul, where to find Belgian products, etc. Email Nathalie Bevernaegie at bfistanbul@gmail. com.
Book Club
There are two IWI book clubs. Book Club 1 is currently over-subscribed, but Book Club 2 is open to new members. Contact: Mary Akgüner (Book Club 2) mary.akguner@gmail.com
Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts
The Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of America is a youth programme for character development and values-based leadership training. All boys in grades one to five (ages six to 10) holding a foreign passport are welcome to join Cubs. Older boys (ages 11-18) are welcome to join Boy Scouts. Activities include hiking and camping. Email Vicki Gunay graygunay@gmail.com or 0532 314 11 34.
Bridge group
Our bridge group meets on Fridays at 11am - all levels welcome. Playing bridge in our group is a way to spend a pleasant Friday. Please contact Sandra on 212 257 9781 or 0532 483 5319.
CHICAS Spanish speaking women of Istanbul
A group open to all ladies who speak our language, or would like to practise it. We host lots
60
of fun, hilarious Latin parties and cultural events. We have our own blog: http://chicasestambul. blogspot.com/ and we’re on Facebook under “Chicas Estambul”. Email chicasestambul@yahoo. com.mx or phone Ninoska Gutierrez Sierra 0533 651 3581, Norma Maranges 0532 314 29 34 or Lorena Martinez 0533 388 6309.
CIRCOLO ROMA (Comunità italiana)
The Italian Association organises activities, such as cooking classes, dinners, parties, Italian and Turkish conversation classes, piano lessons, zumba, tamurriata, Italian cinema, medieval fencing, painting on porcelain, capoiera, singing and activities for children. The wonderful liberty hall can also be hired for private parties and conferences. Email Paola Maresia Maresia@superonline.com or Elsa Zambonini elsazambonini@yahoo.com, tel 0212 244 17 59 or visit our website info@circoloroma.com.
Die Bruecke
Die Bruecke, founded ın 1989, is a platform for the German-speaking community. It is open to everyone who speaks German. Die Bruecke issues a monthly newsletter. Different gatherings, charities, information concerning everyday life, bi-national education, help with bureaucracy and immigration laws in Turkey are covered. Website www.bruecke-istanbul.org, email info@brueckeistanbul.org.
DNSI - The Dutch School of Istanbul
We provide Dutch language and cultural lessons to students aged between four and 16. Our mainstream programme is for primary and secondary students with at least one parent of Dutch nationality. Our afternoon programme is for students aged four to 13 who are learning Dutch as a foreign language. We also offer a two-week Dutch summer school. Please check our website www.dnsi1991.org or email directeur@dnsi1991. org.
Fransız Fakirhanesi – Little Sisters of the Poor Email Mother Mary psdptr@gmail.com or phone 0212 296 4608.
FOCI (Friends of Contemporary Istanbul) Working with the international community to promote the growth and development of contemporary art, the Friends of Contemporary Istanbul aim to contribute to the cultural life of Istanbul. Email jasmine.taranto@gmail.com or phone 0532 687 7899.
Friends of India Association (FOIA)
The Friends of India Association (FOIA) aims to connect Indians in Istanbul through social events. Our aim is to keep the spirit of India and Indian culture alive by organising festivals and activities. If you would like to know more email any of the following: Jugnu Saglik: jugnusaglik@yahoo.com, Ambili: ramachandran.ambili@gmail.com or Diya: khera.diya@gmail.com. We are also on Facebook as Istanbul Indian community (FOIA).
Girl Scouts
The Girl Scouts is tdedicated to helping girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success. İn a nurturing environment, and in with committed volunteers, girls develop strong values, leadership skills, social conscience and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. Girls aged fıve and up are welcome. Email Kat Bekham usagsoistanbul@gmail.com or phone 054 2300 24 92.
IPWIN
IPWIN, the International Professional Women of Istanbul Network, welcomes all women who are working, seeking employment, or unable to work in Turkey for legal reasons. Our members meet monthly at our IPWIN first Wednesday meetıngs,
informal get-togethers focusing on a specific topic. We also schedule special events through the year featuring business-related topics. Contact: ipwin@iwi-tr.org
InterNations
InterNations is an organisation where globally minded people have the opportunity to network and exchange valuable tips and topics regarding expatriate subjects. We organise events and provide opportunities for our members to meet and network twice a month. For further information please see our website http://www. internations.org.
