Lale January February 2014

MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL

03 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2014

MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL

YOUR

GOALS & DREAMS

January - February 2014

WINTER HEALTH &BEAUTY ASIAN SIDE

FOCUS

WHAT’S ON and much more…

Table of

Contents

22

02 Board information 03 Board letter

24

IWI

REGULAR ACTIVITIES 04 06 08 09 10

Newcomers Neighbourhood coffee mornings Groups, clubs and regular activities Istanbul@night Book club news

44

PROGRAMS

Write your dreams into reality Coaching: will it work for me?

Wake up your forgotten dreams Feasting and shopping at the Kadıköy market Neighbourhood tour: Moda A prestigious chess tournament Scent science 20 years of Speech Bubbles

HEALTH & FITNESS

54

CALENDAR

24 26 30 32 34 36 38 39

SPONSORED ARTICLES 40 Protecting Istanbul’s garden heritage,Time Out 42 Istanbul unwrapped, Cornucopia

IPWIN 11 News and happenings 12 A new team

FEATURES

MUMS ‘N KIDS

58

19 16 14 11

04 02

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2014

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

44 46 48 50

Glowing through winter Flu season health Eating for endurance Menopause: the professional perspective

54 Getting your kids going on goals 56 Announcements

PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES 19 Walking tour – Istanbul Privé 20 Hak Art trip 21 Grand Bazaar rooftops

CHARITY

January - February 2014

58 60 62 64

Groups and associations Partner offers Classifieds IWI policies

1

IWI BOARD INFORMATION IWI Office Hours:

IWI BOARD MEMBERS Chairwoman

Nilgün Coruk

chairwoman@iwi-tr.org

Vice-Chairwoman

Tammy Ni

vicechairwoman@iwi-tr.org

Treasurer

Nicole Liao

treasury@iwi-tr.org

Secretary

Natalie Vaatz-Deutscher

secretary@iwi-tr.org

Office Manager

Karlygash Omurbayeva

officemanager@iwi-tr.org

Membership Secretary

Ayşe Natalie Akcan

membership@iwi-tr.org

Events Coordinator

Elena Skylarskaya

events@iwi-tr.org

Events Coordinator

Marine Boixiere

events@iwi-tr.org

Sponsorship Coordinator

Anne Marie Yilmaz

sponsorship@iwi-tr.org

Marketing Manager

Alison Cecil

marketing@iwi-tr.org

Lale

Eleanor Ross

lale@iwi-tr.org

Yayını Yapan / Publisher:

Advertising Coordinator

Aylin Gottardo

advertising@iwi-tr.org

IWI International Women of İstanbul, Dernek Kod: 34-64/027

Charity Coordinator

Jo Bradley

charity@iwi-tr.org

Programs Coordinator

Ambili Ramachandran

programs@iwi-tr.org

İrtibat Adresi / Address:

Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings Coordinator

Christina Türk

ncm@iwi-tr.org

Newcomers Coordinator (Eur)

Hana Danon

newcomerseurope@iwi-tr.org

Newcomers Coordinator (Eur)

Camelia Sağisman

newcomerseurope@iwi-tr.org

Newcomers Coordinator (Asia)

Petra Gönenç

newcomersasia@iwi-tr.org

İmtiyaz Sahibi / Licensee:

Newcomers Programs

Ayşe Yücel

newcomersprograms@iwi-tr.org

Suzanne Bruns Kaluti Adresi / Address: Badur Boğaziçi Evleri No. 3/5 Özden Sokak Nispetiye Caddesi Etiler, İstanbul Tel: 0212 287 45 57

Mums n Kids

Maria Petersen Çiftgül

mumsnkids@iwi-tr.org

IPWIN Coordinator

Ulli Allmendinger

ipwin@iwi-tr.org

IPWIN Coordinator

Hong Yang

ipwin@iwi-tr.org

IPWIN Coordinator

Namita Srivastava

ipwin@iwi-tr.org

Liaison Officer

Ebru Demirel

liaison@iwi-tr.org

Wednesday from 10:30 AM till 1:00 PM 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

Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Çamlıtepe Sitesi No:74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus Ortaköy İstanbul – TURKEY

Sorumlu Yazı İşleri Müdürü / Responsible Editor: Laily Neyzi Adresi / Address: Kemerburgaz Mesa Evleri, Lavanta 7, D:9, 34075 Göktürk, İstanbul

IWI BOARD ASSISTANTS Charity

Juliana Elerman

charity@iwi-tr.org

Yayın Türü / Issue Type:

Website

Esbie van Heerden-Ünsal

esbie@iwi-tr.org

Yerel Süreli

E-Letter Coordinator

Suzy Kaluti

iwieletter@iwi-tr.org

Tasarım / Design:

Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings Sadia Zafar

ncm@iwi-tr.org

Newcomers Programs

Kim Francis

newcomersprograms@iwi-tr.org

Reservations

Cynthia Hadatoğlu

reservations@iwi-tr.org

Book Club 1

Lesley Tahtakılıç

tahtakilic@superonline.com

Book Club 2

Mary Akgüner

mary.akguner@gmail.com

Istanbul@night

Charlotte Hesp

istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org

Lale Health and Fitness Editor

Darcy Holmer

darcyholmer@yourbestfit.org

Lale Health and Fitness Editor

Ulli Allmendinger

ulliall@yahoo.com

Marlet Advertising Studios www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16

Matbaa / Printer: Marlet Print Solutions www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16

Basım Tarihi: 15.12.2013 Sayı: 68

2

January - February 2014

IWI BOARD LETTER

Dear IWI members, I am writing this letter on a cool sunny day in November and trying to imagine you reading your first Lale magazine of 2014; cosy and comfortable with a cup of hot chocolate to get you even warmer.

I

t’s been exactly a year that I have been Programs Coordinator and the beginning of a year is as good a time as any to reflect on the programs that have been organised and also offer a sneak peek into what the rest of the season will bring.

In the past 18 months, we at the Programs team have walked with you (aka James Bond!) on the Grand Bazaar rooftops, strolled through old and new Istanbul neighbourhoods with curious eyes and cameras, tasted cuisines as varied as Iranian, Sri Lankan and South American... tried our hand at ceramics and danced zumba-style, had wine-tasting sessions at 11 in the morning (very well attended and everyone on time!), sailed on the Bosphorus, interpreted symbols in kilims in our talk on Esoteric Symbolism in Nomadic Textiles (yes, that was the actual title of the program!); had our fortunes read through a coffee cup, picnicked among the tulips, shopped for everything from Christmas decor to 100-year-old copperware, learnt that we can learn to be happy, intensely discussed mysticism and Rumi, treated our tired bodies with exotic massages and hamams, calmed our souls with meditation and drank copious amounts of çay!

January - February 2014

In some of our programs we travelled outward through backstreets discovering long forgotten pasts, in others we delved inwards, discovering that some roads originate and end within us.

We intend our programs to be akin to the mezze in Turkish cuisine, offering our members a tantalising sample of the wonderful delights that the increasingly global city of Istanbul can offer.

Keeping the mezze in mind, we start the year with a perfectly timed health talk on getting rid of our food cravings followed by a talk about resolving inter cultural issues with a focus on conflict with mothers-in-law (we predict a full house!) We then explore our creative side with workshops on making natural soaps and origami and learn how to cook flavoursome and delicious Moroccan food. And then celebrate the New Year again in Chinese style this time with a lip-smacking lunch! And that’s just the start of 2014!

The Programs team comprising Ayşe, Cynthia and Kim join me in wishing you and your families a very happy new year. We look forward to seeing you at our programs.

Warm wishes Ambili Ramachandran IWI Programs Coordinator

3

Newcomers Are you a Newcomer?

Welcome!

IWI holds coffee mornings twice a month, on both the Asian and European sides.

EUROPEAN COFFEE MORNINGS LA KANTIN, ALKENT

Our popular bi-weekly meeting spot in Etiler welcomes you anytime between 12 noon and 2 pm for lunch, coffee and a friendly chat. Camellia and Hana, our newcomer coordinators, will be there to greet you with a smile and introduce you to the other members.

ASIAN COFFEE MORNINGS CAFÉ CADDE, ERENKÖY

We meet regularly at Café Cadde on Bağdat Caddesi, Erenköy. Meet new members, establish new friendships, or renew existing ones. There is a cover charge of 10TL per person, which includes a cup of tea or coffee, for those members who prefer to have only a drink. Those making meal orders of 26TL or over will receive a free cup of tea or coffee!

We look forward to seeing you there!

DETAILS DETAILS

Date

See Calendar for details

Date

See Calendar for details

Time

11:00 am -1:30 pm (Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month)

Time

12 noon -2:00 pm (Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month)

Venue

Cafe Cadde, Erenköy

Venue

La Kantin

Cost

Cost

Pay as you order

10TL per person for those who prefer to have a drink only; includes a cup of tea or coffee.

Meeting place

Tepecik Yolu, Alken Sitesi, Etiler

Meeting place

Bağdat Caddesi, Cafe Cadde, Erenköy

Reservations

Not required

Reservations

Not required

Contact details

Camellia Sağışman: 0532 236 9755 Hana Danon: 0532 213 3151

Contact details

Petra Gönenç: 0532 275 4219

4

January - February 2014

NEIGHBOURHOOD COFFEE MORNINGS Depending on where you live, you’ll automatically be added to an email list for your neighbourhood coffee mornings. Coffee mornings are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 10.30am-12.30pm. Please be on the lookout for emails from your local area coordinator.

AREA COORDINATORS Area A

Etiler

Marilyn Milligan

0538 6180123

marilyn.milligan@bridge-tci.com

Area B

Tarabya Sarıyer

Büyükdere

Derryn Snowdon

0533 7630777

derrynsnowdon@fastmail.fm

Area C

Akatlar

Ulus

Christina Türk

0532 2425716

christinaturk@tnn.net

Area D

Arnavutköy Bebek Rumeli Hisarı

Baltalimanı

Karen Chesnut

0538 398 7712

karen_chesnut@hotmail.com

Area E

Ortaköy Levazım​

Balmumcu

Dawn Biyashev

05413023047

dancemachine3@gmail.com

Area F

Beşiktaş

Levent

​Sadia Zafar

0534 3931784

drsadiazafar@yahoo.com

Area G

Nişantaşı Osmanbey Şişli/​Fulya Gayrettepe

Esentepe Tepebaşı ​Teşvikiye/Maçka

Michele Green-Taş Mary Akgüner

0533 3055017 0532 6729086

michelegreentas@gmail.com mary.akguner@gmail.com

Area H/I

Yeniköy İstinye Maslak

Reşitpaşa Emirgan

Szilvia Nagy

0554 5924333

szilviaboldva@gmail.com

Area J

Zekeriyaköy Kilyos​/ Uskumruköy

Marlene Bronte

0533 5445777

nutritionalmedicine@hotmail.com

Area K

Kemer​

Göktürk

Didem Sağıroğlu

0532 7409950

didemsagiroglu@gmail.com

Area L

Beyoğlu ​Taksim/Tünel ​Sultanahmet ​Harbiye ​Fatih

Gümüşsuyu​ Eyüp Cihangir Topağacı ​Gaziosmanpaşa ​Kabataş

Ayşe Yufkayürek

0538 0203433

ayse.yufkayuerek@gmail.com

Area M

Maltepe Kadıköy Moda Üsküdar Ataşehir Kartal

Ömerli ​Tuzla Küçükyalı ​Salacak

Lynn Nish​

0534 2558913

nishlynn5@gmail.com

Area O​

Ümraniye Çekmeköy ​Beykoz ​Çengelköy Anadolu Hisarı

Beylerbeyi ​Kanlıca Polonezköy Kandilli Kavacık

Valerie Çelebi​

0532 2348282

valericelebi@superonline.com

Area P​

Büyükçekmece Küçükçekmece​ ​Hadımköy ​Bakırköy ​Ataköy ​Yeşilköy ​Yeşilyurt ​Bahçeköy Bahçelievler

Güneşli ​Yenibosna ​Beylikdüzü ​Halkalı ​Bahceşehir ​Bağcılar ​Esenyurt Küçükköy

Natalie Vaatz Deutscher

0534 7872788

nvaatz@gmail.com

​ alideçeşme V ​Göztepe ​Bakkalköy ​Çiftehavuzlar ​Şaşkınbakkal ​Küçük Bakkalköy

Members living in Area Y are invited to attend the Asian Side Newcomers Coffee mornings at Café Cadde in Erenköy, every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Caddebostan​ Fenerbahçe​ ​Bostancı Area Y​ ​Erenköy ​Kalamış ​Suadiye

6

January - February 2014

Join the IWI Board & IWI Teams!

• • • • •

Do you want to sharpen your professional skills?

Do you want to learn a completely new skill?

Do you have some extra time on your hands?

Do you have excellent people skills?

Do you want to meet people from all over the world and join a fun team?

I

f you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, we may have a place for you on the IWI board or teams. Whether you would like to help a little, or to play a more professional role, we would like to speak to you! We can offer you support in undertaking a new role and learning new skills. There is no need for you to have a gap in your CV and you can gain valuable experience while you are in Istanbul.

Current team openings: Regional Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings (NCM) Coordinator for the Ulus/Akatlar area Do you live in Ulus/Akatlar? Keen to make a difference, be ‘in the loop’ and build social connections? This regional coordinator works closely with the main Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings coordinator to keep members informed of upcoming events and IWI news. You’ll arrange meeting places for our regular Ulus/Akatlar coffee mornings and liaise with IWI members in the area.

Could this be you? Please contact Christina Turk, our Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings Coordinator, to find out more. You can reach Christina at ncm@iwi-tr.org.

January - February 2014

7

GROUPS, CLUBS AND REGULAR ACTIVITIES IPWIN

Photography Club

CHESS CLUB

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’. The ‘first Wednesday is an informal get-together based around a specific topic, and is aimed at professional development and networking in a relaxed environment. We also schedule special events through the year featuring business-related topics.

Contact: ipwin@iwi-tr.org

The photo club is a group of international members whose skill levels vary from very basic to semiprofessional – 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 photoclubofistanbul@gmail.com

Once a month, IWI members have the opportunity to learn to play chess or to improve their chess skills free of charge with Women’s Chess Grand Master and 2006 European Champion Ekaterina Atalik. Children aged five and over are also welcome.

Contact: Ekaterina Atalik makacat@yandex.ru 0533 690 4782

NEW CLUBS Book Club

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 in the city. 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 to attending, just come and along and pay for what you order.

Contact: istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org

8

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

Is there an activity that you’d enjoy participating in with other IWI members that you don’t see listed here? An Art Club? A Movie Club? Or?! How about starting a new club in order to find members who share your interests? We welcome suggestions and coordinators for new IWI regular activities.

Contact: Alison Cecil marketing@iwi-tr.org

TENNIS CLUB IWI WEEKLY OFFICE HOURS

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

The IWI office hours are on Wednesdays from 10:30 -1:00. Our new office is nice and bright and has a lovely garden. Feel free to drop in for a chat or if you have any questions.

Ahmet Adnan Saygun Caddesi No 74, Çamlıtepe Sitesi Block C1/D2, Ulus 34347 0212 287 3571 There’s a map at the back of the magazine!

January - February 2014

REGULAR ACTIVITIES

SNAPSHOTS FROM

I

t h g i n @ l istanbu

stanbul@night kicked off with a bang in September and has not abated since! We have a fantastic mix of people, many veteran Istanbullus and just as many new arrivals. It has been a great opportunity for people to make new friends, share experiences and enjoy some delicious drinks courtesy of the host of venues we have partnered with. The opening season was a particular highlight, taking place at Corvus where we did our best to sample the huge range of wines from their vineyards in Bozcaada.

One of the things we love about Istanbul@night is that with partners and friends welcome it becomes a lively and vibrant gathering that is never truly over until the bar shuts for the night‌ we’d love to see you at the next one.

Istanbul@night is 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 in the city. 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 IWI website. There is no cost to attending, just come and along and pay for what you order. Contact email: istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org

January - February 2014

9

REGULAR ACTIVITIES

BOOK CLUB NEWS Book Club 1

Book Club 2 Reactions to this novel ranged from “One of the best books I've ever read in my life” to “One of the most depressing books I've ever read... totally horrible”.

“The most popular books in our group are novels based on real historical events, which provide insight into the time and cultural setting.”

Image credit: Random House

Image credit: Random House

Books that provoke extremely divergent reactions can often lead to the most interesting discussions and our November choice, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, was just such a book.

This winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is set in North Korea during Kim Jong Il's rule, which is shown as unremittingly ghastly. A long novel, it is divided into two more or less equal parts – The Biography of Jun Do and The Confessions of Commander Ga. Jun Do aka Commander Ga, the main protagonist, is a young radio operator whose journey through the dystopian North Korean world we follow, from the abduction of people off Japanese beaches, to a so-called diplomatic mission to the USA, to a prison camp and finally to the capital Pyongyang and his involvement in helping a Korean film star escape to the US. In the process we begin to get a sense of what it might be like to live under this despotic dynasty.

Apparently the author had done extensive research, including visiting North Korea, but given the horror of some of the events described some of us wondered to what extent it was based on fact. One participant, who had lived under a totalitarian regime, described the positive aspects of such a life but did point out that the way to survive had involved copious amounts of wine. We considered the question, “Why did he write this book?” and came up with a variety of suggestions, including propaganda against the North Korean regime; exploration of what makes people go on living in spite of everything; warning against despotism; or perhaps the thought that a story set in such a secretive country would pique the curiosity of book buyers. The disparity of views was reflected in the range of stars from five to two, averaging out as a four star read for our group.

The most popular books in our group are novels based on real historical events, which provide insight into the time and cultural setting. Most of the books on the list we are considering for 2014 meet that description. Our latest two selections certainly do.

For October we read Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace, a masterful tale which starts with the exile of the royal family to India, when the British occupy Burma to control the lucrative teak trade at the end of the 19th century. The story traces three generations of families right through much of the 20th century. Ghosh paints rich details of court etiquette and intrigue, teak logging, elephant handling, and the recruiting of impoverished Indians.

Our November selection, Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin, has a more limited scope. Kulin is a popular and proliferate Turkish writer whose works have just started being translated into English. This novel deals with Turkish diplomatic efforts to rescue Jews from Hitler’s Europe, and explains why Turkey remained neutral through most of World War Two. The fictional part tells of a well-educated daughter, who defies her prominent Turkish Muslim family to marry her Jewish classmate and run away to France. In some ways, the storyline seemed somewhat artificially superimposed over the historical facts; but it was an entertaining read, nevertheless.

