Forced Marriage Seminar.

Yesterday I was honoured to be invited to give a seminar to undergraduates at Gediz University on Forced Marriage and the effectiveness of initiatives to tackle the problem worldwide, in the UK and also Turkey.

The event was arranged and organised by a really brilliant society at the University who also arranged a screening of ‘The Night of Silence’ a film highlighting forced marriage just before my presentation, which was great as it gave some background on the problem to everyone.

I was really delighted that people came and seemed engaged with what I was saying and really interested in helping combat violence against women and specifically forced marriage. Also in understanding its causes and how vital it is to raise awareness of the issue internationally. I received some brilliant questions at the end and I hope that I was able to give more information on the problem to everyone.

Yes, so I was really happy and thrilled to have been given this opportunity to extend the research that I began as an undergraduate in my dissertation!

xxx

Christmas & Two Weeks left until I’m back in the UK

It’s officially the start of the holiday season, well it was yesterday and Christmas is truly my most favourite time of year, I think this year is even more special because I get to go back to England and see all of my family and friends right before Christmas.

I’m extremely excited for Christmas this year! I’m slowly stocking up on presents and some are going to be placed in my suitcase for the return journey, I think we need an extra suitcase now because apart from presents we have accumulated ALOT of stuff since we arrived!

Also, I get to take a trip to winter wonderland and a special break away with my family to an as-yet-unknown location! So this month has so much to look forward to and I’m really excited to be reunited with everyone after being away! Although, I’m really sad that I have to leave too and I think I’m going to be pretty upset on the plane home 😦

But anyway, hopefully everything for this month goes to plan and then I have to get a proper job.. scary!

xxx

Things I’ve been loving this month!

Bit of a short hiatus from generally uploading anything whilst I attempted to get my life in order and sort out a career-ish!? And sort out projects for my internship. I don’t think I’ve quite achieved all of that, but anyway I wanted to compile a little list of the things I’ve been loving this month. I am more of a summer person, but once I start thinking about Christmas (yes, I have already mentioned it) I tend to become very excited about autumn and winter! So here’s a little mix of all the things I was loving in the past month.

1) Berry/Purple Shades of Lipstick – I love them so much, I have two from a store in Turkey called Flormar and I don’t think I have used anything else since I bought them, not even the classic red or nudes that I usually turn to! Flormar isn’t available in the UK which makes me really sad because it means I will need to leave my new favourite make-up brand. But I know that there are some really great shades in the UK from Rimmel and Maybelline.

2) Black Jeans – So I have never really been a massive fan of jeans because I generally don’t feel comfortable in them and I’ve always felt that they draw attention to the parts of my body that I wish they wouldn’t. However, now I am completely converted because they go with EVERYTHING, and now I’m not cold in my skirts and tights in autumn/winter.

3) Gotham – Okay, so if you haven’t caught this or you haven’t even heard of this then you really need to! So basically its the early life of all of the Batman characters that we know and love, focusing on a young Jim Gordon played by Ben Mckenzie, (Ryan off of the OC from back in the day!) and following the police department’s cases in the wake of the Wayne’s murders, so there’s a young Batman too! I really love this because I was a huge fan of the Batman movies and recently caught up with some of the comics by Scott Synder, so thanks to my boyfriend for introducing me!

4) Hot Chocolates – You know the ones with the marshmallows and cream on top? Yeah, those. Mmm.

5) Taylor Swift’s new single – Okay so I have never liked Taylor Swift’s music and in general she used to really annoy me, and I have to confess I haven’t listened to the whole album yet and I might not be converted to her completely yet, but, ‘Blank Space’ has been stuck in my head all month and I think that it really shows that she has amazing song writing abilities!

6) Fashion/Beauty Bloggers and Youtubers – I have been watching so many videos this month I can hardly keep track especially Tanya Burr’s Channel which I absolutely love, Zoella and ICovetthee, check them out, they are amazing!

7)  Emerald Green – I LOVE it, on my nails especially I think it’s such an autumnal colour and different from other colours I pull out at this time of year, namely burgundy and black!

8) Pyjama days! – So I’ve been doing lots of work from home this month so I’ve had plenty of these days!!

9) Autumnal Yankee Candles – Honey and Spice has been my favourite so far this month and also November Rain, they smell so delicious and I love them lots for making the room smell so so christmassy and delightful!

10) Hair Bows – So I am in love with little hair bows also this month, ones with clips and some with hair bands, I just really love doing my hair differently and adding a little something special to them! My favourite is on that I bought recently in a taupe colour because it goes with everything!!

Anyway, that’s a round up of all the things I’ve been loving this month! I am so excited to see what I’ll be enjoying next month (well, Mockingjay is out so I know that’ll be in there somewhere) xxx

My time in Turkey

So I’ve been living in Turkey since July and I’m here until December on an internship and extended holiday, it’s a really beautiful country and I’m really settled into life here, even though I still miss home. 

It was really difficult in the beginning to become accustom to living in a different place where I didn’t speak the language (or very little.)  Also it’s really hard being away from my family and friends and I have missed home so much, I still sometimes get upset, but I have also enjoyed the brief time that I have in a place that is so different from home. 

