Inscrutable city: İstanbul

Hello everyone,

I just arrived back to Ankara from the magical İstanbul. I participated in EVS On-arrival training even if I am so close to finish my volunteering, I found it very useful. Before this training I had some informations about EVS volunteering and youth work and also I learned a lot during my project, but now I see more clearly. In five days we got education about many details so after this training you can understand every aims and reasons of volunteering. I met with a lot of great people, also volunteers and we could share our experiences and remarks.
Also I was so happy that the training was in İstanbul, and finally I could visit the city what everyone loves with whom I was talking about my trip. Lot of people told me many things how the city is, but I couldn’t understand till I experienced personally. Unbelievable the great many beautiful buildings, mosques, towers and so many shops, restaurants, strictly speaking you can find everything what you may look for. Huge city with 15 million people, many different cultures and historical places, seems impossible to explore everything (would take years).

Cause the limited time, I could visit only few places, but I tryed to use all my free times for exploring. I guess everyone who is going to İstanbul visiting Ayasofya and the beautiful square. It’s not coincidence! On that square I felt I am in the Turkish culture’s center. After a short walk, we started our tour in the neverending Grand Bazaar, with a pack of Turkish delight and got lost in the shop jungle. But our adventure didn’t end up here, next destination was Miniatürk and the Galata tower (Galata Kule), the famous tower with so rich history, lot of stories and legends connected with it. So amazing that the ­670 years old edifice still flawlessly beautiful, with stunning view from the top.  

I also tryed to visit many areas of the city, Taksim, Kadıköy, Beşiktas, Eyüp, etc, all had their own atmosphere and style. That’s why it’s a so colorful and inscrutable city. It was my first time in İstanbul, hopefully not the last! İnşallah! 

Ankara tour

Hello everyone,

It’s Sara again. I had a great opportunity to visit some famous signseens with a small group from different countries and I would like to share few thoughts about it with you.

 Foreign people who lives in Ankara long time ago offered me to listen their tour guard tryings. Of course I got on the chance and I don’t regret it at all! Lot of pleasure walking in the city allowed us to see many statues, mosques , parks and museums in our way. We visited the first independent parlament of Turkey which is a war museum as well. Why I mentioned it was the first “independent” parlament?! Cause in that period the country had two parlaments in the same time, in Ankara and one other in İstanbul. It made some interesting situations in the management, so they disbanded the parlament in İstanbul, and Ankara become the center of state leadership. After we continued our trip to see the column in front of the Social Sciences University. This column was erected in the 3rd century to honour the visit of Roman emperor Julian the Apostate.  Our next destination was the old city, and the castle. The old city became my favourite part of Ankara with the green areas, fortrain, pretty white houses and I felt different atmosphere in that environment. A short tea break, and we started to climb up to the castle. You must be physically capable to climb it though, there are many stairs, but from the top you can see the whole city and it gave back my energy.

Because of the rainy weather, we couldn’t visit Anıtkabir on that day, but few days later  I celebrated the International  Women’s  Day with a tour to see this stunning place. Anıtkabir is Mustafa Kemal  Atatürk’s mausoleum, the first president of Turkish Republic, but as I got to know from the people, it would be and endless listing what Atatürk gave to the country. Hes picture can be found everywhere, so I was really corious about his mausoleum too. When I entered the park, I realised that a quite long way to reach the main building. The whole park is so huge, and the buildings also much bigger than I expected. It was amazing. It confirmed in me the Turkish people’s respect of Atatürk. So hard to write down the feelings what it made me, it’s must see to understand.

Learning, travelling with fun

Hello everyone,

I am just in the middle of my EVS Project, I have mixed emotions. I am highly greatful for my time spent so far, also  I am happy cause I still have one month, but I am sad to know it will pass away as fast as the previous month did. My first blog was about my arriving and first impressions but for now  I feel much more riches of experiences, about a different  culture, life style and it is really satisfying. I would like to  never stop the exploration. 

