August 21st 2025
Logistics employee Selin Buyurgan talks about making her wishes come true and creating a new life in the Netherlands.
Selin Buyurgan is curious by nature. “I really like to learn new things,” she says. “Which is why I’m very happy to be living in the Netherlands and working at PHIX. Here I get to learn something new every day.”
Moving to Twente from Turkey two years ago was a breath of fresh air for Selin. “I was 33 years old when I moved and I had never lived anywhere else but Turkey. The Netherlands is so different from everything I was used to.” The biggest and most positive difference is the freedom you have here, she adds, especially as a woman.
“You can tell people exactly what you’re thinking, and this is a kind of freedom that is very important to me,” says Selin. “You can be direct even with your colleagues and your boss. If you have an idea, you can simply share it. It doesn’t matter what you look like or what you wear. It’s about what you’re thinking.”
Selin appreciates the flexibility this provides for her work at PHIX, where she is responsible for daily logistics operations – a job she treasures, not for a small part, thanks to her colleagues. “It’s so nice to work here because we have so many cultures and countries represented here. My colleagues come from all over the world. In my previous jobs, all my colleagues were Turkish. Here it’s like the “united colors of Benetton” and everyone is very friendly and kind.”
The workplace diversity gives her the chance to share her own culture as well, she adds. “I love to cook and serve my meals to people, and so I often bring typical Turkish food for my colleagues to taste.” A nice excuse for one of Selin’s favorite pastimes: experimenting in the kitchen. “I like trying new recipes. Often, if I have a dish I like in a restaurant, I try to recreate it at home. And I usually succeed,” she smiles.
Selin’s hunger goes beyond food. She craves new experiences and takes every opportunity to explore unfamiliar places and activities, whether that is travelling to an unknown city, taking a different bike route or flying high above the ground.
“Here it’s like the ‘united colors of Benetton’ and everyone is very friendly and kind.”
“My entire life, one of my dreams was to fly in a hot air balloon,” says Selin. “In Turkey, you can do that only in one place and it is very expensive.” In Twente, however, this lifelong dream was suddenly within reach. “And so, I went for it. I was afraid at first because of the fire, but after a few minutes I calmed down and it was wonderful.”
In the long run, Selin wishes to stay grounded. “I want to create a life in the Netherlands and especially learn Dutch as soon as possible.” And although she grew up in the hustle and bustle of Istanbul, she has no desire to return to a big city. “I’d like to stay in Twente. I have friends who live in cities such as Rotterdam and the Hague, but those places are too crowded for me. I’m tired of the big city life, I prefer the calm life here. All I need is nature, a book, and a coffee.”
Are you interested in a career at PHIX?
As a rapidly growing integrated photonics packaging foundry we are always looking for new talent. Even if our current job openings aren’t an exact fit, we are eager to meet promising candidates who are experienced in photonics.