In December, we move to China and a silk factory to which young girls are sold by their families: Gail Tsukiyama’s Women of the Silk.

Wishing happy reading to you all.

Contributed by Mary Akgüner, Book Club 2 Coordinator

Our winter reading list: December: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce January: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Simon Mawer February: Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Book Club 1 is currently over-subscribed, but if you’re interested in joining Book Club 2, please contact Mary Akgüner: mary.akguner@ gmail.com.

Contributed by Lesley Tahtakılıç, Book Club 1 Coordinator

Book Club 2 meets on the third Tuesday morning of the month at Kanyon Mall, and welcomes visitors as well as new members.

10

January - February 2014

ipwin IPWIN NEWS AND HAPPENINGS Happy New Year! The IPWIN team wishes you a great start to 2014. We hope you’ve had some a pleasant holiday season among family and friends, and we wish you all a successful and enjoyable year ahead.

IPWIN season opening To start off, we would like to share some long-awaited photographic impressions of our IPWIN opening event in October, which was kindly hosted by the Belgian Consul-General in the splendid atmosphere of the Belgian Consulate – the ‘Palais de Belgique’.

Emotional competence with Derryn Snowdon At our ‘first Wednesday’ event in November, our guest speaker, Derryn Snowdon shared with us a new way on how to improve our emotional competence.

The idea is that emotions that make us feel good are fine, but it is those emotions that pull us down and cause us heartache and suffering that we may want to manage better.

Ayşe talked about her life’s shift, its challenges and risks, and why it has not been much of a compromise living in an ashram in India for most of the past 2.5 years.

Human Software Engineering™ is an emerging field that offers simple, deep and lasting solutions as well as training in how to continue to use and benefit from the techniques.

IPWIN Coordinator Katharina Omar with the Belgian Consul-General and IWI Chairwoman Nilgün Çoruk.

Ayşe invited us to experience a whole body meditation at the end of the workshop.

Upcoming events Our guest speaker, Derryn Snowdon shared with us a new way of improving our emotional competence.

Chatting with the Consul-General amid the beautifully maintained heritage surroundings of the Consulate.

Kaula yoga Our second event of the month was held at the beautiful Adahan Hotel and was a bit different, yet very interesting, workshop for IPWIN. Ayşe Yufkayürek talked about her life experience, professionally, privately and health-wise in classical Kaula yoga.

Good food, good wine and good company…

January - February 2014

She had to make a choice whether or not to go on like before or to make a change. So, she traded her fancy London-based life and conventional job with a 70TL-backpack and a rough travel plan through South-East Asia.

The first event in the New Year will take place on the second Wednesday of the month, as most of our members will still be on vacation during the first week. The topic is Increasing energy and acquiring skills to manage stress and create work-life balance. Further events for January and February will be communicated via email in due course. If you’re not already receiving IPWIN emails, we invite you to sign up, or contact us with any questions at ipwin@iwi-tr.org.

We do appreciate our voluntary guest speakers for our meetings and events. If you are interested and willing to share your expertise and experience with our members, please get in touch!

We look forward to seeing you soon.

11

ipwin

A new team for IPWIN A new year brings changes! The outgoing coordinator introduces us to the new and motivated team coordinating the International Professional Women of Istanbul Network.

INTRODUCING: ULLI ALLMENDINGER Ulli Allmendinger is an Ayurvedic consultant, herbalist and yoga therapist with a passion for cooking, whole foods nutrition and yoga therapy. In addition to her busy Ayurvedic consulting practice, she is also owner of ‘Ulli’s Kitchen’, a line of gluten-free breads and sweets to support gluten-free healthy living and optimal digestion. Ulli is a Health and Fitness editor for Lale magazine. Originally from Germany, yet educated both in the UK and US, Ulli currently lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey, and is delighted to help organize the IPWIN events and workshops.

INTRODUCING: HONG YANG Hong Yang arrived in Istanbul with her big backpack five years ago – the conclusion to her one year long silk road trip. Istanbul attracted her and changed her life direction and she continues to love this vibrant and colourful city. With three and a half years of experience in export sales in China and three and a half years as an export coordinator in Turkey, she wishes to devote her skills and knowledge in exporting and business to IPWIN.

INTRODUCING: NAMITA SRIVASTAVA Namita Srivastava came to Istanbul from Bangkok in December 2012 with her year old daughter and husband. Namita has almost 11 years of experience in strategic planning, business transformation solutions, knowledge management, and process re-engineering across multiple organisations. She has also worked in the field of public health and has written a thesis on quality of life. She holds Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Public Health. She is happy to be a part of the team organising the very informative and interesting IPWIN events.

GOODBYE, AND THANK YOU, FROM KATHARINA OMAR I would like to say thank you, and goodbye. It has been a great pleasure meeting you and working with you all. I very much enjoyed organising and hosting IPWIN events over the past year and a half. This new year also brings a new life changing challenge for me and my family.

At the beginning of January we will be moving to the Arabian world – Amman/Jordan, and we are also expecting a new family member in March 2014.

Wishing you all the best for the future – please keep supporting our great IPWIN network!

12

January - February 2014

Calendar

January w e d n e s d ay

m o n d ay

t u e s d ay

01

T h u r s d ay

F r i d ay

S at u r d ay

02

03

04

05

10

11

12

17

18

19

24

25

26

S u n d ay

Neighbourhood Coffee Morning Newcomers Coffee Morning (Asian Side)

06

07

IPWIN: Increading energy and acquiring skills to manage stress and create work-life balance

08

New Year’s resolution workshop: ditch your cravings for good!

09 Newcomers Coffee Morning (European Side)

13 Workshop: natural decorative soaps

20

14 Newcomers Coffee Morning (Asian Side)

21

15 IPWIN: Update and globalise your personal learning network via Twitter

22

16 Istanbul@Night

23

Chinese New Year Lunch at Dragon Restaurant

27

14

28

29

30

31

January - February 2014

February m o n d ay

t u e s d ay

Origami workshop

Newcomers Coffee Morning (Asian Side)

03

04

w e d n e s d ay

IPWIN ‘first Wednesday’

05

F r i d ay

T h u r s d ay

Newcomers Coffee Morning (European Side)

S at u r d ay

S u n d ay

01

02

Moroccan cooking demonstration with Houda El Haimeur

06

07

08

09

13

14

15

16

21

22

23

Neighbourhood Coffee Morning

10

11 Newcomers Coffee Morning (Asian Side)

12 IPWIN workshop

Cross-cultural issues talk: special focus on in-law relationships Newcomers Coffee Morning (European Side)

17

18

19

20 Istanbul@Night

24

25

January - February 2014

26

27

28

15

programs NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION WORKSHOP: DITCH YOUR CRAVINGS FOR GOOD!

WORKSHOP: NATURAL DECORATIVE SOA PS

Start your year on a healthy note. Join our two-hour workshop on how to ditch sugar cravings once and for all! You will learn about:

Betsi Yakar started her career with the tourism sector.

After 15 years she decided to explore her creative side and stumbled upon the complex but creatively satisfying process of making decorative soaps. After taking several courses she started to produce colourful, decorative soaps at home.

What started as a hobby produced many fans of her work and the growing demand for her soaps helped her progress to making customised soaps for specific occasions like baby showers, weddings, bar mitzvahs, circumcision ceremonies, anniversaries, birthday parties and bachelor’s parties.

• Sugar’s impact on your physical, mental and emotional health • Unhealthy sweets and healthy foods • Diet mentality and how it is counterproductive when dealing with cravings • The factors that trigger your cravings • Simple tips to incorporate into your daily life to sustain long-term healthy eating Aslı Ergenekon is a certified health coach who works with women to help them attain their goals on releasing weight, feeling good in their bodies, increasing energy and having an overall more positive outlook to life. She uses fun and easy methods to help her clients incorporate new habits that will assist them in attaining their goals. For more information on health coaching and Aslı, you can visit her website: http://asliergenekon.com.

Betsi soon decided to share her experiences of making decorative soaps with others. She has given courses to many people, helping them to discover a new hobby.

For this exclusive discounted workshop, Betsi will bring her beautiful molds, raw soap, essences, and the necessary equipments to create decorative soap. Participants will be shown the techniques to create decorative and natural, herbal soaps from the material given. At the end of the lesson, participants will take home a set of five decorative soaps.

DETAILS

DETAILS Date

Thursday 9 January

Time

10.30am-12.30pm IWI office at Ulus – refer to the last page of Lale for address and map

Meeting point Cost

Free

Maximum participants

15

Reservations

Date

Monday 20 January

Time

10.30am-12.30pm IWI office at Ulus – refer to the last page of Lale for address and map 50TL – this rate has been especially discounted for IWI members!

Meeting point

Cost Maximum participants

12

Online at the website: www. iwi-tr.org

Reservations

Online: www.iwi-tr.org, or email reservations@iwi-tr. org

RSVP by

Monday 6 January

RSVP by

Monday 13 January

Person to contact Contact details

Ambili Ramachandran programs@iwi-tr.org

Person to contact Contact details

Ambili Ramachandran programs@iwi-tr.org

Please note: CANCELLATION of the attendance after the RESERVATION DEADLINE or NO SHOW is chargeable in full.

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January - February 2014

CHINESE NEW YEAR LUNCH AT ISTANBUL’S FAMED DRAGON RESTAURANT

ORIGAMI WORKSHOP

It’s time to celebrate the New Year again! This time Chinesestyle, on the first day of the Chinese New Year. Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest.

Origami is one of the traditional Japanese arts. Ori means ‘folding’, and kami meaning ‘paper’. Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century and was popularised outside of Japan in the mid1900s. Origami has since evolved into a modern art form.

The goal is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques.

The Chinese are known to take their food seriously. The first act of many emperors was to appoint a head chef to his court, and competition between cooks could be fierce. But all that competition meant delicious food! Join us as we celebrate the Chinese New Year at one of Istanbul’s most well known Chinese restaurants, The Dragon. Located at the Hilton Hotel, they have been a fixture of Asian cuisine in Istanbul since they opened in 1987.

This special dining experience will feature chicken with corn soup, spring roll, Szechuan beef, prawn with garlic, sweet and sour chicken, special mixed vegetables, squid with black bean sauce, egg fried rice, stir-fried noodles with vegetables and seasonal fruits, as well as a glass of wine or soft drink. Yum! Please book early to experience this fabulous cuisine on this festive day!

DETAILS

Origami is a mentally stimulating activity for both children and adults. In Japan it is a typical communication tool for children and mothers and grandmothers. After this workshop, you will be able to teach some origami to your children or friends!

Keiko Takeuchi has learnt the art of origami and has been practicing it for many years as a private hobby. Explore your creative side this winter – join Keiko and have fun doing origami together! Beginners are welcome! For those who have done origami before, some more challenging techniques will be taught. You will get some extra origami papers to take home, too!

DETAILS Date

Monday 3 February

Time

10.30am-12.30pm Keiko’s residence in Etiler; address provided on reservation 10TL to be paid in cash on the day of the event

Date

Friday 31 January

Meeting point

Time

12 noon Dragon Restaurant at the Istanbul Hilton hotel

Cost

Cost

100TL in cash

Maximum participants

10

Reservations

Online: www.iwi-tr.org, or email reservations@iwi-tr. org

Reservations

Online: www.iwi-tr.org, or email reservations@iwi-tr. org

RSVP by

Tuesday 28 January

RSVP by

Monday 27 January

Person to contact Contact details

Ayşe Yücel reservations@iwi-tr.org

Person to contact Contact details

Ambili Ramachandran programs@iwi-tr.org

Meeting point

Please note: CANCELLATION of the attendance after the RESERVATION DEADLINE or NO SHOW is chargeable in full.

January - February 2014

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programs MOROCCAN COOKING DEMONSTRATION WITH HOUDA EL HAIMEUR

CROSS CULTURAL ISSUES TALK: SPECIAL FOCUS ON IN-LAW RELATIONSHIPS

Moroccan cuisine is considered one of the most important cuisines in the world. It has a remarkable diversity of influences – in Moroccan dishes, one can trace Morocco’s interactions and exchanges with other cultures and nations over the centuries; the country’s long history of colonisers and immigrants who have left their mark in more than one way. There are few places where food is more carefully and artistically prepared, more delightfully served, and more enjoyed than in Morocco.

Houda El Haimeur, a Moroccan National who is passionate about cooking, welcomes you to her kitchen.

We are pleased to once welcome Eda Arduman as our guest speaker. In this much-anticipated talk, she will be speaking on Turkish cross cultural issues with a special focus on the conflicts that may occur between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.

Starters: Zaalouk – a Moroccan hot mezze made out of eggplants Taktouka – a Moroccan hot mezze made out of pepper and tomatoes

Eda studied psychology and has a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Bosphorus University. She is currently a candidate psychoanalyst of the International Psychoanalytical Association. She teaches part-time at Bilgi University in the Couples and Family Therapy program and is a clinical supervisor. She has a private practice where she works with couples and adult individuals. She often works with bilingual cross-cultural couples.

Main course: Meat tagine with caramelised prunes Dessert: Nougat verrine Demonstration of how to make the famous Moroccan tea The cooking class includes Moroccan tea and cookies and a delicious meal. This is a fun event arranged by Ayşe so please book early to experience this fabulous cuisine!

DETAILS Friday 7 February

Time Meeting point/ address

10.00am-3pm Houda’s home at Tarabya; address provided on reservation.

65TL in cash to be paid on day of the event. Exact change will be appreciated.

Participant numbers Reservations RSVP by Person to contact Contact details

Eda is a very popular speaker and we look forward to another fascinating talk, so please register early!

DETAILS

Date

Cost

Many IWI members have already been fortunate to hear Eda speaking about these often-tumultuous relationships in a very informative and much appreciated discussion.

Maximum 10; minimum 6 Online: www.iwi-tr.org, or email reservations@iwi-tr.org Monday 3 February Ayşe Yücel reservations@iwi-tr.org

Date

Thursday 20 February

Time Meeting point/ address

10.30am-12.30pm IWI office at Ulus – refer to the last page of Lale for address and map

Cost

20TL in cash to be paid on the day of the event

Participant numbers

15 maximum, 10 minimum

Reservations RSVP by Person to contact Contact details

Online: www.iwi-tr.org, or email reservations@iwi-tr.org Monday 17 February Ayşe Yücel reservations@iwi-tr.org

Please note: CANCELLATION of the attendance after the RESERVATION DEADLINE or NO SHOW is chargeable in full.

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January - February 2014

previous

Walking tour with Istanbul Privé Thanks to Nathalie's guidance, we had a great day wandering in the ancient part of Istanbul.

Stepping into Agatha Christie’s footsteps at the beautiful Sirkeci train station, the former terminus of the Orient Express. The restaurant used to be a popular meeting point for journalists, writers and other prominent people from the media in the 1950s and 1960s.

We started our walking tour in Sirkeci station, the former terminal of the Orient Express and a fine example of European oriental architecture. We continued our walk in the backstreets of Eminönü, where we stopped at some local shops: the historic lokum shop of Hacı Bekir; a spice shop which also produces its own organic pomegranate vinegar; and a place where you’ll find the best pastrami in town.

The great courtyard of Yeni Camii or New Mosque, located in the ancient Eminönü district, appears to be not so ‘new’ after all. Its construction started before the Blue Mosque.

Searching for secret files in the basement of the former Ottoman Bank.

Our next visit was the small Rüstem Paşa mosque, a hidden gem famous for its magnificent blue İznik tiles. From there we walked up hill towards the Sülemaniye mosque, the architectural masterpiece of Mimar Sinan. We passed Mimar Sinan’s tomb, as well as an old hamam, and had our coffee and tea at a secret tea garden.

Back towards the Golden Horn, across the Galata Bridge we walked through the fish market of Karaköy. The most interesting part is the old bank safes of the former Ottoman Bank, now the hip cultural venue Salt Galata.

We finally concluded our tour at Pera Palace Hotel by visiting Ataturk’s room. We grabbed a beer on the way and toasted to the day.

Discovering a well hidden wine cellar and cosy bar in the historic Galata neighborhood. Too bad it was too early for a wine tasting…

January - February 2014

A well deserved beer with a view at the end of the day. Cheers!

Text: Tammy Ni Captions: Nathalie Bevernaegie

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previous

Hak Art trip The Programs team organised a trip to the Hak Art factory/showroom on a lovely October morning. Browsing amongst hundreds of copper works in traditional and modern designs, we came away with a deeper appreciation of the labour and time-consuming efforts made to produce these works of art… and walked away with plenty of shopping bags!

An enthusiastic bunch of IWI members on their way to Hak Art…

A view of the busy Hak Art workshop.

Men hard at work – working copper in the traditional ways.

Fresh off the press – gleaming mugs!

Amidst pots and jars of all sizes and hundreds of years old…

Ambili Ramachandran

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January - February 2014

Grand Bazaar Rooftops photo walk A group of IWI members (along with a couple of babies-on-the-go!) explored the Grand Bazaar’s back streets, caravanserais and roof tops on a photo walk with Monica Fritz on a moody, hazy morning in November.

Fancy finger work.

Lights that look like candy.

Her first view from above.

The magical morning light.

A portrait of a stunning self-portrait.

January - February 2014

21

C harity

HEY THERE GIRLFRIEND...

H

appy New Year and Mutlu Yıllar to all. Hope you enjoyed seasonal festivities with family and friends whether you stayed put and savoured local flavours or ventured elsewhere to celebrate.

The good news is you're back and eager to get involved and support all the exciting programs IWI has in store for you…

Mavi Kalem children’s festival

Children’s art lesson

Learning about children’s rights

In addition to the wonderful, weekly programs always on offer, IWI spends much time planning and carrying out its two huge fundraising events: the Christmas Bazaar and the Spring Ball (theme and date yet to be disclosed!).

Monies raised from both of these events go to support IWI sponsored charities, one of which is Mavi Kalem.

Mavi Kalem is a neighbourhood based charity located in the Fener and Balat neighbourhoods, near the historic centre of Istanbul.

