I am Zehra, an artist who focuses on research-based art production. I worked professionally in Human Rights Associations in Turkey for four years. I am currently taking courses in phytotherapy and natural cosmetics and making products related to them. My husband, documentary photographer Mahmut, and I are embarking on an uncertain journey in South America. Mahmut worked as a photographer for nature conservation organizations in Turkey, and his documentary photography projects were published in Atlas and Magma, two of Turkey's most respected magazines. We started our journey in Peru, running a cafe called "Softa Tost" in the Sacred Valley for a year.
We have been living in a village in Izmir for the last eight years, and we also have a house in Istanbul, traveling frequently between these two cities due to our work.
We love cooking and have been doing this professionally for the last year and a half as a catering service for both our cafe and rest areas. We specialize in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine and only prepare vegan meals.
Our instagram profiles :
@zehranazzli
@mahmutkoyas
@sofra_toast

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Our travel style is slow and immersive. We want to deeply understand the culture, nature, dynamics of city life, and the local perspective on art, which requires us to spend a lot of time in each place. The Couchsurfing app allows us to engage with the local culture more quickly. We're also eager to improve our Spanish and English skills, and living with locals is the perfect way to achieve this.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• photography
• politics
• movies
• painting
• music
• travel
• cinema
• spirituality
• gastronomy
• cinematography

Music, Movies, and Books

-Pink Floyd, Nicholas Jaar, The Doors, Tom Waits, Bonobo, Chat Faker
-My favorite movie director is Jim Jarmsuch, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Fatih Akın, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Xavier Dolan, Kim Ki Duk, Emir Kustirica, Lars Van Trier, Micheal Haneke,Abbas Kiyarüstemi
-My favorite author is Yasar Kemal, Fyodor Dostoyevski, Franz Kafka, Tezer Ozlu, Albert Camus, Nazım Hikmet

Teach, Learn, Share

We really want to learn Spanish and improve our English. Mahmut can give us information about simple photography. We can teach you everything about food such as recipes, making bread, making pickles and we can do it together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Cyprus, Ecuador, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Peru, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Iran, Peru, Turkey