Sisters

By: Amanda Epperson and Jami Sall

Meet two talented sisters giving a fresh face to professional women in Turkey. I got to have tea with Odul and Gülçin out on their office patio on a sunny day in Istanbul. These two whirled around balancing our chat, client phone calls, and employee questions like it was all in a days work.

Odul is a financial planner and Gülçin a couture fashion designer. The sisters led me through the modern office building they share. Upstairs Odul has her financial firm. Organized, sleek and modern, I could feel my mind clear as nothing was out of place and all felt right in the world. In Gülçin’s downstairs fashion design studio, the air buzzed with creativity and employees worked diligently and meticulously on the projects.

I met these two sisters on Büyük Ada during Şeker Bayram where they were spending time with their whole family. I knew this must be a close-knit family by the way they were enjoying each other’s company. Turns out they have weathered many changes in their lives. The family has had to adapt to change moving from Turkey then to Germany, back to Denizli and then part of the family finally on to Istanbul..

The sisters couldn’t be more different in their interests, but their bond is strong. Even though Gülçin doesn’t remember, Odul talks about the time when she and their other sister moved out of the house to pursue their dreams and 8 year old Gülçin was the only child left at home. Gülçin felt they had taken all of the fun with them and she missed them terribly to the point that her grades were even suffering. Odul laughs as she recounts how her young sister packed her bags in hopes to leave the house and embark on her own too.

All families go through change but I don’t think all adapt so well so as this one. When I asked Odul what the secret was to the family ties staying strong through the seasons, she said that they were always able to talk to each other and they take time to listen to each other. Listening – I’m sure we would all do well to do this a little more. The benefits for this family have paid off well.