Smarties around the world: Elif, from Turkey to Portugal

Elif Aklan joined Smart Consulting recently as QlikView Developer and she is taking a master’s degree at NOVA IMS.

SMART CONSULTING [SC] What are the biggest differences for you between Portugal and Turkey?
Elif [E] Instead of looking at the biggest differences, I have found many similarities between Turkey and Portugal which connect me emotionally to this country. The people, the weather, the history. This impressed me when I visited Lisbon in 2015. However, there are also differences: for example, there are less people in the city, Istanbul has 18 million habitants. Besides, although people are similar because they are friendly, helpful, sympathetic and have smiling faces, the biggest difference between them is that Portuguese people are amazingly chill and calm which made me love them more. The origin of the culture is also quite different, but we have almost the same processes from the history to become a republic. That impresses me about the country as well.

[SC]  Do you like living here?
[E] Yes, I love it! Last summer I made a decision about my life: live in Portugal.  When I came here in September 2016 I felt that I found my place to live in. It was never difficult to get used to here, but I am still learning since I want to know more about Portuguese lifestyle.

[SC] You are doing a master’s degree at NOVA IMS and just started working at Smart. Why did you choose Portugal to study and to work?
[E] Yes, I lived in Istanbul for 5 years when I was studying Computer Engineering in Istanbul Technical University. During those years I also lived in Poland for 6 months in an exchange program. I liked the change I had in my life. And during the last year in my bachelor’s degree I was looking for a master program in Europe. I had several options, however, what was important for me was the quality of the university, the details of the courses it has, the professors and the country that I was going to live in. I talked with my portuguese friends about every detail that I wanted to know, before applying. Everything was so clear to me after, and ah Lisbon… Such a lovely and amazing city, it's like I am living in a “Little Istanbul” and that make me feel really good.

When I talked with my Portuguese friends, it was not only about the university or the country. It was also about the opportunities that I could work here. I was convinced because they told me that there is a giant growth of my area especially in Lisbon and that I could find a job easily. And the opportunities and investments that Portugal is doing in technology in the most modern way were and still are quite appealing.

[SC] Is it the first time that you live far from home?
[E] No, I have lived in Wroclaw, Poland in 2015 and Ljubljana, Slovenia last year. They were all nice experiences and I liked to live in those countries also.

[SC] What made you want to work on your area?
[E] While I was studying Computer Engineering, I was taking extra courses from Management faculty in which I was quite interested in. Besides learning technical details when I was a student, I always wondered how I could apply that knowledge in the real business area. Also, in my family and in my group of friends there are several consultants. I had always talked with them about their experience when I was student, and the experience I had by working with consultants made me more interested in consulting area. Also my area is Information Systems Management in which I want to be qualified and improve myself as much as I can. Also, the curiosity to learn more is what made me want to approach this area.

[SC] How did you hear about Smart?
[E] From my research in the area I wanted to work in, I have found Smart at the beginning, and I kept searching. Also, from my Portuguese friends who have worked at Smart, I heard that they were happy. At the time when I saw the awards Smart has, I thought ‘Yes I believe I came to the right place’.

[SC] What are your expectations towards Smart?
[E] Contribute as much as I can for Smart to make it proud and build solid experiences with my colleagues in a happy environment is what I expect mostly.

[SC]  Can you recommend us one typical Turkish dish and one place from Turkey to visit?
[E] I love ‘sarma’ that is a typical food from Turkey that you can also find in some Balkan countries actually. Its full name is ‘zeytinyağlı yaprak sarması’ which is grape leaves stuffed with rice. It has an amazing taste.
As a place I would say Istanbul, if you haven’t been yet. But I love Cappadocia. It has incredible rock formations and the balloon experience to see the sunrise followed by a Turkish breakfast brunch will make you feel good.