International Women’s Bible Study
This group meets Tuesdays from 10am until 12.30pm. Contact Vicki Günay on 0532 314 1134.
Istanbul Accueil
Welcomes French speaking newcomers in Istanbul. We publish a weekly newsletter listing many events and activities. All French-speaking people are welcome! Email istaccueil@gmail.com or visit our website www.istanbulaccueil.org.
Istanbul@Night
Istanbul@night offers a regular opportunity for IWI members, their spouses and friends, to get together and enjoy a few drinks in a fun, new and interesting spot. Everyone is welcome for a relaxed and sociable evening to enjoy some of the best Istanbul has to offer! Istanbul@night takes place on the last Thursday of every month. Look out for more details in the newsletter and on the IWI website. There is no cost for attending, just come and along and pay for what you order. Contact: istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org
IWI Tennis Group
If you enjoy playing tennis please join our group. The IWI Tennis Group takes place at Torch Tennis in Tarabya. We welcome all players from beginners to advanced. Please contact Kenan Dundar on 0535 390 4983 or email kenan.dundar@ torchsportsclub.com.
Luso Brasileiro
Portuguese speaking group. Contact Isabel Ponte Gulpan 0212 669 4943 or 0532 274 1653.
NVI – Dutch speaking people of Istanbul The Dutch Club Istanbul aıms to keep typical Dutch festivities alive, for people who have a connection to Holland, who like to meet up with Dutch-speaking people. For further information check our website (www.nv-istanbul.org) or contact Lisette Ruygrok at secretariaat@nvistanbul.org.
Istanbul International Rugby Center
Founded in 2007, this is the only Rugby Club in Istanbul with coaching for children and teenagers. Turkish, English, French and Spanish all spoken. The club has coached over 400 international children aged fıve to 16. Rugby training is every Saturday 12.30 - 2pm at Dilikitaş Sport Club in Beşiktaş. Contact Club President Gülseren Gomez or Technical Director Mr Luis Gomez on 0538 642 4513 or see our website: www. istanbulrugbycenter.com
Istanbul Ottomans Rugby Football Club
We practise every Saturday afternoon between 4pm and 6pm, except on days when there are official fixtures, at the Dikilitaş Spor Kulübü in Besiktas (directions available at www. ottomansrugby.com). Players of all ages (17+) and all levels of fitness are welcome.
Mahjong Club
We are a small group of ladies, meeting once a week to piay Mahjong, a Chinese ‘brick’ game. Mahjong is very popular ın China and across Asia.
GROUPS & ASSOCIATIONS The game was traditionally played in clubs, on the street and in homes. We meet on Thursdays at 10.30am and usually continue until around 3.30pm. We meet at each other’s homes, where we are served a light lunch, nothing complicated. You don’t have to know the game in advance. It ıs not a complicated game, but it can take a little while to get familiar with. Join us - we will guide and support you. Please contact Br Gerd Andreasson for more information. Email: gerd. andreasson@gmail.com. Tel: +90 531 327 1108.
PAWI
The Professional American Women of Istanbul is a network of American/Canadian women and spouses of Americans/Canadians living in Istanbul. PAWI strives to empower and support members by promoting personal and professional growth. Each monthly PAWI meeting features a guest speaker, and locations alternate between the European and Asian sides. Contact info@ pawiistanbul.com or visit www.pawistanbul.com.
Patchwork Group
Contact Gaye Hiçdonmez at gayehicdonmez@ gmail.com or 0532 700 0693.
Photography Club
The photo club is a group of international members whose skill levels vary from very basic to semi-professional – but who all share the desire to capture the world in a photograph and to explore Istanbul while doing so. The group
discussion includes all current event information, bi-weekly photo challenges, tips and tricks, and general photography topics. Contact: Fay Magnusson at photoclubofistanbul@gmail.com.
