PAWI Turns 5 - Thank You!

Thanks everyone who came out on Saturday to celebrate PAWI turning 5!  Despite the cold and very rainy weather, we had a turnout of about 45 people for the potluck.  There was quite an array of food and it was nice to meet new people and see familiar faces.  Check out our Facebook page for more pictures.

The backbone of PAWI has always been bringing like-minded women together in effort to empower and support each other through professional and personal growth.  In the fall of 2006, a small group of women gathered to form Professional And Fabulous, which then in early 2008 went on to become PAWI as we know, founded by Christina Bache Fidan and Joanne Yildirim.  Now in 2011, we are proud to say that PAWI is still going strong and has reached an all-time high of 240 tightly-knit American and Canadian professional women living in Istanbul... and we are only continuing to grow!

Looking back through the years, it is interesting to see just how many PAWI members there have been. Taking into account our current members as well as members who have moved out of Istanbul, there have been a total of 325 members coming through PAWI's "doors".  In addition to today's current 240 members, the group also has 6 active sub-groups organizing events throughout any given month, plus separate teams managing our communication platforms, membership database, and Friends of PAWI for those who have moved away but still want to keep in touch.  A special thanks goes out to those individuals and teams who help make PAWI "go".  

At the potluck picnic there was a board posted where members and their families could share what PAWI means to them.  It was encouraging to see some common themes among the comments and we thought they were worth sharing:

• good friends / friendship
• great resource
• support
• network
• inspiration
• empowerment
• synergy
• great energy
• laughter
• community
• sharing ideas
• a lifesaver
• full of energy
• initiatives
• women empowering each other!

 

PAWI is truly a dynamic group of wonderful women and we are proud to look back on the past 5 years and see how we've grown together.  We hope that as a group we can keep this positive momentum going and continue to inspire each other to achieve and share success!

A Bit About the Book Club

In September the PAWI Book Club launched its third season discussing Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Thirty-four members strong, the book club meets monthly in Taksim. 

This year's selections feature a wide variety of topics such as life in the traveling circus, the curious "lives" of cadavers, a five-year old boy who knows nothing of the world but a single room, and a troubled marriage set against the lush and political landscape of Trinidad. 

At each book club meeting, we also host a monthly book exchange. If you are interested in joining the book club or would like to view the 2010-2011 PAWI Book Club Reading Selection and Schedule, please email PAWI's book club coordinators Felicia Grammas or Madeleine Pelletier at pawistanbul@hotmail.com 

About PAWI's Book Club Coordinators:

Felicia Grammas is a native of South Florida. She moved to Istanbul in August 2008 with her husband Andy, a teacher at Robert College. While Felicia does not work professionally in Istanbul, her background is communications. Before moving to Turkey, she was a senior vice president of marketing communications at a nationwide bank headquartered in Washington, DC. 
 


Madeleine Pelletier comes from Saskatoon, Canada.  She has been living in Turkey since 1998.  She has worked mostly in education but also does some work with local refugee organizations and the occasional piece of freelance writing. 

PAWI Continues to Grow

PAWI's successful membership drive in September culminated with the annual International Women of Istanbul's Welcome Day.  As of October 1st, PAWI membership has reached 240 active American and Canadian members. As you would expect to find in this dynamic and fascinating city, PAWI attracks a great mix of women business owners, executives, teachers, social media experts, artists, musicians, trailing spouses, chefs, journalists, published authors, moms, retirees and seniors. 

If you know an American or Canadian, or even someone with an American or Canadian spouse, who would like to join or for more information about PAWI membership, please send an email to pawistanbul@hotmail.com.

PAWI Meeting: October 8, 2011

The PAWI meeting on Saturday, October 8 featured guest speaker Jessica Lutz, a Dutch journalist, author, producer and longtime resident of Turkey. 

Missed the meeting? You can find out more about Jessica on her website.

 “After witnessing a prison riot being brutally crushed, I made up my
mind: I was staying. For two decades I have reported on issues of life
and death, all so close to the surface here. Turkey and its Middle
Eastern neighbours are marred by rebellion, wars, revolutions,
oppression and torture. People struggle for dignity. In an odd way,
all this makes me feel very much alive -- and provides substantial raw
material for my novels.”

Previously with PAWI: Master Makeup Class

In February, PAWI members participated in a Valentine's Master Makeup Class with makeup artist Maggie Cappelletti. During this Master Class, Maggie went over the truths and myths behind skin care, step by step makeup application, runway tips and tricks and how to transition an everyday look into an evening look. 

As a makeup artist, Maggie believes that, “Every woman has the right to express their inner beauty outwardly in order to empower themselves, and makeup should be used as a tool to achieve that power”. As both and artist and makeup artist Maggie looks to integrate both the conceptual and aesthetic into her makeup designs. She has solid experience as a Makeup artist for top fashion brands such as Christian Dior in the United States. Maggie has done everything from high fashion runway looks, promotional material to magazines and weddings.

PAWI members enjoyed learning from Maggie's expertise. 

Check out her website for more information, or like her facebook page.

Social Media Coordinator

Hi and welcome to the new PAWI Blog!  My name is Kate Long and I've recently joined the PAWI core team as the Social Media coordinator.  Originally from Saint Louis, my husband and I arrived in Istanbul in April 2009. I've been employed at the American Consulate as the Community Liaison Officer for the past 18 months. Tasked with helping new families adjust to life overseas, I always encourage the women to join PAWI. It has been such an important and impactful resource for me since arriving in Istanbul!

A blogger for just over four years, I think blogs play an important role in modern communication. Our PAWI members have consistently been a great tool of knowledge sharing and collaboration.  I hope this blog will continue to capitalize on that and provide another channel to promote PAWI.

This blog will be a work in progress, especially over the next few weeks, as I play catch up with a couple of recap posts.  There are sure to be many new features added, so check back often. And, please feel free to post comments. As always, PAWI looks forward to hearing your feedback!

PAWI Blog Beginnings

Welcome to the new PAWI Blog.  It's here that you'll find all things PAWI: updates, announcements, photos, and recaps.  Stay tuned for more details!