Istanbul Opportunities

Turkish Coffee, photo by Claudia Turgut, "A Seasonal Cook in Turkey"

Goodness, It has been nearly two weeks since I posted anything. Partly because of the long holiday we have been on, and partly because I am gradually finding a life! Last week, I spent the whole of Wednesday at a PTA Coffee Morning, followed by a board meeting. I absolutely hate walking into a brand new group of people, and striking up a conversation. I would rather eat dirt. But, in order to have comfortable old friends, you must make new ones first. So I grit my teeth, put a smile on my face, and utter all the friendly banalities that I can think of, just to get the ball rolling. In fact, I met several interesting women, with whom I exchanged email and phone numbers. I went home exhausted, relieved that it was over, but very glad I had forced myself to go.

The next day, I became a card carrying member of the IWI, which stands for the International Women of Istanbul. It is open to any woman living in Istanbul who has a passport from another country. This is the one organization that every ex-pat woman depends upon when she is over seas. It is usually well organized and professionally run, with programs and events open to all members. It was held at a luxurious hotel downtown, and was basically a meet and greet, but with lots of tables to visit that had various groups to join or services of interest to ex-pats. I signed up to work on the St. Andrews Day Ball (Dec. 5), joined the Art Lovers of Istanbul, and a knitting for charity group. I took home a glossy, color magazine, filled with events to attend in October. Each month, another magazine will be hand delivered, offering the next months activities. October offerings include, a "Turkish Wine Tasting" night (I'll sign us up for that one) a Turkish Cooking class, Touring the markets, or having a Bobbi Brown makover. I can see there will be amble opportunities to get involved. After the meeting was over, a group of us met on the patio overlooking the Bosphorus for lunch. By the end of the day, overcome with enthusiasm for my new found friends, I issued an impromptu invitation to three families for a "Seker Bayram" party to be held at our house.

Most ex-pat societies are pretty welcoming; In Istanbul, I have felt genuinely embraced. What a blessing. The tension inside me is gradually beginning to unwind.