Speech Bubbles
Speech Bubbles Theatre is a drama group established in 1988 aiming to perform high-quality English language musical theatre and donating proceeds to charities supporting children and education. Speech Bubbles is composed of amateur and professional dancers, singers and musicians from the international community. We also run a part-time school of performing arts for young people over 10 years of age and adults for three hours on Saturday mornings. Email tom@ speechbubbles.org or www.speechbubbles.org.
South Africans in Istanbul
Please contact esbie@hotmail.com if you are interested in forming an informal group of expatriate South Africans.
SWEA (Swedish Women Educational Association)
SWEA is a world-wide network for Swedishspeaking women with a chapter in Istanbul. We organise events and activities and welcome everyone who speaks Swedish. If you would like to know more or join us, please contact istanbul@ swea.org.
Support Group for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Looking for the support of other parents of children with special needs and additional resources for your child? Please contact Carol Crous for more information on 0533 730 7148 or 0212 223 9700.
Tennis Club
If you enjoy playing tennis please join our group! Teams are based on skill level and we welcome all players from beginners to intermediate and advanced. Tennis Group takes place at Torch Tennis in Tarabya. Contact: Kenan Dündar kenandundar911@hotmail.com 0535 390 4983
Toastmasters International – Istanbul Chapter
The English speaking Istanbul Toastmasters Club is the first Istanbul branch of Toastmasters International, an organisation that helps its members improve their communication and leadership skills in a supportive environment. ITM meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Gönen Hotel in Taksim. Guests are welcome to attend two meetings free of charge. Email vp-membership@istanbultoastmasters.org or president@istanbultoastmasters.org.
Union Church of Istanbul
We are an international, inter-denominational church that offers services in English. Please contact Elaine Van Rensburg 0212 244 5763.
IWI DIRECTORY / CLASSIFIEDS TURKISH LESSONS:
PRIVATE AND CONVERSATIONAL For ladies and men, group or one to one lessons, at your home or workplace, from an experienced native teacher fluent in English and French. Adjustable to your needs and time schedule. Please call 0530 310 21 32 or email rbensan@ superonline.com for full information.
PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE
I can come to your house... Pregnancy massage, cellulite massage, relaxing massage, full body massage, osho re-balancing, massage or wax. Call me for more information: Hatice Yildrim Tirli 0532 260 4118 or 0542 434 1932.
Building Bridges between Countries & Cultures
MEF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Ulus Mah. Öztopuz Cad. Leylak Sok. 34340 Ulus - Beşiktaş / Istanbul Phone: +90 (212) 362 26 33 • Fax: +90 (0212) 287 38 70 E-mail: contact@mefis.k12.tr · www.mefis.k12.tr
62
IWI PARTNER OFFERS Our Partner Offers page lists offers and discounts that our partners are extending to IWI members. In order to take advantage of these offers, you must show your IWI membership card. If you lose your card, contact our offices at: Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Oz Topuz Sokak. Camlitepe Sitesi, No. 74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus, Ortakoy.
EXPERT SKINCARE SPECIALISTS
Is your skin in need of rehydration or have you noticed pigmentation changes following the summer sun? Combining our knowledge and skill with famous brands, oxygen facials, manual microdermabrasion to provide solutions, we offer free skincare consultations during the months of September and October, plus 20% discount for IWI members. CIDESCO, CIBTAC, ITEC qualifications. For more information and to make an appointment contact Siobhan or Gonca: Siobhan: 05355527887 / 00353851562889. Gonca: 05443235081 siobhandirilgen@hotmail.com
GRAND BAZAAR DISCOUNTS
The following vendors in the Grand Bazaar are offering 10% discount. Koç Leather & Fur KaptanBros, lighting and home decoration Tarkan Özbudak, fine Kütahya and İznik hand-painted ceramics, tiles İgüs, cashmere & silk Ucuzcular Baharat (Bilge Kadıoğlu): Spice market no:51 Eminönü
ISTANBUL TENNIS ACADEMY (ISTA)
