Lale September-October 2015

01 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2015

MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF ISTANBUL

Explore East Anatolia

OUR GUIDE

New Country, New School

COPING WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

Culture Kids

From Grayson Perry to Lego Land!

ISTANBUL

ROOFTOPS

A spectacular perspective on our city

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2015

LALE NEWS

LALE LIFESTYLE

4 SOCIETY Hip happenings about town – Spring Ball, Summer Lunch and Cocktails at Raffles

16 HEALTH How to incorporate raw foods into your

10 NETWORKING Latest news from the team at

diet, plus recipes

20 PARENTING When changing countries and

IPWIN, plus how to hone your leadership skills

schools gets tough – our survival guide to going back to school, expat-style

12 LEGAL EAGLE Our legal guru, Karen Akıncı,

46 TRAVEL Discover the charms of East Anatolia

14 CHARITIES Roundup of our new charities for

LALE REGULARS

50 EVENTS Come and join us for some culture and

3 LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR AND THE CHAIR

LALE FEATURES

56 BOARD NEWS 57 NEWCOMERS

24 NEIGHBOURHOOD TOUR

58 MUMS ’N KIDS

explains how to avoid marriage disasters

the coming season and how to get involved

fun at a variety of events in September and October

Discover the amazing street art around the hidden backstreets of Kadıköy

30 INTERVIEW From writing her futuristic novel, to struggling back to work after motherhood and her vision for the IWI; meet your new chairwoman, Stephanie Machoi

34 ISTANBUL Lale made a special visit to the

rooftops of the Grand Bazaar and discovered a truly spellbinding way to view the city

38 CULTURE KIDS Summer fun from the Pera Müzesi to Lego Land

40 ISTANBUL BIENNIAL Our guide to the latest

60 CLUBS, GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS 63 SPECIAL OFFERS

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annual art fest at some 30 venues across the city

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LALE

BOARD INFORMATION IWI Office Hours: Wednesday 10:30am to 1:00pm

IWI BOARD MEMBERS

Chairwoman

Stephanie Machoi

chairwoman@iwi-tr.org

Vice Chairwoman

Anne Marie Yilmaz

vicechairwoman@iwi-tr.org

Treasurer

Nicole Liao

treasury@iwi-tr.org

Office Coordinator

Jeanette von secretary@iwi-tr.org Alvensleben-Niethammer

Membership Coordinator

Elena Sklyarskaya

membership@iwi-tr.org

Lale Editor

Nina Lister

lale@iwi-tr.org

Advertising Coordinator

Aylin Gottardo

advertising@iwi-tr.org

Neighbourhood Coffee Mornings Coordinator

Marina Fricke

ncm@iwi-tr.org

Newcomers Coordinator (European side)

Ayşe Yücel

newcomerseurope@iwi-tr. org

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

Newcomers Coordinator (Asian side)

Gabriele Sailer

newcomersasia@iwi-tr.org

SEO and Online Branding Coordinator

Anna Ilhan

brandingcoordinator@ iwi-tr.org

İmtiyaz Sahibi / Licensee: Nilgün Çoruk Adresi / Address: Emin Sokak Tamer Apt. No:4/13 Etiler-Istanbul

Events Coordinator

POSITION AVAILABLE

events@iwi-tr.org

Sponsorship Coordinator

Anne Marie Yilmaz

sponsorship@iwi-tr.org

Charity Coordinator

Kristina Wilfore

charity@iwi-tr.org

Programmes Coordinator

Cynthia Hadatoğlu, Ayşe Yücel

programs@iwi-tr.org

Mum's N' Kids Coordinator

Chienfang Lim

mumsnkids@iwi-tr.org

IPWIN Coordinator

Namita Srivastava

ipwin@iwi-tr.org

Food & Wine Coordinator

Anıta Jacobs

food&wine@iwi-tr.org

Liaison Officer

Ebru Demirel

liaison@iwi-tr.org

Adresi / Address: Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Çamlıtepe Sitesi No:74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus Ortaköy İstanbul – TURKEY Telephone: 0212 287 35 71 www.iwi-tr.org

Dergi Adı / Magazine Name: Lale, Monthly Programme of the International Women of İstanbul Yayını Yapan / Publisher: IWI International Women of İstanbul, Dernek Kod: 34-64/027

Sorumlu Yazı İşleri Müdürü / Responsible Editor: Nilgün Çoruk Adresi / Address: Emin Sokak Tamer Apt. No:4/13 Etiler-Istanbul Yayın Türü / Issue Type: Yerel Süreli Tasarım / Design: Marlet Advertising Studios www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16

IWI BOARD ASSISTANTS

Matbaa / Printer: Marlet Print Solutions Fener Kalamış Caddesi: No:30 Kalamış / İstanbul www.marlet.com.tr +90 216 386 32 16

Digital Media Coordinator

Yongjie Ni

Lale Deputy Editor

POSITION AVAILABLE lale@iwi-tr.org

Lale Health & Fitness Editor

Ulli Allmendinger

lale@iwi-tr.org

Communications Associate

Eleanor Ross

communications@iwi-tr.org

Basım Tarihi: 29.05.2015 Sayı: 77

Website & IT Support

Esbie van Heerden Ünsal

website@iwi-tr.org

Reservations and Programmes Diane Kircaldy

reservations@iwi-tr.org

Official Facebook page: facebook.com/istanbulwomen Instagram account @iwistanbul

Istanbul@Night

Anita Jacobs

istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org

Newsletter Coordinator

Suzy Kaluti

iwieletter@iwi-tr.org

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digitalmedia@iwi-tr.org

LALE

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR A very warm welcome to a new season of the IWI and, with it, our new-look magazine. I am your new editor and I hope you will enjoy the new Lale.

As a mother myself, September often feels like the start of a brand new year with a school year kicking off and all the excitement and anxiety that goes with it. But as expats, September can often be even more fraught if you are moving country and moving school as well. I know it has taken my children a full year to be completely settled here in Istanbul because the wrench away from their old school and friends was tough. If you can relate to this, then don’t miss our feature about how to help children make this transition as smoothly as possible on page 20. We have loads of great advice for parents and a guide to what help and support you should expect from your child’s new school.

Talking of new arrivals, our new chairwoman for this season is Stephanie Machoi, who hails from Munich and has been in Istanbul for a year. Stephanie, who coined the IWI’s motto, “From Women, For Women”, has an impressive background in management and is also passionate about harnessing the strengths of women to support and encourage others. She talks to us about her life, her novel and her vision for the IWI in our interview on page 30.

This issue of Lale is packed with things to do in Istanbul, from the latest art fest, Istanbul Biennial, starting this month, to a spellbinding tour of the Grand Bazaar and its rooftops. Enjoy!

With love and best wishes

Nina Lister Lale Editor lale@iwi-tr.org

A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR We have all come to Istanbul for different reasons and many of us will stay, also for many different reasons. We all have different expectations, hopes and also fears about our (new) home town of Istanbul. We come from many different backgrounds and different countries, and we all are different personalities. Some of us have been with the IWI for more than 20 years; some of us just arrived 20 days ago. But two things unite us: First, we are all women and have a lot to express and exchange about women’s topics. And second, we have very good reasons to join the IWI. The IWI is more than just a social organisation. We are an organisation “from women for women”, here to provide a friendly platform for international women to share, collaborate, network and learn. Because these things enrich our lives, to give something to our members and to get so much more back in return.

I am very proud to be your new chairwoman. IWI and Istanbul have inspired me in so many ways, and I will do my very best together with the whole board and the embedded team of highly motivated women to engage and delight you with a very special new season. Be inspired for your life in Istanbul.

Stephanie Machoi Chairwoman lale@iwi-tr.org

LALE SOCIETY

GREAT GATSBY BALL PHOTOGRAPHY: CIHAN SONUSTÜN

The theme of the IWI’s Spring Ball, held at Raffles Hotel, was The Great Gatsby.

Inspired by the famous novel by F Scott Fitzgerald, this hugely enjoyable and stylish event was the culmination of the hard work of many IWI members and followed last year’s James Bond Spring Ball at the Rahmi Koç Museum. Guests enjoyed cocktails, dinner, dancing and a wonderful jazz performance

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LALE SOCIETY

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LALE SOCIETY

SUMMER LUNCH AT ZUMA The IWI Summer Lunch this year was held at Zuma in OrtakĂśy.

Our new chairwoman, Stephanie, gave a brief welcome speech before everyone enjoyed a selection of fabulous Asian food, including Zuma’s special salad, seabass, crispy-fried squid and a selection of sushi. This was followed by a choice of ribeye, salmon teriyaki, stir-fried ramen and a choice of different vegetarian options

Eva from Sweden, Hamida from Belgium and Hifziye from Turkey

At the event

Assia from Belgium, Michelle from Singapore

Natalie and Aylin from Germany At the event

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The forward-thinking dining experience created by chef Kemal Demirasal, welcomes diners to Alancha Istanbul to experience its new Beets summer menu, emphasising on seasonal ingredients sourced locally and its 18-course Tasting Menu inspired by the culinary history of Anatolia.

Armani Maçka Residences Hüsrev Gerede Cad. Şehit Mehmet Sok. No: 9, Maçka 7 +90 (212) 261 35 35 | http://www.alancha.com

LALE SOCIETY

COCKTAILS AT RAFFLES PHOTOGRAPHY: CAMILA BARBOSA BAKIRHAN

IWI ladies rounded off the last season with a splendid evening of cocktails at Raffles Hotel. We enjoyed delicious Sangria along with a selection of canapĂŠs. A perfect way to welcome in the summer!

Anita from Hungary Jules from Australia

Anita from Hungary, Ina and Stephanie from Germany, Nina from the UK, Jules from Australia

Karen from UK, Jules from Australia and Anita from Hungary Karen from the UK and Jules from Australia

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LALE NETWORKING

WHEN CONNECTIONS ARE KEY FEATURE: NAMITA SRIVASTAVA

Networking, making connections, exchanging ideas and advice; these are all vital if you want to get ahead in your field, particularly if you are new to the country. IPWIN coordinator Namita Srivastava explains what our networking platform could do for you

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he International Professional Women of Istanbul Network (IPWIN) was founded in 2008 and is the professional networking arm of the International Women of Istanbul (IWI) non-profit organisation. Our aim is to provide women from a diverse range of professional and cultural backgrounds with a platform from which they can make contacts, seek employment and hone their professional skills.

To this end, we aim to provide opportunities to build professional and social relationships and make new friends in a relaxed environment; encourage the exchange of relevant information and experience between women with different nationalities and career paths; and enable members to develop their work-related skills and talents.

scheduled throughout the year. We also have lots of informal get-togethers where professional women can get together for a drink or something to eat and discuss ideas in a more relaxed environment. Most recently, we held a fun wineand-cheese tasting evening for IPWIN members. This was a networking event with no particular topic. Between us, we had about 150 years’ of professional experience in the room with highly-qualified women from industries like banking, oil and gas, hospitality, education, NGOs, politics, public health and real estate with a large number of skills like business administration, marketing, planning, project management, quality assurance, knowledge management, CSR, strategy and sales.

Our members include a number of women entrepreneurs, who have set up their businesses here in Istanbul and one of our main aims is to support them with whatever professional and learning needs that they might have to grow businesses.

The idea was for the participants to engage in free flowing discussions. Every few minutes, the ladies were asked to talk to a new person, giving all a chance to meet. We hope to repeat this type of event two to three times per year. So, make the most of the skills and talents you have to offer and join us at IPWIN to improve the prospects of us all. Contact us at ipwin@iwi-tr.org.

To facilitate all this, our members meet twice a month with additional events focusing on different business topics

UNLEASHING THE LEADER WITHIN FEATURE: SOUZAN BACHIR

Leadership skills don’t come naturally to all of us but are vital when it comes to progressing your career and getting the most out of those you manage.

Professional leadership coach Souzan Bachir gives us some tips and advice

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he potential for leadership starts from within all of us. It influences every setup, from the home to local businesses to religious organisations to the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. That’s why there will always be a need for leadership.

Good leadership is the ability to influence and, as it is not possible to take others to a place that you have not been, it is clear that whoever aspires to be a leader should begin from within.

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A good leader rallies the right people for a greater cause so the idea is to grow more leaders. Good leaders always abide by a strict value system and build a firm platform of principles, values and attitudes.

Surprisingly, a lot of people and organisations still subscribe to an outside-in approach. That is why there is a leadership crisis in the world today.

An outside-in approach to leadership is

not sustainable. For you to attract and lead better people you need to become the leader those people need and desire. That means you must invest in yourself first.

World-class leaders are aware that the people who work for them are the core building blocks of their teams. But to be an effective leader, you need to know how to bring out the best from within these people.

Self-leadership is the key to getting top results and it starts by identifying strengths and weaknesses, setting priorities, implementing focused planning and then having a basis for action. All this can be achieved by tapping into our inner strengths.

Success is an inside job.

In fact, you will always recognise a leader by the quality of the relationships they are able to fold into their lives. An ability to form meaningful relationships with others is critical. You also need to have a good relationship with yourself.

This will improve your ability to form

good relationships with others and help you to become a more resourceful leader who works effectively on a daily basis. Part of this is the ability to communicate internally and externally through proactive and conscious listening, thinking and speaking.

Always make sure there is congruency in your communications. Be open, honest, clear, timely and, if need be, aggressive. That is congruency. When our thoughts are aligned with our words and actions there is congruency and that leads to integrity. Being a great leader means having the capacity to bring about transformation. Change

is the only thing that is constant but growth is a choice. Unleash the leader within and your team will be the better for it, you will always be on the cutting edge. And it must begin from the inside of you.

For more information, please contact Souzan Bachir, MBA, PCC, ORSCC, Professional Certified Coach, Certified Organisation and Relationship Systems Coach, Authorised Team Diagnostic Assessment Facilitator, Cross-Culture Trainer and Coach, Leader Impact Facilitator at www.miracoaching.com or +90 (0) 532 421 25 22

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS

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ou will find that you lead more productive teams as you improve your leadership skills. The best leaders have one thing in common; they are constantly working to improve your skills.

If you're in a leadership position, it's your job to continually become a better leader. The more you improve your skills, the more effective you will be at motivating employees, leading productive teams and creating an enjoyable work environment for your employees. By making use of the five following methods, you'll notice a vast improvement over time and so will anyone who works under you.

Learn from a mentor Do you already have a leader you admire and respect? What do they do differently to you? How did they become someone everyone looks up to? Take the time to analyse the actions and characteristics of your role model. If possible, ask them to take a few minutes out of their busy schedule to talk to you. They won't mind giving you advice to help you improve. You will be amazed at how much you'll learn and improve by choosing a mentor. The mentor doesn't have to work in the same company. However, it is sometimes helpful to choose someone who works in the same industry as you. This allows them to give you more specific pointers to help you improve.

Take a leadership assessment It's hard to improve if you don't know what your weaknesses are. Start by taking a leadership assessment. You can find these online or through many leadership training companies.

The assessments measure your skill set based on a series of questions. Once complete, you'll quickly see which leadership skills you need to work on most. To keep improving, try to take a new assessment as least once a year. Many of these assessments, especially when taken through a training organisation, offer advice and tips on how best to improve your weaker areas.

Meet with employees Being able to communicate effectively is a vital skill for any leader to have. Put this skill to the test by meeting with your employees and asking for their input on your leadership skills.

Maybe your employees need you to explain tasks better or want you to listen to their ideas more often. You won't know what your employees need until you ask. To make employees more comfortable with the idea, explain that nothing they say in the meeting will be held against them. Explain that you simply want to become the best possible leader for them.

If employees are still hesitant, provide forms which the employees can fill in anonymously. You'll receive valuable feedback on how you can improve. Place the focus on improving any areas that multiple employees comment on.

Attend leadership classes Taking a leadership class is one of the best ways to improve your leadership skills. These classes train you in a wide variety of leadership skills and styles to help you become the best leader possible. Most offer demonstrations to help you embrace new skills and improve weaker areas.

These classes are usually offered in one of three ways. The first involves the trainers holding sessions at your company. The second requires you to attend the class off-site. The third is in the form of a conference, which usually lasts several days.

Use social media Networking with other leaders on a regular basis will help you to improve your own skills. Professional social media sites such as LinkedIn allow you to join groups where you can ask questions, share content and get advice from a variety of leaders. You can even help others with your own advice and examples. Using social media is an ideal way to continuously update your skills set and network without leaving your office.

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LALE LEGAL

WHEN LOVE TURNS SOUR

FEATURE: DR KAREN AKINCI. PHOTOGRAPHY: CİHAN SONÜSTÜN

Our new columnist, Karen Akıncı of Akıncı Law Office, has been case managing legal cases involving foreign nationals in Turkey for nearly 20 years. Here, she explains how an update to Turkish law meaning that foreign spouses must be married for three years can have catastrophic consequences.

