By A.J. Griffiths-Jones Kaftans, sarongs, cover-ups, call them what you will, but these items of beachwear have two common purposes, to protect from the sun’s harmful rays during high temperatures and to create a degree of modesty when circumstances warrant it. This is especially important during Turkiye’s unexpected heatwave this summer, as intense sunburn on…
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By A.J. Griffiths-Jones There was a flurry of panic last month when the Turkish Government changed their policy requirements for residency visas, causing many expats to decide to sell up and leave. Others took matters into their own hands and fulfilled the legal requisites by getting married. However, fast-forward to June and the guidelines have…
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Hasan Bayrak, Voices Publisher My daughter Ruken has been a reporter for our newspaper for the past two years. Thanks to Ruken, Voices brought you great news. She introduced us to many places to visit in Turkey in the Explore column and introduced us to great books and movies in the Book and Film Review…
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Hasan Bayrak, Voices Publisher Glenn Maffia, one of the first editors of our newspaper, died last January 10th at the age of 66. I met Glenn in 2005, when I was a young 26-year-old journalist with plans to launch Voices, but I didn’t know how. And I met Glenn and Gill and together we published…
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By A.J. Griffiths-Jones With recent data showing that expat resident figures in Turkiye are falling, below 10,000 across Aydin, it’s more important than ever to both support our fellow foreigners and integrate into the local Turkish community. There are many ways to do this, through sports, classes and trips, but it’s not always easy to…
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December is a busy time of year for many expatriates, with many returning to their birth countries to spend the festive season with family and friends, others off in search of winter sun, while lots of us remain here in Turkiye, content to create our own celebrations at home. It’s quite unusual living in a…
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Locals are well aware that as soon as tourist season is over on the Turkish coast, construction begins and new-builds start popping up on every available vacant plot. Only a few days ago, I was looking at an image of my local area from twenty-five years ago, and what a difference! Although it was an…
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Walk along the seafront of any small Turkish coastal town during autumn and winter months and you’ll be surprised at the number of restaurants that have closed their doors for the season. Content to wait for the onslaught of tourists next May, owners and staff return to their family homes or take a much-needed break.…
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By Nutritionist and Dietitian Zeynep Kulakçı Do you think about your brain during the day? How did what you eat and do today affect it? If you are not thinking about these questions, you may be disrupting its maintenance. The brain’s greatest need is, of course, oxygen. But the foods we eat and essential sleep…
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One of the most important factors of consideration for any expat is whether their health insurance is adequate to cover any unexpected accidents, medical procedures, short or long-term illnesses. No matter whether you feel fit and active at your time of moving overseas, there is no guarantee as to how long it will be before…
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