Welcome! Witam! Hoşgeldiniz! G’day!

If you’re like me, you love to travel! Or perhaps you’re an expat living abroad like myself.

Since 2010, we’ve lived in three different countries - Istanbul, Turkey; Warsaw, Poland; and currently, Melbourne, Australia.

I loved our Turkish trips, exploring the Istanbul neighborhoods and shopping at the pazar for fresh fruits and veggies. Moving from the Mediterranean Turkish climate to Eastern Europe was a bit of shock for my expat life in the spring of 2013. I eventually adjusted and we tried to travel as much as we could around Europe (see Other Trips) and all over Poland.

When we moved from Turkey to Poland, I changed the name of my blog from My Turkish Joys to My Traveling Joys. Now, the goal is to write about my expat adventures in Turkey, Poland & Beyond. We’ve pretty much lived up to our goal to travel at least once a month. I try to write blog posts about our trips, share my travel photos and tips and occasionally a recipe. I've ridden a camel in Turkey, gone sandboarding in Australia and hyperventilated on top of a Polish mountain.

In June 2015, my husband was offered a short-term assignment in Australia. We decided to heartily accept this new opportunity and explore a new continent and country. So far we’ve visited the amazing Great Ocean Road, Sydney, Tasmania and several other destinations that I still have to write about here. Have you been to Oz?
Believe me, expat life isn’t all about sipping wine and lunching with ladies. Sometimes it’s tough, brutal and almost like living through high school all over again. But living abroad has taught me to be stronger, more independent and I’ve made some amazing international friendships along the way. If you ever have the chance to move abroad, JUST DO IT!

From kitchen clogs to flip flops
By trade, I’m a pastry chef and have been in the bakery and fine dining restaurant business since 2002. I was fortunate to work at Jean-Georges in New York City,  The Oval Room in Washington, D.C. and Charleston in Baltimore, MD. In Istanbul and Warsaw, I taught monthly pastry classes at local culinary schools and privately at my home. Sometimes you’ll find me baking cakes, tarts or cupcakes for friends’ special orders.

Before cooking professionally, I worked as a newspaper reporter in the Midwest for four years after college. Unlike most bloggers, I actually have a degree in journalism and have studied photography. I’ve been in love with writing since I was as an adolescent and made up silly poems. (Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be sharing that writing online.)
On the Blog
If are planning a vacation to Turkey, then you will enjoy my past posts in the Turkey trips section on the homepage. You will find information about places in Turkey such as Bozcaada, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Fethiye and more. You’ll also find some recommendations on Turkish Restaurants. I often get asked questions about what it was like living in Istanbul, so please feel free to email me if you have questions too.

If you enjoy cooking, you'll also find recipes featuring local and seasonal ingredients from around Turkey and Poland. I hope to inspire others to try a new recipe, a different cuisine.

If you like what you see on the blog, please join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest. I'd love to hear your comments!

Thanks for visiting!
Joy


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When I'm not traveling or writing,
you'll find me either cooking or teaching baking classes!