Today, Fener-Balat's streets are host to a community that is quickly changing as young professsionals move into the area which, up until recently, was geared to providing cheap housing for immigrant, undereducated families newly becoming accustomed to urban living. Jobs for these immigrant families are scarce, language can be a problem, and the social support granted in village life is left far behind along with local customs and familiarity.

Mavi Kalem, established in Istanbul in 2000, acts as a support service for women and their children living in this area. Primary target groups are children, youth and women with focus areas on children’s rights and education, empowerment and civil participation of youth, women’s rights and women’s health rights, and disaster relief methods and education.

Mavi Kalem volunteer training

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As the needs of the neighbourhood change, Mavi Kalem continues

to grow to accommodate and provide service-based support to its community. In February 2009, the Fener Consulting Point for Women was opened. The Consulting Point offers support and provides information for women, covering issues such as health; women’s health and available free-of-charge health services; violence within families; rights and legal issues; and information about communications and transportation within the city.

Mavi Kalem is always ready to diversify, while keeping the same goals of acting as a support network for the local community. In response to growing needs within this community, a psychological unit for children which focuses on increasing positive social interaction and expression skills was recently developed. Started in May 2013, the program was a direct result of feedback received from the mothers in a similar support project. Private and group sessions are held, with art and game therapy models used to explore and deal with issues such as anger, low selfesteem, antisocial behaviours and communication problems.

When you support IWI activities and events you are also supporting your community and the community at large – organisations such as Mavi Kalem make it a better place for all to spend time and enjoy life.

Please, if you know of an organisation that you would benefit from being featured in an upcoming issue of Lale, contact www.charity@iwi-tr.org.

Jo Bradley IWI Charity Coordinator

January - February 2014

Features

Write your New Year’s dreams into reality The simple act of writing down our New Year’s resolutions may not guarantee that we achieve them, but used imaginatively, writing can be a powerful tool to help us make our dreams come true. Laurie Takagaki shares some writing techniques that will help you to inject creativity into the goal-setting process in order to enhance your chances of success.

Write New Year’s resolutions that work Every January, millions of people around the world sit down and make lists of New Year’s resolutions. “This year,” we write earnestly, “I will lose weight. I will meet my ideal partner. I will find work that I love. I will be more patient with my children. I will run a marathon. I will get out of debt.” Yet many of us, at the end of the year, find that we are no closer to making our dreams come true than we were when we made our list 12 months before.

Writing, however, is powerful. Perhaps you’ve had the experience of writing a letter to a loved one telling them how much you appreciate them, and found that the words brought you closer together. Perhaps you’ve noticed that you’re more likely to get daily chores done if you write a to-do list. Perhaps you’ve found that painful feelings ease once you write about them in your journal, or in an email to a friend. How can we harness this transformative aspect of writing for our New Year’s resolutions?

How is this possible? Life coaches and self-help books encourage us to write down our goals in order to accomplish them. We can have anything we want, we are assured, if we just put it in writing. Better yet, make the goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

There is nothing wrong with this advice, but for many of us, scribbling down our resolutions year after year and then letting them gather dust for the next 12 months doesn’t really motivate us to change.

Write down the reasons behind your goals To begin with, write down not only your goals but the reasons behind them.

Instead of just writing “I want to lose weight,” write “I want to lose weight so that my health will improve and I’ll have more energy” or “I want to lose weight so that I can do more outdoor activities with my family and friends” or “I want to lose weight so that I can wear a sexy black dress to my 30-year high school reunion.” Whatever your reasons for wanting to achieve the goal, writing

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them down can help you to connect with the emotional power contained within your dreams, and will help to inspire and motivate you to fulfil them.

You might also realise that the goal you thought you wanted to achieve isn’t your true heart’s desire. Perhaps it’s not so much that you want to lose weight, but that you want to get fit, or that you want to have more confidence. Perhaps you don’t really want to quit your job; rather, you want to ask for a raise, or move to a different department within your company, or simply make better use of your leisure time. Writing down the reasons behind your goals can help you to get clear about the goals beneath your goals, or the real dreams that you carry in your heart. Once you have identified those, you will be far more likely to take steps to make them come true.

Write smaller goals more often One of the problems with New Year’s resolutions is that we write down our huge goals at the beginning of the year – lose 10 kilograms, write a novel, January - February 2014

run a marathon – and then have one of two responses. Either we feel like a year is more than enough time in which to accomplish those goals and we put off getting started until it’s too late, or we get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of our goals and don’t know where to begin.

You can overcome these paralysing attitudes by breaking your goals down into smaller steps, and setting a shorter time frame than a year in which to achieve those objectives. Some people like to sit down once a week, once a month, or once every quarter, and revisit their goals in order to stay on track and motivated. If your plan is to lose ten kilograms, at the beginning of January you might make a resolution to exercise four times a week for the next three months. Then, at the beginning of April, once exercise has become a habit, you might challenge yourself to eat smaller portion sizes for the following three months.

Writing lists of smaller, more achievable goals, and doing it more often, can help you to stay on track and reach your goals more effortlessly than jotting down an unrealistic list of resolutions in January and then stashing it in a drawer somewhere and forgetting about it.

Write words of encouragement to yourself Supportive words can go a long way towards helping us to achieve our goals, but we can’t always rely on other people to give us the encouragement that we need. Why not be your own coach and cheerleader?

Think about what it will take to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself.

What obstacles do you think you will encounter, and what advice would you give yourself to help you overcome them? What thoughts or words of inspiration will help motivate you to stick with the pursuit of your goals? What would you want a caring friend to say to you to help keep you on track?

Write these words of encouragement in a letter to yourself, and then either ask a friend or family member to mail it to you on a specified date, or tuck it away somewhere and make a note on

your calendar of when you’d like to open it. Set a date at least a month in the future, so that you will have forgotten the contents of the letter by then, and your words to yourself will give you a real boost.

A fun way to write such a letter to your future self is to register with the website www.futureme.org. You can create e-mails to yourself that will appear in your inbox on the date that you specify, inspiring and motivating you to stay committed to your dreams.

Write it like it’s already happened Life coaches and personal development experts recommend a process that is often called ‘scripting’ to help people imagine in vivid detail the future reality that they would like to create for themselves.

Sit down with your journal and a pen.

Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. Think about your goal, and about what your life will be like once you have achieved it. Imagine how you will feel, how you will act, what you will look like, where you will be, and who will be with you. Picture the sights, sounds, and textures of the world around you.

See if you can conjure up a really vibrant mental image of the future you, who has achieved her heart’s desire.

Now open your eyes, and write it down. Write down every detail that you can think of to create a colourful and compelling script of your future life. Some people recommend doing this for a few minutes every day, while others say that it is enough to do it once.

Experiment with what works for you.

This act of creative imagination and writing will help you to stay connected to the positive feelings associated with achieving your goals, and will help motivate you to take the action steps necessary in the present to get to where you want to go in the future.

Write, read, act Finally, remember that writing down your dreams is just the first step in the process of making them come true. In order to accomplish your goals, you will also have to read through them regularly to maintain your focus, and you will need

to take intelligent and consistent actions in order to achieve success.

Set aside some time to review your goals and the reasons behind them at least once a week. Read through your list and see what thoughts and feelings come up for you. Do you still feel excited about your goals, and motivated to achieve them? If not, what changes might you make to your list in order to make your objectives more enjoyable or attainable? If you’re still feeling motivated, what action steps can you take in the week ahead to move yourself a bit closer to success?

Write on!

Above all, enjoy the journey of writing your dreams into reality. There are many ways to use writing to overcome the obstacles that come up along the road to accomplishing your goals, but one of the most light-hearted approaches is to sit down with your journal and a pen and ask yourself: “How can I make this easy?” or “How can I make this fun?” Set a timer and write for ten minutes without stopping. You may be surprised that the ideas that come to you are not only silly and playful, but also enormously practical and helpful.

Writing is a creative and imaginative tool that can make the process of goalsetting and achievement both more effective and more enjoyable. Whatever you do, let yourself savour the process of writing your New Year’s resolutions this year, and may 2014 see all of your dreams come true!

Further reading:

Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams (Grand Central Publishing, 2009) Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser (Fireside Books, 2001) Your Best Year Yet! by Jinny S Ditzler (Grand Central Publishing, 2000)

WRITER: LAURIE TAKAGAKI Laurie Takagaki leads workshops and journaling groups for people who would like to explore the power of writing to transform and heal their lives. She is passionate about sharing the gifts of personal writing with others. You can contact her at lkatakagaki@gmail.com.

January - February 2014

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Features

Coaching: will it work for me?

While the self-help industry has been around for decades, a more personal form of assistance based on selfdiscovery and reflection is life coaching.

Do you wonder at times: Am I living my best life? The answer to that question may lie in coaching. Find out how coaching works, who it benefits the most, and how to be a smart consumer by choosing the right coach for you.

What matters most in life?

A hospice nurse responsible for endof-life care for terminally ill patients developed a list of the top five regrets people have on their deathbed. With her years of experience listening to some of the most reflective moments in people’s lives, similar themes surfaced again and again. The most common regret expressed was “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Being true to yourself – now that’s a powerful concept! Attempting to fulfil your biggest dreams is ultimately about the choices you make. Often it is difficult to find the time or space for such reflection, or to have the tools to assess whether your choices are helping you to live life more consciously.

Successful people are thought to be more aware of their talents and interests. For some people this awareness comes naturally, rooted in childhood experiences that forged a lifetime of logical career and personal choices. If only it were that simple for the majority of us! In reality, for most

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people the path to living a fulfilled life is a winding one, takes more effort, and is a journey that is never quite complete.

A very personal form of assistance with this journey of self-discovery and reflection has evolved in the last fifteen years in the form of coaching – both professional or executive coaching and life coaching.

Becoming the CEO of your own life The Harvard Business Review reports that coaching is a $1 billion a year industry. Medium-sized to large businesses as well as universities now use coaching as a business tool to ensure a better return on investment by driving sales and strengthening employee engagement and workplace satisfaction. What’s good for business is also good for people as the CEO of your own life.

Given that women are often the main caretakers in our households, our participation in the workforce can be spotty, particularly for those who may have moved to Istanbul for a spouse’s job. As a result, we may feel that

choices have been made for us. After all, a great amount of time, especially for mothers of small children, is spent on managing other people’s lives.

For expats navigating a foreign country, the culture, customs, and basics of just getting around can be time consuming and may leave little room for personal development. Even for women whose professional interests have been more dominant, there may still be a nagging question at the end of the day about whether or not you are on the right track. Are you living your best life, you may ask yourself. Are you stuck in a dead-end job or paralysed, deciding what comes next? The answers to those questions may lie in coaching.

“It’s true that many people come into coaching because they have lived a life of what other people want,” observes Carol Vernon, a US-based coach who gave up a lucrative career path working for a major corporation to follow her dream of working on Capitol Hill, for a third of the money she was earning before. For true fulfilment, often the challenge is finding out what you January - February 2014

are both good at and get satisfaction from, which may not always perfectly align. “The reality is that a lot of people don’t know what they are good at,” says Vernon. Coaching is often about identifying what you are good at and figuring out what more you can leverage to bring both skills and fulfilment together.

answers and take action by asking questions that inspire and motivate you. In essence, coaching is a two-way process. You will have to do the work to make it work for you. Coaching tends to be most beneficial for someone who is starting to realize what else may be next for them and is interested in exploring and taking action to get there.

Finding your life purpose We have all read inspirational stories of women working in successful and wellpaying jobs who gave it all away to teach yoga in India, join a school in Africa, or take on some other altruistic venture that gave their life more meaning. Did you ever wonder what their process was?

While it is not possible for many of us to drop everything and pursue our dreams halfway around the world, perhaps your dream is closer to home.

If the thought of a prolonged, reflective discovery process feels like endless navel gazing to you, the good news is that coaching is not meant to be permanent. Coaching typically lasts three to nine months, with sessions ranging from $200-600 an hour.

Sessions are conducted in person or on calls and often require work in between.

“I believe there is a purpose for each of us, and there is a meaning to life. It’s not just about wining and dining” says Duygu Bruce, an Istanbul-based coach. In an active and dynamic place like Istanbul it’s easy to be distracted by what the city has to offer, but it may not put you on a path to discovery and reflection, which is at the heart of coaching. “Selfknowledge is based on the idea that the more we know ourselves, the better we get,” added Bruce.

A personal coach is someone who is committed to challenging and supporting your professional and personal discovery by helping you navigate transitions and make intentional choices about what you want from life. Coaches will help you dig deeper into the intentions behind your actions.

Coaching and accountability “Coaching really helped me stay organised and productive but when the sessions were over, it seemed I fell back into old habits. I suppose what helped me the most was to have someone to report to, someone who was monitoring my progress” commented an expat in Turkey who went through coaching.

If you are not ready to be proactive with your life, coaching is not for you. If you are not ready to look inward to deeply examine what you value, coaching is not for you. “When working with clients, I begin by talking to them about their core values,” says Carol Vernon. “I pay a lot of attention to what words they choose.

Is a core value influence or recognition, for example? And if so, they need to live a life that brings those things closer to their reality.”

Hiring tips Educating yourself about what coaching is (and is not) is the first step to hiring a good coach. Managing your expectations and knowing what to look for in a potential coach is essential.

While the coaching industry is large and growing, it is still for the most part unregulated, so taking the time to assess a potential coach can help you make the right choice about both the process

A coach creates accountability in a way that your mother, sister, friends, or partner may not be able to match. If you have ever worked with a personal fitness coach, the same experience applies. It is much easier to be motivated to do that extra push-up with someone cheering you on and holding you accountable, compared to working out alone. A program like Weight Watchers has had success because the program created accountability for people wanting to lose weight. You are not as apt to take that extra bite of baklava if you know you have to weigh in the next day.

How coaching works Coaching specialisations run the gamut, with coaching available for life planning, spirituality, health and fitness, crosscultural transitions, youth and family, spirituality, productivity, creativity, and so on. The objective of the coaching partnership is clarity and growth (as you choose to define it) resulting from your actions and insights. Unlike therapy, coaching is about forward motion – setting goals and changing behaviours – rather than examining emotional patterns or healing pain, dysfunction, and conflict in personal relationships.

While you may already possess skills of self-reflection, having another independent person to provide suggestions and be a sounding board for ideas creates a more intentional process to get you unstuck and moving into action. As you end the coaching process, a good coach will help you determine how to continue a process of intentional assessment. Learning how to develop self-coaching skills will allow you to apply a formula to assess what you want to do more of (or less of) throughout further transitions.

A skilled coach will have not only the appropriate training and certification, but also an ability to make candid assessments based on the thoughts and behaviours that are shared in the coaching calls or meetings over time.

As distinguished from a consultant, the coach does not offer solutions, but guides you to discover your own

Misunderstandings about coaching One of the biggest misunderstandings people have about coaching is that a coach is there to tell you what to do.

Coaching is about setting a process in motion to gain clarity about what you want, which only you can ultimately decide. The beauty of coaching is that you are sure to leave with the answers,

January - February 2014

big or small, because there are no right answers. Coaching is not a quick fix but instead a self-discovery process best entered into when you have a specific outcome in mind.

and the person.For some, a coach who appears to have had a fulfilled life is important. For others, credentials, training, and coaching approach are of greater value than years of experience.

Word-of-mouth references are critical.

A database of coaches certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) is available online. The ICF recommend you interview a coach before deciding on one in order to check their credentials, but also to ensure that a personal connection can be built between the two of you. Duygu Bruce recommends asking for a free session. At minimum, ask for references and talk with other clients about the process. You should feel comfortable asking a potential coach about their philosophy, training, tools of assessment, and success stories.

Coaching is about constant learning, so look for someone who is fresh and engaged deeply in their field.

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Features THE COACHING PROCESS: MY OWN STORY

Kristina interviewing with the New York Times, while still working for elections and campaigns in the United States

In Georgia, teaching women leaders how to conduct an interview.

After 17 years of working on campaigns and elections in the US, I started to look around and ask myself, What’s next? I felt I had achieved many things that made me proud, but I was itching for something different.

While there were ample job options in my field – after all, there is never a shortage of elections in the US – I was looking for a game change, not just a new job. The thought of just leaving with no clear path or purpose was terrifying. I needed a process to reflect and assess.

The coaching process was what finally brought me into action. Through the process of self-refection, I began to appreciate that my main value was still about having impact politically, trying to do what at the root elections are about: bringing leaders to office, helping create social movements, and trying step by step to make the world a better place. While I thought I wanted to leave all that behind, I discovered that it is still an intrinsic value in my life’s work.

In Afghanistan, conducting training on political party development and gender equality.

Through the coaching process, I began to focus on the elements of what I wanted in my life: continued impact, more experience in a setting that challenged my way of thinking, spending more time on women’s and girls’ empowerment, and much more creativity and culture in my day-to-day life. And oh, love was somewhere on the list in the distant background.

I quit my job before figuring out the next job, because I knew I couldn’t do both at the same time. My task wasn’t just to find another job, but to create another life by giving up notions of what I thought was important in terms of stature or career path.

Shortly afterwards, I was recruited by an international organization to lead an office in Ukraine to help build a stronger and more effective democracy in the former Soviet Union.

I travelled to 12 countries over a three-year period, which was a big deal for someone who didn’t take a vacation at one point for seven years. I let myself live a little bit more and breathe out a little more,

while continuing to do things that had an impact on other people’s lives. It was during a regional conference in Istanbul that I met my now husband. And after another conscious upheaval, I recently moved to Istanbul to get married and start my own international consulting business, focusing on helping to increase women’s participation in Eastern Europe at the Middle East.

I am confident that I would never have journeyed down this path if it weren’t for the skills of self-reflection that I learned through coaching, which opened up my mind to the possible. While I don’t believe I have it all figured out, I know that I have the skill set in place to make choices that are true to myself, and live authentically through all the various ups and downs that come with transformation. Leaps of faith are better made with the realisation that there are no mistakes, there are simply choices and challenges in a lifelong quest to find your life purpose.

RESOURCES AND CONTACTS International Coaching Federation Directory www.coachfederation.org Duygu Bruce, Turkey-based coach duygubruce@gmail.com Carol Vernon, Washington-based coach Communication Matters cvernon@commmatters.com

WRITER: KRISTINA WILFORE Kristina Wilfore is Principal of Karakoyun Strategies (www.KarakoyunStrategies.com), an international development consulting firm focused on social movement building and democratic development across Eastern Europe, the Caucuses and Middle East. She brings 20 years of political experience and mastery of grassroots organising to her work. She has a special interest in increasing women’s participation as candidates and activists in countries such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus.