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ike many women who find themselves married to a Turk and living here indefinitely, Sandra was swept away by the romance of the country and a whirlwind romance with her soon-to-be new husband, Fatih. She quickly had a child and was living happily with her husband in an apartment in Bodrum. Sandra was very happy. Her baby was healthy, she had found a job with a local tourism firm, her husband’s family were very kind to her and looked after the baby while she was at work. She spoke with her family back in England every day on Skype.

Things were going really well until one day a tourist began to flirt with her in her office. News of this spread through whispers until Fatih was convinced she was having an affair.

When she got home he was so angry that he couldn’t even listen to her explanation; he beat her and took her phone, computer and passport and handed their son over to his mother to look after. From then on Sandra lived in fear of her husband. It took a long time but Sandra eventually softened Fatih so that he finally allowed her to have their son back and to start going out of the apartment. He still heavily controlled her access to the outside world and she had to be very careful what she said to her family. He refused to return her passport.

Unfortunately, an update to Turkish law means that foreign spouses must be married for three years before they can apply for Turkish nationality and residence. When this incident occurred, Sandra was still on her tourist visa and her husband refused to apply for her residence visa as he was so angry.

Sandra found herself illegally in Turkey and completely at the mercy of her now-violent husband. Eventually, she was found out and deported without her child, who stayed with his father, Fatih.

Sadly, Sandra is not alone; many women have shared this story. The story-book romance turns to a real-life nightmare.

What could Sandra have done to protect herself?

Before getting married, it is a good idea to have the residence permit already sorted out, of course, but it is the issue of spousal abuse that is the most serious here. Spousal abuse

is actually taken very seriously in Turkey and there are many supportive organisations for women, even if the victim is foreign. Sandra had a number of options open to her when Fatih beat her, one of which would be to talk to her consulate but I will focus on the Turkish legal system options here.

When Fatih beat her, Sandra could have gone straight to the local police. The police would have given Fatih a verbal warning and written up a report, of which they would have given one copy to Sandra and kept one for their records. In this scenario, if Sandra did not want to press charges she could still go to the local doctor and have a report made about her injuries. These reports could be kept safe by a friend in case Sandra needed to use them in court if Fatih threatened her again.

In another scenario, Sandra could have pressed charges against Fatih. He would have been given a verbal warning and Sandra would have been taken with their baby to a shelter, together with their passports and documentation. Fatih would have been prosecuted and subjected to a restraining order so that he couldn’t go near Sandra for six months. The court would have allowed Fatih limited visitation rights for the baby.

In the third, ideal scenario, a shaken Sandra would not only have pressed charges and gone into a shelter; she would also have filed for a divorce from Fatih. She would have won sole custody of the baby on divorce and could have decided to move back to the UK. Turkish custody law says that when a couple divorces, sole custody will go to one parent. There is no concept of joint custody on divorce currently in Turkish law although it is a matter of hot debate.

This means that, had Sandra pressed charges and filed for divorce, she would have been able to relocate him to her home country without getting the permission of the father or extra permission of the Turkish court. This would have been an advantage for her as in most countries, the mother would not have the right to make a unilateral decision on relocating the child. The Hague Convention on Child Abduction exists to ensure that if a parent has a custody right, then the other parent can’t relocate the child without their permission or a court order.

Sadly, by the time this universe’s Sandra came to us, her opportunity to follow her parallel personas’ paths had passed and she had a long road ahead of paperwork, legal cases in both the UK and Turkey and many challenges along the way too numerous to account here. Sadly, cases like this can take years to resolve. Sandra’s story turned out well in the end but we would hope that her experience is not repeated too often.

Dr Karen Akıncı is a case manager and accredited mediator based at Akıncı Law Office in Bebek, Istanbul. While Karen writes about real scenarios, this information is not exhaustive and not intended as legal advice. The author takes no responsibility for any action taken after reading this information. Legal advice should always be sought before any action is taken. Akıncı Law Office holds a surgery for telephone questions on Wednesday mornings. For further information about this or any other issue, please contact info@akincilaw.com.

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IWI International Women of Istanbul From Women For Women

Join our friendly community where foreign women can share, collaborate, network and learn across borders.

We invite you to our OPENING MEETING Monday, September 21, 2015, 10am to 1pm, Hilton Bosphorus Hotel

Programme 10:00-10:30 10:30 10:45 11:10 11:20-11:50

Welcoming our members and guests Introduction by the chairwoman Introduction to the IWI charities Special event Panel discussion: Living and Working in Turkey – Negotiating culture clashes and reaping the benefits.

11:50-13:00 Networking

In addition

» » » » »

Information about IWI groups and events for the coming season Food corner and lounge area IWI partners and Istanbul-based groups of interest Kids’ corner (for ages 2-6) Photo Club – Impressions of Istanbul

Join us

Sign up for membership of IWI during the meeting and receive » A special, limited-edition gift from IWI » Entry for our lottery » Lale magazine All members of IWI as well as foreign women who are interested in joining us are welcome to attend this meeting.

Please register in advance for this event at www.iwi-tr.org or contact us for more information at iwiopeningmeeting@iwi-tr.org

LALE CHARITIES

SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY FEATURE: KRISTINA WILFORE. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF THE CHARITIES

With the help of its members, IWI supports charities providing essential social services and support to women, children and the elderly in Turkey. IWI’s Charity Coordinator Kristina Wilfore reveals the charities selected by our board of directors to receive the TL 75,000 we raised last season

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ollowing a competitive application process, IWI chose nine charities to fund this cycle. These groups are respected leaders in the field, organising activities such as economic empowerment initiatives for girls, helping teachers better serve disadvantaged children, giving women the tools to combat domestic violence, educating women on prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and providing much-needed relief to Syrian refugees in Istanbul.

In addition to providing financial support, we want our members to engage and contribute what they can besides money. We often think of volunteering as a one-way street when in fact it is just as much about getting something back as it is about giving – in the form of emotional satisfaction, contributing something of value to your home away from home, getting the chance to learn about Turkey beyond the headlines, as well as the opportunity to build your CV. There are plenty of ways to get involved this year. Members of IWI can volunteer with supported groups, organise events and fundraisers, and find creative ways to lend some skills and expertise. Check the website (www.iwi-tr.org) for more details on volunteering opportunities with the charities below.

And please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or ideas. I can be reached at charity@iwi-tr.org.

EUROPA DONNA

Europa Donna is the Turkish member of the European Breast Cancer Coalition. www.europadonna.org IWI is supporting a breast cancer awareness project for high school students in Turkey with the aim of reaching the students’ mothers, extended family, neighbours, and others who may be able to exert positive influence to encourage prevention.

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Funding will also go towards training a group of volunteers to support women going through chemotherapy with the organisation of handicrafts, painting and macramé activities to relax and take their minds off treatment.

BOMONTİ FRANSIZ FAKİRHANESİ

This is a home for the poor elderly of Istanbul, administered by the Little Sisters of the Poor. The elderly residence, located in Bomonti/Şişli, is home to some 66 needy residents. Run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, the home is undertaking a massive renovation project to upgrade their accommodations to European standards as required by the Turkish government.

IWI provides general operational support to Bomonti as well as supporting its bi-annual Kermiz through donation of saleable used goods donated by its member base. Clothes, household items and other donations can be dropped off at IWI’s office in Ulus.

SMALL PROJECTS ISTANBUL

This is a Syrian refugee organisation geared towards supporting families. SPI is a grassroots organisation that operates solely on volunteer, non-paid commitments. SPI is composed of an 11-member board of directors that manages a base of nearly 50 volunteers based in Istanbul. All funds raised by SPI are used to provide educational programmes, such as Turkish classes, art classes and scholarship programmes. www.smallprojectsistanbul.org This year IWI is helping to pay for additional office space to support informal supplemental classes in Istanbul for displaced families as well as Turkish language classes for parents of families from Syria, Palestine and Iraq who were living in refugee camps in Syria before the outbreak of civil war there.

LALE CHARITIES HİSAR ANATOLIAN SUPPORT SOCIETY A girls’ economic empowerment and education charity, HADD is a non-profit organisation founded in April 2010. Its aim is to teach children of migrant families from rural areas with limited economic resources the skills necessary to improve their lives socially and financially.

HADD teaches girls to weave kilims and enables them to make the best use of the cultural and artistic values of their region. The kilims are all unique, handmade and coloured with natural dyes. Once weaving is completed, HADD acts as a distributor and retailer. With the funds collected from the sale of the kilims, Hadd provides educational courses for the girls. www.hadd.org.tr This year, IWI is helping to provide funding for two part-time teachers to instruct girls who participate in HADD training schools. The girls learn kilim weaving and receive payment for their work as well as access to educational classes in reading, writing and computer literacy.

MOR ÇATI WOMEN’S SHELTER FOUNDATION

A domestic violence prevention organisation and women’s shelter, Mor Çatı was founded in İstanbul in 1990 to promote women’s solidarity, strengthen the struggle against violence towards women based on gender inequality and to establish women’s solidarity/consultancy centres and shelters in Turkey.

Mor Çatı has been operating a women’s shelter for women subjected to male violence. It also lobbies and participates in legislative processes in the area of women’s issues and organising workshops and meetings to raise awareness on the subject. Mor Çatı shelter is the first and currently only shelter that is operated by an independent women’s organisation in Istanbul. www.morcati.org.tr This year, IWI is providing funds to develop material to help women with visual disabilities access Mor Çatı’s services and combat violence.

DEGİSİM LİDERİERİ DERNEĞİ

DLD is a youth leadership organisation aimed at young Turkish women of modest means attending high schools and universities.

DLD’s mission is to encourage girls and women to become active, responsible and productive members of their societies.

DLD’s leadership training emphasises degisim lıderleri dernegi long-term experiential learning coupled with the attainment of social responsibility, exposure to role models, and cuttingedge career opportunities.

dld

Launched in 2009, DLD’s flagship Sparks programme is a unique and innovative eight-month learning programme that develops leadership skills through active participation in social projects that benefit the participants’ communities. It is the first of its kind in Turkey. Groups are conducted in Duzce, İzmit/Golcuk, and İzmir. www.degisimliderleri.org This year IWI is providing funds for the 2015-16 facilitator training programme that builds commitment and strengthens the leadership skills of young women in the Sparks programme.

KADAV, KADIN DAYANISMA

KADAV is an advocacy and direct service for women subjected to gender-based violence and low employment. It aims to promote gender equality. This women’s solidarity foundation (KADAV) has emerged from a solidarity practice, through the efforts of a group of women working to support women and children after the Marmara earthquake in 1999. Until 2010, KADAV continued to support women suffering gender-based violence and difficulties in finding employment in the Kocaeli Region. Since 2010, KADAV has focused on advocacy as well as supportive programmes for immigrant women in Turkey, women in prisons and women who are exposed to all forms of domestic violence. www.kadav-ist.org IWI is funding a pilot project to help 12 Syrian women receiving no other humanitarian support to start a bread baking-and-packaging business in order to achieve economic empowerment. We also want to provide funding towards better access to KADAV services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as psychological and legal consulting. The pilot project will be organised in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul.

YÖRET VAKFI

Yöret Vakfı is a counselling organisation which contributes to the growth and development of children and youth in at-risk communities. YÖRET Vakfi is an educational organisation which trains and counsels new teachers. www.yoret.org IWI has contributed to the SMART project, a summer art school for disadvantaged children, for several years. The SMART project’s aim is for children to learn new coping and behaviour skills by introducing them to forms of art such as small theatre production. In addition, the children also enjoy social and cultural activities they would otherwise not have the chance to experience. YÖRET Vakfi reaches approximately 800 children and their families. The choice of school and area is made in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.

This year, IWI is supporting SMART Arts, a programme to train university students to work in various districts of Istanbul with disadvantaged children and their families.

MAVI KALEM

Mavi Kalem is a social assistance and charity founded in 2000 to respond to the needs of women and children in crisis. Mavi Kalem facilitates meetings with women from different areas of Istanbul to discuss women’s health and health rights. They are also working to improve life standards of children that come with their families to Istanbul for reasons such as conflict in different parts of Anatolia or war in Syria, who have faced violence, discrimination, mistrust and victimhood. Activities held with children include therapies for opting to live together, handling violence, confidence development, personal therapy sessions, arts and workshops. www.mavikalem.org This year, IWI is funding a women’s storytelling project and promotion of education through a booklet with stories and photography of women, entitled If I Had Been At School, as well as a media campaign to promote the value of education for girls and women.

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LALE WELLBEING

HOW TO EAT RAW FOOD

FEATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY: MELIS ULAŞ

Raw food diets have sparked great interest in recent years and many followers swear by their health benefits. While it is never advisable to follow one diet to the exclusion of a healthy, balanced diet, raw food practitioner Melis Ulas explains how to incorporate raw foods into your eating

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he raw food movement is all about eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Most people who follow a raw diet eat at least 75% of their food raw, which means that it can't have been exposed to heat higher than 45-47°C. You can also prepare foods by dehydrating fruits and vegetables in a dehydrator that runs at maximum 45-47°C or less, blending juices and raw sauces, soaking raw grains and legumes, and sprouting grains, beans and some seeds.

including myself. We live in a world where we are constantly coming into contact with cooked foods, and to refuse them continually is quite a challenge. If you can maintain just 50% raw, this is probably ideal and you should feel healthier. Try eating a side serving of raw food with every meal at first, then when you get used to this, gradually increase the raw portion to the cooked portion, until you have reached a level that you feel comfortable with.

Modern-day raw foodists do not like to eat wild animals. It is also important to remember that raw meat can contain harmful bacteria. Raw foodists mostly blend foods, process them in food processors and use many ways to make vegetables easier to chew and digest. Some people who follow a raw food-based diet say they have been surprised at how little they needed to eat and feel full after relatively small portions of food when compared with eating cooked foods.

In addition, you should keep in mind that until you have got used to a raw-food-heavy diet, you may have trouble digesting some of the raw vegetables. For this reason, I suggest cooking your vegetables by baking, simmering, sautéing or lightly steaming them to make them easier to digest. For those who are serious about incorporating an element of raw food into their diets, more advice can be obtained from an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Processed foods, which can often be loaded with additives and preservatives to give them a more attractive colour, taste and texture are now a common sight on our supermarket shelves. The extra salt and sugar in processed foods can make it very appealing. If you’ve ever tried to stop at just one potato chip, you easily know that they’re on to something.

You’ll notice that fresh, whole foods are rarely sold in a package, so simply by avoiding packaged and processed foods, you’ll be making a positive impact on your health.

Over the years, I've experienced all the different angles on being raw. At the beginning, I dived straight in at the deep end; 100% raw vegan in 2010 for eight months. Then winter came and I turned to 100% cooked food. After a few months, I stabilised at about 50%, and then gradually built it up over the next few years until I was 75% during hot seasons.

Many leading raw foodists advocate 100% raw as the only way to go, but I believe this is too difficult for most people,

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TROUBLESHOOTING

Raw food practitioners are also concerned with food combining. In simple terms, this involves not mixing different classes of foods, such as proteins and starches, in order to aid digestion and absorption. These rules still apply when eating raw foods, so don't go overboard, be moderate and observe your digestion with various different raw foods.

In practice, this means not trying to create a typical threecourse dinner, for example by including lots of nuts, sprouted grains, vegetables and fruits in the same meal.

Some people who are new (like myself when I first started eating raw), may experience problems with abdominal discomfort, bloating and gas. This is the reason it is best to introduce raw foods gradually.

A fast-paced lifestyle of over activity and anxiety, for example, can interfere with your physical health, as well as your digestion. A wholesome diet and adequate rest will help this, of course, but there are also some simple practices that some raw foodists say help them:

LALE WELLBEING • Drink water at room temperature.

• Eat moist foods to help reduce gas, bloating and indigestion. Moisten dry foods with water and healthy oils.

• Find a balance between raw and cooked food that is comfortable for you.

• Try to consume fresh vegetables and fruits from organic producers.

• Avoid white table salt, white sugar, white flour, genetically modified foods and fried foods.

• Eat meat and processed dairy products in moderation.

• Eat most fruits on their own. Don’t combine them with other foods.

• Don’t eat when you are not hungry.

• Try not to eat late at night.

For general health, it is better to stop counting calories and start counting nutrients. Eating fresh, whole foods means you can stop calculating numbers every time you’re ready to pick up your fork. Calorie counting has become a popular practice but it is not a realistic approach because it does not take into account the quality of the foods we’re consuming nor the body’s ability to digest natural foods versus processed foods.

Instead of looking at the calorie count the next time you make a food choice, try thinking about the nutrients. How many ingredients does it contain? Do you recognise all of those ingredients? By adapting to a diet rich in fresh foods, you’ll soon find yourself naturally satisfied, eating smaller portions and maintaining your ideal weight, without the need for a calculator. For most people, this increase in physical wellbeing will directly manifest itself through a better mood, more energy, better mental clarity and a more positive attitude towards life in general.

