One of the Boys – Photographed by Vogue Turkey art director Ahmet Polat, Julia Saner explores Istanbul from a man’s perspective for the publication’s June issue. Whether she’s taking a tour of the boxing ring or the horse stables, Julia remains simply elegant in the colorful creations of Jil Sander, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu and others styled by fashion editor Mary Fellowes.
When folks back home think of me living in İstanbul, many think I am living in an exotic paradise where camels walk the streets, harems abound and livestock walks about the city streets — really. When I tell them that I live in a modern city where folks get up in the morning to go to work and come home after work to have dinner with their friends or families — really not much different than a city like New York — they find it hard to shake that image.
They are not completely wrong, though. Living as an expat in İstanbul can be exciting, as you learn the language, tour the many beautiful historical sites and discover your community. However, many challenges exist, like learning how to speak fluently enough to express your wants and needs, fighting traffic and navigating in a new culture. Perhaps the most challenging obstacle for many people is finding ways to socialize outside of their collective circles.
What often happens is that many of us get caught up in our routines and miss a lot of what’s happening around us. I know that when I first got here I was quickly absorbed into two worlds — the university community and the (to me when I first came) exotic Eastern Turkey world provided by my first friend in İstanbul. I stayed in those worlds for almost four years and then I started Democrats Abroad Turkey, which forced me to venture out into other communities here. I learned that there was much going on. There was dance and art and theater and yoga and classes and out-of-the-way museums and there were interesting people of all walks of life waiting for me to appear outside the fringes of my life.
If you are looking to expand your social circles, you might want to start small by venturing out into your neighborhood. Meet the local restaurant owners, simit cart attendants and local market owners. As you go out to get the essentials, jot down some other businesses that appeal to you, like gyms, cafes and spas. You can research them more thoroughly later on to see if they might be fun places to go.
Once you have researched the area businesses, consider visiting them as an outing. If you join the local gym, you could make lots of new friends and feel more comfortable while building your health. Because you already know what to do with the equipment, you can focus on brushing up on your Turkish with native speakers — and you will probably meet lots of expats from all over the world who may feel just like you do.
If you are retired or have free time on your hands, consider volunteering. When you volunteer to help a charity of your choice, you learn vocabulary which you might not normally be exposed to in day-to-day business or school transactions. This vocabulary of compassion and love would allow you to practice a deeper expression of your feelings toward your new friends. One international organization that has clubs all over Turkey is Lions Club International. It is a membership-based club (membership dues may apply) that promotes community volunteer work all over the world — www.lionsclubs.org.
Joining groups
Join local expat groups like the Sublime Portal — www.sublimeportal.com. By exploring the many useful threads in this forum, you will have the opportunity to learn how to navigate issues that come up without having to re-invent the wheel. You also will meet a lot of folks at weekly and seasonal gatherings hosted by the portal. Additionally, the International Women of İstanbul have many groups and associations listed on their website at www.iwi-tr.org/ig_gna.aspx (Note: this organization is for women holding foreign passports or the wives of men who hold foreign passports; membership dues apply.)
In addition to free groups like the Sublime Portal or many of the organizations listed by the International Women of İstanbul, there are other social groups such as Internations — www.internations.org/turkey-expats. I’ve only gone to a couple of their monthly get-togethers so I can’t say too much about them other than they are here and seem to be geared toward networking opportunities. Another group is İstanbul Toastmasters — www.istanbultoastmasters.org. Both Internations and Toastmasters are membership-based and Toastmasters requires dues.
Consider taking a class. Taking Turkish language classes could help you to meet new people who you could practice with. Increasing your Turkish skills opens you up to a whole new world of experiences as you practice with native speakers. Many times, language classes include information about the culture that will help you to avoid cultural faux pas that are common when living in a foreign country.
If Turkish is not an area of interest or need, consider taking a cooking class to learn how to make the local cuisine. Alternatively, you can take a salsa class or a drawing class. A college course in Turkish history or a more comprehensive tour of sites around Turkey could also help you to meet new people with similar interests. If you take such a course, you could be a valuable asset to your visiting friends and relatives as you take them around to the sites and avoid the often overly eager tour guides.
In addition to good old web searches, one resource that provides comprehensive information about the happenings in İstanbul is Time Out magazine. They can be found in print or online at www.timeout.com/istanbul/.
The main idea is to immerse yourself in your new life in İstanbul or, if you have been here for a while, to develop new social circles that can enhance your life. The more contacts and friendships you share, the deeper your connection to Turkey will be. As your venture outside of your social comfort zone, you will discover that the social opportunities in İstanbul are limitless.
via zaman
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Spyro Gyra, an American jazz fusion band formed in the mid-1970s, will perform in Istanbul for the first time as part of the Garanti Jazz Fest at the Istanbul Jazz Center on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The group has released 25 albums and sold 10 million copies worldwide, while the group’s most successful hit singles, “Shaker Song” and “Morning Dance,” have received significant play on popular music radio stations, and are still frequently heard nearly 30 years later on jazz and easy-listening stations.
