Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Greetings, I am Berfin. During the years when I was a very strict social media follower, I described myself as 'world traveler, food lover, chocolate mania, coffee addicted, true believer in karma, obsessed, procrastinator and Mother of J&Minik' on Instagram. The only thing that has changed is that I am now the mother of 3 cats instead of 2 :) Now there is also Ugly. Now I'm a cat lover to a pathological level. In fact, my life has come to such a point that I work in a company that produces cat and dog food.
I completed my master's degree in Business Administration at Istanbul Bilgi University and then in Communication Strategies at Galatasaray University. I have been working as a brand manager for different brands in the marketing department in the private sector for about 10 years.
What is a pleasant day in Istanbul for you? What do you do?
Undoubtedly, on a Sunday morning, with my slippers on my feet and my tights on, drinking coffee with Çirkin (my 3rd cat that I look at on the street) in the opposite chair at Nişantaşı 5 Coffee and Tea, where I am a regular in the neighborhood. I am one of those who think that they live relatively fortunately in a chaotic city like Istanbul. Due to the location of where I live, I can greet at least 5 people even while walking on the road where everyone knows each other, and it is quite suitable for casual exchanges. So I usually say, “I have a coffee and go home.” All the Sundays I say are usually when I return home in the evening and say 'This is the end of a weekend!' There are times when I finish with unplanned but beautiful energies that create a feeling.
So if we go out a bit, what's an ideal holiday for you? What are your favorite places that you have seen so far? Is there any advice you can give us about them?
If you are interested in cultural and life differences, New Delhi-India is a must-see place. At that time, I had no interest in yoga and energies, it was purely a touristic trip. I would like to go once again to understand its nature and teachings.
My favorite city is Paris. It is great to wander around its streets for hours, drink coffee in every corner and watch its imposing buildings. Most people go to the Eiffel Tower to climb, I think it is much more enjoyable to look at the tower from below and watch it from the streets.
But the ideal holiday for me in recent years has been Greece. I go to different regions at every opportunity. The islands are perfect in summer. The concept of each island is different; If you want a romantic holiday, Santorini. While you're there, stay at Aris Cave, even if just for one night. Thasos is both easy to reach for those traveling from Istanbul and offers a wonderful resting holiday with dozens of untouched and uninhabited bay options.
For the winter months, I recommend Athens and Volos.
So, what are your must-have items when packing your suitcase for this holiday? What do you take with you?
A difficult question for a woman :) Unfortunately, there is never an item in that suitcase that is worthless enough to be willing to leave it behind. But my sunglasses are indispensable in both my suitcase and my bag in summer and winter. Glasses are my sensitive point, even though I am sure I will never use them, I buy as many glasses as the number of days I will be gone and use only one of them.
Do you have any book/music/film recommendations that have influenced you recently?
'Who am I and why am I here?' for about 3 years. I'm stuck on the question. That's why I enjoy reading about energy, the universe, and existence. There are three books I have read recently that I highly recommend.
- God's Birthday-Burak Özdemir (It takes the form of MSN conversations with God. It consists of very clear questions and radical answers.)
- The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle (For those who are new to thinking about energy, frequency and positive thinking, it is a profound book that helps me break my patterns on every page, explained in a plain and simple language.)
- It Didn't Start With You - Mark Wolynn (It tells about the family constellation and how what we have experienced and what we have learned up to this age are inherited from a long time ago.)
There are platforms in all of our lives these days; Netflix, Youtube, audiobooks, podcast applications... Which of these are in your life and to what extent? Maybe you would like to share your favorite channels, podcast series or favorite TV series-documentaries with us?
Netflix rocks! Explained and Food Crimes are documentary series that I have watched recently and am waiting for the sequel. Apart from that, I actually watch everything that is popular and gets good reviews left and right, even if I can't finish it :) But my favorite is still Black Mirror!