Where were you born?
I was born in İzmir, Turkey!
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak Turkish and English fluently. I also understand Italian after living in Italy for a while, and now I’m aiming for French. I’m starting language courses this month.
What does STCP mean to you?
For me, STCP means discovering the real Paris. I had been visiting Paris for years before moving here, but it wasn’t until STCP that I realized the kind of connections I’d been missing. I love meeting people from all walks of life, and STCP gave me the access (or better said, the privilege) to that.
When you’re not volunteering, how do you spend your time?
I used to think I was a bit of a loner, but in reality, I rarely have time alone because I spend so much of it with friends. I’ve always been a nerd for cinema and music, so you’ll usually find me at the movies or if it’s summer, at a festival. I also read a lot. When I lived in Rome, I had a spot by the river where I’d go whenever I needed to clear my head. Moving to Paris was easier because I found my new reading spot by the Seine, it’s become my little anchor in the city.
What is your favorite hobby?
If going to concerts doesn’t count as a real hobby, then it has to be reading. I truly believe humans are meant to constantly change and evolve, and reading is the best way to stay connected to other people, cultures, and ideas. I studied literature in my bachelor’s, so maybe I’m biased, but books are my lifeline.
What is your favorite meal?
Anyone who knows me would expect me to say pasta, but as someone from the Aegean side of Turkey, our veggies dishes are to die for! My mom makes the perfect vegan karnıyarık and Bosnian börek, and my grandma’s famous dish was bamya. Honestly, I can’t pick just one, I’ll go with any Aegean or Balkan dish, especially the appetizers. Sorry, I’m greedy haha!
With which person living or deceased would you like to eat that meal?
My grandmother passed away ten years ago, and when the matriarch of a family is gone, it’s hard to gather everyone together again. I’d love to have one last long dinner with my grandma, mom, and aunt (sorry grandpa and uncle! love you endlessly but men are not invited) with all our favorite dishes laid out.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness is when I see the sea and nature meet or when I’m at an unforgettable concert. Those are the moments when I feel most alive, serene and grateful.
Which living person do you most admire?
Always my mom. I wish I had a more original answer, but the older I get, the more I realize what an icon she is. She raised me as a single mom, she’s endlessly passionate and loving, and you’ll never find her sitting still —she’s always outside, traveling, moving. She’s the only person I could ever aspire to be like, and then hopefully more.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I don’t know if it counts as a talent but I wish I could focus on one thing at a time. I want to learn new languages, instruments, travel, and do a hundred things at once and end up doing none of them properly.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of living abroad. There wasn’t a single day I didn’t imagine the life I’d have one day, and now I can honestly say I’m living that dream. I’ve overcome so many struggles alone in the past five years, traveled across Europe, lived in four countries so far, gone to almost every music festival I wanted (next goal: Glastonbury!), built friendships across the world and I’ve never looked back with regret. When I think about the little kid version of me, I know she’d be so proud, and that’s enough to keep me going. I still daydream every day though, I’m only 25, and I plan on living until I’m 100 (in the year 2100!), so there’s plenty more to achieve.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Definitely a cat. I just can’t decide if I’d rather be a spoiled house cat who does nothing and gets endless love, or a wild, rare, and mysterious cat always on the move.