RECIPES FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE 1½ cups Raw walnuts, unsoaked Pinch Salt 8 Dates, pitted and unsoaked 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa or carob powder ½ tsp Vanilla extract (optional) 2 tsp Water ½ cup Fresh raspberries or any berry you prefer, to

garnish (optional) Preparation • Place the walnuts and salt in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until finely ground.

• Add the dates, cocoa powder and vanilla and process until the mixture begins to stick together.

Add the water and process briefly.

• Transfer the mixture to a serving plate and form into a round cake. Decorate the cake and plate with fresh raspberries (or any other fresh berry of your choice) before serving, if desired.

• Covered with stretch film; flourless chocolate cake will keep for three days in the refrigerator or two weeks in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

CREAM OF CUCUMBER SOUP 4 1

½ cup 1 tbsp ½ tsp ¼ tsp ½ 1 tbsp 1 tbsp

Lettuce leaves, chopped (about ½ cup) Large cucumber, or 2 small cucumbers peeled, seeded and chopped Water Fresh lemon juice Crushed garlic (1 clove) Salt Ripe avocado, chopped Extra-virgin olive oil ground fresh herbs (dill, mint, tarragon, or cilantro), or 1 tsp dried

Preparation • Place the lettuce, cucumber, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a blender and process until smooth.

• Add the avocado and olive oil and blend again until smooth.

• Add the herbs and blend briefly to mix. Serve immediately.

• For a chilled soup, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

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SPONSORED FEATURE

BEWARE OF STOMACH ACHES THAT OCCUR AFTER EATING!

Gallbladder stones, one of the most common problems that impact the digestive system and are seen in 10 out of every 100 people, is a disorder that is often only detected in stomach ultrasounds during check-ups or while investigating another health problem because they often do not cause symptoms.

When they do cause symptoms they can become evident with “severe abdominal pain”.

S Acibadem Kadıköy Hospital General Surgery Specialist

Prof. Dr. Nihat Yavuz

tomach aches generally develop after consuming greasy food, eggs, chocolate and coffee. The reason for this is that this type of food causes a strain on the gallbladder. Acibadem Kadıköy Hospital General Surgery Specialist Prof.

Dr. Nihat Yavuz explained that when gallbladder stones are not treated early on, they can have ‘deadly’ consequences, therefore ‘stomach aches’ should not be ignored!

Twice as common in women!

Age and gender are important factors in the development of gallbladder stones.

They are doubly more common in women after 30 years of age than in men. This is thought to be because of pregnancy, nutrition and hormones. Also being overweight, a variety of medications, hormone treatment, nutrition, infectious diseases in the intestines, stomach surgery and some blood disorders can increase the risk.

A “scar-free” operation through the umbilicus

“Gallbladder stones” could be the cause for severe stomach aches!

70-80 percent of gallbladder stones do not have symptoms therefore they are usually detected coincidentally during examinations for other health problems. Although the symptoms caused by gallbladder stones vary, the most typical one is a very severe stomach ache that starts suddenly and seriously deteriorates the patient’s quality of life. The pain is felt in the upper right or middle section of the abdomen and can spread to the right shoulder or back, disappearing in 2-3 hours. Sometimes the pain can be accompanied by nausea. If this situation continues and an infection starts, a fever might follow. Some patients only experience indigestion, bloating, nausea and vomiting.

When treatment is late it can have deadly consequences

Presently gallbladder stones can be treated using the “single port” method without leaving a scar. General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Nihat Yavuz explained that in the “single port” method, which is based on laparoscopic surgery, the gallbladder stone can be removed through a single incision in the abdomen and added: “The most important advantage of the single port method is that better cosmetic results are achieved by using a small incision. Also there are many other advantages like less pain, the ability to leave the hospital within 12-24 hours and return to normal life within 4-5 days. If the patient has a hernia in the abdomen accompanying the gallbladder problems, it is also easier to repair this”.

The only way to cure a gallbladder stone is surgery! General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Nihat Yavuz warned that gallbladder stone operations should definitely not be neglected and listed the complications that may develop as a result: “Stones can block the outlet of the gallbladder causing ‘gallbladder infections’ and as a result can cause life threatening penetration of the gallbladder and abscesses around the gallbladder. Also stones could pass on from the gallbladder to the intestines and cause blockages. In addition to these problems the small stones in a gallbladder can fall into the bile duct causing bile to accumulate in the body resulting in deadly conditions like jaundice, infection of the pancreas gland or infection of the bile duct.”

What is a gallbladder?

• The gallbladder is a pear shaped sack under the liver which is 7-10 cm long and has a capacity of 50 ml.

• The gallbladder collects the bile that is produced in the liver, thickens it and when necessary sends it to the duodenum. Fat is digested in the intestine with the help of the gallbladder. The gallbladder also helps the body absorb vitamins like A, D, E and K that dissolve in fat.

WHEN CHANGE IS A CHALLENGE Moving countries can be hard enough for adults but, for children, it can be confusing, upsetting and difficult to accept. We look at the issues sometimes faced by expat children and what you can do to help smooth the transition when you move country and school FEATURE: HALIMA HODZIC. PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH MALCOLM AND COURTESY OF IICS

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here are many advantages to being an expat child.

Children who live outside their own culture for periods of time tend to be more internationally minded, risk takers, high achievers, better able to view issues from different perspectives, have better observational, listening and language skills and are frequently more tolerant, adaptable and flexible. The flip side to all this, of course, is that sometimes the challenges of constant change, with the corresponding loss of friends and familiar environments, can be tough for children to handle.

The start of a new school year is often a little nerve-wracking, but if it is in a new country and a completely new school, it can be scary. “A move means the loss of a familiar home, familiar school, and quite often a familiar culture,” says Brenda St George, Secondary School Counsellor at the Istanbul International Community School (IICS). “Thus children lose established social networks of friends, peers, relatives, and teachers. As a result, their sense of security may be diminished by fears of the unknown.”

Children will experience distress differently at different ages.

As Brenda explains: “Young children are often unable to express their concerns. However, these tend to centre on their sense of wellbeing: What is happening to me? Who will take care of me?”

In fact, moving is usually harder for pre-teens and teenagers.

“Adolescence is a time of physical and emotional change when teens are learning how to form more long-term relationships, including romantic ones,” says Brenda.

“Moving unravels all the hard work they have been putting into building these bonds.” It is also a time when children of this age are trying to establish their own identity and their

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peers have become very important to them.

“Teens begin to venture outside the bounds of family life and want more freedom to make their own decisions,” Brenda adds. “Being forced to move and leave their friends reminds them that there are still many aspects of their lives that they cannot control.”

THE CHALLENGES

Children moving to a new school in a new country worry about many things. “The most common transition issues I deal with as a counsellor are children missing their previous school, home, friends,” says Brenda. “Initially they might be feeling lonely and sad, worrying that they won’t make friends.”

She adds that there are also many variables that affect how easily a child transitions: The length of stay in each place; the similarities between host, home, family and expatriate cultures; the type of school they are moving to; the amount of advance preparation they have had; and how important to them the things (friends, pets, school etc) they are leaving.

A major issue here is that a move can exacerbate pre-existing conditions, explains Brenda. “If a child is very introverted or shy and has trouble making friends then a move is likely to be a scary thing for them and they may become even more withdrawn. “I have seen some teens actively resist the transition,” she says. “They come to the school determined to hate it and they do their best to see only the negatives. They are the ones always comparing things to their previous school and stating how much better things were in their previous home. They can, at times, spend months giving teachers, and their parents much grief and worry with their negative attitudes and behaviours.”

LALE PARENTING However, “time being a great healer” seems to be true in almost all cases. Inevitably they give up the fight to get the family to move back and start to integrate into the school culture.

LANGUAGE BARRIER

A major challenge for many children moving to a new country is a new language. Richard L’Anson, Head of Primary at the British International School in Istanbul (BISI), says: “Our school caters for students from over 50 nationalities, who speak a multitude of different languages. At the beginning of each year around 80% of our students either do not speak English or speak English as a second or even third language.”

Brenda St George at the IICS agrees: “If they don’t speak the language of the host country or the language used at school, it is going to be a tough transition in the beginning as they struggle with the curriculum as well as trying to fit in when they often don’t understand a lot of what is being said, the jokes, etc.”

International schools are adept at handling language difficulties, however. At BISI, for example, around 20% of pupils are receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) support at any one time – students receive intensive English language tuition every day – and special awards are given out in this category at the end of the academic year as encouragement. The process is pretty much always successful with many children speaking fluently within months.

Richard says: “Two years ago, we had a family with two children joining our school. Neither of the children spoke English and it was the first time that they had lived outside their home country. In addition to this, no other student in our school spoke their language, so there was no one to help them communicate at the start of the year. They started our ESL immediately and within a short time, they were able to speak basic English. To help them with language, children

were each given a class buddy to direct them around the classroom and rest of the school building. This support really helped them to settle into their new surroundings and gave them the confidence they needed. So much so that by the beginning of the second year, the eldest sibling was voted in as House Captain and Student Council representative for her class.”

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?

Children watch what their parents say and do and will take cues from them. Therefore, you need to make sure you model a positive attitude to moving overseas. The first port of call when helping children to negotiate a range of emotions during a move (excitement, curiosity, anxiety, sadness or anger) is to engage their interest.

Getting them excited about the relocation and their new future home is key and you should start this process well in advance of the move. Sharing as much as you can about their new country of residence in terms of culture, food, new school, possibilities and opportunities as well as getting them involved with some of the decision making can be very rewarding for you all.

Take them house and school hunting with you if possible.

Let them pick a colour for their new room or a new backpack for school. Encourage them to pack and bring their little keepsakes; toys, books, a favourite blanket or whatever they might be attached to as it’ll all make them feel more comfortable and “at home” in their new home. Set up Skype or Facetime to allow them to stay in touch with friends and family back home. It is also generally better if your move can coincide with the start of the school year.

“Once you relocate to your new host country, start exploring!” says Brenda. “It’ll give you and your kids the opportunity to learn more about the country, the neighbourhood and understand the culture. Start building a social circle with other expats and locals, set up play dates for your kids.”

As much as possible, maintain consistent routines and try to cultivate a flexible approach to deal with unexpected events.

Make it a priority to spend quality time with each child; listen to concerns, reassure doubts when appropriate and help the child to express feelings. Keep up family traditions and rituals and involve children in creating new rituals for the family.

Children often feel more vulnerable during a transition and may go about things in a tentative way. It is not unusual to see an exaggeration of normal personality traits at this time.

Emotions often run rampant; fluctuations between feelings of excitement and homesickness are not uncommon.

BACK TO SCHOOL

First day of school can be scary and make your kids nervous just by being the first day of school regardless of their age, so make sure you take that “scary” walk to school (unless they are teenagers and find that to be embarrassing for them), and accompany them. Familiarise yourself and your child by doing a school tour, meeting the teacher, counsellor and the principal, if possible. If you haven’t by now, make sure you pick up the supply list and get all that’s needed in the shortest time. You do not want your child feeling left out because they didn’t bring the correct gym shoes for PE. Left: Richard l’Anson, Head of Primary at BISI

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Richard L’Anson at BISI adds: “Don't panic! If parents are happy and relaxed about their children coming to school, they will feel the same. Ensure they establish good communication with their child's teacher as education is a partnership between home and school. This will enable their children to fully benefit from the education the school offers.”

Try not to be too over-protective. “The school organises many educational excursions and after school activities,” advises Richard. “As far as possible, allow your children to take part in as many of these activities as possible. This will enhance and broaden their child's experiences in and outside of school.”

Above all, establish a routine as quickly as you can and keep things normal. Richard adds: “Parents shouldn't worry about the language barrier and feel that they need to focus on English at home thinking their children learn it quicker. We believe that the family’s home language is important and that should be their focus. Of course, there is nothing wrong with

having 'English time' at home, but it is not essential to the process of learning English.”

Similarly, don’t get too caught up with your child’s academic achievements in those early days. “It is not uncommon for child’s grades to drop when they first start a new school as an expat,” says Brenda. “It could be due to new curriculum, new teaching style or simply just because more time is needed to adjust. More important in the first few weeks or even months should be helping children to cope with an unfamiliar environment and to fit in with others in a new environment.

Once they feel comfortable enough in their new surroundings, you can work on grades improving.”

WHEN THEY STRUGGLE

Schools are well aware these days of the importance of healthy emotional development in children and can be called upon to help if your child is struggling.

Try to identify the issue and talk it through together. If you feel it is becoming serious then visit the school and discuss your concerns with the teacher or school counsellor. “Teachers and school counsellors have already experienced similar issues with other expat kids and will be able to help,” says Brenda at IICS. “Talking to a child psychologist might also be recommended.”

Another way the school can help is to find a “buddy” for your child from among the longer-standing pupils. Enrolling your child in a sports club, or after school activities can also be helpful to their social circle building. Most international schools have a class parent assigned to each class. This parent is there to welcome new families into the school and give support, when needed. There is a lot of communication from the school and new parents often become confused at the beginning of the year. The class parent can help new families to familiarise themselves with school routines and events.

School will have a Settling In Policy which, at BISI for example, encourages parents to support their children by staying in the classroom until they have built up a relationship with the teacher and feel comfortable with them. At the end of the day, as Richard L’Anson says: “We believe that one of the most important things for our students is for them to be happy at school.”

Left: Brenda St George, Secondary School Counsellor at IICS

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explore with us !

keystoneschools.com.tr I 0216 370 4951 I

K.Çamlıca

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İstanbul

LALE NEIGHBOURHOOD

KADIKÖY IN STREET ART For a completely new take on the vibrant Asian-side hotspot of Kadıköy, take a tour of the incredible street art in nearby Yeldeğirmeni FEATURE: SARA FAWCETT. PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTORIA SKEET

Kadıköy on the Asian side of Istanbul is a must see, but while many head straight to the market and the wonderful offerings there, few venture away from it to Yeldeğirmeni (The Windmill) district, where you will discover amazing street art by both local and international artists.

The artwork is commissioned by the municipality of Kadıköy and is aimed at protecting and promoting the environmental and cultural heritage of the area.

The street art on display here can be found nestled among small cafés in quiet, tree-lined streets and discovering them is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. Each piece offers something different, but all of them encapsulate perfectly the bohemian atmosphere that Kadıköy is famous for.

Some of the artworks you will find here include works by Italian artist Pixel Pancho on Nüshet Efendi Street; his robotic style is distinctive and delivers earthy colours conveying an ancient feel. Also on display is work by French artist Amose on Karakolhane Avenue; he is part of the Mercurocrom collective and works from a screen print workshop called La Carpe in Lille, France. His work is abstract and his figures stare down enigmatically at the viewer.

You can also see murals by German artist Dome Christian Kraemer on Misaki Mili Street; his style is avant-garde as he combines realistic elements with the surreal, and has been monochrome since 2012 (see www.domeone.de for more of his work).

Works by the Brazilian artist, Claudio Ethos, can also be found on this street; his style is unique and, while spray paint is his primary tool, his skill with the ball-point pen is evident in his large-scale work.

A tour around this neighbourhood is an assault on the senses.

Besides the extraordinary artwork on which you can feast your eyes, you won’t be able to resist the smell of freshlybaked bread and other delights. Stop along the way for a coffee or sample a borek or a simit at any of the many local bakeries and cafés. You will also find numerous excellent vegetarian and vegan restaurants here, which are much harder to find elsewhere in Istanbul.

For more information about the street art and for a map of a trail to follow, visit the MURAL-IST Facebook page at www. facebook.com/muralistanbul. You can also find details

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here about the Mural Festival in Istanbul which continues this month (September).

Even without a map, it pays to wander around freely in what is a small, concentrated area as new artworks are added every year, and these may not always be reflected in the maps you can find online. When you come out of the ferry terminal at Kadıköy, walk up Söğütlü Çeşme Cd, then turn left onto Nüzhet Efendi Sk; at the corner of Yoğurtçu Şükrü Sk, you will see the work by Pixel Pancho. The other works are scattered around this area with a few clustered at the top of Karakolhane Cd at the far end, as you are walking away from the market.

Opposite page: Close-up of Rad x Cins on Karakolhane Caddesi, showing street furniture over-painted by the artists Below: M-City on Talimhane Sokak

Clockwise from left: JAZ on Iskele Sokak; Amose on Kırmızı Kuşak Sokak; Dome on Teyyareci Sami Sokak; Pixel Pancho on Nüzhet Efendi Sokak

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Sch s t r ool of Performing A Saturday mornings from 9.30 - 12.30 Starting October 10th 2015.

Apply early as high competition for limited number of places!

Learn how to sing, dance and act, not only to perform on stage, but more importantly to perform better in life.

For almost 25 years Speech Bubbles Theatre have been performing in order to support charities focussed on supporting children and education. We have seen people gain conďŹ dence, stretch themselves, and build essential life skills while learning the tools to sing, dance and act and most importantly have fun! Suitable for ALL abilities, Speech Bubbles School of Performing Arts offers the chance for everyone to pursue a career in the arts or simply just to learn some new skills to share with friends and family.

An hour to act

An hour to sing

An hour to dance

A lifetime to perform!