Spyro Gyra’s music, which has been influential in the development of smooth jazz, combines jazz with elements of R&B, funk and pop music. Although generally considered to be more “jazz” than “smooth,” Spyro Gyra has been praised for their skilled instrumentalists and for their live performances, which average nearly 100 per year.
Even though the group was from 1970s, the 1990s provided the band with new challenges and a stable line-up for most of the decade. Guitarist Julio Fernandez rejoined the band for their 1991 Collection CD, a best of work that also featured two new songs. These two new songs on the collection marked the debut of drummer Joel Rosenblatt, who had previously played with artists ranging from Michel Camilo to Pure Prairie League.
via Easy-listening US jazz band to make Istanbul premiere – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review.
The choir’s founder and arts director, Mehmet Bajraktarevic, said he was very proud to be in İstanbul for such an important occasion.
The Sultan Mehmed Fatih Ensemble, a Sarajevo-based choir, was at İstanbul’s historic Aya İrini Museum on May 29 to mark the 558th anniversary of the conquest of İstanbul by the Ottomans in 1453, marking the end of the Byzantine era. The choir performed a number of İlahis, or Muslim hymns, during the concert, which was organized by Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).
The choir’s founder and arts director, Mehmet Bajraktarevic, said he was very proud to be in İstanbul for such an important occasion. “During my 35-year career, I’ve directed many concerts throughout Europe, but this is the most significant task that I have been given. I am honored that Sultan Mehmed Fatih was chosen to perform at Aya İrini on such an important day in history. This is by far the ‘trophy of my career’,” he said, adding that he was delighted to have been invited to perform at Aya İrini by TRT.
The performance at Aya İrini marked Sultan Mehmed Fatih’s ninth appearance in Turkey in seven years. “We are always excited to perform in Turkey. We are respected here, and our talent is recognized. While in our own country, Bosnia, people are not interested in our choir, or our İlahis. It saddens me, but it is a harsh reality,” Bajraktarevic said ruefully.
The choir director also shared information on the background of the choir. Formed in 2004, the ensemble is made up of nine pedagogues and 100 vocalists of varying age groups. “Sultan Mehmed Fatih has two generations of vocalists. We even have a mother and a daughter singing together,” Bajraktarevic said.
The choir was invited to perform on the anniversary of İstanbul’s conquest, after the general director of TRT, İbrahim Şahin, discovered the ensemble at a concert during a random visit to Bosnia. The ensemble is made up of different choirs from Bosnia and Turkey such as the Choir Dzulistan from Novi Pazar, Serbia. The ensemble’s popular repertoire consists of songs in several different languages, including Persian, Turkish, Bosnian and Arabic, with a unique blend of Western and Balkan influences and traditions.
Cihan news agency
via Bosnian musical ensemble celebrates İstanbul’s conquest | Art & Culture | World Bulletin.
Turkey’s leading private music TV channels as well as the country’s state-run TRT broadcaster have broken new ground in airing the first Armenian music video on popular stations in the nation’s history.
The Istanbul-born Armenian Sibil Pektorosoglu, whose album was released a few months ago, says it was a dream to release the album and broadcast her music video on Turkish TV.
“Namag” (Letter) by Pektorosoglu, has been gaining mainstream popularity and can now be heard echoing from shops along the city’s iconic Istiklal Avenue. “When I hear my songs on İstiklal Avenue, I cry,” she recently told the Hurriyet Daily News.
The lyrics were written by master Armenian poet Hovhannes Shiraz while the singer’s music video was produced by one of Turkey’s most famous directors in the field, Ozkan Aksular.
“Music is universal, it is above all identities. I can’t breathe without singing; this is why this album is loved that much by my listeners,” says the singer.
via Above identities: Istanbul-born Armenian singer’s album gets popularity in Turkey – Arts and Culture | ArmeniaNow.com.
Istancool 2011, an international festival of art, design, fashion, film, music, literature and architecture, began on May 27.
International art festival “Istancool 2011” and the Amnesty International have held a joint event to draw attention to the freedom of expression.
Istanbul’s Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center was the venue for a panel discussion, “Voices of Hope – Readings”.
Marco Mueller, art curator of the Venice Film Festival, and French author Sophie Calle read out letters sent by Chinese and Cambodian prisoners whose freedoms of thought and expression were restricted.
Mine Hanyali of the Amnesty International said at the event, “people around the world are sentenced to prison just for expressing their thoughts peacefully. People around the world are subject to torture and maltreatment just because they toast for freedom. We demand their release. As humans rights activists, we demand that authors, poets, journalists and blog writers should not be punished for expressing their thoughts.”
Later, participants let yellow balloons out to the air symbolizing release of prisoners of thought.
“Istancool 2011,” an international festival of art, design, fashion, film, music, literature and architecture, began on May 27. The second edition of the three-day event brought together some the world’s most talented writers, designers, editors, actors, poets, filmmakers, dancers and musicians including Tilda Swinton, Venice Film Festival director Marco Mueller, Courtney Love, Sophie Calle, Riccardo Tisci, Ryan McGinley, Haider Ackermann, Dan Colen, Michael Stipe, Sam Taylor-Wood and Kirsten Dunst.
AA