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Features

Wake up your forgotten dreams Defining what we mean by ‘dreams’ in life I define our dreams as something more special and spiritual than goals. Our goals hold a practical place in our lives and help us accomplish things that bring success, health, happiness and other rewards. Our dreams, however, tend to be something that fulfil our inner selves.

A dream is something connected to the very essence of who we are, even if we are not sure how or why.

When you consider the dreams that you have had throughout your life, you will see that just by thinking about them you feel energised. They invigorate us and give us joy and hope. For some, going after a dream seems to get further and further away as life goes on.

For others, dreams become one way to gain renewed purpose in life once other pursuits seem to have lost their spark.

Delve deeper with a mind map By delving deeper into the dreams that you have of your life you may find some reason and essence that give meaning and a sense of inner fulfilment. A great

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way to better understand your dreams is to brainstorm thoughts about the dream onto paper.

Make a mind map of ideas, thoughts and feelings connected to one of your dreams. Then explore what has come out on paper. Writing feelings down like this has a simple yet effective way of producing some deeper insights and offers a space for greater selfawareness and reflection.

One area to look for in your mind map is how your dreams fulfil you on a deeper level than your everyday life can. For this it is useful to look at your values in life and see how the values you hold in life show up in your dreams. You may also find that your dreams satisfy your curiosities as well. You may see that your dreams dream on your strengths and skills too. Explore how your dreams fit and extend the person you are today.

Dreams of all shapes and sizes When it comes to dreams there is no fixed size or shape. We all have limitless freedom to define our own dreams in

The start of a new year and lots of expectations and hopes for things to be different in any number of ways – New Year’s resolutions and renewed determination to be ‘more this’ and ‘less that’, but what of our dreams? Life coach Derryn Snowdon explores the role of dreams in a fulfilling and happy life.

any way we like and that is meaningful for us.

I recently took the plunge (metaphorically speaking) to try out rowing on the Golden Horn. I had read some 15 years ago about rowing races in the Golden Horn but to actually do it was something that I had hardly realised I could even dream about. Yet in November 2013 I was lucky enough to have this opportunity and have not looked back. It has become a weekly habit for me now and each time feels just as exciting as the first! I’m not racing but I’m enjoying the magic of being on the water of such a historic and exotic city.

A larger dream for me was to swim the Bosphorus waterway in the annual race from Asia to Europe. That had been unattainable till recently as it always happened in July when I took my sons to the UK for holidays. Since they have grown up and I got divorced, I am now freer and have swum in the Bosphorus race twice and plan to enter again in 2014.

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we now have a solution to it. It’s like magic. We haven’t spent time working on it but somehow our subconscious seems to have been on the job and sorted it out.

Sometimes blocks come as voices in our head. Negative thoughts can plague our dreams and keep them well hidden.

Yet these are only thoughts and may well not be real at all. Worth exploring to see what is behind them.

These dreams invigorate me and excite me. Even well before I did them they gave me hope and injected energy into me just by thinking about them.

I have always lived near the water and grew up doing water sports and swimming so it is only natural for my dreams to involve those things. Living here for more than 24 years, I love to experience this amazing city in new ways. It brings it to life and it brings me to life too.

Identify blocks to your dreams Blocks come in all shapes and sizes.

Don’t be surprised to find blocks along the way. It is just the way life is, for

everyone. It is how you react and respond to those blocks that determines what happens next. Getting past blocks and barriers can demand a creative and think-outside-the-box approach. So put your thinking caps on and if need be, allow each block to be a learning space for you to grow.

That said, blocks don’t always need regular attention. Sometimes you can leave them be, then come back a while later to find they no longer exist! When we consider something, then let it fade into the background, we often find when we come back to the original problem,

Judgment of others or of ourselves can also block our action and ability to go after our dreams. What should and shouldn’ts do you have around your dreams? Whose voice do they sound like? Are they really your own thoughts and beliefs or someone else’s? By listening to them are you taking the right steps and being true to yourself? Project yourself two to five years forward and ask yourself that question again. Often by looking back at ourselves from the future we can see a different perspective and can see more clearly what we ought to do now.

THREE STEPS TO DREAM DISCOVERY Step one: Know what your dreams are – do the mind map exercise described in this article; get clear about why they energise and excite you, how do they connect with/fulfil your deepest self?

WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR DREAMS •

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Step two: Take the first step to start making your dreams come true – small steps are the easiest way to get started for each journey begins with a single step; get clearer on what the other steps may look like.

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Invite a friend or partner to share it with you – ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.’ (African proverb) Blog about it! Getting the word out there helps to make it feel more real and who knows you may find just the help you’re after.

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Keep a journal about it – all forms of writing helps to get clarity and explore our inner thoughts and feelings; dreams are for living and loving and what better way than keeping a record of the journey you make to fulfil your dreams?

Find some smaller dreams that make life lighter and brighter – don’t get hung up on dreams that are beyond your reach for now.

Instead, get creative and search

Step three: Examine any blocks – be curious about the things you see as barriers to your dreams; make sure that going after your dreams doesn’t hurt or upset anyone you love and care about.

to discover easier dreams to realise sooner and so keep your motivation and happiness levels high.

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Find like-minded souls seeking similar dreams – having a friend following the same dreams means a fellow traveller on your dream journey and someone you can share the experience with makes it richer and longer lasting. This may mean making new friends.

WRITER: DERRYN SNOWDON Derryn is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and holds the Accredited Coach Credential (ACC). She has been practising life coaching since January 2010. Prior to that, she completed a Masters in Linguistics, and was a teacher and trainer. Derryn has been in Istanbul for over 20 years and is the mother of three sons. You can learn more about Derryn, and book a free discovery session with her, at dsilifecoaching. com.

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Features

Colours, flavours and textures mingle in the Kadıköy market…

Feasting and shopping at the Kadıköy market

Even if you live on the European side, coming to the Kadıköy market is well worth a trip for exploring the rich history of Turkish food culture and sampling some traditional Turkish foods.

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have lived in Turkey for quite some time, would consider myself a ‘foodie’, and have explored the rich Turkish food culture in restaurants, as well as shopping at the local markets and experimenting in my own kitchen.

Yet it was a delight to rediscover the bustling Kadıköy market on the Asian side with an experienced guide by my side. Banu Özden from Spoon In My Pocket (www.spooninmypocket.com) offers tours for small groups of between two and six people that not only show the best places to shop and eat but can also provide background information on Turkish culinary history. Our Kadıköy market tour lasted about three hours and cost 65 euros per person, which included the ferry trip from the European side, extensive food sampling and lunch.

Our small group of six started at the Şifahane Juice Bar, two blocks down from the market. Juice carts and

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small juice shops have become part of Istanbul’s street food culture in the past six to seven years. Seasonal fruits such as pomegranates, apples, oranges and dark grapes were piled high, and a long line of customers were eagerly awaiting their natural vitamin shots! We settled on a mix of pineapple, grape, pomegranate and apple, and it was a great energy-boosting start to our tour.

Pickles and pickle juice: not for the faint-hearted Next was the small and unassuming pickle shop Tad-Al Turşuları. As Banu noted, pickle shops historically developed as a way of preserving the summer and fall harvest for the winter months. People would actually come to pickle shops for a quick drink of pickle juice, still touted today as a probiotic health beverage that cures hangovers and cleans the liver. It can be ordered spicy (açı) or mild (açısız) and in either version is not for the faint-hearted. Salty

and slightly sour, it definitely stimulates your taste buds. Nowadays, in addition to the huge variety of pickles – from standard cabbage and cucumbers to more unusual choices such as okra or green plums – many turşu shops also sell the famous şalgam suyu (pickled purple turnip juice), red pepper paste, and pomegranate molasses.

After the sour pickles, we needed something to balance our palate so we headed into one of several kuruyemişler shops where roasted chickpeas, nuts and dried fruits are sold. Banu explained that these shops stem from Ottoman times, when people used to snack on nuts and dried and fresh fruit in between breakfast and dinner. Depending on the season, one can find a fresh harvest of walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios.

When we stopped by, the shop had just received a delivery of a rare specialty – roasted and lightly salted white almonds from the Datça region.

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Şarküteri specialties and two kinds of butcher

Dozens of deli delights at the şarküteri.

farmer’s cheese (lor) in town, and if you are lucky some freshly baked moist corn bread for sale, too.

Even though we did not stop in to buy anything, we did pass Pak Çiğerci—one of the oldest organ butchers in the city, established in 1927.

It is curious to note that in Turkey there are butcher shops of two kinds, meat butchers and organ butchers. Unlike many parts of Europe and the US, where organ meats are rarely eaten, Turkish people eat tripe, liver, kidney, testicles, and brain, and places like this special organ butcher cater to their tastes.

Lokum and lahmacun

Long, hanging chunks of pastırma.

Another popular destination was the Arzum şarküteri, one of many specialty delicatessens lining the market street.

We sampled a variety of prepared cold meze (appetizers), such as içli köfte, mücver, dolma, olives and cold cuts, as well as cheeses from regions such as Ezine (famous for beyaz peynir or white cheese) and Kars or Trakya (famous for yellow cheeses such as kaşar). Long chunks of the famous Turkish pastırma – a sort of Turkish pressed and cured meat – were hung over the counters.

Banu explained that the pastırma tradition stems from the Turkish nomads who would travel on horseback, and after hunting preserved the leftover meat by packing it under their saddles.

The sweat of the horse and the weight of the horseman would together press and cure the meat that was then eaten at subsequent stops along the way.

Today, luckily, pastırma is produced by first washing meat (usually beef) in a salt bath, then pressing and hanging it out to cure and dry.

It is covered with a thick paste of ground fenugreek seeds, garlic and red pepper.

Some people swear that one actually starts smelling of pastırma when eating too much of it. In between some of the şarküteri shops is the hidden gem of Altınoğluk, a great place for organic dried beans, breads, olives, different types of olive oil, fresh village eggs as well as goat milk butter (keçi tereyağı) or buffalo milk butter (manda tereyağı).

They also have some of the best fresh

Macaroon spectrum at Beyaz Fırın.

Fresh lahmaçun, coming up.

While I was happy not to have to pop into one of the organ butchers, I was pleased that we did stop at Beyaz Fırın, a legendary bakery especially known for their paskalya çöreği (Easter bread with mastic gum and ground cherry pits), as well as beautiful cakes and Europeanstyle pastries such as macaroons. Next door is the equally famous Café Erol, where one can stock up on Turkish candy, beautiful jams such as gül reçeli (rose jam) and their famous Turkish delight or lokum. As Banu noted, during Ottoman times Turkish delight was famous in Europe and while many tried to imitate this sweet, they could not figure out its secret ingredient: starch. In 18th century Europe, starch was used to powder wigs (in German, the name for starch was Haarpuder – hair powder – long after wigs had disappeared) and in England it was used to stiffen linens.

Nobody thought of using it in cooking.

In Turkey, the Middle East and Iran, however, starch had been an important culinary ingredient, used to make sweetmeats, puddings and Turkish delight,for more than a thousand years.

As if we had not already consumed plenty, we did make another prelunch snack stop at the bustling Halil Lahmaçun to sample their famous lahmaçun – the thin and crispy Turkish ‘pizza’ with ground meat and spices as well as pide with herbs and cheese, washed down with home-made Ayran.

Lunch options are plentiful in Kadıköy For a more substantial lunch, Kadıköy offers two equally tempting options.

There is the famous Çiya restaurant serving delectable regional dishes and kebabs, which does not need much commentary. But at the entrance of the market there is also the lesser known Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası (www. fehmilokantasi.com), one of the oldest restaurants in Istanbul. Established in 1919 by the Greek refugee Fehmi from Yanyalı, it is a typical esnaf lokantasi or a tradesmen’s restaurant, now run by the third generation of the family, who pride themselves in preserving their grandfather’s recipes. Unlike the nearby popular Çiya, it is more of a hidden gem, unassuming yet steeped in the culinary history of Istanbul. Specialties are dishes such as elbasan (lamb baked with béchamel sauce and cheese), iç pilav (rice with currants, herbs and diced liver) or kuzu çiğer sarma (lamb liver stuffed with rice, pistachio, grapes and mint). For the less adventurous, the restaurant has an array of soups, kebabs and traditional zeytinyağlı (olive oil) vegetable dishes. Unlike many tradesmen’s restaurants that rely on cheap vegetable oil, Yanyali Fehmi Lokantasi, with roots in the Black Sea region, prides itself in using exclusively hazelnut oil in cooking, which gives their dishes a subtly nutty flavor.

No Turkish lunch would be complete without a Turkish coffee, so we headed to the famous coffee roasters Fazıl Bey’in Türk Kahvesi, just a street down from the market. Sitting in the sun and sipping a cup of strong Turkish coffee, our little group was happy and content. We had full bellies and a new appreciation of the rich variety of Turkish food traditions we had encountered on this leisurely Sunday afternoon.

WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER: ULLI ALLMENDINGER Ulli Allmendinger, MSc Ayurveda, is an Ayurvedic consultant, nutritionist and herbalist with a passion for cooking and Ayurvedic nutrition. Based in Istanbul, Ulli consults clients for a variety of health concerns, gives Ayurvedic cooking and nutrition classes, workshops on Ayurveda and guides detox camps. She also has a line of gluten-free cookies and breads that are made-to-order. For more information, please visit www.ulliayurveda.com and www.sopsy.com/ulliskitchen, call 0539 203 0422 or email info@ulli-ayurveda.com.

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Features

Neighbourhood tour: Moda Our guide to the Moda neighbourhood is Monica Fritz. A vessel of knowledge on the area, Monica has lived in Istanbul for 17 years and has thoroughly explored the city and country through her work hosting the Turkish television shows ‘Out and About Istanbul’ and ‘Monica Yollarda.’ She now tramps all over the city leading scores of curious participants in her Istanbul Photography walks.

The best tea garden in Istanbul.

A couple doing yoga in the morning, looking out to the Marmara Sea.

Jogging residents.

A sweet-eyed saint with a neon halo in Koço’s Ayazma.

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The nostalgic Kadıköy-Moda tram.

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fter a gorgeous morning ferry ride from Karaköy to Kadıköy, I met up with Monica in front of the famed Ali Usta ice cream shop on Moda Caddesi.

We strolled along the wide, tree-lined streets, dodging falling walnuts from the massive, old-growth trees. Unlike many other Istanbul neighbourhoods, the trees over in Moda are enormous, shading good portions of the sidewalks and streets and giving the intimate feeling that everyone is in the same room.

Heading toward the sea, Monica led us to the old and famous Koço Restaurant, a rambling seafood place not far from the water. Open since the 1930s, the restaurant foyer features period photographs of old Istanbulites swimming and sunning themselves in the nearby waters. Downstairs is the sacred spring (or ayazma) of St Cathryn, a small and atmospheric shrine rumoured to bring good fortune to fisherman. One can light a candle and perhaps walk away a little luckier.

After stopping for coffee at a little local spot, we continued walking toward the sea, passing friendly and overstuffed street dogs and cats, which Monica explained are all very well looked after by residents. Moda has a robust elderly population of well-heeled, old Istanbul families who have been occupying the same villas and homes for generations, many of whom tipped their hats and nodded greetings as we passed.

From there, we walked along the sea promenade past the Moda İskelesi, a converted old seaport turned into a waterfront restaurant. Along the shore, we spied the young and old doing yoga, meditating, and cycling before stopping at the famous and very posh Moda Beach Club. In operation since 1935 (Atatürk was a founding member), the exclusive members-only club is closed to the public with dues running in the January - February 2014

ballpark of 25,000 TL. After Monica did some sweet talking, we were allowed to peek around the grand outdoor pool area and restaurant, where one can see pictures of Atatürk lounging in highwasted swim trunks.

shore of the Sea of Marmara. To get there, you can follow the waterfront promenade from the Türkbalon helium balloon moored on Kadıköy Quay, or take the vintage tram from downtown Kadıköy.

We finished our tour at the gorgeous local tea garden, which overlooks the water and is (of course) shaded by massive akasya trees.

This is what Monica had to say about living in Moda:

Tell us about Moda and why you love living here.

Moda is old, quiet, cosmopolitan Istanbul – some of the city’s oldest well-educated, middle class families have lived here for generations. On the weekends you often see middle-aged people come into the neighbourhood strolling with their parents after breakfast or lunch.

The Sunday morning milkman.

Secret garden of Cibalikapı Balıkci on a Saturday night.

Turkish strudels!

Where is your neighbourhood located?

Moda is a seaside neighbourhood of Kadıköy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, also known as Cape Moda. The neighbourhood occupies the peninsula just south of Kadıköy on the northern

There’s a slower pace here than in the rest of Istanbul. People say hello to each other and stop to chat on the street. It’s lovely. There is also a new generation of professionals who live alongside the old families. There are still a few rare villas left from the beginning of the century, which give Moda a regal atmosphere.

What ‘insider tip’ would you give to someone coming to visit your neighbourhood?

Don’t come on a sunny weekend. It’s too crowded. I see people parking at 7am with their picnic baskets in hand.

Come on a weekday and you will see another place.

What can you tell us about the history or demographics of your neighbourhood?

Moda is an older settlement than most on the Asian side of the city, with relics dating back as far as 5,500-3,500 BC. Early settlers included Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Jewish communities.

The neighbourhood has numerous churches with active congregations and well-known schools such as the Lycée Saint-Joseph, with its alumni club, and Kadıköy Anadolu Lisesi.

What other activities and services are there in your neighbourhood?

In the summer, the parks are very active with all sorts of events from jugglers to concerts to children’s activities, and there is occasionally some good street music. The coast line is great for long walks, jogs, or bike rides, and all the dogs and owners know each other and spend lots of time chatting in the early hours. There are art galleries, tennis courts, and the French school St Joseph often has art exhibitions. Nearby Kadıköy is a cultural centre with an opera house, theatres, cinemas, boutique shopping, a street known as ‘the bar street,’ and a multitude of bookstores.

What are your favourite local cafés, restaurants, food shops, and services?

The best restaurant here is Cibalikapı Balıkçısı. The owner is a former food magazine editor who decided to open his own restaurant, serving Istanbul fare with Greek and Armenian influences.