Offers individual and group lessons for children and adults of various skill levels. Our experienced coach will help to instill basic tennis skills and proper techniques in beginners as well as help develop professional skills for advanced players. Coach Kenan Dundar has extensive experience giving lessons to foreign students of all different levels and age groups. There are 5 tennis courts: 4 clay courts and 1 hard court. Every tennis court at our club meets the specifications for professional tennis courts but the tennis club not only has great tennis courts, it also has all the necessary modern infrastructure for training, warmup and rest after the game. ISTA offers excellent opportunities for training and education but our tennis club is not only about the lessons and playing tennis, it is also a lively, relaxing and great place to meet other tennis fans and make interesting acquaintances. ISTA offers a 10% discount to IWI members. Courts are open from 7 am to midnight and for more detailed information please contact: 0535-390-4983 kenandundar911@hotmail.com (Kenan Dundar) or 0531-945-2588 pautova@hotmail.com (Olga Dundar)
STEVEN KITCHING BRITISH HAIRSTYLIST
I’m happy to offer a 10% discount to all IWI members when booking your first appointment. I have 20 years experience in cutting, styling and colouring and offer a professional friendly service in the comfort of your home. For more details and appointments call or e-mail (0551) 412- 4784. stevekitching@hotmail.co.uk
HILLSIDE SPORTS
With a ‘feel good’ mission, these sports centres provide multifunctional and boutique services. Hillside’s unique products consider personal needs with a team of friendly, experienced and internationally certified experts. We introduce the world’s latest sports trends and provide a colourful range of products to members, combining fitness and fun. The ‘Hillsider community’ consists of Hillside Etiler, Hillside İstinye and Hillside Trio members. Activities, tours, cultural travels, tournaments and parties enrich the lives of the community of members. Hillside City Clubs are wellness addresses that satisfy all needs of their guests and makes sure they feel good. We offer a 20% discount on general membership to IWI members. Contact: Hillside City Club Etiler 0212 3522333 (Alkent Sitesi Tepecik Yolu Etiler). Hillside City Club Trio 0216 3241111 (Trio Konutları, Kozyatağı Hillside City Club İstinye 0212 3672000 ( İstinyePark AVM)
KIRKPINAR LOKANTASI / TURKISH CUISINE
Modern Turkish Cuisine. Kırkpınar Lokantası is offering IWI members a 10% discount on all Kırkpınar tastes. Show the manager or cashier your membership card and enjoy healthy Turkish food. Tea or coffee are free with your meal. For more information, see www. kirkpinarlokantasi.com.tr
DENTRAM DENTAL CLINICS
Dentram Dental Clinics offers 20% discount on all treatments to IWI members. The offer is valid at all three clinics: Dentram Levent; Dentram Bağdat Caddesi; Dentram Acarkent. Please have your IWI membershıp card with you. www.dentram.com
CONCEPT LANGUAGES
Located in the heart of Etiler, Concept Languages is offering free Turkish conversation classes to any IWI member presenting their card. Classes will take place twice a month between 14:30 –15:30 and for full information and reservations. Please Contact: Başak Toksoy (0212) 351- 18 40 basak.toksoy@conceptlanguages.com
TIME OUT SUBSCRIPTIONS
Time Out Istanbul in English is offering a 25% discout on subscriptions for IWI members. Make Time Out your monthly go-to guide for the city by contacting: Omer Karanis, omer@ajansmedya. com. www.timeoutistanbul.com
CHILL OUT SPA NIŞANTAŞI
British salon owner Ann Marie Sabuncu is offering IWI members a 25% discount on all treatments and package programs. Chill Out is a small boutique spa using quality products from Decleor. Latest technology LPG body treatments and reflexology are just some of the treatments available. For more information please contact Ann Marie on 0212 231 1159. www.chilloutspa.com.tr
DENTGROUP DENTAL CLINICS
DentGroup Dental Clinics is an ISO certified chain of dental clinics in Istanbul, Turkey. DentGroup has its own laboratory named DentLab and with 6 dental clinics, it offers a full range of dental services for all age groups, including orthodontics, implantology and paediatric dentistry. As an experienced team of specialists, DentGroup provides patient-centered personalised care with high quality and affordable dentistry. DentGroup Dental Clinics offers 20% discount on all treatments to IWI members for 2015-2016 IWI season. The offer is valid at all six clinics: DentGroup Maslak, DentGroup Ataşehir, DentGroup Bağdat Caddesi, DentGroup Kids, DentGroup Göztepe and DentGroup Acarkent.