Even in one month, the differences in Daily life became habitual but there are still million things what I could learn about Turkey. At least I have learned to travel in the crazy traffic without heart attack, I get used to use roughly the turkish keyboard,  I got to know I love Turkish food, and now I know I am able to drink 2 liters of tea per a day. I learned, some body expressions means something totally different than in Hungary, maybe it was the most difficult part of my learning, to change my reflex reactions. For example what is “What’s up” for us, for Turkish peaople means  “No”. What is “What’s up” for them, that’s  obviously flirting for us. But I had no problems about this differences, I experienced kindness and conforming from turkish people, especially if I try to use that few basic words what I have learned. J  

Weekly we are visiting a school and spending our time with sweet 6-7 years old children. Every week has some surprise for us from the cutties. They are speaking only Turkish, they just get acquainted with English language, and – of course – they don’t  know what is foreigner. They think we can speak Turkish, we just acting like we wouldn’t  know. So I am listening many stories and expressions from the children, I have no idea what about. J At the beggining I didn’t  know how to deal with this particular situation, but time to time I realised how open are they even If we can’t understand each other in every cases, we are playing and learning together,  it’s awesome. Joyful and useful cooperation; they learning English, I’m learning Turkish – and get many hugs and smiles every time. I am planning to learn some adorable Turkish children’s song. Especially one song stucked in my mind, I hum it every day, so I need to learn it for my soul peace. J

I had luck to be part in a Project with IYACA about non-formal education what was organized in Antalya. After  5 hours around travelling by car, the beautiful weather greeted us. +15-20 degrees, sunshine, and I even didn’t talk about the city. But go step by step. Many people participated from 7 countries and wanted to learn together about the Project’s topic and also about each other. Many many sessions, games and fun could build a lovely group from all around the World. I am so greatful for the knowladge what I could get during the Project. Also we had tour in the city. From the morning till evening we visited the most famous signseens. I was amazed. Especially the old part of the city stole my heart with the pretty houses, narrow streets beautiful natüre and sea view.

I am really thankful for IYACA for all experiences, knowladge and fun what I had during my EVS, I am happy for the time ahead me, and next destination is İstanbul. 

Experience Turkey

Merhaba dear friends,

It’s Karolina, again. Before my EVS I was reading a lot of articles about EVS, what is it, why to join and so on. I found a lot of information about it, for example how is EVS unique, how it helps to communities, to the society, how you can acquire new skills and abilities useful for your personal and professional growth. But it was all just written information for me, without any specific examples. And also, till you don’t try, you don’t know. In the previous blog I also tried to be more specific, how is it when you live in a different country with different culture. This time I would like to share my adventures from the last month, it will more look like a traveler blog, but don’t forget that EVS is also about traveling and exploring.

I just started my 7th week of volunteering, that’s mean that my volunteering time is almost over. Unfortunately, time flies too fast when you are having fun. During the past month, I have visited Pamukkale, Denizli and Antalya. If you are planning to visit Turkey, don’t skip Pamukalle. I saw many pictures of Pamukalle before I visited this place, but anyway it took my breath away. This surreal, brilliant white travertine terraces and warm, limpid pools filled with calcite-laden water, truly spectacular in its own right is called in English Cotton Castle. I also caught the perfect season for travellıng Pamukalle, it was not so crowded, the weather was perfect and we felt as celebrities (there were plenty of tourists from Asian countries and every time they saw us, wanted to take pictures with us). Besides of this geological phenomenon, you can find in the neighborhood an ancient city of Hierapolis. The thermal spa of Hierapolis was established by the kings of Pergamon.  The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site. Hierapolis is an exceptional example of a Greco-Roman thermal installation established on an extraordinary natural site, even thanks to this combination Pamukalle- Hierapolis are on the list of World Heritage. By the way, if you are already in Pamukalle and you like history, make the effort and visit another ancient city of Laodikeia. It’s also on the list of the World Heritage and it’s one of the important archaeological remains for the region along with Hierapolis. Here, you may find the largest ancient stadium of Anatolia.

Also thanks to IYACA, where I can do my short EVS, I visited Antalya. The association organized a great training course about non-formal education for youth workers. Our journey started early in the morning, as we went with a car I could enjoy the spectacular view of nature. We passed a lot of mountains and some lakes, especially the view of Karacaören Barajı stayed in my mind, clear lake surrounded by mountains, it reminded me the nature of my home. After the hilly part of Turkey, we finally arrived in Antalya, seaside. I had the chance to discover Antalya as well.  Antalya is full of natural sights, we visited Düden Waterfalls, it consists of the The Upper Düden Waterfalls and The Lower Düden Waterfalls. The Upper Waterfalls are a series of small cascades in a tranquil municipal park. We could experience a fabulous view through a curtain of a falling water from a cave situated behind the waterfalls. The Lower part of Düden Waterfalls with the ending at the mediterranean sea provides an unforgettable view. Our group was lucky and we even catch the sunset. Not only I could learn more about non-formal education, also I met new, amazing people, full of new ideas and willingness to improve themselves and the educational system in their countries, to make a better world. Thanks to them this week was wonderful. Besides I learnt a lot about the cities we passed on the way from Ankara to Antalya, about the history of Turkey. By the way, did you know that there is a different between çay served in Antalya and çay served in Ankara?