He has enjoyed such success that he bought a boat and lives on it between Bodrum, where he has another restaurant, and Istanbul. They have amazing meze, passionately researched, and according to traditional Istanbul cuisine. I have tried to go by on a weekend without a booking but have never been able to get a table. Moda Terrace restaurant is known for its views,

WRITER: BROOKE MACMILLAN Brooke MacMillan is a freelance writer and the author of numerous short stories, including ‘Emily Eby Eats Stuff’ and ‘Shelved Fruit.’ She is the recipient of the Russell Bruce Prize for new fiction and is currently working on a collection of short stories and personal essays. She lives with her husband Jason in Galata, Istanbul.

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especially during the full moon – the best views in the city, so they say. The tea garden is one of the last places in the city where you can actually bring your own pastries or breakfast and sit under the trees with a sea view and clean air.

During the week it is blissful all year round. Koço is also good for its view and great character. I enjoy walking along the coast in the summer and watching the people with dogs and kids running around, young couples sitting on the rocks, the open sea dotted with cargo ships and sailboats, and the many other contrasts of this city here in Moda.

What's unique about your neighbourhood?

Moda has the atmosphere of a holiday village: people walk slower here than in other areas of the city. The most unique thing for me is the trees and the possibility of still sitting under these large, overgrown trees, a rarity in Istanbul these days. You can sit under one and look out into the horizon, and even if you sit there all day no one will say anything to you. That’s a unique luxury for a city of this size.

PHOTOGRAPHER: MONICA FRITZ Monica Fritz is a professional photographer from New York City. Educated in art in Florence, she has lived most of her adult life between Milano, Istanbul and Yemen.

Monica has exhibited in Europe, in both solo and group shows. She has also produced documentary-style television shows on travel in Turkey. Today, Monica is known for her photography walks exploring back streets and lesser-known places in Istanbul. You can contact Monica on istanbulodos12@gmail.com.

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Features

Chess club leader in prestigious closed tournament Did you know that the coordinator of IWI’s chess club is a Chess Grand Master and was the 2006 European Women’s Chess Champion? Ekaterina Atalik shares her experiences at a recent invitation-only tournament in Poland… outstanding Georgian players, and the former Polish national champion. The last player on this list is the writer of this small report and also the first woman in Turkish chess ranking lists for many years, whose career in chess includes the 2006 European Champion title among many other prestigious wins in tournaments since her childhood.

To Wroclaw

As they say in chess, whoever makes the last mistake, loses.

A dream invitation During the last European Women’s Chess Championship, I received an invitation to play in a closed tournament from one of Poland’s best female chess players, Jolanta Zawadska.

It was to be the third time Jolanta had organized the tournament, held in Wroclaw, Poland.

The tournament is dedicated to the memory of Krystyna Hołuj-Radzikowska, Polish Chess Olympian and 9 times Polish Women’s Champion. It is one of the most important closed chess tournaments for women in the world. In a closed tournament there are a limited number of participants – and the strength of all the players is more or less the same level.

As it is every chess professional’s dream to play in such events I didn't have any doubts about my positive answer to the invitation.

Strong opponents The first two Wroclaw tournaments had very strong players, but seeing the names of the players against whom I had to play, it became clear to me that this event would be even stronger. The four top Polish players were joined on the list of participants by the European Championship bronze medalist, from Armenia; one of the best Spanish women players; two

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The central Market Square, the old gothic churches, the small cozy buildings, all together and separately fascinated me a lot.

Together with my chess preparation, I started to gather a lot of information about Wroclaw. From photos, videos and articles I read I had some idea of how Wroclaw should look, knowing however at the same time that only the real experience can give the measure of the place.

And it happened exactly like that, as pictures can never reflect the real beauty and spirit of the city. Before the technical meeting of the tournament I took a walk in the centre of the town where I could appreciate the charm of the city with my own eyes.

I was a bit surprised to see that the playing hall was overlooked by one of the central streets, with very big January - February 2014

windows, so everybody from the street could come and watch our games from outside. Usually we don’t like the spectators to be so close because it may take away your attention during an important moment in a game. However, I think the location of the Wroclaw chess club is very good for chess promotion and advertisement.

the games. I tried to apply these same tactics. In the last four rounds, I dominated most of the games, but, again, made a lot of mistakes, mostly in the ends of the games.

Reflections on the tournament My own excitement was partially gone at the end of the first day, as I lost my first round game against the player who would eventually win the tournament.

You have to be able to see the continuation of the game move by move in your head, before those moves happen on the board. And one can imagine how hard it becomes, when you have to keep so many variations in mind; every wrong step at the stage can cause an immediate defeat.

Although I was prepared very well for this opponent’s opening lines, I couldn’t cope very precisely with an unusual move she played. The tournament continued in a slightly better way for me, with draws in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds, and finally a victory in the 5th.

Every chess tournament takes a lot of energy, just like any other sport competition or work project. The body and the mind become simply tired, affecting concentration.

In the second part of a tournament I usually feel the need to sleep more and save more energy, also preparing less for

For me, the last stage is the most difficult. Everything depends on the level of concentration and very precise chess planning and calculation.

I finished in 5th place. In general, I was satisfied with my result because I played many interesting games, with new ideas that will help my future career, and an important experience earned.

As for the trip, the tournament was organized in a beautiful place, with great efforts to provide everything for the convenience of the players. I will keep my memories of Wroclaw until my next visit, hopefully.

PLAY CHESS WITH EKATERINA IN THE IWI CHESS CLUB I have been playing chess since I was 5. It started as a very mystical game for me. In my life I have seen it sometimes as a game, sometimes as a sport, sometimes as an art form. Which will it be for you?

I invite you to join me in the IWI chess club and find out.

Frequency: Once a month Cost: Free Contact: Ekaterina Atalik makacat@yandex.ru 0533 690-4782 January - February 2014

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Features

Scent science: fragrances and smells

If you would like to learn more about scents look for out for IWI programs that will offered in 2014.

If you can dream in this magical world of perfume, anything is possible… When you walk into a room, do you ever wonder where that pleasant smell is coming from?

Have you ever had a flashback of a fond memory after smelling a delightful scent?

Astonishing ingredients and overwhelming scents Last month, along with Sadia Zafar, our Assistant NCM Coordinator, I had the chance to visit a company producing scents. We had met the representative of the company during the IWI opening day in September. Both of us were very interested to see and learn about the secrets of fragrances, and the moment we entered the building, we felt like in a different world. We were overwhelmed by different kind of beautiful scents.

The company we visited produces scents for more than 450 companies and for everything except food ingredients. We were quite impressed to see how many different smells are used just for our candles, creams, shampoo, lotions and so forth.

We also learned about the long progress how to find a smell. It was astonishing to learn how difficult it is to find new smells – there are hundreds different scent ingredients, including the sweat of animals! The ingredients are mixed

over many years for their records. We left the company quite impressed and with a lovely present including different fragrances.

HOW TO DESCRIBE A FRAGRANCE

in precisely correct portions to develop fancy new scents. Understanding of the influence of our sense of smell is still highly obscure. Reaction given to a pleasant scent, a delightful smile, probably tells us much more than science itself.

A giant ingredient collection in tiny little bottles The company showed us their millions of tiny little bottles of raw material in their lab. Some of them, we learned, were quite valuable. They are gathered from different parts of the world: from Brazilian rainforests in to fields in Europe and Indonesia; dense jungles of Africa to Asia’s virgin plains… This giant ingredient collection, combined with comprehensive expertise acquired by the parfumers over the years, is necessary to create new smells and pleasantly fragranced products.

We visited the immense quality control area, where all fragrances are checked again before they are bottled. From each bottle they have to keep one sample

In order to describe a fragrance, one refers to the harmonious accords of fragrance ‘notes’ that unfold over time.

Top notes: the scent perceived immediately after application.

These notes include lighter, volatile oils such as citruses.

Middle notes: these emerge after top notes and form the heart of the fragrance. Most common examples of middle notes are lavender, jasmine and rose.

Base notes: these have the largest molecular weight. They last the longest and help slow down the evaporation of the lighter notes.

They can still be detectable even 24 hours after application.

Common base notes include patchouli, woods, musk and vanilla.

WRITER: CHRISTINA KÖPRÜLÜ

Christina Köprülü is German, married to a Turkish husband. She has one daughter and lives in Istanbul for more than 12 years. She is the NCM Area Coordinator for Ulus / Akaretler and since this year the Board Member for Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings. Christina worked in the hospitality industry for many years.

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January - February 2014

Twenty plus years of Speech Bubbles in Istanbul Did you know that Istanbul has its own Englishlanguage theatre group and school of performing arts?

NEWS FOR SCHOOLS: We are partners with the world famous:

• No customs problems for you!

• Encourage children to read great English books!

• Build your classroom and library resources: 20% in FREE books!

To join this exciting program: Tel: 0216 550 4961 mail: info@greenhousekitap.info

Musical theatre galore Speech Bubbles theatre was established in 1992. Past productions include a wide range of well-known musicals – Grease, Cabaret, the Wizard of Oz, Rocky Horror Show and West Side story, among many others.

Along the way, they have raised many thousands of lira in support of charities that support children and education.

Learning to sing, dance and act In 2013, Speech Bubbles opened its own School of Performing Arts for adults and children over ten years old.

Split into groups by age, students gain confidence, selfesteem and learn to express themselves creatively.

The teachers are professionals who are passionate about what they do. Classes run from 9.30am on Saturday mornings – with an hour each dedicated to singing, dancing and acting.

Opportunities to get involved • Speech Bubbles School of Performing Arts begins its next eight week term on 11 January 2014. Applications can be made online at www.speechbubbles.org.

• Auditions for the summer musical will be held on 22 February 2014. For further information, email tom@ speechbubbles.org.

January - February 2014

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Sponsored Article: TIME OUT MAGAZINE

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January - February 2014

January - February 2014

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SPONSORED ARTICLE: CORNUCOPIA MAGAZINE

ISTANBUL UNWRAPPED Cornucopia is celebrating its 50th issue this year with the first in a series of special

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but the visages of craggy, hile Istanbul bearded monks crowded into has witnessed the corners make it worth the all sorts of visit. Painstakingly excavated salvage from 1966 to 1978, the archaeology Theotokos Kyriotissa in the past century, there has (Kalenderhane Camii) preserves been virtually no urban a fine array of marbles in its archaeology – that is, rigorous spacious interior. excavation to determine the Not interested in churches? basic features of the city, such Recent research on the water as the street system, public system has shed new light on spaces and housing, all of daily life in Constantinople. which remain poorly While less glamorous than a understood. Our view of the decorated church, the arcaded Byzantine city is consequently Aqueduct of Valens – after the limited to discrete churches Roman Emperor Valens – is an devoid of context, which impressive feat of engineering, present at best a distilled representing a fraction of the essence of the city’s historic 592-kilometre system of greatness. For most of us, channels that brought water Constantinople seems more into the city. Once inside the a concept than a reality. walls, water was stored in We have lots of isolated dozens of cisterns, many built monuments, and even more into the substructures of broken bits, but we lack the big Famous images from the the 14th-century major buildings. The Basilica picture – so in a form Church of the Chora (Kariye Museum).

Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayı), of synecdoche, we know the Opposite The Scroll of Heaven. across the street from Ayasofya, city through its parts.

Above The Deesis once supported the courts of How then to envisage the big law, now vanished. Tourists stare at images can rival the dramatic “Angel picture of Constantinople? Start with the forest of damp, drippy, of the Lord Rolling up the Scroll of the churches. Nothing mismatched columns and ponder how Heaven at the End of Time” in the can replace the experience of the marble heads of Medusa came to Ayasofya’s (Haghia Sophia’s) immense funeral chapel. be stuck upside down in a far corner.

But don’t stop there – visit some of spaciousness or the intimate, Despite what Dan Brown and his the B-list churches as well, many of jewellery-box quality of the Church legion of fans might think, they were which survived as mosques. of the Chora (which became the not inverted to negate their deadly Ayasofya’s immediate predecessor, the Kariye Camii and is now a museum). gaze. None of this was ever here for church of Sts Sergius and Bacchus, These two churches represent the show; the marbles are simply now Küçük (Little) Ayasofya, is as yin and yang of Byzantine art and spatially sophisticated as its namesake, remnants of the monumental public architecture. buildings upstairs. with a dome half its diameter.

In spite of the ups and downs of The other introductory synecdoche Although it preserves no mosaics, its scaffolding (finally down last year, up I recommend is the excellent Istanbul architectural sculpture is stunning, its again this year), Ayasofya remains through the Ages display in the geometry complex. Similarly, the justifiably the most popular museum Archaeological Museum. Try this funeral chapel at the monastery of the in the city, and an engineering approach: first examine the evocative Theotokos Pammakaristos (Fethiye achievement without rival.

In contrast, the Kariye is as intimate Museum) is the immediate predecessor broken bits on show, paying close attention to the information on the of the Kariye’s, with colourful brick as the Ayasofya is grand. Its mosaics labels, then track down the findspot. and stone ornamentation on its and frescoes still enchant with their Let the art lead you into the city. exterior and animated mosaics in its odd combination of intellectual Robert Ousterhout diminutive interior. Much is missing, rigour and aesthetic refinement. Few

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January & February 2014 January - February 2014

lale SPeCIal OFFeR

ByzANTINE DREAMS

issues exploring the city’s tantalising heritage. We start in the historic peninsula

From Istanbul with love A subscription to Cornucopia Magazine is a splendid way to keep in touch with friends and family in distant lands.

Istanbul’s triannual magazine is offering IWI members a gift offer that shares with them the best of Turkey. But be warned! Expect visitors.

Treat friends and family to a one-year subscription post-free worldwide and we will throw in a free surprise back issue and a gift card in your name. cornucopia.net/iwi-offer, subscriptions@ cornucopia.net

CORNUCOPIA

next issue

Guide to istanbul tHe sultan’s CitY

speCial issue

January & February 2014 January - February 2014

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43

Health & Fitness

Glowing winter skin Do you suffer from dull, dry, and flaky skin in winter? Skin care expert Selma Aydemir shares her knowledge and tips for healthy, glowing skin during the cold and windy winter months.

Granny to treat various ailments. She would crush, blend, mix, and infuse wild herbs to make ointments, lotions, and medicines to treat wounds, rashes, colds, skin problems, sunburn, aching joints, muscle injuries, and so on.

Working in the skincare industry with natural ingredients puts me in touch with the natural environment where I can discover more beneficial effects as well as the stress our environment can cause to our skin.

Whatever the environment, there are three things we can do to help our skin to look and feel better: keep it moist, protect it from trans-epidermal water loss, and remove dead skin cells.

Trans-epidermal water loss simply means that the water in your skin evaporates when subjected to the elements such as cold, wind, and heat.

Gathering ingredients outdoors

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ver since we shivered in caves, the seeds, roots, leaves, and flowers of plants have been of importance to us. At first, it was merely to sustain life.

Then we discovered that hidden in the green things around us was a magical pharmacopoeia. The thousandyear-old hedgerow was to people of the Middle Ages a living chemist's shop.

Inspired by nature Growing up in the Anatolian countryside, I was always inspired and fascinated by nature. There, I spent idyllic days exploring the countryside, picking wild herbs and flowers that grew abundantly. It was Grandad who taught me how to identify plants and explained how they could be used to heal both the body and mind as well as to restore natural beauty. We would pick these herbs, fill our baskets, and return to my Granny's kitchen, where villagers visited to seek cures prepared by my

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Seasonal skincare Good skincare is seasonal. During the summer months, we tend to care more for our skin to protect it from the sun's harmful UV rays; we slap on SPF 50 and a bit of moisturiser daily. But wintry weather can be harsh to all skin types. During the winter months, there is less moisture in the air and the natural oil (sebum) we have in our skin can be blown away by the wind. Our skin tends to feel drier and can look dull. In some cases, it becomes blotchy, red, tight, itchy, and painful.

Once inside, central heating is also very drying. Especially if you have sensitive skin, the dryness will lead to flaking and itching.

Winter is the time when you pay more attention to keeping your skin hydrated, adjust your skincare products depending on the climate, drink plenty of water, and try to get as much fresh air as possible. Applying moisturiser twice a day should be a daily routine while living in urban environments, but once in the country or on a skiing holiday it's crucial to use a moisturiser with sun protection because the sun's UV rays are as harmful in winter as they are in the summer. Also, January - February 2014

during extreme weather conditions such as icy cold and harsh wind, the skin needs extra protection, which you can get from protecting balms and nourishing serums.

Create your own personalised skincare in your kitchen When adjusting your skincare products to cold, wintry weather, there are actually many things you can do to make your skin look radiant. One of the most entertaining of all is to make your own products in your kitchen using natural ingredients or whatever is available in the cupboard. You can obtain many natural ingredients such as fresh and dried herbs, clays, beeswax, and a variety of oils from herbalist stores (called aktar in Turkish), organic stores, and online suppliers.

There are huge benefits to be gained from playing with recipes. First, you can adjust them to suit your own skin type. As your knowledge of herbs and oils widens, so will your ability to make products specific to your needs. For example, you can make face oils using rosehip, wheatgerm, or avocado oil if you have normal to dry skin; soothing face masks using oats, lavender, and chamomile for sensitive skin;

NOURISHING FACE MASK A gentle and nourishing face mask to unblock pores and rejuvenate tired and dull-looking skin. Suitable for all skin types.

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons honey 2 capsules vitamin E 1 teaspoon rosehip seed oil 3 teaspoons white clay 1 teaspoon jojoba oil 1 drop lemon essential oil 1 teaspoon aloe vera 2 drops lavender essential oil For a creamier texture, you can add natural yoghurt or mashed avocado (optional) To prepare: Measure the honey and aloe vera into a small bowl and mix well.

Add the rosehip seed and jojoba oils, mixing thoroughly with a small spoon. Break the vitamin E capsules and squeeze them into the mix.

Add the clay a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

To use: Spread onto a freshly cleansed face and leave for 15 minutes, preferably right after bath or a shower. To remove the mask, rinse with warm water and a face cloth.

You can apply this mask once a week. If your skin is sensitive or very dry then it is best to apply it once every 10 days.

and cleansing scrubs with brown sugar, lemon essential oil, and mint for oily to combination skin types. Second, you can control the ingredients you use. Third, it can be enjoyable to discover the fragrances that suit your mood. A further benefit is that the process of making the products is creative.

