why you're reading this

who I am and why I chose to write here

Hey there,

(Pretty generic I know, but until I find a better way to begin, I'll keep saying it)

I'd like to start by thanking you for subscribing to my newsletter. With this little story, I hope to tell you who I am, why I chose to write, and what you may expect from these newsletters.

I'm Betul, a Turkish girl who spent the majority of her life in Istanbul until moving to the Netherlands in December 2022. Between the years I lived in Istanbul and later on in Haarlem, I was able to fit in four other beautiful cities during my studies: Çanakkale, Krakow, Eindhoven, and Amsterdam. I've been exploring different parts of Europe and enjoying all forms of travel for the past three years, sometimes solo and sometimes with companions.

Aside from trying to experience life as much as I can, I feel fulfilled reading literature spanning from psychology, neurology, sociology, and occasionally world classics. I’m interested in others’ reflections on the books they’ve read and the effect those readings have on them, which is why I enjoy using Goodreads to be inspired by others' comments, discover new books, and keep track of my own library.

For the past year, I've been trying to learn different sports such as climbing, ice skating, yoga, and running. I used to think that I hated running, but the more I get out of the house and move my body, the more energized and pleased I am to be alive.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention this! I am a software engineer who specializes in backend engineering (although I am currently working as a cloud developer on my new project). I graduated in computer engineering in 2022 and immediately moved to Amsterdam to work as a software developer in Deloitte's cloud engineering team.

And finally, one more thing that I believe defines who I am is my passion for photography and videography. I love telling stories through my camera lens. Since 2020, I have mainly focused on analogue photography, but recently, while I appreciate the constraints of analogue photography, such as being limited to 36 exposures per film and the anticipation of seeing the results after developing, I've felt drawn to exploring digital photography as well.

Well, it seems that this quick introduction have turned into a lengthy one. So I'll quickly share why I started writing and then wrap up this talk.

I've found myself writing for as long as I can remember. I wrote letters that I never sent to the little girl I met in my mother’s village in the east side of Turkey back in 2008. I kept diaries, documenting my struggles and feelings. I wrote poems and crafted stories for school contests. More recently, I've written technical blog posts about software engineering.

But then I stopped, obviously.

I started overthinking. I began to believe that my writing was too loosely defined, that my word choice was not good and that my sentences were meaningless. I was concerned that my writing was not engaging, that I lacked fascinating stories to share, and that I was not a good storyteller. I couldn't decide between writing in English and Turkish. Maybe I could express myself better in Turkish, or maybe not. What topics should I focus on? I felt overwhelmed by the idea of writing about many topics all the time; I wanted structure and a niche. I thought I had to be an expert on a subject before sharing my thoughts. I believed that my writing needed to be thoroughly reviewed and revised before publishing. I am not enough, I’ll never be enough…

But now, I've reached a point where I don’t want to postpone writing any longer. I just want to write, about anything. Sometimes I'll share my work experiences, other times I'll write about cities I've visited, offering itineraries for those planning a visit. Occasionally, I'll discuss photography or running, and how it helps me find inner peace. Sometimes, I'll share stories that have inspired me or technical blogs about backend, cloud, networks, etc.

So, yes, expect newsletters about a variety of topics. You may even suggest ideas for me to write about. Expect sincerity, vulnerability, inspiration, and a touch of silliness.

And lastly thank you for joining me on this journey; your support means the world to me.

Betul