Firstly the weather is something to enjoy, it seems to be permanent summer (well at least in Izmir) and it has finally given me the motivation to keep fit through swimming and basketball. Also, it generally makes you happy when you wake up in the morning. 

Secondly, I have learnt so much about the culture here, the people and this has given me a new perspective on life. I think that Turkey’s geographical position makes it such an interesting country, that of East meets West and also old meets modern. The politics of Turkey (upon which I will write another post) is so interesting and the state model of secularism is far from the Christian Church of Britain. (I digress, I am sorry.)

Thirdly, I have some time off for reflection to choose a career and decide which type of law I want to specialize in. I left University in June and I wanted to make sure that a career as a lawyer was something that I wanted to pursue as it requires more studying and competing for training contracts and this wasn’t something that I wanted to rush into.  I could also continue studying and keeping up with research through my internship. 

So here’s a couple of photos from my time here and it’s a place I will always urge people to visit! 

This is me being a proper tourist! In the city there is a long promenade next to the sea called ‘The Kordon’ which boasts lots of cafes, bars and restaurants along with this massive sign! It looks at its most beautiful here when the sun is just setting and there is a long stretch of grass when people come to talk with their friends, I’ve seen so many people whip out the guitar and sing here.

This is a place not far from Izmir called Cesme, it’s beautiful and renowned for it’s beaches, even Abramovich has a beach here. I loved swimming here and seeing all the fishes under my feet!!

This is just a picture of the one of the pools at my boyfriend’s parents house which I seemed to spend a lot of time in..

This is an open-air shopping centre called Forum Bornova on the outskirts of Izmir, but you can get to it by the metro. I love this place! Turkey has a passion for shopping centres and whilst in Ankara I seemed to visit about a million! But this one is the most beautiful and has lovely shops too! My favourite shops whilst I’ve been here are definitely Koton, Stratavarius and Flormar, they have some really lovely clothes/make up and are affordable too!

This is breakfast possibly the best breakfast I have ever eaten! Basically this is suppose to represent the brilliant food in Turkey, I really love it and if you visit please go beyond the normal Kofte/Kebab region and try some of the more vegetable-orientated dishes as well because they are amazing!

This is just a few of the things that I have loved about being in Turkey and I know that by the time I’m leaving I will be so sad because I think I might have grown a little attached..

Clacton By-Election by a true Clactonian

Today I witnessed the town that I grew up in become the first seat in parliament for UKIP, a truly historic day but for all the wrong reasons.

The far right have been growing in support across Europe and not just in Britain with the rise of the French National Front as well as UKIP. I’m not going to bore you with the horrendously outdated policies of UKIP (specifically on the EU and gay rights) or any other far right party, or any of the history of far right parties in Europe as this is common knowledge. However, UKIPs views are obviously very appealing in a place like Clacton. It is a place where 1 in 5 children live in poverty and people earn far less that the national average, it is a place that successive governments forgot. Once upon a time Clacton was a hub of activity with Londoners flocking there for holidays by the sea side, but with the easy access of package holidays they now prefer destinations such as Spain or Italy, leaving Clacton (which has always relied on tourism) without a supportive economy. Clacton has a mostly retired population who are by and large economically inactive and there are little opportunities for those few young people that live there (I know because I was one of them.) This has left the town in an almost permanent economic depression.

I wasn’t surprised that Clacton was prime territory for a party like UKIP because many people want someone to blame for the bad situation they are in and the easiest scapegoat to look to, perpetuated by the media, is the European Union or immigrants (of which in Clacton there are very few.) But this is wrong and it is the fault of governments that have ignored Clacton and other seaside towns across Britain. Consequently, the infrastructures of the towns have crumbled and so have the ambitions and aspirations of its people. Clacton is the epicentre of a social problem in Britain, there is low-education and low wages teamed with boiling frustration amongst its people, and I do not believe that the election of a UKIP MP will change the desperate situations of many people living in Clacton. Therefore, I am surprised at the apparent support for Douglas Carswell, a man who has been the MP in Clacton since 2005 and who I personally have not seen do much to improve employment opportunities or social conditions in the town (just look at the queue for the Job Centre). Also, a man that is so focused on taking the UK out of the EU and inevitably away from the protections, especially for women on equal pay and unfair dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy.

Today, I am sad for a town in which I have so many happy memories and in which I had a lovely childhood even if the lack of opportunities pushed me to leave. I wish that I did have more reasons to stay but under the backwards leadership of UKIP it seems that I have little reason to return.

The Introduction to my blog..

Hi, I’m Francesca..

I’m a recent law graduate from London currently living in Turkey on an internship.

For anyone who may be reading or happen to stumble upon this blog, my posts will revolve around Politics, Law and also a bit about my own life and my progress in seeking a career after graduating. Hopefully I can also publish some of my academic writing on topics that I am really passionate about such as Human Rights, Women’s Rights and current affairs.

This is not a personal blog about my love life, that’s for sure.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my writing.