Beauty from the inside out Homemade masks are fun to make and effective even in one application. But storing them can be a little tricky; those using food ingredients or clay are best made up in small batches as they do not keep for a long time. Also, small batches mean you use a fresh product each time. In my opinion, this shouldn't be a problem, since they are easy and quick to prepare. If you have any of the mixture left over, store it in a small pot in the refrigerator and discard it after a few days.

To enjoy good health, good looks, and to feel energetic it is important to look after the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives as well as our physical health and bodies.

Beauty depends a great deal on our energy, how we feel about ourselves, and how comfortable we are with our looks.

A healthy, smiling, radiant face will always have an inherent beauty.

Honey is one of my favourite ingredients to use in skincare recipes. It brings a slightly thicker consistency to the mix, has excellent anti-bacterial properties, acts as a humectant, and has skin-brightening properties. Rosehip seed oil is suitable for all skin types, high in vitamin A and C, and has excellent skin healing properties.

It regenerates the skin cells, heals scar tissue and is a great oil to use for sun-damaged and flaky skin. Jojoba oil has the closest composition of our natural skin’s oil, sebum. It is suitable for all skin types but great to use for oilier skin because it helps to balance sebum production and nourishes the skin without giving an oily feel.

Aloe vera gel can easily be extracted from the aloe vera plant. It is a wonderful moisturiser that also firms and tones the skin. It has skin healing and cooling properties that is excellent for treating burns, irritated skin, and wounds. White clay is another wonderful substance mined from the earth.

It is the essence of mountains ground down through the ages into a smooth powder. It has been used for thousands of years both as a medicine and as a cosmetic.

White clay is the most versatile of all clays and the one used most often because it is milder and less drying. It cleanses the skin, removes dead skin cells, and unblocks the pores.

WRITER: SELMA AYDEMÄ°R Selma Aydemir is the founder of IDA.KEW, a skincare company that makes the highest quality products using 100% natural ingredients. Her company lab is based in Esenler, Istanbul, where she produces, markets, and distributes her products along with a chemical engineer. She also gives natural cosmetics workshops to individuals and groups. In those workshops she teaches the basics of skincare, natural ingredients, and how to prepare recipes and create homemade products. For more information, please visit www.idakew.com, call 0212 343 2757, or email s.aydemir@idakew.com.

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Health & Fitness

Boosting immunity and staying healthy during flu season

Rest and recharge Gone are the long, warm summer nights. Winter has finally arrived in Istanbul. It is getting colder, the days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the temperatures drop below freezing.

While many of us long for the joyful, activity-filled days of summer, the fall and winter season, according to traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, are a wonderful opportunity to become more still, introspective and reflective.

In Chinese medicine it is the time where the yin principle is emphaised – resting, building and recharging. In Ayurveda, winter is the season of Kapha, the water and earth elements, where we

46

naturally tend to be less active and gain some weight. It also is a time where the digestive fire, pushed by the cold to the body’s core, is stronger, and thus we naturally crave heavier and heartier kinds of foods such as hot soups, bean or meat stews, and root vegetables.

Ayurvedic secrets for a flu-free winter Unfortunately, winter also marks the time when many of us, especially those with children in school, get a cold or flu regularly. Ayurveda offers, in this respect, a number of useful tips to get through the flu season without too much trouble. While we cannot control whether we, or our children, will catch a cold or come into contact with the

flu virus, we can certainly ensure that our body’s immune system, our main defense mechanism, is functioning optimally. According to the ancient classics, a body full of toxins provides a fertile breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, while in a body that is healthy and vibrant, disease cannot take hold.

For proper immune functioning it is vital to keep the digestive fire strong.

Focus on nourishing, warm foods and liquids. Staying away from cold, heavy foods such as rich desserts, ice cream, cheese and yoghurt, and avoiding having too much salt, processed and deep-fried foods during the winter months will ensure strong digestion and

January - February 2014

minimise the risk of mucus accumulation and lymphatic congestion. Try cooking with immune enhancing spices such as ginger, garlic, black pepper, cumin, coriander, fennel and turmeric, and add a cup or two of fresh ginger tea to your daily routine.

One of the herbal secrets to keep a cold at bay in Ayurveda is a spice mixture called Trikatu. This includes finely ground ginger, black pepper and long pepper, and is a great winter addition to your food pantry. You can regularly sprinkle a quarter teaspoon onto meals to improve digestion, or mix half a teaspoon into a cup of hot linden tea for a warming beverage. For children milk can be warmed with a quarter teaspoon of this mixture and served sweetened with half a teaspoon of honey, to minimise the mucus-forming properties of milk.

Neti pot cleanse Another invaluable item during the flu season in our household is the neti pot.

It is a small teapot-shaped container that is used for nasal irrigation with saline water. It superbly cleanses the

nasal passages and rids them of any viruses you may have come into contact with during the day. If I spend a day out teaching or meeting a lot of people, or if I have been travelling and I feel a slight tingling sensation in my nose and throat, warning me that I might come down with a cold, I use the neti pot in the evening and it works magic. My teacher used to call it “better than any flu shot”. You can find many video demos on how it is done correctly online such as www. youtube.com/watch?v=rsZeILCedRw. While the neti pot nasal wash is mostly done in the evening, (make sure you wait at least 2-3 hours after you have eaten), I also recommend patients add a few drops of oil to the nostrils in the morning, especially before school or work, which helps lubricate the nasal passages and creates a barrier against viruses taking hold. If you do not have specially medicated oil you can also use plain olive, sesame or coconut oil. Put a few drops on your finger, and massage it into the nasal passages.

natural healing, dating back more than 5,000 years and originating in the Vedic culture of India.

More than a mere system of treating illness, Ayurveda is regarded as a science of life (ayu = life, veda = science) that helps each person find and maintain his or her own balanced state of health. It provides guidelines on daily and seasonal routines,diet, exercise and behaviour, and thus reminds us that health is not the mere absence of disease but a dynamic balance between our inner body, mind and spirit and the outer environment/nature.

Ayurveda – Science of Life Ayurveda is one of the oldest systems of

According to Ayurveda, there is a fundamental relationship between nature and human beings. Both are made up of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth) and governed by three essential principles: movement, transformation and structure. In the body, these three principles or doshas are known in Sanskrit as Vata (ether and air), Pitta (fire and water) and Kapha (earth and water). They are responsible for our physical traits and the mental tendencies that form the foundation of our unique constitution.

•

If you have a sore throat, mix equal parts turmeric and honey and take half a teaspoon of this mixture every 2 hours followed by sipping hot linden or sage tea.

•

•

Get plenty of rest and hydrate well.

Sipping hot water or fresh ginger tea will help flush out toxins.

COLD/FLU TREATMENT •

At the first sign of a cold, mix Trikatu and honey in equal parts, take half a teaspoon of this mix every two hours along with sipping hot water or ginger tea.

GARLIC CHUTNEY This recipe is a staple in my winter repertoire. Enjoy!

Garlic is a great condiment to use during the winter months for both digestive and immune support. It is also a great rejuvenative for the lungs and enhances immunity by removing pathogens. It is thus used as both a prophylactic and cure for many infections. It keeps well in the fridge for several weeks.

Makes 1½ cups 4 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or butter ½ cup garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half 1 cup coconut flakes 4 Tbsp black peppercorns ½ tsp coriander seeds 1¼ tsp salt 1 lemon, juiced 1. Heat 2 Tbsp of the ghee or butter in a skillet on medium heat and add the garlic cloves. Fry them over medium heat for about five minutes.

2. When cooled, grind the garlic along

If you have congestion, avoid any mucus-producing foods such as dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream), bananas, and sugary foods/desserts.

Instead, eat less, and always eat easy-to-digest foods such as home-made chicken soup, miso soup or steamed vegetables

with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor to a fine paste. Add a little water for ease of grinding if necessary.

3. Heat the rest of the ghee and add the ground paste. Fry on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes. This ensures that the garlic is cooked and the moisture has evaporated.

4. Serve half to one teaspoon with rice, soup or vegetables during winter months.

The paste stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

WRITER: ULLI ALLMENDINGER Ulli Allmendinger, MSc Ayurveda, is an Ayurvedic consultant, nutritionist and herbalist with a passion for cooking and Ayurvedic nutrition. Based in Istanbul, Ulli consults clients for a variety of health concerns, gives Ayurvedic cooking and nutrition classes, workshops on Ayurveda and guides detox camps. She also has a line of gluten-free cookies and breads that are made-to-order. For more information, please visit www.ulliayurveda.com and www.sopsy.com/ulliskitchen, call 0539 203 0422 or email info@ulli-ayurveda.com.

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Health & Fitness

Eating for endurance Ever wanted to run a marathon or other long distance race? Nutritionist and marathon runner Kirsty Smith shares her knowledge on how to eat right when you’re leading up to for a long-distance race.

Crunch time: Istanbul marathon runners on race day.

Fuel to finish You may have trained your body, but you still need to fuel it over the finish line! Many marathon runners fail to finish the race because they’ve failed to incorporate a proper nutrition strategy, with fatigue, dehydration and gastrointestinal problems compromising their run. Adopting good nutrition habits and following a pre-race nutrition strategy will help you run at your best.

Energy, health and balance It’s well known that a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health. As a runner, good health and optimal energy is crucial for keeping up with the demands of long, or intense, training sessions and competition. A balanced diet means getting the right type and amount of foods and liquids to ensure optimal nutrition and energy for your needs. A variety of foods from the different food groups – dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, beans, nuts and oils – will provide a healthy mix of nutrients. When we eat a variety of nutrients, we help our body to function at maximum capacity. Restricting or eliminating food groups, for example carbohydrates, from your diet can lead to deficiencies in some micronutrients and make you more susceptible to illness.

Nearly race day: nutrition for training and recovery Carbs and protein Eating carbohydrates together with a small amount of protein after strenuous training sessions will help to restore

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glycogen levels and repair muscles.

Good choices include flavored low-fat milk, milkshake or fruit smoothie, a sports drink, fruit salad with yoghurt, or a sandwich with a protein filling.

Continuing the day with a healthy balanced diet will have you ready for your next training session.

Your fluid intake plan How much should you drink? Your long runs during training will give you a chance to practice your fluid intake plan.

This will help you to keep hydrated and drink an amount that is comfortable on your stomach. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking no more than your sweat loss. Drinking too much water during a marathon can cause hyponatremia (low sodium levels due to water intoxication), which is very dangerous, even fatal. Slower marathon runners are especially vulnerable because they tend to drink more during the race.

Calculating your sweat loss will give you an indication of how much you fluid you should be replacing. The method involves weighing yourself naked before and after your run and calculating the change in body mass. For example, if you weigh 70kg before the race and 68kg after, you have a 2kg loss in body mass. Fluid intake during the run and urine losses should also be taken into account. Assume a loss of 2 kg body weight is equal to 2L fluid loss. Since you will continue to lose more fluid after the race due to sweating and urination, an intake of 150% fluid intake

is recommended during the 2-4 hours following completion of the race.

Plan your nutrition strategy As you get closer to the big day you’ll want to have a nutrition strategy in place that aims to optimise your energy, keep you hydrated and prevent any gastrointestinal discomfort during the race.

COUNTDOWN: 2-3 DAYS BEFORE RACE DAY

Start your carbo-loading now Carbo-loading is a well-planned eating strategy aimed at maximising glycogen (carbohydrate) stores in the muscles and liver, which will be used by your body as fuel for the race. Glycogen is the most easily available form of energy, and although you use fat and glycogen during the race, converting fat to energy is harder work for your body. So if you run out of glycogen, then you need to slow down to start using fat. “Hitting the wall” is a term used by endurance runners when glycogen stores have run out and fatigue sets in. Since you can’t fill up your stores in just one day, carbo-loading over the 2-3 days before the race is recommended. This involves consuming increased amounts of carbohydrates and, either reducing exercise intensity, or resting. Rested muscles are important as they better facilitate the storage of glycogen (you don’t want to use up all those good glucose stores before the race).

January - February 2014

How much carbohydrate do you need for carbo-loading?

Seven to nine grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of body weight is recommended. A person weighing 70kg, based on 8g/kg, would eat 560 grams of carbohydrates – 2,240 calories – per day. This may seem like a load of calories, but you’ll

be reducing your fat and protein intake at the same time. A rapid increase in carbohydrate intake may cause stomach discomfort, so try to gradually build up your carbohydrate intake.

One day example: approximately 560 grams of carbohydrates Breakfast: 4 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 cup reduced fat milk, 1 banana, and 240ml of orange juice Snack: 250ml smoothie and a bagel with jam or honey Lunch: 2 cups pasta (lean protein and vegetables can be added), 175ml low fat fruit yoghurt, and 240ml of fruit juice Snack: 4 pancakes and 250ml sports drink

Which carbohydrate to choose?

Everyone is different, so choose foods that you like, as well as those that fit into your lifestyle. High carbohydrate, low fibre foods are recommended for easy digestion since fibre can cause stomach discomfort in some people during the race. Breads, rice, pasta, pancakes, waffles, bagels, cereal with milk, and yoghurt are a good choice. Many fruits have high fibre content, but removing the skin will reduce the fibre.

Bananas are an excellent high carbohydrate, low fibre choice.

High fat or protein meals are not recommended, as they will fill you up, thus reducing your intake of carbohydrates.

Dinner: 2 cups rice (lean protein and vegetables can be added), 1 cup tomato sauce, 2 scoops ice-cream, and 500ml sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, 100Plus or similar drink with electrolytes and carbohydrates) Snack: Pastry and 250ml homemade smoothie. That’s one banana, a handful of frozen fruit like cherries and berries, and a few spoons of either low fat yoghurt or low fat milk – pop it in the blender and serve. Crushed ice is an optional extra if you have a food processor that can handle it.

If you exercise during this period, then consume some carbohydrates after you exercise to top up glycogen levels.

Remember to keep hydrated Endurance running can result in great water and electrolyte losses through sweating. If these are not replaced, you’ll become dehydrated, which can lead to fatigue. In a hot climate, even greater sweating will take place. The recommendation is to start your marathon hydrated, so aim to drink plenty of water in the days leading up to your race, up to a few hours before. This will give you time to urinate and still be hydrated. It’s a good idea to drink fluids together with foods that contain a little sodium, as the sodium will help to retain the fluid.

COUNTDOWN: 2-4 HOURS BEFORE THE RACE

Top up your muscle and liver glycogen stores You’ll want to top up your glycogen stores before the race but still have enough time to digest your meal. Aim for about 2 grams per kg body weight. This is approximately 140 grams for a 70kg person. A bagel and sports drink, or a few pieces of bread with a banana and yoghurt are good options.

Can’t face solid carbohydrates pre-race or early race time? If you’ve successfully carbo-loaded for 2-3 days before, then try a sports drink or liquid meal. Topping up with carbohydrates during the race will then be a priority.

COUNTDOWN: DURING THE RACE

Since your marathon will last longer than 90-120 minutes, you’ll still need to take in fuel during the race, and replace fluids lost from sweat. Thirty to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour is recommended to maintain blood glucose levels. Sports drinks will supply carbohydrates as well as replace lost fluids and electrolytes (sports gels, for example have about 20-30 grams of carbohydrate energy per pack, brands include Gu and Hammer – sports drinks, bananas, and sports chews).

PLANNING YOUR NEXT DISTANCE RACE IN TURKEY International Öger Antalya Marathon • Where: Antalya • When: March (March 2nd, 2014) • Race options: 10K or Half-marathon • Contact: www.runtalya.de/contact.html?L=1 • Website: www.runtalya.de/home.html?L=1 İznik 130K Ultramarathon • Where: İznik • When: April (April 18-20, 2014) • Race options: 10K; 42K; 80K; and 130K • Contact: iznikultra@maceraakademisi.com • Website: www.iznikultra.com

Geyik Koşuları • Where: Istanbul - Belgrad Forest • When: October (Held October 6th in 2013) • Race options: Bambi run*; 4K; 14K; and 28K • Contact: yaris@maceraakademisi.com • Website: www.geyikkosulari.com • * For children: 4-6 years of age – 200M run; 7-9 – 300M; and 10-12 – 400M Eurasia Marathon/Avrasya Maratonu • Where:Istanbul • When: November (Held November 17 in 2013) • Race options: 8K Fun Run; 10K; 15K; or Marathon • Contact: info@istanbulmarathon.org

WRITER: KIRSTY SMITH Kirsty Smith has a BSc in Nutrition and Health from Roehampton University in London. She is currently studying sports nutrition and loves trail running and good food.

Istanbul marathon photos by Claudia Escobar.

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Health & Fitness

Menopause: the professional perspective

In this second in a two-part series of articles exploring menopause, Darcy Holmer interviews Dr Tamara M Leonas, an ObstetricianGynecologist who has been practicing medicine in the United States for over 20 years. They discuss common challenges a woman may face during her menopausal transitional years and how to manage them.

M

enopause is something that most of us women will experience at one point or another in our middleaged lives. It is a natural progression.

However, it can often feel more like a disease, with the symptoms that can accompany the transition to menopause ranging from annoying to unpleasant to seriously disruptive.

Of course, there are solutions to menopause-related issues. However, it can be difficult to know exactly what those solutions are or which ones are right for you. This is particularly the case when it comes to the controversial information surrounding hormone replacement therapy. News and information surrounding this can be confusing, misleading, incomplete, or downright scary. I interviewed Dr Tamara M Leonas to help gain better insight into the reality of menopause, ways to navigate this natural progression in our feminine lives, and the lowdown on hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for menopauserelated symptoms.

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Q: Every woman (minus those who have had menopause as a result of hysterectomy, chemo/radiation) will face menopause at one point or another. I think many women are fearful because they have heard horror stories and/or just don’t know what to expect. Based on your experience, what is the typical experience that most women you see have with menopause?

A: Let’s first of all define menopause. It is the permanent cessation of menstrual periods determined retrospectively after a woman has experienced 12 months of amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).

The typical experience that I see in my office is a patient who misses menses in her forties, starts experiencing hot flashes, and has increased psychosocial issues secondary to the hormonal imbalances. The largest cohort study of midlife women is the SWAN study – Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation – which followed a multiethnic community- based cohort of over 3000 women 42-52 years old. The study followed these patients over a 15-year time span to collect the data.