MOMMA ZEN/ANNEZEN
Momma Zen/annezen is a centre which specialises in yoga, massage and aromatherapy for the pregnant woman, baby yoga and baby massage workshops and kid's yoga. We also offer a doula service and breastfeeding workshops, as well as massage and yoga for non-pregnant women. Momma Zen also teaches HypnoBirthing classes in English and runs workshops on making natural skincare products. For IWI members we are pleased to offer a 20% discount on the full price of prenatal yoga and birth classes, workshops, massages and child yoga. Momma Zen/ annezen, Kordon Yolu Sokak 8/1, Kordon Apt, Kalamiş, Istanbul. Tel: 0216 345 0866. Jo Harris: 0536 8285587. www.momma-zen.com. www.annezen.com/program
BOYNUZ STEAK HOUSE & KASAP
Boynuz offers IWI members a 10% discount. Polignon Mah. Polignon Cd. Fevzi Cakmak Sk. No:2 Istiniye Phone: 0212 2291910. www.boynuzet.com
63
IWI POLICIES Membership Directory Membership information is only available online in the members only area of the website at present, but depending on sponsorship availability, may again be printed in the future as it was in the past. Whether online or in print, any and all member information is provided to IWI members in strictest confidentiality. Provision of member information to third parties contravenes IWI policy.
MEMBERSHIP
ADVERTISING
Membership registration is also available at our Newcomers meetings, held each month on both the European and Asian sides. Please refer to the Newcomers page in this Lale magazine for details of timing and location.
Classified ads: Restricted to 50 words.
Membership is open to all women who hold a Non-Turkish passport or who are married to a foreign passport holding spouse. For application details, please visit our website www.iwi-tr.org.
Changing Address or Lale Problems? Don’t forget to give us your new address (postal and/or e-mail) to avoid delays to the delivery of Lale magazine or for up-to-date IWI member information. Contact our Membership Coordinator by e-mail at membership@ iwi-tr.org. If your Lale magazine doesn’t arrive, please contact the Membership Coordinator membership@iwi-tr.org
64
To place an advertisement please contact us at advertising@iwi-tr.org. Advertisements must be confirmed through signed contract before any payment is accepted.
Member cost: 1-3 FREE in our online publications (Non-Commercial Ads) Non-Member cost: $60 plus 18% VAT. All advertising costs are payable by bank transfer. No cash payments accepted. A copy of the payment transfer (dekont) should be sent via email: advertising@iwi-tr.org. Only paid advertisements can be included in Lale. Payment Details Bank: Garanti Bankası Branch Code (Hesap Şubesi): 340 Etiler TL Account (TL Hesap): TR03 0006 2000 3400 0006 2991 17 USD Account (USD Hesap): TR09 0006 2000 3400 0009 0939 67 Customer Name: İstanbul Uluslararası Kadınlar Derneği İktisadi İşletmesi
DISCLAIMER
Lale Content The IWI as an organisation and the IWI Board members act within the laws of Turkey pertaining to publishing but they do not accept any liability regarding the accuracy or content of the contributions supplied by our advertisers or members’ articles. In order to comply with these laws or publishing standards the IWI reserve the right to reject or edit any submission to Lale. Furthermore, the IWI does not accept any responsibility for any of the services rendered by any of our advertisers. Programmes Cancellation of a programme reservation after the deadline remains fully payable. Please refer to our website www.iwi-tr.org for up to date details, last minute additions or programme changes. The IWI reserves the right to cancel programmes due to insufficient numbers. You are responsible for both you and your child’s safety and the IWI cannot accept responsibility for injury or extra cost incurred during any activity organised by the IWI, or advertised in Lale.
IICS. Exceptional. Forward Thinking. Years of Academic Excellence
1911-2011
IICS is the only Early Years 3 through Grade 12 International school in Istanbul fully authorized and globally accredited by the IB, CIS and NEASC.
• Child-centered education Early Years 3 through Grade 12 • Rigorous academics delivered by highly qualified faculty • Top university acceptances • Fully-authorized International Baccalaureate school (PYP, MYP, DP) • Multicultural staff & students • Modern technology & resources • Over a century of excellence
www.iics.k12.tr
www.iics.k12.tr