Around Town Diving deep into Türkçe with Duolingo

Around Town

It’s about time you learned some Turkish, and Duolingo is here to help. By Julius Motal Like any good-willed expat, you’ve probably taken a Turkish course within the first few weeks of moving here. The thrill of a new country had you fired up about Türkçe and so you asked around for a decent class, hoping that it would confer upon you a mastery that would put you in your landlord’s good graces.

It’s likely that you found yourself in a poorly lit classroom at an hour that didn’t really suit you, but hey, it was cheap, right? You realized you couldn’t hack it after several months. You struggled to reconcile with the seemingly endless number of suffixes. You learned many words and even did well at your teacher’s surprise vocabulary quizzes but once outside of the classroom, when a Turkish person starts talking, you can’t even

begin to parse the river of sounds. You know they said something, but who knows what it was? So, you coasted by on baseline Turkish, and managed not to go hungry.

When asked about your nonmastery, you probably have a list of go-to reasons explaining why sentences, if they can be called sentences, come out in spurts. Life’s hard out here for a yabancı. You vowed, though, that before you move out of Turkey you’re going to get back to the language at some point.

Fortunately for us lapsed Istanbullus, Duolingo is here to ease the learning curve. In short, Duolingo is a completely free language learning app that got its start in 2011 with the simple mantra “Free language education for the world” and a cute green owl as a logo. There are currently 13 courses for English speakers.

Duolingo isn’t comprehensive yet, but it’s getting there.

Turkish was added to Duolingo’s roster in late March. The language is broken down into small lessons grouped around a theme (possessive, food, animals, etc.). With each correct answer, your strength bar grows, and you’re rewarded for your efforts. It’s got the the thrill and satisfaction of games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush, but you’re actually getting something done. Whether you’re new to Turkish or picking up where you left off, learning it hasn’t been quite this fun.

The Turkish course has been entirely a volunteer effort following the introduction of the Duolingo Incubator, an initiative that invited users to design courses for their respective languages. For

Selcen Öztürk, the creator, Turkish was challenging because Duolingo’s software was originally designed for romance languages, not suffixbased ones. So she worked closely with Duolingo’s engineers, American linguist Alex Williams and other contributors to adapt the program to Turkish’s intricacies. Motivation was a challenge, too, because it can be easy to burn yourself out when you’re creating a language course from scratch. Fortunately, they made it work, and Turkish has quickly become a favorite with its thoroughly absurd sentences like "I drink oil" or "Cats drink beer."

You can download Duolingo on Android, iOS and Windows Phone, and a fuller version is available at duolingo.com

TALKING ABSURD TURKISH SENTENCES WITH THE COURSE’S DESIGNERS, SELCEN ÖZTÜRK AND ALEX WILLIAMS You have to tell me about these tripped out sentences.

Selcen: Most come from me actually. I just tried to add funny sentences. It’s even funnier in the sentence discussions because people ask, “Do Turkish people really drink oil?” They start discussing if any cat drinks beer.

How has the response been from users?

Selcen: It’s been really nice actually. We were really not sure at all how this would turn out because we made 42 www.timeoutistanbul.com/en August 2015

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everything from scratch.

Alex: There’s constructive criticism, which is always welcome, but we haven’t had negative criticism, which is really great.

Of all the fun and interesting sentences, you and your team have put into the course, what are some of your favorites?

Selcen: “You know nothing, Jon Snow.” For sure. Now, I realize that some of the people who take the course are so young they don’t understand it.

Alex: Oh man, that is a hard one. Most of them are the political ones. If you get to cardinal numbers, you have sentences like: "Bu sarayinin bininci odası." "The palace’s 1,000th room." For a tamer one, I’m going to have to go with "Evet, Alex bir baykuştur."

"Alex is an owl."

The one that got me was "Sen gençsin, ama güzel değilsin."

"You are young, but not beautiful."

Selcen: People discuss this one a lot. Sometimes we have to tell the truth!

03_Anzeige_CenterDent_4c_2014.pdf

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STEPHANIE MACHOI

INTRODUCING

FEATURE: NINA LISTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: FAY MAGNUSSON AND KRISTEN MIKULSKI

Stephanie Machoi, 39, from Munich, is the IWI’s new chairwoman. She lives in Göktürk with her Austrian husband, Peter, and their two daughters.

She talked to Lale about her husband taking her name on marriage, her profound love of animals, and her vision for the future of the IWI

LALE INTERVIEW

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or a woman so sincerely devoted to promoting the interests of her sex, it seems strange to hear that Stephanie Machoi, the new IWI chairwoman, does not consider herself a feminist. “The word feminism is associated with radicalism these days,” she says. “We no longer need to fight for women’s rights like our grandmothers did; we should be fighting for equal rights for both genders.

Feminism doesn’t do that.”

Furthermore, she argues, the pressures on men to conform to a social ideal are, these days, far greater than they are for women. While women can choose to stay at home with children or go back to work, and may be mildly judged for either from different quarters, it is still nigh on impossible for men to take time out to be fathers first without criticism.

“I know many men who would love to work four days a week but they can’t because it would be career suicide,” she says.

“Yes, women are called a bad mum if they go back to work or told they are not contributing if they don’t, but men never had the choice at all.”

It is an unusual perspective on a narrative that has been calling for more equality between men and women for

What brought you to Istanbul?

Friends were surprised when I said I wanted to come to Turkey and follow my husband for his job. Some male colleagues laughed and said “At last!”

But I had been with my company for six years and had achieved everything I had set out to in that role – I was leading our headquarters and human resources – and I wanted to go abroad.

My husband’s work suddenly threw up this opportunity.

He turned it down at first, but then we came here for a visit and realised that our prejudices were just that. Of course, it is a normal city and you can live here just as you can in Germany.

Have you learned Turkish?

Yes, I am learning. I was really annoyed when I saw a German politician on TV in Germany saying that all foreigners should speak German in their homes.

I felt ashamed of my country when I heard that statement. Unfortunately, however, the success factor when it comes to integrating into a country is the language.

Nearly everyone told me not to bother learning Turkish. But for me, it is a courtesy to try to speak the language.

They do appreciate it here and you get so much back if you just try. I have done the first four courses at Dilmer, near Taksim Square, and I plan to start the fifth – three mornings a week – in September if I can.

decades, but it is one that helped Stephanie (who asked her husband for laptop instead of jewellery as a gift after the birth of her second child) personally when her children were small. “I never really liked staying at home, but knowing that I at least had the choice helped me to accept it,” she says. “I didn’t suffer the stigma that a man would have done if he had stayed at home.”

It is entirely logical then that to her mind, improving the chances of women to participate in society and in business life – and to make choices regardless of what others think – will go a long way to improving the lot of both sexes as society continues to accept women performing the same social tasks that men do.

To Stephanie, who works in management and human resources back in Germany, the International Women of Istanbul organisation is an opportunity to empower women, many of whom are looking for ways to keep their professional lives going while they follow husbands around the world.

Not all are in this situation, of course, but all have one thing in common. They are international and being so will always present challenges to one’s working, family and social life at one time or another.

What was your profession in Germany?

I was a professional economist with a double masters degree in finance and human resources. I served as a member of the management.

How important is your working life to you?

Very. Apart from life satisfaction, it is a fact that every third marriage in Germany ends in divorce. It is, therefore, so important for women to remain independent, but, of course, when you are 30 and in love and a have a baby, you don’t listen to that.

to have the same name as our children.

In fact, his name is double barrelled, so it is both our names. I just kept mine the same and our daughters just have mine.

As far as I know the majority of women still take the surname of their husband, but I was surprised when our former au pair, from Armenia, kept her surname when she married. Apparently it is normal for women there to do that.

I was in a mother-and-baby circle with only one working and the other 11 of us staying at home. I said “We are 12 women and four of us will get divorced”.

It made me realise I had to get back to work otherwise what would I do in 15 years time if I was divorced? Would I work as a waitress when I am trained as an economist?

As a woman, you have to take care of yourself. I am also about to embark on an Executive MBA in Berlin which will require me to travel there once a month.

I aim to do a lot of juggling this year!

Did you change your name when you married?

No, he took my name! I refused to get married otherwise. There was never any question for me that my children would take my name and my husband wanted

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LALE INTERVIEW How did having children affect your career?

I never really liked staying at home when my children were small; I was desperate to go back to work. When I had my second daughter, my husband asked what gift I would like. He meant jewellery. I asked for a laptop. In fact, the first thing I asked when my second child was born was “When can I go back to work?”

But going back to work after having two children between March 2003 and December 2006 was the worst time of my life. I was 29 and looking for re-entry into the labour market. I wrote 50 or 60 applications, but there was no chance at all. No-one wanted to hire me, it was really humiliating. In the end it was another mother I had met through a baby group who asked her husband about an appointment in his small company.

I was massively over-qualified for the job – it was an administrative position in a headhunting organisation – so I told them I could promise to stay for two years. In those two years, I worked 25 hours per week and filled in full-time when others were on holiday. Then I found something more appropriate and fitting to my qualifications.

The issue of childcare was a big one in my marriage. I learned that if I didn’t organise it by myself, I would get no help. So, I decided to find an au pair without even telling my husband. I found her a room and I told him to pay the rent for it. You see, for him everything was fine. Nothing had changed for him, becoming a parent.

Men count on the motherhood gene.

They also expect us to make all the plans regarding the children.

Is it true that you have written a novel?

Yes, it is. It was published in 2013.

When I was 12 I told my family I would write a novel. I was always writing, but I wasn’t confident enough to study to become a writer. My parents said you can’t survive with a job like that and that I should study something useful, so I studied finance. But the intent to write was always there.

My novel, Frauenzeitalter (Women’s Century), is based on a society within which a disaster has occurred and now only 5% of the population is male. It imagines what a world dominated by women would look like, and what women could achieve with

no obstacles in the way. The central message of the book is that women would not, ultimately, do things better than men. You read all these studies which suggest that if there were more than 50% of women on boards of companies, they would make better decisions, but I don’t believe this.

This is not about women or men, it is about power. If any group has too much power, others are disadvantaged.

What we need is gender equality, not domination by women.

The plot came to me when I was at home with small children. I was so desperate at home with the babies and I had post-natal depression. My husband was always away. I felt very angry that his lifestyle had not changed at all while mine had altered radically and I was alone. Then the idea for this novel came up. This escape really helped me to survive the first years of motherhood.

That was 2003, but it took three years before I really started writing it and seven more after that before it was published. It was literally burning inside me, so I never gave up on it.

What drew you to the IWI? If people don’t know why they should be members of the IWI, then they won’t join. My feeling about the IWI is that it presents something from women, for women. This means to give something back.

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LALE INTERVIEW I am really happy to have met so many different women through this organisation, and to be able to discuss issues about self-confidence, our roles in society etc together. I found that lots of the women I had met felt they had lost selfconfidence being a mother or a part-time worker. Or, even if they had gone back to their old careers. Whatever they did, they felt criticised, and this is bad for your self-esteem.

You can get into a negative spiral. I have felt it myself, being at home, not being happy about it and not feeling any appreciation for it. You lose confidence and this affects how you come across to others – how you appear when you enter a room. People stop listening to you. I felt this and I had a feeling that other women felt like this too.

How do you see the role of the IWI? I see the IWI as a platform on which women can help each other. First, to highlight all the things that women have to give. Whether they are working or not working, they have skills and have something to give, to share with this community. Everyone at least has an opinion and it starts from there. I want to provide women with an anchor and give them an outlet in the IWI. I want to say “Whatever you want to contribute is welcome here.” We are only the sum of our members.

Second, the IWI is there to provide expat women with opportunities in Turkey. They can volunteer their professional skills to the IWI or to its associated charities. We can help promote positive change in Turkey by donating to our charities and by giving opportunities for internships and positions within our organisation. These things are only possible because we have this organisation. This is not just a group that wants to be entertained, although we do run lots of fabulous events – but that is only a part of what we do.

In my opinion, if companies want their employees to move around the world more, then they will have to take care of the spouses. Otherwise people won’t move. This is a major future task for human resources professionals but, for now, that is what the IWI is for.

Do you do charity work here?

Yes, I volunteer at a dog shelter in Hasdal, which is quite close to where I live. In my experience, animals – especially

“The first thing I asked when my second child was born was ‘When can I go back to work?’” dogs – are often better friends than humans because they are just so loyal. The street dogs here are very unaggressive.

They follow you passively. In my experience with friendship, you should aim to give more than you take and this is what dogs do.

We have rescued a street dog ourselves – our dog, Strolche.

We got off the bus in Göktürk one day and he was just there at the bus stop, sheltering from the rain. He looked heartbreakingly sad. Dogs are very sensitive to how people feel about them. He followed us home and lay in front of our door for five days. The neighbour’s dog tried hard to see him off, but he just kept coming back. The neighbour suggested we feed him and, eventually, he just came in.

We took him to the vet for vaccinations and the vet said he was about 18 months old and was very unlikely to survive, but he is healthy now. We also have five cats – two we brought from Germany with us and three we rescued here.

One of them was very sick and was likely to die but we gave penicillin for three weeks and recovered. He had a sister, so we took them both together.

What do your daughters think of Turkey?

Actually they love it here now. The environment where we live is fantastic for them. They do ask why I am at home and often claim I am on holiday here, but I am trying to educate them!

Opposite top: Stephanie regularly volunteers at a refuge for dogs in Hasdal Opposite below: Enjoying life in Turkey with husband Peter and daughters Melissa and Helena Below: Having some fun with Lale shoot photographers Fay and Kristen

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ROOFTOPS OF THE GRAND BAZAAR Up high, you get a completely new perspective on Istanbul.

Lale joined a tour of the caravanserais and rooftops of the Grand Bazaar FEATURE: NINA LISTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER AND MONICA FRITZ

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here is something quite ethereal about being on the rooftop of the Grand Bazaar just before 1pm.

As each surrounding mosque starts up the call to prayer, one after another, the sound echoes around like a chorus inside a dome.

You can’t hear the call to prayer like this on the ground because the buildings get in the way of the sound, magnifying one call and suffocating the others. But up here, where you are level with the birds, it is as if you have stepped into an entirely new dimension.

This extraordinary experience is the culmination of a fascinating tour led by photographer Monica Fritz, an American who has lived in Istanbul for nearly 20 years and who specialises in providing “alternative” tours of the city for those who want to get under the skin of it.

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The Rooftops Tour begins at a side entrance to the Grand Bazaar, leads through some of the old caravanserais attached to the market, and onto the rooftops for a perspective on Istanbul that you simply can’t find down below.

of 21 caravanserais (or hans) attached to the Grand Bazaar – courtyards with an upper surrounding gallery where merchants could pitch up their camels and rest for the night.

After entering the market, the tour goes first to the Bedestan – the original market structure which was completed in 1461, a few years after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople – and includes a glance into an antique shop which has resisted change over the years and gives a wonderful insight into the atmosphere of old Istanbul.

At the Kalcılar Hanı, one of the most beautiful and untouched of the Bazaar’s structures, there are still a couple of silversmith workshops run by old Armenian families. Traditionally, these workshops were passed from father to son but, these days, most have closed as such laborious manual skills are no longer popular among the younger generations.

The tour next moves through the black gold market, winding its way through some of its dark alleyways, before coming to an 18th Century caravanserai, called the Kalcılar Hanı (literally, the “stayers’ inn”). This is one

The tour also visits the Silver Caravanserai, or Zincirli Hanı, one of the most charming structures attached to the Bazaar, with its red-washed walls and ancient tree growing in the centre of the courtyard.

LALE ISTANBUL Finally, the tour leads to the glorious Büyük Valide Hanı, one of the Bazaar’s oldest hans, built by Kösem Sultan, the favourite consort of Sultan Ahmed I and Valide Sultan, or Queen Mother while her sons were on the throne. Kösem Sultan, who was Greek and originally named Anastasia, was one of the most powerful women in the Ottoman reign. Her suitably impressive han stands around three courtyards and is three storeys high. It was large enough to accommodate 3,000 travelling merchants.

Typically for such a prominent female figure in Ottoman history, it is believed that Kösem Sultan was eventually murdered, probably by the mother of one of her grandsons in a bid to secure his claim to the throne.

As Philip Mansel writes in Constantinople: “Such was her force of character, that Kösem remained Valide, known now as Büyük Valide, or Queen Grandmother. Kösem, in her moment of glory in 1651, in keeping with her practical nature, built not a mosque but the grandest of all hans or inns in the city, the many-domed Büyük Valide Han, near the great bazaar.” Built around three courtyards, three storeys high, it was so large that it could accommodate 3,000 travellers.

Opposite Page: The spectacular view towards the Nuruosmaniye Mosque from the rooftop of the Grand Bazaar Left: A charming antique shop which has resisted modernisation Below: One of the many stairways in the Grand Bazaar

INTO THE OPEN

From the Silver Caravanserai, behind an unmarked door, a dimly-lit, dusty staircase leads up to a spectacular rooftop view which captures the architecture of the old caravanserai, with its domed roof and arched corridors, surrounded by the contrasting cityscape of old and new.

