The Turkish Breakfast Club

Tekrar merhaba everyone!

We took a bit of an extended summer/autumn/winter holiday, but we're back now with what we'll call 'season 2' of the podcast.

And we're coming back in time for International Women's Day, which is on March 8th. This will be my fourth year spending this day in Istanbul, and during that time I've seen everything from huge raucous rallies filling the city's central Istiklal Street, to women being pepper sprayed and batoned by police.

That range mirrors daily life here -- where there are moments of resistance, solidarity and joy but also bigotry, injustice and brutality. All of the episodes this month will be dedicated to different aspects of women's experiences in this country, from our history and faith, to our struggles and successes.

And our very first guest to kick it off is Ebrar who is a volunteer at Mor Çatı, or 'Purple Roof,' one of the main organizations combating violence against women and gender inequality in Turkey. 

You can learn more about their work and donate here: https://en.morcati.org.tr/

We'll be posting more information about Mor Çatı and other groups fighting for gender equality in Turkey on social media, so give us a follow there if you haven't already @TheTurkishBreakfastClub.

Happy International Women's Day -- and hope to see you marching on March 8th. 

Our guest this week is Karin Johansson -- and by the time you hear this episode she will have swam 6.5 kilometres down the Bosphorus Strait as part of Istanbul's annual cross-continental swimming race. 

The Bosphorus has been treasured for centuries, as part of the crucial connection between the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, and the natural border dividing Istanbul between Asia and Europe. 

For those of you who are keen to swim the race too, Karin has some pro tips for training and strategy. For the rest of us, just sit back and enjoy this episode.

You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheTurkishBreakfastClub

As the 63rd Süper Lig Turkish football season gets underway this week, huge crowds of fans are again taking over stadiums and streets to show their love for their team.

But this week's episode isn't for them. It's for those who aren't such devoted followers of the game. 

We asked Patrick Keddie -- the author of 'The Passion: Football and the Story of Modern Turkey' -- to explain how non-fans can get into the storylines, even if they don't love the sport. 

From war-time resistance and gun fights in the stands, to songs of poetry and teary-eyed coaches -- Turkish football is, unsurprisingly, full of drama. And even those in the highest offices of power often use football to score points on the political field. 

Please listen, subscribe, share and follow the podcast @TheTurkishBreakfastClub.

Given the situation in Turkey right now, we thought we would take a break this week.  

You could of course take the time to catch up on our past episodes. But we also encourage you to read up and reflect on some of the other stories happening right now around Turkey: The wildfires that have reduced massive stretches of natural habitat along the southern coast to ashes; the murders of more women through domestic violence; and the struggle to keep people vigilant against the latest Covid surge.  

The news cycle in Turkey can sometimes feel unbearable, so more than anything we hope you take this time to take care of yourselves and those around you.  

Stay safe out there and kolay gelsin.  

Now more than ever is the time show our gratitude and respect for nature.

Our guest this week is Kate Clow -- the creator of Turkey's first ever long-distance trekking route, the Lycian Way.

In this episode, she guides us through two thousand years of Roman road history and offers some helpful tips for those of us who have NOT hiked that many mountain ranges over the past year.

Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheTurkishBreakfastClub.

The Summer Olympics are underway and so we are getting sporty spice for this episode. 

Before I moved to Turkey, I had no idea professional volleyball leagues existed.  

But not only is there a highly-competitive international club circuit outside of North America -- Turkey's women reign supreme in it. 

Turkish clubs have won more world championships on the ladies' side than any other country in the world, attracting the best players and biggest crowds.

Which to be honest, is a bit unexpected for a majority-Muslim country where women wearing shorts or playing sports can still raise some eyebrows -- much less doing both, together, at the same time!  

This week, star spiker Merve Aktaş serves up what it takes to make it to the top in the Turkish sports world. 

WE'RE BACK!

After months under lockdown, and then a nightly curfew, Turkey has lifted most of its Covid restrictions on businesses and group gatherings. 

But are you ready to get back out into polite society? Do you still remember how to be social, or polite?

To brush up on some of the basics, we've brought back our favourite Turkish teacher, Didem. She'll remind us about some of the etiquette we may have forgotten over the past year-and-a-half of quarantining at home on our own, and the cultural norms you do not want to accidentally step all over. 

For more, please subscribe to the podcast and follow @TheTurkishBreakfastClub on Instagram and Facebook.