Zeynep is a 25 years old, a young woman from Turkey, who has been living the last 2 years and a half in Athens. All started from a coincidence! A Facebook message for a job from a Greek acquaintance of hers was quite enough to be a motivation for her coming in Greece. Eager for new life adventure, she didn’t event google Athens to find more! Having a diploma in International Relations from the University in Izmir and being quite an outgoing person, Zeynep was ready to have new experiences, meet new people and explore in depth the Greece culture. When she arrived in Greece, so as to earn her living, she stared working at the customer support Dept of an international telecommunications company. Very soon, she decided to upgrade her studies and applied for a Master’s programme at the University of Athens, specializing in Southeast European Studies. She got accepted, having the opportunity to improve & educate herself further. While studying, she found a new job at an international information services firm, where she currently works. Zeynep feels lucky enough to work at a multinational work environment, having the chance to interact & cooperate with people from all around the world, while being at the same time an MA graduate in Athens. “Athens is like my home town, Izmir. People here are very friendly and warm.”, “I feel like being at home”, says Zeynep. The integration for her seems to be easy and smooth insofar. “The weather is like in Izmir and I have made a lot of friends”. Except for working and studying, she loves being close to nature and exploring new points of the city. She goes hiking, when she has time and gets lost, wandering in the streets of Athens. But, are there any challenges for her? What does she miss the most about Turkey? “I miss my family a lot. My parents and my younger brother”, she explains. However, her work is a strong incentive to be in Greece, as she learns many things about new markets and sustainable business worldwide. She would like to set up her own wine export company back to Turkey, at the beginning of her 30s.
📚 Her favorite book is the novel “The time regulation institute” by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü). 🍽️ Her favorite traditional recipe is pumpkin balls (balkabağı topları).