Next is a visit through another picturesque 18th Century caravanserai and onto the highlight of the tour for many – the rooftop site where the motorbike chase scene in Skyfall, the recent James Bond film, was filmed. Far from the actionpacked adventure of that particular scene, the space here is a serene and tranquil escape from the bustling market below.

It is hard to imagine that just metres below some 26,000 workers are serving 61 covered alleys and catering to up to 400,000 visitors per day. The contrast couldn’t be starker.

On this particular rooftop, which gives spectacular views out towards the Ottoman Nuruosmaniye Mosque, which was completed in 1755, a quiet group of men breed homing pigeons, possibly the last thing you might expect to find up here. If you ask nicely, you will be shown where they are perched and even catch a rare glimpse of a baby pigeon.

TIME FOR TEA

After this, the tour moves back into the Bazaar, through a lovely shaded courtyard and into the Cebeci Hanı, the largest of the caravanserais, and the Astarci Hanı. These are both great places for buying textiles, copper and scarves. The rents for shopkeepers here are lower than on the main streets of the Bazaar, so this is where to find a bargain or two. In the Cebeci Hanı, Turkish tea is served and a man who sells delicious fresh boreks appears as if from nowhere with a huge platter to choose from.

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LALE ISTANBUL Moving through this caravanserai, the tour comes to a door which is opened on request. Through here, a staircase leads to the upper gallery where many original features of the han can be found. A solitary workshop producing beautiful coloured-glass lamps and lanterns can be found up here.

Beyond is the rooftop from where visitors can experience the extraordinary sound of the call to prayer emanating from different parts of old Istanbul.

The view from here, stretching out over the Bosphorus and Golden Horn, to the old European city with the Galata Tower looming from it, is truly astounding. Some time needs to be spent here to take it all in.

BACK TO REALITY

Following this, the somewhat climactic end of the tour, Monica is happy to take visitors for lunch at one of a few places she recommends nearby. If you ask and there is time, however, she will also show you around the stunning Ottoman Rüstem Paşa Mosque, with its beautiful blue-andwhite ceiling. The mosque was designed by the Ottoman imperial architect, Mimar Sinan, to commemorate the death of the grand vizier, Rüstem Paşa, the husband of one of the daughters of Suleiman the Magnificent, in 1561.

For more information about Monica Fritz’s Rooftop Tour as well as her popular Photography Tours, please visit her website at www.alternativecitytours.com.

Opposite Page: A glimpse into the glass lamp workshop upstairs at the Büyük Valide Han Right: Inside the beautiful courtyard of the Zincirli Han, or Silver Caravanserai Below: A silversmith works in a traditional workshop at the Kalcılar Hanı

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LALE CULTURE KIDS

CREATIONS FROM FINE ART TO LEGO FEATURE: ARTY, 8½. PHOTOGRAPHY: NINA LISTER

Welcome to Culture Kids, written by kids for kids about events and experiences they have had in Istanbul. All entries welcome! Send yours to lale@iwi-tr.org

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apping into his creative side, Arty, aged eight and a half, ventured out to a Grayson Perry workshop at the Pera Müzesi and visited the new Legoland on the first day it opened this summer.

LEGOLAND

My brother, Freddie, and sister, Fleur, were really excited about the new LegoLand for ages before it opened, so we went along on the very first day. It was awesome. When you first go in, you go through a door and there is a cool train waiting. It has laser guns and you have to shoot at the spiders and bats as you go along the tunnel. You get your score in front of you and I got 45,000 points.

Next, you go through a gallery of interactive Lego designs based on different cities and finally you get to the main area.

There was a really cool station where we could make our own vehicles with wheels and a steep track to race them down. We also went inside the Master Builder room, where they show you how to make something and you get to keep it afterwards. There is also a really fun Magician’s ride with Harry Potter music. You have to cycle really hard and make it go up in the air.

We also went to the 4-D cinema and saw two short Lego films. The first was in Turkish, but you could still understand what was happening even if you don’t speak Turkish, and it was so much fun. There was lots of screaming as things popped out of the screen and they spray you with water and stuff. Entry to LegoLand at Istanbul Forum is TL30 per child and TL37 per adult. If you book online, adults are TL30. For more information, go to www.legolanddiscoverycentre. com/istanbul.

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PERA MÜZESI

I went along to the Grayson Perry workshop at the Pera Müzesi with my brother, Freddie, and my friend, Aubrey. It was downstairs in a large room and there were lots of other kids there. They showed us around the Grayson Perry exhibition, which was very colourful and a little bit different to traditional sorts of art.

Later, we went back downstairs and we put on aprons. The lady gave us each a ceramic pot and we were allowed to do our own “Grayson Perry” style designs. I based mine on Minecraft, which is my favourite game. We were allowed to take our pots home and I enjoyed the workshop a lot.

For more information about workshops and other educational programmes at the Pera Müzesi, sign up for the newsletter at www.peramuseum.com.

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ISTANBUL BIENNIAL

This year’s Istanbul Biennial, at which the works of more than 80 artists will be displayed across 30 venues around the city, focuses on the theme of “saltwater” FEATURE: NINA LISTER. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF IKSV

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stanbul’s 14th art festival, the Istanbul Biennial, kicks off on September 5 and promises to be a feast for culture lovers. Spread across some 30 venues on both sides of the Bosphorus, as well as on the Princes’ Islands, in both museums and temporary spaces such as boats, hotels, former banks, garages, gardens, schools, shops and private homes, it will take at least three days to see it properly.

This year’s theme is SALTWATER: A Theory of Thought Forms, is curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, former chief curator at the Castello di Rivoli Museum in Turin, Italy, and Senior Curator at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York. The exhibition will include the works of more than 80 participants from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.

The exhibition will present more than 1,500 artworks, some very tiny, including more than 50 commissions by artists as well as other visible and invisible manifestations such as materials from the history of oceanography, environmental studies, marine archaeology, Art Nouveau, neuroscience, physics, mathematics and theosophy.

According to the curator, works will range historically from an 1870 painting of waves by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who received a Nobel prize in 1906 for discovering the neuron, to the ground-breaking abstract Thought Forms of Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater (1901-1905), up to a new installation

by Aslı Çavuşoğlu which reflects on an ancient and lost

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Armenian technique for extracting red dye from an insect, and a new multichannel installation by William Kentridge inspired by Trostky’s passage through Turkey.

Carolyn, who was Artistic Director of the 16th Biennale of Sydney in 2008 and of the 13th edition of dOCUMENTA in Kessel, Germany, says: “Salt water is one of the most ubiquitous materials in the world. Sodium in our bodies makes our neurological system, and thus our vital systems, work; it literally keeps us alive. At the same time, salt water is the most corrosive material threat to the digital age: if you drop your smart phone in fresh water, you can dry it and it will probably work again. If it falls into salt water, chemical molecular changes in the materials of your phone will break it. When you visit the 14th Istanbul Biennial, you will spend quite a bit of time on salt water. There is a slowing down of the experience of art due to the travel between venues, especially on ferries. That is very healthy: salt water helps to heal respiration problems and many other illnesses, as well as calming the nerves.

“This sprawling exhibition spans from Rumelifeneri on the Black Sea, where Jason and the Argonauts passed searching for the Golden Fleece, through the winding and narrow Bosphorus, a seismic fault line which opened as a water channel some 8,500 years ago, and down to the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara towards the Mediterranean, where ancient Byzantine emperors exiled their enemies and where Leon Trotsky lived for four years from 1929 to 1933.”

Novelist Orhan Pamuk is the Honorary Chairman of the

International Council of Friends and Patrons of the 14th Istanbul Biennial, which is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Koç Holding. Admission to the 14th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge at all venues except the Museum of Innocence.

Some venues this year are housing a group exhibition, such as Istanbul Modern, ARTER, the Italian High School and the Galata Greek Primary School, but most locations are hosting the work of a single artist or artist collective. The organisers suggest the following as a possible three-day itinerary.

Information on guided tours can be found at 14b.iksv.org.

DAY ONE BEYOĞLU

Starting from Bankalar Street, visit the former headquarters of the Ottoman Bank, which was designed by French Levantine architect Alexandre Vallauri at the end of the 19th Century and has been functioning as SALT Galata after its renovation in 2011; and then the newly opened Vault Karaköy House

Opposite page: The Trotsky House on Büyükada Left: The Winter Garden venue Top: The Karaköy Vault Hotel will serve as a Biennial venue in 1897, three years after the earthquake of 1894, which was acquired by novelist Orhan Pamuk in 1999 and transformed into the Museum of Innocence.

Hotel, which was the historical Sümerbank headquarters built in 1863 by Istanbul-born Italian architect Antoine Tedeschi in Neo-Renaissance style.

As you continue down towards the waterfront, you will find on the left the Kasa Galeri in Minerva Han, which is a landmark historical building built in 1913 by architect Vasileios Kouremenos, and is today owned by Sabancı University.

As you walk along Kemeraltı Street, you can visit the Galata Greek Primary School with its neo-classic architectural style formerly providing education to Greek children in Istanbul.

The next stop could be Istanbul Modern, a former cargo warehouse built by the eminent architect, Sedad Hakkı Eldem, as part of an urban renewal project between 1957 and 1958. Transformed into the foremost museum of contemporary art in Turkey in 2003 and opened in 2004, Istanbul Modern is hosting a group exhibition as well as some of the historical positions of the Biennial. The non-profit exhibition space DEPO is another Biennial venue, a fourstorey building used as a tobacco warehouse until the 1950s.

Several Biennial venues are located on Boğazkesen Street in the Tophane district, including in a garage and a store.

These also include a small red building originally constructed

The next stop on this walk could be Özel İtalyan Lisesi (the Italian High School) which was established in 1861 and moved to its current location on Tom Tom Kaptan Street in 1919. Here visitors will find new works by five artists on the ground floor, in the gymnasium and in the attic. The French Orphanage, known as the Palace of St Eugène, built in 1869, is one of three fictional venues of the biennial that has no legal public access, to be imagined only.

In nearby Galatasaray, a hotel room in a building originally commissioned and built by the Zenovitch family in the 1890s, which was transformed into the House Hotel Galatasaray in 2010, is another Biennial venue. Across from the hotel, on Bostanbaşı Street, a house hosts work of an artist and another nearby building from 1901, Cezayir, hosts the public programme throughout the Biennial, as well as one artist’s project.

As visitors walk up İstiklal Avenue towards Tünel, they will see Casa Garibaldi, which belongs to the Società Operaia, an association founded by Italian workers in 1863 and named after Giuseppe Garibaldi who lived in Constantinople for a number of years in the 19th Century. Casa Garibaldi is currently being restored, and functions as a fictional venue of the biennial with no public access.

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LALE CULTURE The ARTER building, constructed by architect Petraki Meymaridis in the 1910s on İstiklal Avenue as Meymaret Han, was converted to a non-profit art space by the Vehbi

DAY TWO

KABATAŞ-KADIKÖY-BÜYÜKADA-KABATAŞ Take a ferry or IDO hydrofoil from Kabataş dock to Kadıköy on the Asian side of the city and on to Büyükada, one of the Princes’ Islands.

A small, street-level artist studio in Yeldeğirmeni will be the 14th Istanbul Biennial’s venue in Kadıköy.

On Büyükada, Kaptan Paşa Seabus that has been used for the purpose of transportation since 1997, will welcome Biennial visitors at the docks as one of its venues, as well

Koç Foundation in 2010 and hosts the Biennial throughout its three floors. FLO, once the Anatolian Passage built at the end of the 19th Century and now a shoe store, is converted into a venue for an artist’s work on its fourth floor.

There are two more Biennial venues in the Pera district of Beyoğlu: the Pera Museum, founded in 2005 and located in the former Bristol Hotel designed in 1893 by architect Achille Manoussos, which was later renovated preserving its historical façade, hosts the Biennial on its third floor. Finally, a room in the Adahan Hotel, a building commissioned by Camondo family, built in the 19th Century and restored in 2007, and the Adahan Cistern, which dates back centuries are also venues.

as Büyükada Public Library, which will function as a greeting point. Five rooms and the courtyard of the Hotel Splendid Palas, built between 1908 and 1911 in an Art Nouveau style

by Kaludi Laskaris, will also host the Biennial exhibition and part of its public programmes.

The other venues on Büyükada are the Rizzo Palace, built in the 19th Century and used as a residential house until 1961, and later acquired by Balıklı Greek Hospital Foundation to serve as a social housing pension until 2010; Mizzi Mansion, built in the second half of the 19th Century and renovated

Top: The remains of a Cold War radar antenna at Riva Beach on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Above: The Mizzi Mansion built Büyükada in the second half of the 19th Century and renovated in 2004 Above right: Kasa Gallery ın Beyoğlu Right: The exterior of the Mustafa Paşa Hammam

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LALE CULTURE by prominent Italian architect Raimondo D’Aronco after the earthquake; Çankaya 57, a twin house built by an Armenian tradesman for his daughters between 1907 and 1908, and where Leon Trotsky is said to have lived briefly when he was exile on the island, and which was more recently used as a location for a Turkish soap opera; and the Trotsky House or Yanaros Mansion, built in 1850s by Nikola Demades, where Trotsky lived between 1932 and 1933.

DAY THREE

ŞIŞLI, THE OLD CITY AND THE NORTHERN BOSPHORUS

The 14th Istanbul Biennial is using two venues in Şişli district: the new headquarters of Hrant Dink Foundation and Agos, former Hığutyun Armenian Primary School from 1903 until

the Ottomans. Covering an area of 1,900 square metres, it ceased to be used as a bathhouse in the 1990s. Located between Sultanahmet and the Byzantine walls, it is a short walk from the south coast of the Golden Horn. The women’s and men’s areas of the hammam, accessible from separate entrances on Şerefiye and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Streets, will be used for exhibiting two artists’ works.

The two other venues of the 14th Istanbul Biennial are located in the Northern Bosphorus and can be reached by bus 150 from Hacıosman Metro Station or by ferry to Sarıyer and bus 150. Located in Sarıyer intercity district, Rumelifeneri, a coastal village near the north-western end of the Bosphorus Strait where you can see the construction of Istanbul’s third bridge, will host an artist’s work on the lighthouse. On the Asian side, where the remains of a rusted, Cold War radar antenna lie, Riva Beach, is one of the Biennial’s venues with no public access.

Finally, a provisional Biennial venue will be Kastellorizo, a Greek island 2km from the Turkish coast. The week-long project, in collaboration with the Fiorucci Art Trust, is entitled The Violent No! Of the Sun Burns the Forehead of Hills and will take place from September 7 to 13.

Left: The SALT Galata venue

When you visit the Biennial you will spend quite a bit of time on salt water. There is a slowing down of the experience of art due to the travel between venues, especially on ferries. That is very healthy - salt water helps to heal

2004, as well as Hrant Dink Foundation and Agos – Centre for Parrhesia, at the former location of the foundation and of the newspaper Agos, an Armenian weekly published in Istanbul in both Turkish and Armenian. The chief editor of Agos and a pivotal figure in the human rights and reconciliation movements in Turkey, Hrant Dink, was assassinated in January 2007 outside this building.

Visitors can take bus 55T from Taksim to reach the Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam in the Old City of Istanbul, formerly called Constantinople. One of the oldest buildings of the Islamic period in the city, the Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam was built in 1477 during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, and some 24 years after the conquest of Constantinople by

Right: The Biennial’s curator, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, former curator at the Castello di Rivoli Museum ın Turin and Senior Curator at the P.S.1.

Contemporary Art Center in New York

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SPONSORED FEATURE

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September 2015

LALE SPECIAL OFFER

Eyes on the islands At any given moment millions of eyes are looking – probably without much curiosity – across the water at Yassıada and its sister island of Sivriada. the most visible of the Princes’ Islands.

Text and potograph by Owen Matthews

T

here is a unique sort of loneliness to the deserted island of Yassıada. The place is desolate and dotted with ruined buildings; the only sounds are the sea-wind and the occasional barking of a pair of Alsatian guard dogs. And yet a great city is all around, across just five kilometres of sea. At any given moment millions of eyes are looking – probably without much curiosity – across the water at Yassıada and its sister island of Sivriada. They are the most visible of the Princes’ Islands, and the closest to Istanbul; both are uninhabited. And until 2012 Yassıada was officially an out-of-bounds military zone, an island of secrets and unhappy memories quarantined from the outside world. It is, without doubt, the most haunting and haunted place I have even been.

The strangeness of Yassıada is immediately evident even as one approaches from the sea. A pair of crenellated white towers and a wall pierced with pointed neo-Gothic arches flank the deep-water harbour. The effect is something like an abandoned film set, or The Black Island of Tintin’s Scottish adventure. In fact these faux fortifications are the remains of two Gothic follies built on the island by Henry Bulwer, Queen Victoria’s ambassador to the Sublime Porte.