Based on the study, the typical experience with menopause begins with 95% of patients having symptoms between 45 and 55. The median age for menopause in the United States is 51. This is a reflection of complete, or near complete, ovarian depletion of the follicles where ovulation took place, resulting in low estrogen levels.

Q: So, it’s really the period leading up to menopause that we hear so much about? What is this called?

A: Perimenopause, and it is, in average, the four-year period prior to the final menses (period) where a woman may have irregular menstrual cycles, hormonal changes, and symptoms such as hot flashes. In other words, the timeframe when most women go through the menopause transitional time period is not a day or an hour, but usually a few years. I like to express to patients that this is a season of life, where we are here to educate you about what is happening with your body, and support you with options for treatment on various levels.

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Q: What are the top three complaints/ symptoms that you hear from women going through menopause?

A: The most common complaints are hot flashes, insomnia, and mood lability (mood changes); however, the hallmark symptom of menopausal transition is hot flashes. They occur in 80% of women in some cultures, however, only 20-30% seek medical attention.

Q: What are hot flashes like and why do we get them? How long of a period will most of us experience them?

A: Hot flashes begin as a sudden sensation of heat centered on the upper chest and face that rapidly becomes generalised. Hot flashes can last from two to four minutes and are, at times, associated with profuse perspiration.

Some women have them a couple of times a day, others have them several times in a day, while others experience them hourly. Hot flashes tend to be more common at night; then we call them night sweats. Chills, palpitations, and shivering often coexist with the hot flashes.

The hot flashes represent dysfunction in the regulation of the body’s temperature, in the thermo-regulator.

There is inappropriate dilation of the blood vessels in the periphery, causing increased blood flow, perspiration, rapid heat loss and a decrease in the core body temperature. Research shows that most women who have hot flashes will continue to have them for a year.

In four to five years, most women stop having hot flashes spontaneously. Less than 9% of women over 70 years of age still have them.

Q: You mentioned treatment for women experiencing symptoms from the transitional period to menopause.

What are the main treatment options available to women and which, in your opinion, are the most effective?

A: Treatment options range from diet, exercise, wardrobe changes (such as lighter clothes, clothes in layers that can be removed) and other tricks to manage hot flashes (fans; air conditioning; wearing your hair back; cold cloths strategically placed) to natural supplementations to actual prescribed medicine that includes estrogen alone, or estrogen with progesterone combination.

It’s important for a woman with symptoms to seek out a health professional for help. She doesn’t have to suffer in silence. She has options.

Typically, during the first appointment with a woman having menopausal January - February 2014

symptoms, I review the options for therapy, review the risks, and describe the benefits. The spectrum of treatment options is given, and then, based on the severity of her symptoms, we start out somewhere in the spectrum. I then have her follow up with me monthly to review her symptoms and document changes that she may have noted. If her symptoms have not improved, then we continue to move up on the spectrum with available options. Once stable on a certain treatment plan, I usually see the patient annually. There is not a cookbook recipe for each and every patient that I can look up as a physician; however, our goal is to work together to help a woman achieve quality of life during her transition.

The most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms remains to be hormone therapy (ERT – Estrogen Replacement Therapy or HRT – Hormone Replacement Therapy). It is highly effective for the management of hot flashes, vaginal atrophy and mood lability that many women experience during the menopause transition.

(As a side note, estrogen with progesterone must always be used together with someone who still has a uterus, referred to as HRT, or Hormone Replacement Therapy. Estrogen alone in someone who has a uterus can cause the lining to promote endometrial hyperplasia / pre-cancer or endometrial cancer. Therefore, estrogen alone – ERT– is used only for those who have had a hysterectomy.) Almost all women who seek medical therapy for menopausal symptoms do so in their late forties to fifties. Current guidelines based on the Women’s Health Initiative study (WHI study) recommend that hormone replacement therapy be limited to five years of usage. A metaanalysis of 23 trials and an updated 2012 United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) meta-analysis of nine trials were performed. Based on these findings, the recommendations are against the usage of ERT for the prevention of chronic conditions such as CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) and osteoporosis. It clearly demonstrated adverse effects of hormone therapy in older postmenopausal women over 60 years, however, this is not the typical age group that seek medical therapy for symptoms.

Therefore, women can be reassured that the absolute risk of complications for healthy, young postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy for five years is very low.

Q: There is a lot of controversy surrounding hormone therapy. What are your thoughts based on your experiences with your patients?

A: The controversy lies within the fears of patients with the media/news that they hear regarding the risks described in literature. However, details of the literature is difficult sometimes for the layperson/patient – and sometimes even the clinician – to wade through.

As healthcare providers we are trained to communicate the risks, benefits and alternatives for treatment modalities offered that is available in our medical realm. Usually we explain as best as we can the risks, and then we discuss if the patient’s symptoms and quality of life impacts outweigh the benefit.

That is a question that only the patient can answer. I explain to the patient the risks of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), including that cardiovascular effects and breast cancer are the two main risk factors that are flagged in literature.

The age of the patient is matched up and the risks explained as being higher for the 60 years and over age group.

Then it is up to the patient to decide.

Some women have horrible hot flashes and/or night sweats that interfere with their work habits, their sleep habits, and their every day lifestyle. The changes of clothes or sheets, as a result, can be very embarrassing. Others may be older – over 60 years of age – with severe vaginal atrophy and unable to be intimate with their spouse, which can impact their marriage on many levels.

The severity of the symptoms and the patient’s choice to act upon them and initiate therapy can only be decided by her alone. She needs to take the information that is provided statistically and weigh the benefits against the risks. This is the way medicine is in all decision-making processes, whether it’s deciding to surgically intervene, medically intervene with therapy, or whether to take a certain medicine for a disease to help the disease even when there remain side effects of the medicine.

The recommendations for ERT remain that for symptomatic menopausal females less than 60 years of age, the risk of side effects are very low. We can treat for symptoms with the lowest dose of ERT and increase as indicated with a limitation of five years of therapy.

Q: Is it still important for a woman to see her gynecologist for an annual exam even after menopause?

What are the recommendations for general check-ups for women before menopause, during, and after?

A: Yes, it is still important. Let’s talk general guidelines first. According to the guidelines of the American College of Obstetrics-Gynecology (ACOG), the regular examination recommendations are:

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Health & Fitness • • • •

Pelvic – annual Breast – annual Mammograms – annual from age 40 Pap smears • Ages 21 – 29 years old – pap smear every 3 years • Ages 30 to 65 years old – pap smear every 3 years OR pap smear + HPV co-testing every 5 years • Colorectal cancer screening – from age 50; a colonoscopy annually is preferred, but other options are available • Diabetes screening – Starting at age 45 and done every 3 years Additionally, a woman should seek medical advice during her menopausal transitional years if she experiences bleeding abnormalities. Bleeding abnormalities are probably the biggest concern for us since it is an indicator of the uterus and its lining.

Irregular bleeding could be a sign of cancer or pre-cancer of the uterus/ womb. Therefore, if a woman experiences irregular menses lasting longer than 10-14 days; menses more than once a month; or menses / spotting / brown discharge after menses has stopped for 12 months, then she should consult a doctor. Typically, I consider that any bleeding in a woman over 51 years of age should be evaluated, even if the patient thinks that her menses is regular.

In addition to a woman’s annual breast exams by a health provider, she should also observe her breasts for any mass or changes in her mass. Many breast abnormalities have been found by patients (or their partners). With early detection and intervention, we can prevent progression to higher stages of breast cancer and avoid chemoradiation / or radiation.

Q: Are there any other key points you would like to add or words of wisdom for women facing, going through, or having finished menopause?

A: My experience as a female clinician and my general perspective on life is as follows: There are various cycles that women go through in their journey in life. I refer to them as the 6 P’s: Puberty Pregnancy Postpartum PMS (Pre-Menstrual Symptoms) Perimenopause Postmenopause We all go through these changes differently and with various severities in each stage. Many factors can affect those changes in life. Some we can control and others we cannot.

These factors include genetic, cultural, and emotional make up. Culturally there are varying degrees of how mankind responds. For example, do Asians tend to be more stable and steady vs. Italians – my own cultural background - who tend to be more demonstrative in their expressions?

Psychological factors, such as disorders, also play a role. Baseline anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, etc. can all make those life changes more difficult for those patients with underlying disease process.

Diet and exercise can help affect how gracefully we walk through this journey. Sugars and carbohydrates that break down into sugars can make one emotionally labile – the proverbial sugar highs and lows as it were. Proteins create stability for one’s metabolism and often to ladies with PMS. Women who crave sugars / chocolate should look to protein for their sustenance. Aerobic activity can increase endorphins and serotonin levels, the ‘happy’ hormones that are secreted into the blood stream.

During difficult times – such as in the 6 P’s transitional stages – exercise can really be a mainstay to keep emotionally afloat.

Sleep is another factor. This is huge during transitions. When we lack sleep because of PMS, postpartum with baby crying, insomnia from perimenopause or menopausal changes, this lack of sleep can really play a role in how controlled we are with our emotions. This, in turn,

affects how we respond during these phases. Supplements, such as vitamins, OTC (over-the-counter) products, progesterone creams, all of these things can assist the transitions from puberty through postmenopausal changes.

Medicines are another factor. Often times, the hormones are so imbalanced that we need some assistance from a health care professional. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid can all play roles in causing instability and symptoms during the change. Birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and thyroid medicine all have a potential role with the right patient and after thorough evaluation.

Support systems are another important factor when it comes to life changes that a woman experiences. Family, friends, church, women’s groups, and exercise groups, just to name a few, can all aid a woman. I find that the better the support system a woman has, the easier it is for her to walk through this season.

All of these factors can assist in a woman making this change with as few struggles as possible. Our goal, as women, should be to approach each change gracefully, and fulfill our goal of being who we need to be for those around us who we care about and love, for we have been beautifully and wonderfully made.

A special thanks to Dr Tamara M Leonas for her time and information!

Dr Leonas, D.O., F.A.C.O.O.G.m is a Board Certified ObstetricianGynecologist who has practiced medicine for over 20 years. She attended medical school at the University of New England Osteopathic Medical School and completed her residency at the Detroit Riverview Hospital, part of a consortium of hospitals associated with Michigan State University. Since her residency, she has practiced medicine in Southern California and, more recently, in Illinois.

WRITER: DARCY HOLMER Darcy Holmer is a business and fitness professional who is passionate about projects that support positive change. Her online course, www.YourBestFit.org, helps women achieve their weight and fitness goals. She’s currently developing a course to de-mystify finance to support others’ financial goals. Darcy has an MBA, MS Public Health, and a degree in Finance. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Master Financial Planner. For more information, email Darcy at DarcyHolmer@YourBestFit.org.

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mums ‘n kids

Getting your kids going on goals Goal-setting is a foundational tool to create a successful life. And while it is never too late, it is also never too early to develop a thirst for success. Writer Angela Kilkenny shares how you can playfully start motivating your kids to set goals and successfully achieve them.

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est learned at a young age, goal-setting is an activity that you can do together with your children. It helps children of all ages and can inspire you, as an adult, to get into setting your own goals too.

Some of the rewards you will see as a result of different goal-setting activities are: fostering a ‘can-do’ attitude in your kids; a sense of achievement; a thirst for success; and a guide for them to realise their potential.

Young children 2-4 years old For all ages, it helps to start small and to look for areas in their life where they may have used goal-setting techniques before. Start off by speaking to your child and explaining the concept of wanting to learn something and then doing it. You can offer examples of things they have already achieved, such as learning to kick a ball; learning to sleep without their pacifier; learning

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to go potty; putting together a simple puzzle ;or learning the words and actions to ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’.

Involve your child in the decision-making process. Ask if there is anything they would like to do or they wish they could do. Always keep goals simple and realistic. Some ideas are: learning to ride a tricycle; colouring inside the lines; counting to 10; making cookies; putting on their own clothes; or washing and drying hands by themselves. First-time goals for this age group should be achievable in one to two days and after some experience, up to three days.

Always encourage positive ‘self talk’ throughout the process, which is a tool that is best learned early in children’s lives. For example: “Look how well you’re doing”; “See how close you are to your goal”; or “You almost learnt it, just a little bit more practice”.

This age group benefits from being rewarded, so set a reward (apart from the achievement of the goal) as a way

to celebrate their success. It can be as simple as a sticker, a trip to the park or a small treat. Little kids also respond well to visuals, so tracking their progress in a visual way can really help them to understand the process and it excites them to continue on. Sticker charts or colouring charts work here. They can be handmade or found and printed online. http://www.stickersandcharts.com/ Elementary school aged children 5-9 years old Approaching this age group in a fun and practical manner will work best.

Class sizes get larger at this time and there is less one-on-one attention from the teacher. It is a great opportunity for parents to extend learning at home and to motivate children, to show them they can achieve more than they realise.

Encourage kids to think of times when they have worked to gain a new skill.

Assist with ideas and think of examples together if the child is struggling.

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Some examples of things they may have learnt without noticing are: food preparation such as making chocolate milk or pancake mix; walking from the service bus to the house alone; and responsibilities like feeding pets, making their bed or choosing their own outfits.

Goals can be more adventurous than for younger children but still keep the time frame short, especially if this is a new activity, to no more than a week at first.

Children need to see results quickly and that will energise them for a second try at something more difficult.

Your child should be involved in the goal-choosing process and they should be excited at the thought of achieving the goal. Some ideas for the five or six year olds could be making their own breakfast of toast with a spread on it; setting the dinner table; learning to play chess; or counting to 100 and writing all the numbers. For eight or nine year olds some examples could be to finish a chapter book (one chapter per night); learning a dance routine; planting a herb garden; or improve a race time or goals per game.

It’s important to encourage the child throughout the process. Always positively reinforce the steps that have been achieved and help the child to

learn that they might have setbacks along the way but it’s important to keep trying and focus on each step at a time.

Goal-setting with this age group is about fostering independence, so you should give the responsibility about tracking the goal to the child. Talking about it at the dinner table and asking about progress or using a chart can be helpful and can keep the child on track and focused. Be involved in their goal if they need support, for example someone to time them at a sport or to listen to their counting.

Middle school aged children 10-15 years old For this age group the goals and the step-by-step process can be more complicated. Inspire creative ideas and encourage your tween or teen to think about the world around them. Discuss things that the child wishes they could achieve and try to make it into a realistic goal. Creating a mind map can be useful here; the more ideas the better. For example, if they are interested in the environment you could get them to raise money to plant trees (www.cekulvakfi. org.tr). You can have a discussion on people they look up to or historical figures and try to capture what they admire about them or what they stood

for. Then you can think of goals to mirror the virtue or success they admired. The goal doesn’t have to be measurable in a final sense; it could be ongoing. If they admire Bill Gates, you could set a goal for them to create a blog page (www.wordpress.com) and to update it weekly. Goal-setting can also be related to school achievements, for example: adding half an hour of extra study per night for a subject they find difficult; or to get a 5% higher mark on their next test. You could ask them to set a goal with a friend or neighbour as a way to learn about team work and compromise.

Some group goals could be: learning to sew or knit clothes; starting a band or a singing group; or creating a documentary on a subject they are interested in and editing it.

Many of these goals, and other things a teen will want to achieve, may be daunting at first. By setting up smaller steps to achieve a realistic goal (for a band, perfecting one song could be the goal, not performing onstage) they learn to break down a goal into smaller steps and to feel encouraged along the way. Point out that challenges will come along the way and dedication is required to be successful. Always encourage them and try to find creative solutions to the bumps in the road.

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A mind map is a useful tool to help older children break down their goals

WRITER: ANGELA KILKENNY

Angela Kilkenny is an Australian from Melbourne. She has been living in Istanbul for three years and has a four year old son. She has taught Kindergarten at Aci School and is currently studying Journalism and PR through Deakin University in Australia.

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mums ‘n kids

announcements IWI MUMS ’N KIDS MEETINGS AND PLAYGROUPS

Asian Side of Istanbul

At the present time we have several playgroups running on the European side of Istanbul and one playgroup on the Asian side.

This is an opportunity to meet other pregnant ladies and parents of infants or toddlers, as well as share the joys and trials of motherhood while creating a support network. Mums n Kids does not mean mums only – Dads n Kids are just as welcome!

Playgroups and Walks (0-2 years of age) When: Varies Location: Rotating turns at mums’ homes and pre-arranged places.

Cost: FREE Please contact Åsa Samuelsson at: asa.v.m.samuelsson@ gmail.com.

Please contact Coordinator Maria Petersen Ciftgül if you have any questions.

INTERNATIONAL PRE-SCHOOLS & CENTRES PLAYGROUPS

Email: mariabwp@hotmail.com Phone: 0533 317 3894

Bosphorus International Pre-School (BIP), Emirgan www.bipschool.net

European side of Istanbul Pregnant and infants (0-12 months) When: Every Tuesday Time: 11am-1pm Location: Rotating turns at mums’ homes and pre-arranged places.Cost: FREE Please contact Jodie Mise at jodiemise@gmail.com or Andrea Roepke at roepke.a@googlemail.com Walkers – Younger Toddlers (1-2.5 years of age) When: Every Tuesday Time: 10am-12pm Location: Rotating turns at mums’ homes and pre-arranged places.Cost: FREE Please contact Sos Anker Hansen at sosankerhansen@gmail. com Toddlers (2,5 +) When: Varies Location: Rotating turns at mums’ homes and pre-arranged places.Cost: FREE Please contact Dawn Biyashev at dancemachine3@gmail. com or telephone at 0541 302 3047.

Multilingual Playgroup Zekeriyaköy The weekly multilingual playgroup in Zekeriyakoy comes together each Friday. Parents of infants (0-2 years old) and pregnant women who want to come can email teike. asselbergs@gmail.com. There are no costs to join the playgroup. It is required that parents (to-be) speak at least 2 languages (For example Turkish and English or two foreign languages). Older siblings and nannies can come along as long as there is at least one adult relative of the infant present as well. The reason for this is that the playgroup is as much for the parents as for the infants. The playgroup will sometimes come together on other days of the week(end), so that working parents can also connect with other parents in the neighbourhood. The playgroup is hosted at the homes of a different member each time.

Teacher organized activity, song & circle time, garden play (weather-permitting). Coffee, tea, milk and cookies provided.

When: Tuesdays Time: 10am-11:30 am Cost: FREE Age group: 0-3 years of age Please contact Ms Collette Laffan-Persembe at cpersembe@ 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.

