Golden Oldie: Hayal, you are the youngest member in Les Anciens, being 23. How do you feel among the dinosaurs?
Hayal Yildiz: Well, I started getting used to that feeling since the day I started working. I’m also one of the youngest ones in the bank. It feels a bit retro and also excited because everybody is talking about good old days and they are still as excited as a newbie.

Golden Oldie: Are you used to be the youngest or the oldest one among friends?
Hayal Yildiz: Most of my friends are at the same age with me.

Golden Oldie: How would you describe yourself in a few words?
Hayal Yildiz: Talkative, funny, energetic.

Golden Oldie: You are from Eskisehir in Turkey. How is life there compared to Istanbul?
Hayal Yildiz: Actually my antenna is AEGEE-Eskişehir but I’m from İzmir. And now I moved to İstanbul after I lived in İzmir for a couple of months. There is a saying that “İzmir is your real lover, İstanbul is just a mistress”. This explains everything.

Golden Oldie: How did you join AEGEE and what did you study?
Hayal Yildiz: I joined AEGEE 6 years ago during orientation programme for freshmen. I studied Business and Administration.

Golden Oldie: Despite your young age, you did a lot of things in AEGEE: Members Commission, Network Commission, Agora organiser, Key to Europe chief-editor. Of all these tasks which did you like best?
Hayal Yildiz: Being a Netcommie was the best. Because it gave me the opportunity of meeting a lot of people and it provided a pathway to my other tasks. Without the experience and knowledge that I gained from Network Commission, I would have never succeeded in any of these tasks.

Golden Oldie: Which task did you like the least?
Hayal Yildiz: Well, there is no task I liked least. All of them were different from each other and they all have their own good sides and bad sides.

Golden Oldie: How was being Agora organiser in Turkey? I heard it was a spectacular Agora?
Hayal Yildiz: It was surprising because we worked for a year to organise an event but it all passed during four days. All these endeavours and endless meetings were just for four days. But without all these endless meetings and long task lists we would not have been able to organise that spectacular Agora. After all the good comments we have heard and all the thank you notes we received our tiredness was gone.

Golden Oldie: Do you like taking responsibility? Are you like this only in AEGEE or also in the normal world?
Hayal Yildiz: I like taking responsibility. Sometimes it causes me trouble, because sometimes I will be the only one person who is trying to organise everything on her own. My friends are so sure that I’m capable of doing everything on my own that they even don’t bother to ask if I need help or not.

Golden Oldie: How did AEGEE change your life?
Hayal Yildiz: AEGEE taught me how to be patient and take a deep breath when I’m very angry. Before AEGEE, I was just rushing and I was trying to do everything at once and after AEGEE I learned how to plan my schedule and wait until the deadline.

Golden Oldie: Now you work in a bank. What do you do there? And do you still have time to travel?
Hayal Yildiz: I’m working for corporate credits underwriting division at the headquarters of İşbank, which is the biggest private sector bank of Turkey and also the only Turkish Bank in the Banker’s Brand Finance top 100 list. My group’s specialised area is ship finance and the logistics sector. We are evaluating financial statements, ratings and press reports related to firms and then credit lines of the firms will be determined. My department is very busy and according to the Turkish Employment Law I cannot officially get any holiday permit before I have completed my first year as an employee. So unfortunately I don’t have enough time to travel abroad this year – at least until 4th October,

Golden Oldie: You have a very poetic name. What does it mean?

Hayal Yildiz: Well, my surname means star my first name means dream.

Golden Oldie: When will Les Anciens members have a chance to get to know you in person?

Hayal Yildiz: If I can find some free time from bank, I’m planning to attend Les Anciens meeting in Cyprus. Hope to see you all there!