Bulwer bought Yassıada in 1857 and had the follies built as a place to hold lavish parties. He would greet his guests from the fantastic gatehouse as they arrived from the city by caique. The ambassador’s friends would then be entertained to dinner in a little neo-Moorish castle which still stands in the centre of the island. Locals whispered of orgies and satanic rituals – but given Bulwer’s otherwise blameless life it seems hard to believe.

An 1870 Vanity Fair caricature by Ape shows Bulwer as “a superannuated diplomat” and the very picture of Victorian rectitude – though he did take Eurydice Aristarchi, the Princess of Samos, as his mistress (she was an exotic and clever woman, intimate with the sultan’s court and the gossip of the harem, who ended up expelled from Constantinople as a Russian agent in 1871).

But it was Bulwer’s younger brother, the statesman and novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was the truly eccentric member of the family – he had an interest in the occult and is famous as the author of the infamous opening words, “It was a dark and stormy night…”

Cornucopia’s CORNUCOPIA Istanbul Unwrapped 52

This extract is from Cornucopia 53, the fourth part of the biannual magazine’s Istanbul Unwrapped quartet, due out in September.

Buy the current issue, No 52: Bosphorus Requiem, at good bookshops in Istanbul (price TL40) September 2015

Turkey for Connoisseurs

Issue 53 2015

ISTANBUL UNWRAPPED PART FOUR

THE PRINCES’ ISLANDS

Cornucopia 53 Istanbul Unwrapped Part 4

Far-flung treasures: a voyage of discovery to the Princes Islands.

Plus sharp-eyed Orientalists and the city’s best museums

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45

LALE TRAVEL

EXPLORING EAST ANATOLIA FEATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNETTE FLECK

Intrepid photographer Annette Fleck (www.foto-fleck.de) went off the beaten track to discover the delights of East Anatolia. What she found was a haven of natural beauty rich in history and culture

S

urprised faces: “Where did you say you were going?”

“To eastern Turkey?” “There is something to see over there?” Whether we spoke with our friends in Istanbul or our friends in Germany – always the same questions.

I have to admit, I also was a little unsure about what would be awaiting us in East Anatolia. We had heard of the city of Van on the lake of the same name, which had been destroyed by an earthquake. We had also heard of the biblical mountain, Ararat, and of the city of Orhan Pumuk, Kars, in which his depressively sombre novel, Kar (Snow), is set. So we set out to find what else East Anatolia had to offer.

Equipped with a German guide book, we embarked upon our journey. But, oh boy, without the sense of orientation of a boy scout, German perseverance, and above all a solid grip of Turkish, we would have missed out on numerous attractions and countless tea-based encounters with wonderfully welcoming and warm-hearted locals.

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GOING OFF-PISTE

One day we were driving across a remote and broad plateau when we spotted a signpost to an Armenian church. Four kilometres did not, at first, seem to be too far. Several forks in the road later, however, we were lost and after driving around in circles for a while, decided to give up.

Suddenly, a car appeared on the road ahead. The driver, Kasım, politely asked us where it was that we were trying to go. Of course, he knew about the ruins of the former Armenian Church. It turned out that they were in his own village and he was most glad to take us there.

Kasım had lived in Istanbul for 19 years. But eventually, he grew weary of the hectic city life and returned to his home village. Later, he had also lived in an Armenian house, which he proclaimed to have had a “very solid build, excellent quality”. His village was called Kilittaş Köyü, but everyone still preferred calling it by its age-old Armenian name, Bagram.

Although, today only Kurds live in his village, Armenians still come as tourists. They are left to wander around the ruins of their once picturesque church, and encounter the friendly locals.

A RICH HISTORY

In Ani we met a group of young teachers. They brought their tambourines with them and showed us their cheerful Kurdish dances. This is where, more than 1,000 years ago King Aschot III reigned over the Armenian kingdom of Bagratuni.

Only ruins remain now, of course.

No matter where you go in East Anatolia, you will always stumble across signs of the colourful history of this part of Turkey: an observatory from prehistoric times here, ruins and palaces of once mighty emperors and kings there. But sometimes you just want to zone out, take a step back and enjoy the spectacular landscape at 2,000m altitude, cuddle with a velvet white Van cat, or savour the delicious Van fish, which somehow survive the strange chemistry of the salt water of Lake Van. In May, when we went, the landscape is decorated with a fresh green, which only gives way at times to a colourful carpet of shiny spring flowers and remaining patches of snow on the surrounding mountains. Without a doubt, the most majestic of these is the Great Ararat, the highest mountain of Turkey at 5,137m. No matter where you go, the peak of this snow-covered mountain is always in sight, often poking out above the clouds. No wonder this mountain has over millennia fascinated all who have travelled these lands. Was Noah’s ark really stranded here? In any case, this mountain is so breath-taking in its grandeur, that I am not surprised thousands of tourists flock here on a yearly basis to attempt to climb and conquer it.

IN THE CITY

In comparison with the spectacular landscapes, the cities offer a more humble view. The city of Van still has to digest the consequences of the last large earthquake in 2011, and is valiantly resisting a dullness, which could otherwise easily cloud a remote city near the Iranian border.

Orhan Pamuk’s Kars has not been so equally scarred by tremors and offers a more lively sight. Although the Old Russian houses along its cobbled streets could do with a little refurbishment, Kars’s streets below the 12th Century castle exhibit a vivid hustle and bustle of motley traders and passers-by. The renowned cheese of Kars, brave geese, and the wild Anatolian honey are amply sold and marketed in the delicacy stores of the city.

With an array of presents and souvenirs, we returned from what was anything but a dull journey and we look forward already to returning to the land of the Great Ararat.

EAST ANATOLIA FACT FILE It is not recommended to travel close to the Syrian border at this time, but there are still many parts of North-East Anatolia open to tourists.

ERZURUM, population 400,000, is home to amazing Seljuk, Saltuk and Mongol mosques, all lined up along the main street, as well as a citadel above.

PALANDÖKEN, just 5km from Erzurum, is the best ski resort in Turkey with pistes rising as high as 3100m.

KAÇKAR MOUNTAINS, which form a ridge between the Black Sea and the Çoruh River (where you can do white-water rafting), stretch for 30km and are covered with dense forest.

GEORGIAN VALLEYS in North-Eastern Anatolia were once part of the medieval kingdom of Georgia. This area is filled with numerous churches and castles mixing characteristics of Armenian, Seljuk and Persian architectural styles.

ARTVIN, population 25,000, situated in the mountains boasts dizzyingly-steep streets which zig-zag up the hill.

KARS, population 75,000, provided the setting for Orhan Pamuk’s famous novel, Kar (Snow). The inhabitants are thought to be descended from a Turkic tribe, the Karsaks, who arrived from the Caucasus in the 2nd Century BC, ANİ was once an Armenian capital situated on the Silk Route with 100,000 inhabitants and was said to rival Constantinople in power and influence. Now all that is left are the ruins of this city strewn over a carpet of grass.

DOĞUBAYAZIT, population 75,000, is the setting for Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest mountain. The beautiful Işak Paşa Palace sits above the town.

MOUNT ARARAT (5,137m) is the supposed resting place of Noah’s Ark and is hugely popular with climbers.

NEMRUT DAĞI National Park rises to 2,150m. At its peak, it is covered in colossal statues placed there by a pre-Roman king who believed he was related to the gods. The statues are of himself and the gods.

LAKE VAN, a 3,750 square km salt lake was formed when a volcano blocked its natural outflow. It is surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Akdamar Island at the southern side of the lake is home to the beautiful Armenian Akdamar Kilesi.

VAN, population 350,000, is the site of ancient Ararat which flourished from the 13th to the 7th Centuries BC. It is famous for its tasty kahvaltı (breakfast), with an entire street – Eski Sümerbank Sokağı (dubbed “Kahvaltı Sokağı”) devoted to the first meal of the day.

Source: Lonely Planet

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LALE TRAVEL GETTING THERE AND AROUND Pegasus Airlines, Anadolu Airlines and Turkish Airlines all fly several times per day from Istanbul to Van Airport, Ağrı Airport (near Doğubeyazit) and Kars Airport.

If you fancy a proper adventure, there is a 40hour, twice-weekly train service, theVangölü Express, from Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Station on the Asian side of the city, direct to Tatvan on the west side of Lake Van. The train stops a number of times, including at Eskişehir, Ankara, Kayseri, Sivas, and Malatya.

Renting a car from Van Airport and returning it to Erzurum Airport is straightforward. If you want to return from the airports in Ağrı or Kars you will probably have to pay a bit more if you want to drop your hire car there as well.

In Van, Annette stayed at the Rescate Hotel Van, an inexpensive, friendly establishment with good service (http://van.rescatehotels.com).

In Doğubeyazit, she stayed in the simple but clean Butik Ertur Hotel, which had friendly and helpful staff (www.butikerturhotel.com). In Kars, she stayed at Hotel Cheltikov, which has a nice ambience but is on the pricier end of the scale (www.hotelcheltikov.com).

Top: The Ottoman Işam Paşa Palace near Bagratid Left: Kurdish dancers in Anı, once the Armenian capital Below: Mount Ararat in the springtime

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49

LALE CALENDAR Every month, the IWI hosts many fun cultural and lifestyle events. Here is what’s coming up as we move from summer into autumn

SEPTEMBER M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

01

W E D N E S D AY

T H U R S D AY

F R I D AY

S AT U R D AY

S U N D AY

02

03

04

05

06

09

10

11

12

13

Asian Side Newcomers Coffee Morning

07

08

Pürovel Hammam sessions, Swissotel

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

IWI Opening Meeting, Hilton Bosphorus

OCTOBER M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

W E D N E S D AY

T H U R S D AY

F R I D AY

S AT U R D AY

S U N D AY

Terrarium Workshop

01 Tour of Büyükada

05

02

03

04

09

10

11

Dog Shelter visit

06

07

Alancha 20-course Tasting Menu

08

European Side Newcomers Coffee Morning

Asian Side Newcomers Coffee Mornıng

Seafood Cookery Demonstration with Chef Murat

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

28

29

30

26 50

Üsküdar Neighbourhood Walk

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LALE EVENTS PÜROVEL HAMMAM SESSION Come along and relax with a hot bath, detoxify, revive your skin, pamper your body and soothe your soul The session includes a full-body exfoliation with a mitten, a full-body cleansing and a full-body massage.

You can also take advantage of other spa facilities at the Swıssotel’s Pürovel facility before or after the session and make a day of it.

This special offer is valid between 10.00am and 3.00pm on Wednesday, September 16. This one-hour hammam session will cost 150 TL per person. Please mention the IWI offer when booking.

Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity for some serious pampering and revitalisation.Everyone needs a little time off now and again and what better way than to enjoy being an IWI member at the Pürovel Spa at the Swissôtel, Istanbul. Pürovel Spa & Sport is offering an exclusive offer for IWI members – a therapeutic session at its Turkish hamman.

Date

Wednesday, September 16

Time

Between 10.00am and 3.00pm, by appointment

Location

Pürovel Spa & Sport, Swissôtel

Cost

150 TL

Participants

Maximum 2 people per appointment

Reservations

For reservations please contact Gabriel Halmagyi gabriel.halmagyi@swissotel. com or +90 (212) 326 29 90

During this session, you will experience the 1,000-year-old tradition of the Turkish hammam in a modern and luxurious private bath.

TERRARIUM WORKSHOP and the terrarium will be provided at the workshop so come along for some fun, very natural creativity.

This is something new and different for IWI; very much in vogue at the moment and is offered to us by Ceren Işıl at a greatly discounted price.

Please register as soon as possible, to avoid disappointment.

However, if the event is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. We will contact you if a vacancy arises.

Come along to our practical workshop, in which you will learn the theory of terrariums and create your own to take home.

Terrariums are miniature environments that are created for specific animal or plant species. You can create your own rain forest terrarium, desert terrarium or a summertime beach terrarium, among other options.

In order to create these living environments, one needs to bring plant species and essential materials together. All these

Date

Thursday, October 1

Time

10.30am to 12.30pm

Location

Peyzaj Adresim, Tevfik Fikret Cad. No:38 Dumankaya Flex Sitesi Kat:6 D:37 Ataşehir-İstanbul

Discounted cost

80 TL in cash only please

Participants

Maximum 10, Minimum 5

Reservations

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

Deadline

Monday, September 28

Contact Details

reservations@iwi-tr.org

Please note: A reservation made is a reservation paid — any cancellations after the RSVP deadline are payable in full.

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LALE EVENTS BÜYÜKADA WALKING TOUR are the Aya Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the 6th Century, the Agios Dimitrios Church, and the Hamidiye Mosque built by Abdul Hamid II. This walking tour will be guided by IWI long-time member and former Chairwoman Nilgün Coruk. Depending on the time available, we will aim to pass by Hamidiye mosque, some of the Orthodox churches and, along the way, view some of the beautiful historic mansions. We will also stop for lunch at one of the many delicious seafood restaurants on the island.

Join us for an unforgettable tour of Büyükada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands, situation off the coast of Istanbul in the Marmara Sea. The island consists of two peaks, one of which – İsa Tepesi (meaning Jesus Hill in Turkish) – is topped by a former Greek orphanate, a large wooden building now fallen into decay.

Byzantine Emperor Justin II built a palace and monastery here in in 569 AD. A convent was used as a place of exile for several Byzantine empresses. Also to found on the island

Date

Monday, October 5

Time

Depart/Return: TBA depending on ferry service

Meeting Point

Kabataş ferryboat pier (or Büyükada for those coming from Asian side)

Cost

20TL (lunch and ferry boat not included)

Participants

Minimum 10, maximum 20

Reservations

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

Deadline

Wednesday, September 30

Person to contact

Cynthia Hadatoğlu

Contact Details

programs@iwi-tr.org

DOG SHELTER VISIT The dogs are very sociable and visitors are able to interact wıth the dogs and stroke them without fear of aggression.

During our tour we will hear from one of the board members of SHKD about how the welfare organisation works and how it is funded.

There is no charge for visiting the dog shelter; the group will share transportation costs. Gifts of dog food will be gratefully received at the shelter. Please wear rubber boots and casual clothes.

Date

Thursday, October 8

Time

10.00 am to 1.00 pm

Meeting Point

9.00 am at Şişane Kasimpaşa, in front of Hotel Daru Sultan; or Kabataş iskele bus station; OR 10.00 am at SHKD National Forest Shelter, Eski Hasdal Çoplugu, Istanbul Büyüksehir Belediyesi Geçici Hayvan Barinagı yanı (Kemerburgaz area)

Cost

Free

Participants

Minimum 5; maximum 30

Reservations

reservations@iwi-tr.org

Deadline

Wednesday, October 7

Person to contact

Petra Gönenc

Contact Details

reservations@iwi-tr.org

IWI is arranging a tour of the Kemerburgaz dog shelter, founded by a British businessman who still sponsors this haven for former street dogs.

The shelter is now managed by Sahipsiz Hayvanları Koruma Derneği (SHKD), a Turkish animal welfare group which aims to solve Turkey’s stray dog problem by neutering street dogs.

The shelter arose following the closure of the Hasdal Garbaga dump where around 2,000 stray dogs had been living and scavenging, and now faced the prospect of starvation. , These days, four permanent employees, one veterinary and five volunteers take care of around 1,500 dogs ranging from puppies to pedigree dogs to old and disabled dogs of all ages.

Please note: A reservation made is a reservation paid — any cancellations after the RSVP deadline are payable in full.

52

LALE EVENTS ANATOLIAN FOOD TASTING AT ALANCHA civilisations in Anatolia’s history, from the Ancient Greeks, Persians, Minoans and Phoenicians to the Ottomans, Balkans, Seljuks and Molokans.

All the ingredients are sourced from different corners of Anatolia and have been combined by the chef to provide guests with an unpretentious, yet diverse sensory experience.

The menu will be accompanied by a selection of excellent Anatolian wines.

Come along for cocktails at 7.00pm, followed by dinner at thıs lovely venue at 8.00pm.

If you like food and love trying something new, you will love this event, planned for Thursday, October 8.

Join us for a superb, 20-course tasting menu at Alancha in Beşiktaş. The Anatolian menu, entitled The Big Migration, has been designed exclusively for IWI guests by chef Kemal Demirasal and will present a modern approach to the culinary heritage of Anatolia.

The menu will reflect the influences of different migrating

Date

Thursday, October 8

Time

7.00pm for cocktails, 8.00pm for dinner

Location

Alança, Vişnezade Mh, Şht Mehmet Sk, No 39, 34357 Beşiktaş

Discounted cost

360 TL

Participants

Minimum 20, maximum 40

Reservations

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

Deadline

Thursday, October 1

Contact Details

Anita Jacobs, food&wine@iwi-tr.org

NEW revised edition: CULTURE SMART! TURKEY

By Charlotte McPherson

 Stock of over 60,000 English titles  Books for all ages  We accept special orders from UK PLUS .. Book fairs and Scholastic magazines Free books to help schools build classroom and library resources!

