KIWI JOURNALIST ISOBEL'S UNEXPECTED NEW LIFE

The former Newshub presenter says working in Türkiye has brought plenty of surprises -including marriage!

- Fleur Guthrie.

If there's one thing Kiwi journalist Isobel Ewing has learnt from the past year living in Türkiye, it's to always expect the unexpected.

From her partner Cael Geier getting detained and deported thanks to ever-changing immigration rules, to adopting stray kittens born in the newsroom, life in Istanbul's never boring.

But the moment when her beau Cael, 29, a Canadian environmental engineer, unexpectedly got "kicked out" of Türkiye due to a misunderstanding was the biggest surprise for the former Newshub presenter.

"We left the country to see a friend in London, but we didn't realise you can't leave while your residence permit process is underway, unless you've got a special document," explains Isobel, 35, who's an anchor on English-Turkish broadcaster TRT World.

"On returning to Istanbul, we were stopped at the border and Cael was held at the airport for 25 hours. We were told he'd overstayed his tourist visa and couldn't be let in for two months. It was extremely stressful and traumatic."

To give her partner the best chance of obtaining his residency, Isobel's colleague Mesut gave her a tip.