British International School (BIS), Zekeriyaköy, Etiler www.bis.k12.tr

Indoor and outdoor play (weather-permitting), followed by snack and music time. Known adult to stay and supervise child.

Days and locations: Tuesdays and Thursdays in Zekeriyakoy; Wednesdays and Fridays in Etiler.

Time: 9am-11am (both campuses) Cost: 10TL per session Age group: 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

Elite Celebrations by Woodsview International Nursery and Pre-School, Tarabya www.woodsviewpreschool.com

This is an international English-speaking playgroup. Each session includes a simple craft activity, refreshments (tea and coffee for the parents, fruit and cake) and music time. There’s a large selection of toys to play with each week. It’s a great place for babies, young children and their mothers, fathers and caregivers to get to know each other. Come along and join in the fun!

Please note: IWI’s Mums n Kids Team organises activities for you and your children to enjoy. We remind you that you are responsible for your child’s safety at all times. IWI cannot take responsibility for injury and extra cost incurred during any activity.

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When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays Time: 10.30am-12.30 pm Cost: 480TL Age group: 0-5 years of age Please contact Sharon Harding at Sharon@ woodsviewpreschool.com or telephone at 0212 299 3906 (6765).

LOLA (Lots of Lovely Art)

Cost: 800 TL for 12 classes (IWI discount included) Gymboree members can also enjoy complimentary free-play times during the week. For non Gymboree members these cost 30TL per hour.

School Skills program (drop-off) for the 2-3 year olds or 3-4 year olds. 10% discount on full year School skills program for IWI members.

www.lotsoflovelyart.com

Music and Art classes are also available.

After-school workshops, toddler art, kinder art, weekend workshops, holiday camps, themed birthday parties.

There is a FREE English library, books and DVDs that is available to the public every day EXCEPT for Sunday from 3pm-6pm.

Please contact: Esra Taşar, email: esratasar@ gymboreeturkey.com or on 212 275 8787 or on 212-275-87-87

Weekly schedule Mondays: Toddler Art (2+) at 4pm.

Wednesdays: Toddler Art (18 months+) at 10am and Art Workshops at 4pm.

Thursdays: Toddler Art (18+ months) at 10am; Kinderart (2+) at 4pm.

Fridays: Fine Art Workshops (age 7+) Saturdays: Themed Workshops

Doulas who have completed the İçsel Doğum Doula Training:

Kindermusik at Play to Learn Pre-School www.playtolearn.com.tr

In Akatlar and Nişantaşı, offering different music classes.

Village Program: 0-18 months My Time Program: 18-30 months Music and Me Program 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.

Gymboree Play and Music 10% discount for IWI members on Play and Learn classes in Ulus, Ortaköy branch. Please present your IWI membership card to claim your discount.

Full Circle Healing Doula List

European side of Istanbul: Dilek Özkan dilekozkan@outlook.com Oya Kürüm evaluna60@gmail.com Sibel Gözübüyük yogakidz@gmail.com Sima İbrahimiye simaibrahimiye@gmail.com Şaylan Yılmaz saylan.yilmaz@gmail.com Vera Anahmias vanahmias@gmail.com Asian Side: Damla Çeliktaban celikdamla@gmail.com Esra Demiröz esraedemiroz@gmail.com Zeynep Birinci Güler zbguler@gmail.com 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

IWI’s Mums ‘n Kids Team organises activities for you and your children to enjoy. We remind you that you are responsible for your child’s safety at all times. IWI cannot take responsibility for injury and extra cost incurred during an activity.

www.gymboreeturkey.com Gymboree Play and Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children ages 0-5 for over 30 years. Today there are over 550 locations in 30 countries, making us the global leader in early childhood development programs. Designed by experts, our age-appropriate activities help develop the cognitive, physical and social skills of children as they play.

Our programs are also recognized for their unique approach to parent involvement—which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development International Play and Learn classes every Thursday: PlayandLearn Level 3 (10-16 months): 9am – 9.45am PlayandLearn Level 5 (22-28 months): 11.15am – 12pm International Play and Learn classes every Friday: PlayandLearn Level 4 (16-22 months): 10am – 10.45am

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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 where ladies from East Asia living in Istanbul get together for various events and can feel at home while far away from their original home. A membersonly Facebook page is available for them where they can keep track of the latest monthly luncheons, news, events, photographs and relevant information pertaining to daily life in Istanbul. Please contact the group leader, 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 and carry out its scholarly activities. The Istanbul Friends run a year-round program of tours and lectures for members and guests. Member¬ship is open to all interested residents of Istanbul. For further information call 0212 257 8111.

AWl (American Women of Istanbul) The AWI is a social network open to Americans, Canadians and spouses of US or Canadian citizens living in Istanbul. The AWI provides social programmes ranging from special interest groups to charities. If you’re a newcomer to Istanbul please contact our newcomers committee so you can start to feel at home in your new country. Email Debbie Abdo or Sia Israfil at awiistanbul@gmail.com.

Belgian Friends of Istanbul The Belgian Friends of Istanbul help Belgian newcomers to feel at home and make friends quickly. We gather every month around a drink, brunch, dinner, walk or cultural activity.

We also try to keep our traditions alive with activities such as the annual St. Nicholas party for the children or New Year’s dinner. We have our own Facebook page where members exchange useful information about job opportunities, housing, babysitting, Belgian cultural events in Istanbul, where to find Belgian products, etc. Email Nathalie Bevernaegie at bfistanbul@gmail.com.

Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts The Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of America is a youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. All boys in grades one to five (ages six to ten) holding a foreign passport are welcome to join Cub

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Scouts. Older boys (ages 11-18) with foreign passports are welcome to join Boy Scouts. Activities include hiking and camping. Email Vicki Gunay graygunay@gmail.com or phone 0532 314 11 34.

CHICAS - Spanish speaking women of Istanbul A group open to all ladies who speak our language, or would like to practice it. We host lots of fun, hilarious Latin parties and cultural events. Come on, jump on in, you won’t regret it! 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 several 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 other activities for children and much, much more. 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’ is a platform for the German speaking community. It was founded in 1989 to serve the needs of a steadily growing community. It is not a German club; 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 as well as assistance to newcomers. Website www.brueckeistanbul.org, email info@bruecke-istanbul.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-13 who are learning Dutch as a foreign language.

We also offer a two week Dutch summer school. There is the possibility of Dutch language courses being offered for adults in the future. Please check our website www.dnsi1991.org or email directeur@dnsi1991.org.

Fransiz 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 in promoting the growth and development of contemporary art, the Friends of Contemporary Istanbul aim to enrich the rising art scene in Turkey and to contribute to the cultural life of Istanbul. Email jasmine.taranto@gmail.com or phone 0532 687 7899.

January - February 2014

Friends of India Association (FOIA)

PAWI

The Friends of India Association (FOIA) is a registered group formed to connect Indians in Istanbul through various social events. Our aim is to keep the spirit of India and Indian culture alive by organising various festivals and activities through the year. If you are a newcomer to Istanbul and would like to know more or join the association 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).

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. Members inspire each other to achieve and share success. 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.

Girl Scouts

Patchwork Group

The Girl Scouts is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to helping all girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success in the real world. In an accepting and nurturing environment, and in partnership with committed adult volunteers, girls develop strong values, leaderships skills, social conscience and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. Girls aged 5 and up are welcome. Email Kat Bekham usagsoistanbul@gmail.com or phone 054 2300 24 92.

Contact Gaye Hiçdonmez at gayehicdonmez@gmail.com or 0532 700 0693.

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.

IWI Tennis Group If you enjoy playing tennis please join our group. The IWI Tennis Group is up and running and takes place at Torch Tennis in Tarabya. Teams are based on skill levels and we welcome all players from beginners to advanced. If you are interested in joining 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 is a group of people who like to keep typical Dutch festivities alive, for people who have connection to Holland, who like to meet up with Dutch-speaking people.

On a monthly basis we organise a get together. Among the festivities we do the typical celebrations like Sinterklass (5 December) and Koninginnedag (Queens day). For further information and details check our website (www.nv-istanbul. org) or contact: Lisette Ruygrok at secretariaat@nv-istanbul. org.

Istanbul Ottomans Rugby Football Club We practice every Saturday afternoon between 4 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. Please contact one of the team officials on the website for more information.

January - February 2014

Photo Club of Istanbul The Photo Club of Istanbul organises photography classes and workshops, monthly photo treks and other activities for photographers of all levels of experience. Membership is free and is open to anyone with an interest in photography.

Beginners are welcome. Email photoclubofistanbul@gmail. com to request an application form.

Speech Bubbles Speech Bubbles Theatre is an Istanbul based drama group established in 1988 aiming to perform high-quality English language musical theater while donating the proceeds to charities supporting children and education. Speech Bubbles is composed of amateur and professional dancers, singers and musicians from the international community.

Speech Bubbles also runs a part-time school of performing arts for young people over ten years of age and adults for three hours on Saturday mornings where everyone has the chance to gain confidence, develop their performance skills or simply just learn how to act, sing, dance and most importantly have fun! Email: tom@speechbubbles.org or visit our web site: 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) A world-wide network for Swedish or Swedish-speaking women with a chapter in Istanbul. Email jessica.lundgren@ jlu-prod.com or phone 0539 234 7043.

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.

Toastmasters International – Istanbul Chapter The English speaking Istanbul toastmasters club is the first Istanbul local 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 19.30-21.30 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.

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IWI

Partner Offers

IWI Membership ID card Our Partner Offers page lists various offers and discounts that our partners are extending to IWI members.

In order to redeem these partner benefits, you must show your IWI Membership ID 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.

Da Vittorio Restaurant You do not have to go all the way to Italy to be served authentic Italian food. Just go to Da Vittorio’s in the heart of Beyoglu. Ladies of the IWI is offered a 15 % discount at Da Vittorio restaurant. This offer is valid everyday except Friday and Saturday dinner. Please make a reservation at: vittoriosindoni@yahoo.com or call: 0212 – 245 8817 www.davittorioistanbul.com

During 2013 Isda Bebek Wellness Center is pleased to offer you the most incredible gifts...

For the “Midas and Microplus” body reshaping systems we offer 10 bonus sessions for each 10 sessions purchased.

Also…in our ‘’antiaging and weight loss sessions’’ we offer a %30 discount and for “spa and massage treatments ‘’ a %50 discount with cash payment .

For a complete list of services please visit our website www.isdabebek.com

EFinst: 10% off for IWI cardholders The most professional and successful private Turkish language school for foreigners in Turkey teaching students how to speak the language accurately and fluently from the first lesson! The EFINST Turkish Centre İstanbul has over 12 years experience in meeting the language and training needs of those who wish to study and improve their Turkish. We are dedicated to promoting international understanding through education and raising the standards of language learning.

Contact: info@turkishlesson.com or 0212-282 9064. www.turkishlesson.com

Time Out İstanbul in English is offering a 25% discount on subscriptions. Make Time Out İstanbul in English your monthly go-to guide for the city by contacting: Gizem Unsalan 02122871990 gizem@timeoutistanbul.com - www.timeoutistanbul.com/ english

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İsda Body &Soul Works Bebek Kücük Bebek Caddesi No:23 Tel: (0212) 265- 26 86

Hillside Sports Offering a 20% discount on general memberships to IWI members.

For details, please contact: galiahasid@hillside.com.tr

Steven Kitching British hairstylist I’m happy to offer a 20% discount to all IWI members when booking your first appointment.

I have twenty 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

January - February 2014

Tarabya Torch Tenis 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.

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, warm-up and rest after the game.

Tarabya Torch Tenis offers excellent opportunities for training and education but our tennis club is not only about the lessons and playing tennis, it is also lively, relaxing and a great place to meet other tennis fans and make interesting acquaintances.

Tarabya Torch Tenis is pleased to offer a 10% discount to IWI members. Courts are open from 7 am to midnight and for more detailed information please contact: 0531-945-2588 or pautova@hotmail.com or visit www.tarabyatorchtenis.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

January - February 2014

Incirli Saraphane -- Soul Group At Incirli Saraphane more than 20 Turkish wine companies came together and created Turkey’s richest wine bar for you.

There are more than 500 different kinds of local and imported wines at very special producer prices. You can enjoy your wine with music, local & imported cheese and charcuterie selection.

Incirli Saraphane is offering a 10% discount for all members on our wine and cheese workshops, both those we have in our regular calendar of events and private workshops you may wish to organize for a group of 8 or more. In addition, if you dine in one of our other restaurants on the same day (Kydonia or La Mancha) you will receive a complimentary dessert.

For more information see our website: http:// incirlisaraphane.com

Kadiköy Şifa KadiköyŞifa offers IWI members the current tariffs with the following discount: • 10% for all medical services at KadiköyŞifa hospitals.

• Longevity and Wellness Clinic services: o a discount of 20% for cash payment more than 1000 TL o a discount of 10% for installment payments of more than 1000TL o a discount of 7% for single procedures.

• Varix Center Clinic (varicose veins and vascular surgery) 15% discount.

Planet Lifestyle Club is offerıng IWI members a 30% discount on all fitness memberships. Please contact sales manager Mr. Hicabi Akay at 0530-955-4490 or hicabiakay@ planetlife.com.tr. More details can be found on their website www.planetlife.com.

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IWI

classified ads

PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE

SUSANNE ÇAKIR: GERMAN LESSONS

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.

German lessons for kids up to 8th grade from experienced native German primary school teacher.

GIRLS ONLY FOOTBALL/SOCCER

PIANO LESSONS

Every Wednesday from 4.00 PM - 5.00 PM at the Korukent Sitesi Football Pitch.

Coached by Robert Mullaly of the RIFA Football club. Girls aged 5-9 are welcome! Cost is 180TL Girls not only learn football skills, but teamwork and sportsmanship.

Contact Melanie Wrigglesworth if you are interested 0537 997 4746 or email at wrigglesworth@me.com

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.

HOUSE FOR RENT

Fully renovated semi-detached house located in one of Asia’s most well preserved communities, Kandilli, just five minutes from the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. Regular ferry boat service. Property is 4.500 sqm; surrounded by security wall.

Usable garden area: 1000 sqm; two large terraces, garden well-tended. Usable indoor area: 650 sqm. Main house: master bedroom with en suite bathroom plus 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. Dining/living room with spacious terrace access, large living room with Ottoman corner, laundry room, elevator, space for sauna, separate maid’s quarter, extensive storage space, guest cottage (optional), kombi heating with natural gas, parking for 2+ cars, partial Bosphorus view.

Please contact Anne Kozlu at akozlu@robcol.k12.tr for further information.

FOR YOUR CHILD: ENGLISH TUTOR & HOMEWORK HELPER

American native-English speaking language tutor and homework helper specializing in lessons for children, in your home or mine - conveniently located next to MEF International School. References available from some of the most discerning families in Istanbul. Reliable & experienced with ages 2- 5.

Please call 0532 235 2086 or email susannecakir@gmail.com for further information.

Professional piano, singing, music theory lessons are provided by Dobrinka Chavdarova-Guven, an experienced teacher with practice and master classes in Istanbul, Munchen, Varna.

The lessons are available only at the students’ homes – the age diapason is 5-65 ! The main used method is the Oxford one, mixed with music literature, according to the level and capacity of the student.

Bulgarian herself, Dobrinka speaks fluent Russian, English, Turkish and some French.

For more info, please call: +90 555 5334362 +359 301 63653 - home +359 878 665737 +359 879 858514 +359 887 413744 cell Or e-mail : dobra_music@abv.bg

FOR RENT

Fully furnished flat located in Suadiye with sea view. Living room, 3 bedrooms, 1 dressing room, kitchen, 1 ba throom with WC and 1 separate WC. Monthly rent: Euro 1.500.

For more information contact: Babür Söğütlü at 0532 7229465 or babur.sogutlu@gmail.com

CORNUCOPIA MAGAZINES FOR SALE

Issues 6 to 40 for sale, including rare issues 7, 8, 9, 10, 32, 34, 35 and 37 – all in good condition: £500 (British pounds).

Please contact Suzi: kolbingers@gmx.net

SALE OF HIGH QUALITY USED FURNITURE

Brand new looking, Dining table with 8 chairs, China Cabinet, Josephine coach, Display Cabinet are for sale.

Contact: Yaprak Archibald 0532 470 55 20 urasyaprak@yahoo.com further information.

Contact Renee at 0543 466 55 50 or email renee.elaine@gmail. com.

Non-commercial classified Ads are FREE for IWI members!

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January - February 2014

www.marletmodelshoot.com

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS WITH PROFESSIONAL MODELS MarletModelShoot

@MRLT_ModelShoot

Please contact us for detailed information; info@marletmodelshoot.com - 0216 386 32 16

IWI

Membership Directory

polıcies & Advertising

It is strictly against IWI policy to give the Membership Directory to any non-member of the association. If requested by a non-member, or company to supply membership data please refer them to the IWI Chairwomen. Members are entitled to the directory for their personal use only, never for business purposes. All member information should be handled with confidentiality. Membership directories are available from the Membership Secretary.

Membership

Advertising

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.

To place an advertisement please contact us at advertising@iwi-tr.org.

Advertisements must be confirmed through signed contract before any payment is accepted.

Membership registration is also possible at our “Newcomers Meeting” held at Meet Café, Alkent, Etiler from 12:00 to 2:00 P.M every first and 3rd Thursday of the month. Parking is available.

Contact the Newcomer Coordinators for information and directions. You can also become a member online.

Member cost: FREE (Non-Commercial Ads) Non-Member cost: $60 + 18% V. A. T.

Changing Address or Lale Problems?

Don’t forget to give us your new address (postal and/or e-mail) to avoid delay in the delivery of your Lale magazine or for up-to-date IWI member information.

Contact our Membership Secretary by e-mail at membership@iwi-tr.org.

In case you failed to receive your copy of LALE, please contact us: laledelivery@gmail.com

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Classified ads: Restricted to 50 words.

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 Advertisement deadline for every issue of the Lale is the first of the month prior to publication.

Disclaimer

Lale Content The IWI as an organization 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.

Programs Cancellation of a program 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 program changes. The IWI reserves the right to cancel programs 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 organized by the IWI, or advertised in Lale.

January - February 2014

MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL

03 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2014

MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL

YOUR

GOALS & DREAMS

January - February 2014

WINTER HEALTH &BEAUTY ASIAN SIDE

FOCUS

WHAT’S ON and much more…