Kuperard Publishers Fourth edition “Offers glimpses into the psyche of a far-away world.”

– -New York Times “This book has come to the rescue of hapless travellers.” – Sunday Times Travel

www.greenhousekitap.info Tel: 0216 550 4961 greenhousekitap

LALE EVENTS

SEAFOOD COOKERY DEMONSTRATION a professional kitchen where Murat shares his knowledge and passion during your hands-on experience This demonstration includes a particularly sophisticated and exciting menu, demonstrating the skill of cooking fish in a salt crust with lemon butter sauce, alongside seafood risotto with mussels in tomatoes and wine sauce, and followed by a dessert of Incir Uyutması (a traditional Turkish dessert made from dried figs cooked slowly in honey jam).

Please register as soon as possible if you are interested, to avoid disappointment. However, if the event is showing full, please register anyway and you will be placed on a waiting list. There are often cancellations when people’s plans change and we will contact you if a vacancy arises.

Date

Friday, October 16

Time

10.45am to 3.00pm

Location

International Wine & Spirits Academy (near Şişli- Mecidiyeköy metro)

Discounted cost

Chef Murat has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK, US and France, and has worked alongside the Michelinstarred celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay.

130 TL in cash only (complementary wine and beverages included)

Participants

Maximum 8, minimum 6

Reservations

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

He is now working on his new project MBK Istanbul, a culinary school for new chefs. Demonstrations are held in

Deadline

Tuesday, October 13

Contact Details

reservations@iwi-tr.org

Following the huge popularity of previous cookery demonstrations held at the International Wine & Spirits Academy, IWI is offering another demonstration with different menus to give members the opportunity to experience the professional expertise of chef Murat Bozok.

ASIAN SIDE DISCOVERY contact Gabriele Sailer with any special requests at the email address below.

In October, we will be strolling around Üsküdar, starting from the fountain on Üsküdar Square at 10.30am on Tuesday, October 27.

Our walk will take in the two main mosques in the area, we plan to pay a visit to the local fish market and wander along the Bosphorus to the Maiden Tower where we will stop for coffee.

All are welcome and there is no need to make a reservation just come along.

Introducing our new tours of different neighbourhoods on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.

Every fourth Tuesday of the month we will be exploring a different area for those living on the Asian side or wanting to get to know the area better. You don’t have to live on the Asian side to join us. Suggestions for other neighbourhoods to include on our itinerary are gratefully received – please

Date

Tuesday, October 27

Time

10.30 am

Meeting Point

Fountain at Üsküdar Square

Cost

Free

Participants

Any number

Reservations

Not necessary

Deadline

None

Person to Contact

Gabriele Sailer

Contact Details

gsailer@paradisefruit.eu

Please note: A reservation made is a reservation paid — any cancellations after the RSVP deadline are payable in full.

54

IWI CHRISTMAS BAZAAR NOVEMBER 29, 2015 10am - 6pm HILTON CONVENTION CENTRE

Join us for some fun, shopping and international food tasting at Istanbul’s largest Winter Fair

Kids entertainment

International stalls

Delicatessen Wine and imported goods Santa’s Grotto

Food Court Christmas Carols

Lottery and other fun activities

Tickets available in advance or on the door with all proceeds going to local charities.

For more information, contact events@iwi-tr.org or visit our website www.iwi-tr.org

IWI BOARD

JOIN THE IWI BOARD & IWI TEAMS

CURRENT TEAM OPENINGS

Programs Coordinator

Deputy Editor Lale

Are you an organisational dynamo? IWI’s programs team needs someone to help receive reservations, write-up program descriptions and help with other administrative tasks as needed. Coming up with ideas for new programs and helping to organise them could also be a part of this role if desired.

ALL ROLES ARE VOLUNTARY

IWI MEMBERSHIP RATES

We are now offering three types of membership. All prices are for a one-year period, October to September

BASIC MEMBERSHIP

CLASSIC MEMBERSHIP

BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP

• Membership of the International women of Istanbul, which provides a friendly platform for women to share, collaborate, network and learn • Admission to IWI members-only activities • IWI newsletter twice per month • Lale Magazine online edition • One classified ad free of charge in our online publications • Special discounts from our partners • A special, limited-edition gift to be collected at the opening meeting or picked up at the IWI office

• All the benefits of Basic Membership PLUS • Reduced fees for our events and gatherings • Free entry to our annual IWI event with special donations from our sponsors • Lale Magazine printed edition • Up to three classified ads free of charge to be placed in our online publications

• All the benefits of Classic Membership PLUS • One free banner in our newsletter (published twice) and two posts on our Facebook group • Minimum of one workshop or programme organised for our members (conditions according to IWI policies) • Admission to two IPWIN-business sessions free of charge each season

Price 60 TL

Price 120 TL (50% goes directly to the charities that IWI supports)

Price 300 TL (60 TL goes direct to IWI charities) Only for self-employed women (with 0-2 employees)

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP

Price FREE International women living in Istanbul aged 70 or above can apply for honorary membership Attend IWI events for the same price as basic members and receive a free copy of Lale magazine.

As IWI is a non-profit social organisation all net profits are donated annually to charity organisations. IWI has the right to refuse business-memberships to offer a broad range of businesses promoted by our members – in this case Classic Membership will be offered. You can sign up for membership as follows: online at www.iwi-tr.org , at our monthly coffee meetings or at our office (every Wednesday between 10:30 am and 1 pm). For more information contact membership@iwi-tr.org .

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IWI NEWCOMERS

ARE YOU A NEWCOMER?

IWI holds get-togethers over coffee to welcome newcomers every month on both the Asian and European sides of the city ASIAN SIDE COFFEE

EUROPEAN SIDE COFFEE

We hold coffee meetıngs every second Tuesday of the month at 11am at Zamane Kahvesi ın Bostancı. No need to reserve just come along and grab a coffee. For more information, contact Gabriele Sailer (0546 234 2835). Directions to our coffee mornings can be found at www.ıwı-tr.org.

We hold coffee mornings every thırd Thursday of the month at 10.30am at Nevzat Özgörkey Binicilik Tesisleri Doru Restaurant at the İstanbul Altı Spor Kulubu in Maslak. No need to reserve, just come along. For more information, contact Ayşe Yücel (0532 356 3843)

AREA

COORDINATOR

CONTACT

Area A/C/F

Etiler, Akatlar, Ulus, Beşiktaş, Levent

Sebti Hasnaa

hasnaasebti@hotmail.com

Area B/J

Tarabya, Sarıyer, Büyükdere, Zekeriyaköy, Kilyos, Uskumruköy

Szilvia Nagy

szilviaboldva@gmail.com

Area D

Arnavütköy, Bebek, Rumeli Hisarı, Baltalimanı

Position Available

Area E

Ortaköy, Levazım, Balmumcu

Wendy Serter

wserter@gmail.com

Area G/L

Nişantaşı, Osmanbey, Şişli/Fulya, Gayrettepe, Esentepe, Tepebaşı, Teşvikiye, Maçka, Beyoğlu, Taksim/Tünel, Sultanahmet, Harbiye​, Fatih, Gümüşsuyu/Eyüp, Cihangir/ Topağacı, Gaziosmanpaşa/Kabataş

Ayşe Yufkayürek

ayse.yufkayuerek@gmail.com

Area H/I

Yeniköy, İstinye​, Maslak, Reşitpaşa, Emirgan

Szilvia Nagy

szilviaboldva@gmail.com

Area K

​Kemer, Göktürk

Stephanie Machoi

stephanie@frauenzeitalter.de

Area M

Maltepe, Kadıköy/Üsküdar, Moda, Ataşehir, Kartal, Ömerli, Kücükyalı, Salacak, Tuzla

Lynn Nish

nishlynn5@gmail.com

Area O

​ mraniye,​​Çekmeköy, Beykoz, Çengelköy, Ü Anadolu Hisarı, Beylerbeyi, Kanlıca​, Kandilli, Polonezköy, Kavacık

Valerie Celebi

​valeriecelebi@superonline.com

Area P

​ üyükçekmece​, Küçükçekmece, Hadımköy, B Bakırköy, Ataköy, Yeşilköy, Yeşilyurt, Bahçeköy/ Bahçelievler, Güneşli, Yenibosna, Beylikdüzü, Halkalı, Bahçeşehir, Bağcılar, Esenyurt, Küçükköy

Boglárka Erdélyi

erdelyi.boglarka.bme@gmail.com

Area Y

Caddebostan, Fenerbahçe, Erenköy, Kalamış, Suadiye, Valideçeşme, Göztepe​, Bakkalköy, Çiftehavuzlar, Şaşkınbakkal, Küçükbakkalköy, Bostancı. Members living in Area Y are invited to attend the newcomers coffee morning as detailed above

Gabriele Sailer

gsailer@paradisefruit.eu

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MUMS ’N KIDS

MEETINGS AND PLAYGROUPS IWI has weekly playgroups organised according to children’s ages. These are usually hosted by our members at their homes, meet-ups at parks or walks along the Bosphorus coast IWI GROUPS

OTHER ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

These playgroups are free of charge for IWI members. This is an opportunity to meet other parents of infants or toddlers, as well as share the joys and trials of motherhood while creating a support network.

Bosphorus International Pre-School, Emirgan

Please contact the Mums ‘n Kids Coordinator at mumsnkids@ iwi-tr.org if you have any questions or suggestions.

To join a playgroup, please go to IWI’s website and visit the Mums ‘n Kids page under the Members’ Section for the coordinators’ email addresses.

The coordinators will add you to the group’s mailing list to keep you updated about future events.

Pregnant and infants (0-12 months) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 11am-1pm Coordinator: Ayşe Yufkayürek Walkers – Younger Toddlers (1-2 years) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 10am-12pm Coordinator: VOLUTEER REQUIRED Toddlers (2+) Usual meeting day/time: Tuesday, 10am-12pm Coordinator: Donna Guclu Asian Side Playgroup (for all ages) Usual meeting day/time: Mondays Coordinator: Lilian Hasenpusch

Teacher-organised activity, song and circle time, garden play (weather-permitting). Starting from Tuesday, October 6.

Coffee, tea, milk and cookies provided.

When: Tuesdays Time: 10am-11.30am Cost: FREE Age group: 0-3 years Please contact Ms Collette Laffan-Persembe at preschool@ bipschool.net or telephone at 0212 277 8444. *Note: please call on Mondays to reserve. There are only 10 openings every week. Please only ONE known adult per child. www.bipschool.net.

British International School, Zekeriyaköy and Etiler

Indoor and outdoor play (weather-permitting), followed by snack and music time. A known adult must stay and supervise the child. Starting from Monday, September 14.

Zekeriyaköy (Tuesdays and Fridays) / Etiler (Wednesdays and Fridays) Time: 9am-11am (both campuses) Cost: 10TL per session Age: 0-2.5 years of age Please contact Mrs Amanda Ilhan, Preschool and Primary Deputy Director at amandailhan@bis.k12.tr or telephone at 0212 202 7027 ext 116 www.bis.k12.tr.

Eden’s Garden International Preschool, Yeniköy, Istanbul Baby Ballet Playgroup for Boys and Girls

When: Thursdays Time: 9:30am-11:30am Cost: 30TL per session, (no block-booking required) Age: 0-3 years Where: Ballet Studio, Eden’s Garden International Preschool, Güzelce Ali Paşa Cad. No. 50, Yeniköy, İstanbul Bring: Soft slippers for little feet Please contact Karen Holyoak Çiftçi, Director at director@ edensgardenpreschool.com or telephone 0212 262 4302 www.edensgardenpreschool.com.

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Fotini Café - Arnavutkoy, Besiktas

Hotpot Café - Şişli, Istanbul

IWI members enjoy a waiver on the 8TL entrance fee to the playroom. Please present your IWI membership card to claim your discount. Please contact Lena at fotinicafe@gmail.com or telephone 0533 093 9992.

There is a 10% discount for IWI members. Please present your IWI membership card to claim.

A café with a playroom dedicated to babies and toddlers up to three years old, Fotini Café is located along the Bosphorus coast and offers a comfortable area for you and your child to unwind and have fun at the same time.

Francalaci Cd. No.26, Arnavutkoy, 34345 Istanbul, Turkey www.fotinicafe.com

Gymboree Play and Music

15% discount for IWI members on Play and Learn classes in the Ortaköy branch. Please present your IWI membership card to claim your discount.

Gymboree Play and Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children aged 0-5 for over 30 years. Today there are over 550 locations in 30 countries, making Gymboree the global leader in early childhood development programmes.

Designed by experts, the age-appropriate activities help develop the cognitive, physical and social skills of children as they play. The programmes are also recognised for their unique approach to parent involvement, which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development.

Cost: 1,020TL for 12 classes (after IWI discount applied) Gymboree members can also enjoy complimentary free-play times during the week. For non-Gymboree members, IWI members these cost 30TL per hour.

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

Music and Art classes are also available. Limited offer for IWI members: 12 classes for the price of eight. Birthday parties for 1-7 year olds (20% discount for weekday bookings) Please contact Esra Taşar at esratasar@gymboreeturkey.com or telephone 212 275 8787. www.gymboreeturkey.com

Woodsview Internatıonal Nursery and Preschool, Tarabya, Istanbul Mother and Baby Music and Movement. Parents and guardians can come along for fun singing and dancing with their little ones.

When: Mondays and Tuesdays Time: 4.00pm to 5.00pm Cost: 30TL per class or 50TL for two classes per week Age: 6-23 months Where: Woodsview International Nursery and Preschool, Sumer Korusu, Altuncu Sk, No 5, Tarabya, Istanbul Please contact Maresa Shahnooshi, Teacher and Preschool Coordinator at maresa@woodsviewpreschool.com or by telephone on 0212 299 3906. www.woodsviewpreschool.com

Merkez Mah. Perihan Sk. Erbil Apt. No 71-73B, Şişli – Istanbul Located centrally in Şişli, with just a short walk from the metro station, Hotpot café offers playgroups (baby/toddler), yoga (prenatal, yoga, adults), dance and drama classes and other fun activities for both kids and mums.

Please contact Melissa at info@hotpot.web.tr or telephone 0212 343 5353. www.hotpot.web.tr

Kindermusik at Play to Learn Pre-School

On the European side in Akatlar, Nişantaşı and Koç University Rumelifeneri Campus and on the Asian side in Ataşehir, offering different music classes.

My Time Programme: 18-30 months ABC, Music and Me Programme: 2-4 years of age Please contact Ms Ozlem Hun at info@playtolearn.com.tr or telephone at 0212 352 3031 or 0532 237 2272. www.playtolearn.com.tr

Full Circle Healing Doula List

There are doulas on both the European and Asian side.

Doulas may be willing to travel to your location. For more detailed information about each doula, and on how a doula can support you, visit www.fullcirclehealing.org.

Do’um

Specialising in pregnancy and childbirth, providing education and counselling services to expecting parents and bringing together experts who believe in a natural approach. www.do-um.com

LOLA (Lots of Lovely Art)

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

Our House

Our House is located in Cihangir as a center for children and families. The aim of the organization is to generate curiosity, creativity ad awareness for children at all stages of development. www.ourhouse.club

The Mums ’n Kids Team is a volunteer group that organises activities for you and your children to enjoy. Please take responsibility for your own child’s safety IWI is not liable for any injury or loss incurred.

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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 for ladies from East Asia living in Istanbul to come together.

A members-only Facebook page provıdes news of the monthly lunches, news, events, photographs and useful information. Please contact Kim Cakirkaya at kim.cakirkaya@gmail. com or 0533 463 6930 for further information.

ARIT (American Research Institute of Turkey)

The Friends of ARIT Istanbul, with branches in North America and Ankara, was established to support the ARIT in Turkey. The Istanbul Friends run a year-round programme of tours and lectures for members and guests. Membership is open to all interested residents of Istanbul. For further information call 0212 257 8111.

AWl (American Women of Istanbul)

AWI is a social network open to Americans, Canadians and spouses of US or Canadian citizens in Istanbul. AWI offers social programmes from special-interest groups to charities. If you’re a newcomer to Istanbul please contact our newcomers committee. Email Debbie Abdo or Sia Israfil at awiistanbul@gmail.com.

Belgian Friends of Istanbul

The Belgian Friends of Istanbul gathers every month for drinks, brunch, dinner, a walk or a cultural activity. We also offer activities such as the annual St Nicholas party for children or New Year’s dinner. Our Facebook page allows members to exchange information about job opportunities, housing, babysitting, Belgian cultural events in Istanbul, where to find Belgian products, etc. Email Nathalie Bevernaegie at bfistanbul@gmail.com.

Book Club

There are two IWI book clubs. Book Club 1 is currently over-subscribed, but Book Club 2 is open to new members. Contact: Mary Akgüner (Book Club 2) mary.akguner@gmail.com

Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts

The Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of America is a youth programme for character development and values-based leadership training. All boys in grades one to five (ages six to 10) holding a foreign passport are welcome to join Cubs.

Older boys (ages 11-18) are welcome to join Boy Scouts. Activities include hiking and camping.

Email Vicki Gunay graygunay@gmail.com or 0532 314 11 34.

Bridge group

Our bridge group meets on Fridays at 11am - all levels welcome. Playing bridge in our group is a way to spend a pleasant Friday. Please contact Sandra on 212 257 9781 or 0532 483 5319.

CHICAS Spanish speaking women of Istanbul A group open to all ladies who speak our language, or would like to practise it. We

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host lots of fun, hilarious Latin parties and cultural events. We have our own blog: http:// chicasestambul.blogspot.com/ and we’re on Facebook under “Chicas Estambul”. Email chicasestambul@yahoo.com.mx or phone Ninoska Gutierrez Sierra 0533 651 3581, Norma Maranges 0532 314 29 34 or Lorena Martinez 0533 388 6309.

CIRCOLO ROMA (Comunità italiana)

The Italian Association organises activities, such as cooking classes, dinners, parties, Italian and Turkish conversation classes, piano lessons, zumba, tamurriata, Italian cinema, medieval fencing, painting on porcelain, capoiera, singing and activities for children. The wonderful liberty hall can also be hired for private parties and conferences. Email Paola Maresia Maresia@superonline.com or Elsa Zambonini elsazambonini@yahoo.com, tel 0212 244 17 59 or visit our website info@circoloroma.com.

Die Bruecke

Die Bruecke, founded ın 1989, is a platform for the German-speaking community. It is open to everyone who speaks German. Die Bruecke issues a monthly newsletter. Different gatherings, charities, information concerning everyday life, bi-national education, help with bureaucracy and immigration laws in Turkey are covered. Website www.bruecke-istanbul.org, email info@brueckeistanbul.org.

DNSI - The Dutch School of Istanbul

We provide Dutch language and cultural lessons to students aged between four and 16. Our mainstream programme is for primary and secondary students with at least one parent of Dutch nationality. Our afternoon programme is for students aged four to 13 who are learning Dutch as a foreign language. We also offer a twoweek Dutch summer school. Please check our website www.dnsi1991.org or email directeur@ dnsi1991.org.

Fransız Fakirhanesi – Little Sisters of the Poor Email Mother Mary psdptr@gmail.com or phone 0212 296 4608.

FOCI (Friends of Contemporary Istanbul)

Working with the international community to promote the growth and development of contemporary art, the Friends of Contemporary Istanbul aim to contribute to the cultural life of Istanbul. Email jasmine.taranto@gmail.com or phone 0532 687 7899.

Friends of India Association (FOIA)

The Friends of India Association (FOIA) aims to connect Indians in Istanbul through social events.

Our aim is to keep the spirit of India and Indian culture alive by organising festivals and activities.

If you would like to know more email any of the following: Jugnu Saglik: jugnusaglik@yahoo. com, Ambili: ramachandran.ambili@gmail.com or Diya: khera.diya@gmail.com. We are also on Facebook as Istanbul Indian community (FOIA).

Girl Scouts

The Girl Scouts is tdedicated to helping girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success. İn a nurturing environment, and in with committed volunteers, girls develop strong values, leadership skills, social conscience and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. Girls aged fıve and up are welcome.

Email Kat Bekham usagsoistanbul@gmail.com or phone 054 2300 24 92.

IPWIN

IPWIN, the International Professional Women of Istanbul Network, welcomes all women who are working, seeking employment, or unable to work

in Turkey for legal reasons. Our members meet monthly at our IPWIN first Wednesday meetıngs, informal get-togethers focusing on a specific topic. We also schedule special events through the year featuring business-related topics.

Contact: ipwin@iwi-tr.org

InterNations

InterNations is an organisation where globally minded people have the opportunity to network and exchange valuable tips and topics regarding expatriate subjects. We organise events and provide opportunities for our members to meet and network twice a month. For further information please see our website http://www. internations.org.

International Women’s Bible Study

This group meets Tuesdays from 10am until 12.30pm. Contact Vicki Günay on 0532 314 1134.

Istanbul Accueil

Welcomes French speaking newcomers in Istanbul. We publish a weekly newsletter listing many events and activities. All French-speaking people are welcome! Email istaccueil@gmail.com or visit our website www.istanbulaccueil.org.

Istanbul@Night

Istanbul@night offers a regular opportunity for IWI members, their spouses and friends, to get together and enjoy a few drinks in a fun, new and interesting spot. Everyone is welcome for a relaxed and sociable evening to enjoy some of the best Istanbul has to offer! Istanbul@night takes place on the last Thursday of every month.

Look out for more details in the newsletter and on the IWI website. There is no cost for attending, just come and along and pay for what you order. Contact: istanbulatnight@iwi-tr.org

IWI Tennis Group

If you enjoy playing tennis please join our group.

The IWI Tennis Group takes place at Torch Tennis in Tarabya. We welcome all players from beginners to advanced. Please contact Kenan Dundar on 0535 390 4983 or email kenan. dundar@torchsportsclub.com.

Luso Brasileiro Portuguese speaking group. Contact Isabel Ponte Gulpan 0212 669 4943 or 0532 274 1653.

NVI – Dutch speaking people of Istanbul The Dutch Club Istanbul aıms to keep typical Dutch festivities alive, for people who have a connection to Holland, who like to meet up with Dutch-speaking people. For further information check our website (www.nv-istanbul.org) or contact Lisette Ruygrok at secretariaat@nvistanbul.org.

Istanbul International Chamber Choir

IICC is a fun women’s choir, which was founded in 2009 and sings a variety of choral styles from light classical to musical, jazz and pop. The choir has a Christmas concert and a spring concert in June. A weekly rehearsal takes place at Rumeli Hisarı. Contact Anderske Kaspersma at anderske@kaspersma.net or 0532 746 9448.

Istanbul International Rugby Center

Founded in 2007, this is the only Rugby Club in Istanbul with coaching for children and teenagers. Turkish, English, French and Spanish all spoken. The club has coached over 400 international children aged fıve to 16. Rugby training is every Saturday 12.30 - 2pm at Dilikitaş Sport Club in Beşiktaş. Contact Club President Gülseren Gomez or Technical Director Mr Luis Gomez on 0538 642 4513 or see our website: www.istanbulrugbycenter.com

GROUPS & ASSOCIATIONS Istanbul Ottomans Rugby Football Club

We practise every Saturday afternoon between 4pm and 6pm, except on days when there are official fixtures, at the Dikilitaş Spor Kulübü in Besiktas (directions available at www. ottomansrugby.com). Players of all ages (17+) and all levels of fitness are welcome.

PAWI

The Professional American Women of Istanbul is a network of American/Canadian women and spouses of Americans/Canadians living in Istanbul. PAWI strives to empower and support members by promoting personal and professional growth. Each monthly PAWI meeting features a guest speaker, and locations alternate between the European and Asian sides. Contact info@ pawiistanbul.com or visit www.pawistanbul.com.

Patchwork Group

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

Photography Club

The photo club is a group of international members whose skill levels vary from very basic to semi-professional – but who all share the desire to capture the world in a photograph and to explore Istanbul while doing so. The group discussion includes all current event information, bi-weekly photo challenges, tips and tricks, and general photography topics.

Contact: Fay Magnusson at photoclubofistanbul@ gmail.com.

Speech Bubbles

Speech Bubbles Theatre is a drama group established in 1988 aiming to perform high-quality English language musical theatre and donating proceeds to charities supporting children and education. Speech Bubbles is composed of amateur and professional dancers, singers and musicians from the international community. We also run a part-time school of performing arts for young people over 10 years of age and adults for three hours on Saturday mornings. Email tom@ speechbubbles.org or www.speechbubbles.org.

South Africans in Istanbul

Please contact esbie@hotmail.com if you are interested in forming an informal group of expatriate South Africans.

SWEA (Swedish Women Educational Association)

SWEA is a world-wide network for Swedishspeaking women with a chapter in Istanbul. We organise events and activities and welcome everyone who speaks Swedish. If you would like to know more or join us, please contact istanbul@ swea.org.

Tennis Club

If you enjoy playing tennis please join our group!

Teams are based on skill level and we welcome all players from beginners to intermediate and advanced. Tennis Group takes place at Torch Tennis in Tarabya. Contact: Kenan Dündar kenandundar911@hotmail.com 0535 390 4983

Toastmasters International – Istanbul Chapter

The English speaking Istanbul Toastmasters Club is the first Istanbul branch of Toastmasters International, an organisation that helps its members improve their communication and leadership skills in a supportive environment.

ITM meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Gönen Hotel in Taksim. Guests are welcome to attend two meetings free of charge. Email vp-membership@istanbultoastmasters.org or president@istanbultoastmasters.org.

Union Church of Istanbul

We are an international, inter-denominational church that offers services in English. Please contact Elaine Van Rensburg 0212 244 5763.

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.

www.bipschool.net

IWI DIRECTORY / CLASSIFIEDS

NATIVE FRENCH TEACHER

HOME RENOVATION

TURKISH LESSONS:

PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE

I am a native French teacher. I was born and grew up in Belgium and have taught in the UAE, Ivory Coast and Tunisia. I can provide French lessons for children or adults. Please contact me for my CV and references. bejihamida@hotmail.com or 05386928717

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.

Building Bridges between Countries & Cultures

MEF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Ulus Mah. Öztopuz Cad. Leylak Sok. 34340 Ulus - Beşiktaş / Istanbul Phone: +90 (212) 362 26 33 • Fax: +90 (0212) 287 38 70 E-mail: contact@mefis.k12.tr · www.mefis.k12.tr

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Home renovation and decoration. Great prices. Please contact www.designeredby-c.com

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.

IWI PARTNER OFFERS Our Partner Offers page lists offers and discounts that our partners are extending to IWI members.

In order to take advantage of these offers, you must show your IWI membership card.

If you lose your card, contact our offices at: Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Oz Topuz Sokak. Camlitepe Sitesi, No. 74 Blok C1 / D2 Ulus, Ortakoy.

EXPERT SKINCARE SPECIALISTS Is your skin in need of rehydration or have you noticed pigmentation changes following the summer sun? Combining our knowledge and skill with famous brands, oxygen facials, manual microdermabrasion to provide solutions, we offer free skincare consultations during the months of September and October, plus 20% discount for IWI members. CIDESCO, CIBTAC, ITEC qualifications. For more information and to make an appointment contact Siobhan or Gonca: Siobhan: 05355527887 / 00353851562889. Gonca: 05443235081 siobhandirilgen@hotmail.com

DENTRAM DENTAL CLINICS Dentram Dental Clinics offers 20% discount on all treatments to IWI members.

The offer is valid at all three clinics: Dentram Levent; Dentram Bağdat Caddesi; Dentram Acarkent. Please have your IWI membershıp card with you. www.dentram.com

CHILL OUT SPA NIŞANTAŞI British salon owner Ann Marie Sabuncu is offering IWI members a 25% discount on all treatments and package programs. Chill Out is a small boutique spa using quality products from Decleor. Latest technology LPG body treatments and reflexology are just some of the treatments available. For more information please contact Ann Marie on 0212 231 1159. www.chilloutspa.com.tr

MOMMA ZEN/ANNEZEN Momma Zen/annezen is a centre which specialises in yoga, massage and aromatherapy for the pregnant woman, baby yoga and baby massage workshops and kid's yoga.

We also offer a doula service and breastfeeding workshops, as well as massage and yoga for non-pregnant women. Momma Zen also teaches HypnoBirthing classes in English and runs workshops on making natural skincare products.

For IWI members we are pleased to offer a 20% discount on the full price of prenatal yoga and birth classes, workshops, massages and child yoga.

Momma Zen/annezen Kordon Yolu Sokak 8/1, Kordon Apt, Kalamiş, Istanbul.

Tel: 0216 345 0866 Jo Harris: 0536 8285587 www.momma-zen.com www.annezen.com/program

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

HILLSIDE SPORTS With a ‘feel good’ mission, these sports centres provide multifunctional and boutique services. Hillside’s unique products consider personal needs with a team of friendly, experienced and internationally certified experts. We introduce the world’s latest sports trends and provide a colourful range of products to members, combining fitness and fun.

The ‘Hillsider community’ consists of Hillside Etiler, Hillside İstinye and Hillside Trio members. Activities, tours, cultural travels, tournaments and parties enrich the lives of the community of members. Hillside City Clubs are wellness addresses that satisfy all needs of their guests and makes sure they feel good. We offer a 20% discount on general membership to IWI members.

Contact: Hillside City Club Etiler 0212 3522333 (Alkent Sitesi Tepecik Yolu Etiler) Hillside City Club Trio 0216 3241111 (Trio Konutları, Kozyatağı) Hillside City Club İstinye 0212 3672000 ( İstinyePark AVM)

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 a lively, relaxing and 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

GRAND BAZAAR DISCOUNTS

The following vendors in the Grand Bazaar are offering 10% discount to IWI members: Koç Leather & Fur KaptanBros, lighting and home decoration Tarkan Özbudak, fine Kütahya and İznik hand-painted ceramics, tiles İgüs, cashmere & silk Ucuzcular Baharat (Bilge Kadıoğlu): Spice market no:51 Eminönü

BOYNUZ STEAK HOUSE & KASAP Boynuz offers IWI members a 10% discount.

Polignon Mah. Polignon Cd. Fevzi Cakmak Sk. No:2 Istiniye Phone: 0212 2291910 www.boynuzet.com

STEVEN KITCHING BRITISH HAIRSTYLIST I’m happy to offer a 10% discount to all IWI members when booking your first appointment.

I have 20 years experience in cutting, styling and colouring and offer a professional friendly service in the comfort of your home. For more details and appointments call or e-mail (0551) 412- 4784. stevekitching@hotmail.co.uk

TIME OUT SUBSCRIPTIONS

Time Out Istanbul in English is offering a 25% discout on subscriptions for IWI members.

Make Time Out your monthly go-to guide for the city by contacting: Omer Karanis, omer@ajansmedya.com www.timeoutistanbul.com

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IWI POLICIES Membership Directory Membership information is only available online in the members only area of the website at present, but depending on sponsorship availability, may again be printed in the future as it was in the past. Whether online or in print, any and all member information is provided to IWI members in strictest confidentiality. Provision of member information to third parties contravenes IWI policy.

MEMBERSHIP

ADVERTISING

Membership registration is also available at our Newcomers meetings, held each month on both the European and Asian sides. Please refer to the Newcomers page in this Lale magazine for details of timing and location.

Classified ads: Restricted to 50 words.

Membership is open to all women who hold a Non-Turkish passport or who are married to a foreign passport holding spouse. For application details, please visit our website www.iwi-tr.org.

Changing Address or Lale Problems?

Don’t forget to give us your new address (postal and/or e-mail) to avoid delays to the delivery of Lale magazine or for up-to-date IWI member information. Contact our Membership Coordinator by e-mail at membership@ iwi-tr.org.

If your Lale magazine doesn’t arrive, please contact the Membership Secretary membership@iwi-tr.org

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

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

Member cost: 1-3 FREE in our online publications (Non-Commercial Ads) Non-Member cost: $60 plus 18% VAT. All advertising costs are payable by bank transfer. No cash payments accepted. A copy of the payment transfer (dekont) should be sent via email: advertising@iwi-tr.org. Only paid advertisements can be included in Lale.

Payment Details Bank: Garanti Bankası Branch Code (Hesap Şubesi): 340 Etiler TL Account (TL Hesap): TR03 0006 2000 3400 0006 2991 17 USD Account (USD Hesap): TR09 0006 2000 3400 0009 0939 67 Customer Name: İstanbul Uluslararası Kadınlar Derneği İktisadi İşletmesi

DISCLAIMER

Lale Content The IWI as an organisation and the IWI Board members act within the laws of Turkey pertaining to publishing but they do not accept any liability regarding the accuracy or content of the contributions supplied by our advertisers or members’ articles. In order to comply with these laws or publishing standards the IWI reserve the right to reject or edit any submission to Lale.

Furthermore, the IWI does not accept any responsibility for any of the services rendered by any of our advertisers.

Programmes Cancellation of a programme reservation after the deadline remains fully payable. Please refer to our website www.iwi-tr.org for up to date details, last minute additions or programme changes. The IWI reserves the right to cancel programmes due to insufficient numbers. You are responsible for both you and your child’s safety and the IWI cannot accept responsibility for injury or extra cost incurred during any activity organised by the IWI, or advertised in Lale.

IICS. Exceptional. Forward Thinking.

Years of Academic Excellence

1911-2011

IICS is the only Early Years 3 through Grade 12 International school in Istanbul fully authorized and globally accredited by the IB, CIS and NEASC.

• Child-centered education Early Years 3 through Grade 12 • Rigorous academics delivered by highly qualified faculty • Top university acceptances • Fully-authorized International Baccalaureate school (PYP, MYP, DP) • Multicultural staff & students • Modern technology & resources • Over a century of excellence

www.iics.k12.tr

www.iics.k12.tr